Determined to eke out every last bit of knowledge from my library school experience, I’ve been asking my colleagues and fellow CALL members if there was anything they wished they would have learned in library school. Meanwhile, I’ve also been combing through job descriptions for clues, and reflecting on my own education and what I perceive as its gaps and its successes. Continue reading Things I Wish I’d Learned in Library School
LC: You are currently a student at University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) living on campus. How long have you been a Graduate Assistant in the Law Library?
ML: I started the assistantship last August. I can’t believe it has been eight months!
LC: What made you decide to become a law librarian?
ML: A few years ago, I debated between applying to law school and library and information science graduate school. Law school was something I had considered since college. On the other hand, I love helping people and finding information, so librarianship seemed like a natural combination of the two. I ended up deciding to apply to law school, but librarianship was still in the back of my mind. The timing was finally right to go to library school, so here I am! Continue reading Meet New CALL Member, Mandy Lee
I have worked in libraries for the last 14 years in a variety of roles, but it was only last year that I decided to attend a graduate program in Library and Information Sciences. Since I am a full time staff member at Loyola University Chicago’s Law Library and commute almost 3 hours a day to my home in the Western Suburbs, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s online program was the most obvious choice for me. The convenience of online classes for scheduling, comfort, and flexibility are obvious, but, in the last year, I have discovered so many additional, “invisible” benefits for students and full time librarians. Continue reading The Invisible Benefits of Library School
Why do I get myself into these things?! This is a question I have asked myself a lot this year. In fact, I am asking myself that very question right now, as I stare at a blank computer screen, reflecting on my first year in library school, trying to find some sort of form and poetic resonance in my experience.
It’s a question that I asked myself last summer when I attended “bootcamp” at the University of Illinois, the mandatory 1-week introductory course in Champaign for students intending on pursuing their MLIS degree online … 4 quizzes, 2 papers, 1 group presentation and required active participation in live classes as well as internet message boards that never sleep! It’s a question that I asked myself last fall when the class I was taking wasn’t resonating with me. Because the class was online, I had no way of knowing if this disconnect was a sign that I had maybe made the wrong career choice or if, in fact, other students were feeling it too. And, yes, it’s also a question that I asked myself Spring Semester, when I took two inspiring and challenging classes but struggled to find the time to balance work, school and life.
For those of us soon-to-be library school graduates, we are in the process of starting our careers and finding our first jobs. As a soon-to-be graduate myself, I wanted to find out more about the current status of the law library job market.
In order to do so, I interviewed both Roy Brooks, Career Specialist/Practicum Coordinator at the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science, and Paul D. Healey, Senior Instructional Services Librarian and Associate Professor of Library Service at the University of Illinois College of Law. Continue reading The Law Library Job Market
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