First day = success!

Hello!  Today was my very first day as a professional librarian, and it's starting to feel real.  I may not have dreamed this whole thing, guys!

How did I get here?  After college, I joined a teaching program, but the experience was not entirely a positive one for me.  There were some aspects of teaching that I did really love, however, like working with kids and young people and making a difference by educating them.  So I moved back in with my parents, started thinking about other possible career paths and one day it hit me - why not be a librarian instead of a teacher?

I honestly don't know how I never thought of that possibility before.  Once the idea entered my head I could see how it fit perfectly with my interests and personal strengths.

What I learned when I started to research the profession is that a librarian these days needs a masters degree - in "Library Science" or "Library and Information Science," depending on the school.  That wasn't a problem for me, since I've always done well in school and did plan on going to grad school at some point.  I decided to enter the iSchool at the University of Pittsburgh for my MLIS and concentrate in Services for Children and Youth.

I have to say that I had a great time at Pitt and met some fantastic library friends who will hopefully keep in touch as they start their own careers in "library world!"

After graduation I moved back home (again) to focus entirely on getting my first full-time librarian job, as a children's librarian in a public library.

Amazingly and luckily it only took me 25 days to be offered a wonderful job in southern Indiana!  I am so happy and blessed to be here.  Everyone I have met has been so welcoming, and I'm really looking forward to everything that I'm going to be doing.

My move down here was a bit hectic!  My dad came with me to get me settled in, and I am so grateful because he was a huge huge source of support and guidance.  Although I had scheduled appointments beforehand, I basically found and settled on an apartment in three hours and moved in later the same afternoon!  The next day was spent buying furniture (because an air mattress and floor cushions was not going to cut it like in grad school!).  My Eagle Scout dad tied my new box spring and mattress one by one to the top of the car and took two trips to Costco (plus three trips to Target) to furnish my new apartment.  Thanks, Dad!

First impressions of Kentuckiana: super friendly people, slow drivers, lots of blown-out tires on the side of the road, confusing interchanges on the freeway and an incredibly high number of seafood restaurants.  I still need to ask someone what is up with all the seafood places.  Maybe it's just my part of town but there are seriously at least eight of them.

I was a little bit nervous for my first day of work (I think I may actually have to be a grown-up now?), but everyone was great and I think I did process a lot of the information that was thrown at me.  I can't wait to learn more and do more!

Here's to my rookie year as a librarian!