Today is the final day of November and the final day of this blog series. Thank you to all participants for your time and insights. You do justice to the profession. Of course, I’d expect no less from a group of fabulous librarians you should know.

To wrap up the series I’ll leave you with a set of numbers: Throughout the month of November you’ve heard from 8 public librarians, 7 academic librarians, 7 reference librarians, 2 library school professors, 2 web specialists, 1 cataloger, 1 systems librarian, 1 special librarian, 1 technical services librarian, 1 teen librarian, 1 curator of rare books, 1 administrator and 1 PhD student.

The series has drawn 190 visitors from 2 countries and 15 states (including D.C.)

Thanks contributors and thanks readers.

Happy December!

Meet me, Katie Sosnoff! Today I am profiling myself in hopes that I may one day become a librarian you should know. I’d also like all my fabulous participants to see that I’m not opposed to torturing myself with my own questions. For those who struggled with the word “exciting” in question #3 I share your pain.

Describe your job in two sentences.

I am a library assistant in the Access & Organization department of the Boston College Law Library where I share Circulation/Information Desk duties and some technical services duties with other library assistants. I am also responsible for document delivery and borrowing & lending interlibrary loan operations.

What do you like most about being a librarian?

I like that the role of a librarian is to find ways to expand or specialize a library’s services and resources to meet the needs of a particular population (or group of populations.) In the case of an academic law library the collection and services are designed specifically to aid in the education of future legal practitioners and the professional development of faculty.

What’s an exciting project you are working on at the moment?

My most exciting project is this blog series! It has been profoundly fun and interesting to hear what other librarians have to say about our profession. I’m also approaching the end of the ‘project’ of library school; in one week I will be 2/3 finished with degree requirements.

Any words of advice for an aspiring librarian?

If you want to be a librarian don’t let anyone talk you out of it: not parents, not friends, not professors. They’ll come around.

Deena Frazier is today’s librarian you should know. She is the Associate Law Librarian, Access & Organization at BC Law Library. She is also one of my supervisors and has unlimited patience for Aleph questions and ILLiad questions and Ariel questions and Odyssey questions (and all others, especially if they have to do with vowel-initial words).

Describe your job in two sentences.

I manage a unit at the Boston College Law Library called Access and Organization, a non-traditional department composed of a wonderful group of individuals who handle acquisitions, cataloging, serials, government documents, circulation, interlibrary loan, document delivery, course reserves, web editing, basic legal reference, computer lab monitoring, faculty scholarship, our institutional repository –and more. And they all multi-task — talk about a versatile staff!!

What do you like most about being a librarian?

That there is always something new to learn. These are exciting times for librarians. We’re busy reinventing ourselves and our profession. We’re immersed in new challenges and we’re finding ways to use technology to meet those challenges. It’s really a stimulating environment. One thing about working in libraries seems to remain constant, however, and that’s that people who work in libraries are among the very finest folks there are — smart, talented, funny, kind, thoughtful.

What’s an exciting project you are working on at the moment?

Exciting? Well, I don’t know about exciting…but I just set up a wiki for our department as a training and communication enhancement, and it was fun to get that off the ground.

Any words of advice for an aspiring librarian?

Oh, just the usual – be flexible, be positive, be enthusiastic, be creative, embrace change and keep an eye on the big picture. Pay attention to your users – whoever they may be – and find ways to meet their needs. Don’t try to make them behave the way you think they should behave. It’s not about you – it’s about them.

Today’s librarian you should know is Scot Colford, Applications Manager at the BPL. He’s also an occasional adjunct instructor at Simmons where he was my teacher for the “technology requirement” (aka LIS488).

Describe your job in two sentences.

I’m the Applications Manager for the Boston Public Library, which means that I am responsible for the team that implements, maintains, and supports all the library automation software for the BPL and its branches. The most important of these is the integrated library system for the Metro Boston Library Network, but we also are responsible for the maintenance of vendor-supplied electronic resources, downloadable media, resource sharing tools, and some web services.

What do you like most about being a librarian?

I really enjoy solving the complex problem of getting information to people in a painless, seamless, and – if all goes well – an apparently-magical way. I really like hearing from patrons, “Wow! That was really easy and I got exactly what I wanted. I don’t know how you did it!”

What’s an exciting project you are working on at the moment?

At the BPL, we’ve begun a massive effort to develop a digital strategy that will focus and align all our web-delivered services that should elevate our web presence from a confusing and sometimes unhelpful set of static pages to a vibrant, robust tool for information seekers. We’re working with a couple of brilliant consultants from both the private and non-profit sectors who are encouraging us to rethink everything from the ground up. It’s really inspiring and energizing to think we will end up with a “virtual branch” where our web site used to be.

Any words of advice for an aspiring librarian?

1) Don’t stop learning. Even librarians, oddly, fall into this trap and sometimes are reluctant to give up established tools in favor of more efficient technology.

2) Don’t let “perfect” stand in the way of the “possible.” Begin new services that you know still have minor flaws because the feedback you get from patrons will be unexpected and invaluable when you continue to improve them. And *do* continue to improve constantly.

3) Remember that you have a job description, but your patrons do not. Make sure that your service procedures are in place to make things easier on patrons, not staff.

Meet Laura Saunders, PhD student and adjunct at Simmons. She’s responsible for one sixth of my library school coursework and for that I am grateful!

Describe your job in two sentences.

As a PhD student and Adjunct Lecturer, I conduct research and teach classes in the areas of Reference and User Instruction. I have published several papers, mostly in the area of information literacy, developed syllabi and assignments, and presented at conferences, all as part of my program work.

What do you like most about being a librarian?

I think the thing I like most about being a librarian is that it is so multi-disciplinary, especially in reference and instruction. You never know what kinds of questions you’ll be asked, so you are always learning new things in new subject areas. Since I can’t limit myself to just one favorite thing, I would also have to say that I love the overall culture of this profession- most librarians are just very passionate about their work, supportive of each other, and interested in helping our patrons.

What’s an exciting project you are working on at the moment?

I am currently conducting a Delphi Study on the future of information literacy in academia. I am surveying 15 experts in the field to try and form a consensus as to what information literacy could look like in ten years.

Any words of advice for an aspiring librarian?

My best advice to aspiring librarians is to get involved in whatever ways you can- join professional and student associations, read the literature, volunteer and/ or get work experience. The more active you are in the field, the more you learn and the more contacts you make. Also, as I mentioned above, most librarians are very supportive, so don’t be afraid to meet people and ask questions or get their perspectives on aspects of the field.

Jenny Caron is a Children’s Librarian at Watertown Free Public Library in Massachusetts. She’s the final librarian from Watertown to be featured (See Kelly, Clayton, and Ardis). From these 4 colleagues’ profiles one gets a good sense of the inner workings of a busy suburban public library.

Describe your job in two sentences.

My job is everything I ever hoped it could be – it is a learning experience and it is one that never invites me to be bored. I never know what to expect, and I get as much from my job as I put in.

What do you like most about being a librarian?

I like that I am able to build off of my passions and hobbies. I get to be an advocate for books that I love, and buy materials for the kids that they will like. I get to meet amazing kids, and (hopefully) help them become who they aspire to be. I also love how much I am always learning on the job. I love the wealth of information that surrounds me, the people, my co-workers…and I love that my fines are waived.

What’s an exciting project you are working on at the moment?

I am working on a couple of exciting projects. One is that I am building a children’s graphic novel collection from the ground up. With the help of the teen librarians, I have about 300 titles in the collection and it is quickly growing. The collection is front and center, where the kids who might be interested in the books will actually find them. The other exciting project that I’ve been working on is a youth advisory club for tweens (there’s got to be a better label for them!) The kids I work with are absolutely amazing and I feel so lucky to know them. In two weeks, we’re having an “Apples to Apples” tournament. I can’t wait.

Any words of advice for an aspiring librarian?

Make your skills and hobbies well known to your coworkers. You’ll be amazed at the great projects that people seek you out for because they know that you will have fun with them.

Today’s librarian you should know is Jackie Hockett. She is Head of Children’s Services at the Amherst Town Library in Amherst, NH. Jackie is one of the most enthusiastic children’s librarians I have ever met; Amherst is lucky to have her (and they know it — she was greeted as a celebrity at the town’s Independence Day Parade.)

Describe your job in two sentences.

As Head of Children’s Services I plan, perform, entertain, discuss, clean, put away toys, work on my “is-what-you-are-doing-right-now-a-good-choice” face, advise, research, listen, help with homework, play with puppets, keep with the trends, give class tours, PTA talks, storytimes, outreach, and try my hardest to be a positive participant in the community.

What do you like most about being a librarian?

The satisfaction of helping someone find a book they REALLY love- once you have that connection established it makes purchasing books that much more fun. I feel like I am Christmas shopping all year long, and once a book comes in I am all excited to show it to the person I had in mind. Also working with kids is an amazing experience. They are funny and sweet and honest. I am in such a neat place where I get to watch them grow up and they learn to talk, and then read, and then they develop reading preferences. It is very cool. Also I love working in a such a positive place where people come because they have an interest in something we can offer. It is a flurry of excitement at times.

What’s an exciting project you are working on at the moment?

I am starting to put together Summer Reading, which overall is most time-consuming program of my job. I have been evaluating the response from last summer and deciding how we will proceed this summer to keep the interest and participation as high. One of the neatest things about my job is also the hardest- keeping kids interested in the library as they get older! I am also on a committee for the Great Stone Face book award which honors literature that is a great read for kids in grades 4-6. So I am reading a lot of books at night and getting to talk about them with other librarians.

Any words of advice for an aspiring librarian?

Get an internship, try out different fields. There are a lot of ways one can go with a degree in Library Science. That is one of the most amazing things about the library world, every way of thinking is represented. Like with most things in the world, it is what you make of it. Keep it magical.

Mary Ann Neary is the Associate Law Librarian for Education & Reference Services at Boston College Law Library. As my excellent reference librarian mentor, she is certainly a librarian you should know!

Describe your job in two sentences.

I work as an academic law librarian and my job includes teaching research to law students. I love my job because it allows me to combine my background and interest in law with teaching and reference service.

What do you like most about being a librarian?

I love being a librarian because the job is constantly evolving and changing. In a single day, I can use traditional printed resources for a reference question or help students as they set up a new online law journal or work on a Research Wiki with my bankruptcy research class students. After having worked in different settings, I find that academic law librarianship is especially rewarding due to the institution’s mission to further scholarship and research – a shared mission with librarians.

What’s an exciting project you are working on at the moment?

I am very excited about teaching an upper-level research class titled Bankruptcy Law Research. This is an expanding area of law and bankruptcy practice is very research-intensive. The students are enthusiastic and responsive to such class projects as our collaborative Research Wiki, which is designed to work as a research tool for them after they graduate.

Any words of advice for an aspiring librarian?

Librarianship is a field where mentors can be very important in job search and job expansion activities. Don’t hesitate to seek out mentors and remember that you, too, can be a mentor now to undergraduates and others looking for a rewarding career!

Today’s librarian you should know is Irene, Director of Academic Technology at a Law School in Boston.

Describe your job in two sentences.

I am responsible for connecting law students and faculty to the technology or information they need to be more productive and creative. While managing a staff of eight people I also track the latest developments in educational technology.

What do you like most about being a librarian?

Keeping current with all the changes taking place with how information is accessed and organized!

What’s an exciting project you are working on at the moment?

I have two. A complete redesign of the law school web site and coordinating the implementation of an online room reservation system which will manage reserving classrooms, study rooms in the library, and the law school’s three function rooms.

Any words of advice for an aspiring librarian?

Learn to embrace change and keep current with the latest technology developments.

Ardis Francoeur is today’s librarian you should know. She is head of the Adult Services Department at Watertown Free Public Library in Massachusetts.

Describe your job in two sentences.

I manage the Adult Services Department (that sounds dirty, but it’s not)- that includes supervising 4 1/2 librarians, programming, ordering books and movies, answering reference questions, helping folks find good books to read, and much, much more.

What do you like most about being a librarian?

It’s a toss-up between helping people, the variety (duties, public, etc.), and everything I learn on the job.

What’s an exciting project you are working on at the moment?

I’m working with our webmaster on the webpage. We’re not doing anything earth-shattering (yet), but it’s fun to learn the technology and thinking up all of the improvements and additions we can make to the page.

Any words of advice for an aspiring librarian?

Be willing to take a lower paying job with more responsibility, rather than go for the money. You’ll learn more, faster, and have better chances for promotion and/or other jobs.