What’s doing
Once again, let me express sincere gratitude to what is an astonishing number of well-wishers. I am quite speechless, which is a fancy and guilt-defying way of saying that I probably won’t manage to answer all that email.
Paul asked what I would be learning in library school. Yes, it’s definitely more than shelving books. The UW SLIS maintains a list of specializations and a handy list of recently-offered courses with syllabi. You can get a fair idea from those.
I myself intend to pursue the Library Information Systems track, for reasons that are probably fairly obvious to CavLec readers. The only SLIS courses I will positively avoid, however, are those concerned with K-12 media centers, as I have less than zero interest in that line of work. (All praise to those who do it and like it; I am just not one of them.)
My ideal post-graduation work would be helping create, manage, and expose for public use electronic-text repositories. There’s quite a bit of this sort of assemblage happening these days, budget cuts aside. I’m already pretty good with the “create” part of the bargain, and dearly love the work; the rest I can learn, and will.
This isn’t to say such work is all I’ll consider. I could be quite contented as a library sysadmin or so-called “digital librarian.” I plan to play the field a bit once I get out, if I can; I don’t want to get stuck in a Job of Utter Nastiness, as has happened to me the last couple of jobs before the one I’m in. I can pick up on warning signs better than I used to, by virtue of experience, but with any luck the contrasts involved in multiple interviews should discriminate even more finely.
But that is all to come, barring disaster.
AKMA noted my obvious enthusiasm. So did a friend I met for dinner last night, who commented that she liked seeing the smile on my face. I am excited, so much so that it bothered me a little yesterday. After all, I was excited to go into the Department from Hell too.
But it is different this time. “You know too much!” commented another friend in email. I don’t know that there’s any such thing as “too much,” but it’s certainly true that I’ll be much more prepared and assertive and less easily-cowed this time than last. I’ve emailed my new adviser already in hopes of meeting her; if she’s not (despite appearances) a good fit, I’d rather know now (and get the paperwork for a replacement started) than later.
Naturally, unwillingness to talk to me will be a significant (though not necessarily all-determining) sign of a poor fit. I know enough now to insist on better.
Another difference between then and now is that then was an automatic decision based largely on not knowing what else to do with myself or even what my options were, whereas now I made an intentional decision to go in, fully aware of what I want to get out of it and what I want to do once I’m done. It’s surprising how much difference that makes. Last time, I was deathly afraid of failing, because I couldn’t imagine anything other than an empty life resulting. This time, not only do I know I can do it (because I know what I’ll need to do!), but I’m also perfectly aware that I can survive, no matter what.
(It’s funny. On the walk home the day the notice arrived, I was morosely pondering what I’d have to do to pay for the University of Illinois’s distance-MLS program. Notice that there was no question of not trying for the MLS—just questions of ways and means.)
I think this is going to be good, barring the usual and inevitable hassles and difficulties. I honestly do. And truth be told, I can’t wait!