Library Analysis: Reflections

After conducting these interviews, the thing that struck me as most significant was the high level of job satisfaction the librarians shared.  Each person I spoke with seemed to have found a perfect niche to fill; and they all appeared genuinely happy in their roles despite the differences in the job descriptions themselves.

Entering the project, I expected to hear complaints about the state of libraries, the lack of funding and the uncertain future of librarians.  Despite all of the talk about the demise of the library and of the profession in the media, I did not get the same feeling of dread from these professionals.  In fact, each person that I interviewed projected a positive image of the profession and appeared very happy with the particular facet of library science that they had chosen.

Several topics surfaced repeatedly in  the interviews, including the emergence of technology and information literacy.  The libraries I visited all seemed to be embracing technology as a new way to connect with patrons.  Complaints about the advances in technology appeared only as they affected information literacy and the inability of patrons to effectively evaluate the expanding number of information resources.  Even the Special Librarian, Jan Boyett, mentioned that she receives requests from parents for "all of the information" about a specific topic for a student, and has to explain that the information within the Institute is not only unsuitable for a young student, but also that the role of a research librarian is not to "actually conduct the research for the student."  From the elementary school  to the University level, I found that information literacy was a hot button topic for the professionals, and a focus of their jobs.

While I admit to being initially overwhelmed by the scope of this project, I found it was actually very useful to explore the different library settings, particularly so early in the program.  Overall, I felt the project was a very useful glimpse into the various facets of the library science profession, and I even lined up a few possible opportunities for fieldwork later in my studies.