Nov 30 2005
The meaning of life… or graduate school
I’ve heard from many a librarian that “graduate school is something you just have to get through in order to do what you want.” I’ve heard it from archivists, too. But why wouldn’t I want to get as much out of the experience as possible? Furthermore, why are people willing to spend money and time on library school if they aren’t willing to put in any effort?
To me, the greater part of education has always been the outside experiences. Coursework forms the base of knowledge, definitely. That’s even more true as we learn to catalog, take reference classes, and do other things that we’ve never done before becoming “librarians in training.” However, for a lot of people, this will be the last time that they are with so many other librarians at once– use it as an opportunity! Get involved outside of class! These people can be a valuable network and resource– not only classmates, but professors, guest speakers, and librarians that you meet through conferences and workshops. Involvement in professional activities is a *good* thing– especially if you end up in a “lone arranger” position after graduation. Also, it’s going to be a hell of a lot harder to get references if nobody knows who you are.