A New Librarian's Thoughts, Reflections and Self-criticisms

Librarianship is a very demanding profession. I have gathered this from spending almost a month working for the main library. It requires and asks for the dedication of a hard-working and sometimes charitable person for it to be a rewarding career. I have noticed this as I was going through the different sections of the library. Working can only get you so far, sometimes it takes the kindness of your heart to actually do something that is not in your job description for the library to operate smoothly. This would not happen if we had the capabilities to improve the working conditions of our librarians, not only in UP but also in the entire country. Librarianship has been seen through by government officials and the public. The experience I had made me realize how we desperately need another legislation that will improve the status of librarians in the professional field. 

This brings me to the things I have learned as a training librarian. One of the things that I will bring as I move forward is the fact that your education will not always be enough for the job. When I was younger and even now, I believed that the skills demanded by your job will perfectly coincide with those you have learned in school but that wasn’t the case. I now found the value of improving yourselves in skills other than those required in your job. Even what seems to be mundane skills such as covering a book or writing e-mails will make a big difference in the real world.

Another thing I have learned is that relationships are important. Building a professional and mutually beneficial relationship with your co-workers and your superiors is a must. I have never been in a working environment before which is why it is only now that I have witnessed how this can affect your work. You do not need to be close friends with all of your co-workers and superiors but it is vital to maintain a healthy and effective dynamic between them. I have noticed that work becomes easier when everyone is towards the same goal instead of presenting dueling ideas. Teamwork is an ingredient for an inviting work environment. 

Finally, I have also learned how valuable each role is in an organization. You know the saying that “there are no small roles”? I can say that I have definitely seen that in here. Everyone in the library, no matter what position they are, from the janitor to the head librarian. They all have a role to play for the library to operate similar to a well-oiled machine. You will grow appreciation to every task you and other people do. I have to commend as well the respect each have for one another, you cannot see or feel any condescending remarks from a superior and you can also see the respect of one librarian to the other. Respect must be present in the organization. 

Going through the sections of the main library, I have learned a lot. At first, I was terrified to begin as too many negative scenarios had already popped in my mind. But our superiors pushed us to break the boxes we were in order for us to grow out of them. I have learned how to bind a book, page a book, shelfread and index with accuracy. Most importantly I was forced to face people. I have mentioned many times in my entries how much I feared interactions be it on e-mail, on a phone call and even more so personally but because of what I have gone through this month. Let’s just say that I’m a little more confident to face people. I would like to thank everyone that has pushed me to strive even when I didn’t want to. 

I would also like to thank the main library for providing an outlet for our creativity. They have given us an avenue to explore our capabilities and showcase our talents to the different tasks that we have done. I particularly enjoyed making a brochure for the Information Services and Instruction Section.

However, I will admit that even though I have worked to strive, there are still things that I didn’t exert effort to. I also need to own up my shortcomings such as my sporadic spurs of tardiness during work that makes me disregard the quality of work I should deliver and simply aim to finish the task. I now realize how this can affect the overall quality of service offered by library. I also have to apologize because my fear of interactions sometimes get the best of me and I end up not giving a good reply to the queries. I am aware that all the things that I have done can have a negative impact on the institution I am working on especially if I continue to let this happen until I enter the professional world. They must stop now. I will find the motivation to lose any ounce of tardiness present and I will find the strength to fight the fear that inhibits me from providing service. It was my days as librarian that made me realize all of this.

One month, twenty-one days, six sections, and thousands of processed books was all that it took for someone like me to learn new skills, have a better appreciation and love the profession even more. Our LIS181 class was the perfect opportunity for our self-development. This would not have been possible without our professor, Ma’am Yhna, our supervisors, our coordinators, the librarians who have become our co-workers for a while, and our classmates that have made every lunchtime a memorable experience. Thank you everyone for helping me by guiding the way on the path of being a librarian. 

Let’s just agree that I am “A New Librarian”, shall we?

Samuel Pepito, officially signing off. :D