Why be a librarian?

My mother is an English teacher so there were many trips to the school library with her when I was young. I was always so excited because it was the one place I could have whatever I wanted and she wouldn’t say no. Each trip, I knew I would have an opportunity to go on a new adventure to any world I pleased just by choosing a book. Once back at home, I would lose myself in the pages of my borrowed book. The book was borrowed, but the knowledge was free to keep.

Roald Dahl was a favorite author of mine throughout elementary school, and remains such although mostly for reasons of nostalgia. His book Matilda was always the most intriguing to me. In it, Dahl writes, “These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.” Dahl’s words from this passage, in which Matilda discovers the library and all of its benefits, were especially moving to me because my trips to the library and late nights in bed reading in the dark with a flashlight gave me the same message. You are not alone. I identified with Matilda as someone who felt different. I found solace and truth in these words, and they have resonated with me throughout my life. I was the bookworm choirboy from a family well recognized in sports. I knew they loved me, but everyone wants to be a part of something greater than themselves and I found that often, the thirst for knowledge supplies this acceptance and belonging in the discovery of others with the same thirst.

We all strive for that knowledge on some level and libraries offer this knowledge, if one is only willing to enter. Some years ago, I took a work study job at the library circulation desk at the university I was currently attending. The experience of working directly with different librarians opened my eyes to the true essence of the librarian: librarians are guides and helpers that point inquisitive minds in the right direction. I watched the librarians guide students in their research, but the most impressive feat I witnessed was seeing other students excited about their research when their eyes were opened to research methods and avenues that were once nonexistent to them. A wealth of knowledge was opened to them by the simple action of asking a librarian for help. At the time, I was studying music education, but I was starting to realize that my life was going in a different direction. I transferred to my current school shortly thereafter and changed my major to Interdisciplinary Studies with the goal of entering a graduate program in Library Science. The courses I have taken have allowed me to fine-tune my research and presentation skills in my last year in the program. The classes I am referring to specifically are Research Inventions, Interdisciplinary Presentations, and a Senior Capstone course in which I will complete a research paper and then present it to my peers before graduation.

I have worked in pharmacy as a pharmacy technician since I was in high school. My great attention to detail, affinity for event planning and technology, and precise organization skills have allowed me to work in unconventional areas of pharmacy that I believe directly correlate to my career goals in Library Science. I have been in charge of organizing and collating prescription hard copies for easy reference. I have designed websites for each pharmacy at which I have worked in order to provide important healthcare information to the public. I have also organized fundraisers and healthcare awareness events to promote community progress and interaction.

I want to be the helper. I want to preserve knowledge and information that is important to our rapidly advancing society. My career goals include working in the fields of reference and public service. In the next 10 years, I see myself working as a an academic librarian at a university, as the librarians I worked with left such an impression on me. After many years of working with the public, I have grown to care for the well-being of others, and even a step further, for their advancement and happiness. I pride myself on absorbing information and leading others to the information they need. Information is something to be treasured. Opening the doors for others to learn new things is a privilege and I want to make that my life’s work. A degree in Library Science, to me, offers so much more than specific academic goals. This degree would allow me to be a beacon of hope, a provider of knowledge, a preserver of information, and a guide to new discoveries.