Beruflich Dokumente
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The Library In
Review
A Literary Resource for
Future Librarians
Field Interview
By, Crystal Stephenson
I recently had the opportunity to interview Cherilyn Taylor, a local
Research Librarian, who I am also privileged to call a friend. I first
met Mrs. Taylor while she was employed with the Orange County
Inside Library System’s main branch in downtown Orlando, Florida. Not
one to hold back any punches, she tells it like it is and answered
Experience, Challenges & my questions with candor. We covered a lot of ground, so let’s
Reward 2-5 jump right into it.
Competition,
Saturation, &
Advice
An
Interview
with Cherilyn
Taylor
By,
Crystal Stephenson
2
The Library In Review June 24, 2018
to get an idea of which items to order for the collection, taking into
account patron requests. I’ll typically spend several hours either on
the reference desk or on the circulation desk since Altamonte is a small
library and everybody pitches in. So I issue new library cards, check
items in, check items out, provide database tutorials for students or
adults doing research. We also sell items so I'll handle sales, making
sure we have enough money in the cash box. I'll also check the book
drop throughout the day and check those items in. I regularly assist
patrons on the computers and help them to print their documents. So
yes, there's a range of activities to do every day, I'm not doing exactly
the same things every day in the same order and I like that variety.
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The Library In Review June 24, 2018
How many library positions have you had in your career? Can you
briefly add what the primary difference was between those positions
and libraries? After all, I understand that libraries vary in
demographics, management, focus, and challenges.
I've had three different positions while working in the library field:
Circulation Clerk, Reference Clerk, and Librarian. I most enjoyed the
Reference Clerk position, as it was a "librarian-light" type of position. I What do you find is the most
got to do quite a few things the librarians did which I enjoyed (database challenging role you face as a
tutorials, locating government resources for families in need, working in librarian?
different departments and gaining new knowledge within the genealogy
This is a fun question for me,
department, children's department, and reference department). But I
because if you ask
didn't have to do outreach, programming, or teach classes which I don't
administration staff or managers
enjoy. Also the salaries were pretty similar especially if you'd been in the
many will say interacting with the
position for a while as I had (eight years), and kept receiving raises and
public is the most
a cost of living adjustment each year. Most public libraries these days
challenging (which is why at most
want their librarians doing outreach, programming and teaching classes
libraries you hardly ever see these
or to work with children or teens (Young Adult Librarians are in super-
individuals on the floor or at a
high demand). Academic librarians especially are in the classroom quite
reference desk). However, I have
a bit so if you go into the academic library field, most colleges and
found the opposite to be true in
universities want their librarians to have dual Master's, one in Library
that most libraries I've worked at
and Information Sciences and a Subject Specialty (history, international
it has been the administration or
law, humanities, etc.). And yes, you'll be in the classroom quite a bit.
management (not the public) to be
the most challenging to deal with.
What would you say is the most important part of your job?
They have hardly a
clue about what actually happens
Definitely connecting patrons to government resources and social welfare
on the floor since the bulk of their
programs they so desperately need. Also helping them create resumes as
time is spent in their offices or in
many patrons who visit public libraries, especially urban ones, have
meetings. They make rules and
lower computer literacy skills. Most government benefits are all
polices that in theory sound good
conducted online nowadays which means the people who most need these
but have less than stellar results in
benefits are going to be the least likely to have a computer at home let
real world patron interactions, but
alone a reliable internet connection. So seeing the look of complete relief
they don't know this because
at getting their documents completed and submitted to government
they're not on the front lines
agencies or a job website is incredibly rewarding for me.
working with the public. They also
don't appreciate staff suggestions
What is your favorite part of the job?
on how to provide better patron
service(s). Luckily my current
The variety and the fact that I learn something new every day. You
library director, Diana Long, is
interact with the public, but also have "off-desk" duty where you're
not this kind of boss, she's a
working in the workroom at your desk. No day goes exactly the same, so
leader and is out there in the
it's an environment where you have to remain adaptable and the work
trenches with her staff interacting
you thought you were going to be doing that day turns into an entirely
with the public.
different type of day with different duties. You never know what types of
questions patrons will ask from day to day.
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The Library In Review June 24, 2018
If you weren’t at a public library, is there another Not in Central Florida or in the Southeast Region
specialty library you would have enjoyed working in overall which has the least paid/funded libraries in
(e.g. academic, law, etc.)? the entire U.S. To land a full-time librarian job in
Central Florida, library employers will want you to
I would like to work in a textbook company library such have presented at an FLA or ALA Conference
as Harcourt (now Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) or (preferably both); to be published in Library
Scholastic Book Fairs. These librarians do research to Journal or Booklist (preferably both); know coding
help the editors select appropriate grade level stories, and metadata; received recognition for creating an
aware of different state benchmarks, and then these outstanding outreach program; responsible for
stories go into the textbooks. I would definitely try a boosting library circulation statistics; have innovative
special library; I understand that the Golf Channel has ideas for a makerspace or to have already worked on
its own library, so I would investigate those options if I a team that created one; have landed a number of
didn't work in a public library. grants for the purchase of technology, programming
monies, etc.; and know how to use eReaders, tablets,
Have you found a great deal of competition in the and the library eAudio/eBook apps (Libby,
field of librarianship over the years? OverDrive, etc.). Now this is for public libraries, I'm
not sure if it's the same kind of criteria for special
There's nothing but really strong competition in the libraries, I'd imagine it would be even more stringent
library field in the Central Florida area. So few to land a full-time librarian job as a medical or law
Boomers are retiring as generations past, allowing the librarian.
next generation to step up into higher paying, lucrative
positions. But this hasn't been the case with the Interesting. I appreciate your candor. In light of
Boomers. They don't retire (or can't retire as a result of this, what advice might you have for those
the 2008 recession and their investments taking a big graduating with an MLIS degree today?
hit) so there's little movement or availability of
openings. My director, Diana Long, told me her I’m not going to lie; the prospects of landing a full-
employees don't retire until they're into their late 70s time librarian job in Central Florida are pretty bleak.
and 80s (older than Boomers). So that’s another reason It’s a tough, over-saturated market to break into as
for the dearth of available there are so many of us competing for the
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The Library In Review June 24, 2018
same few openings. New graduates programs throughout the week with a checkout rate at every library I’ve
will be competing with librarians crafting hour in the afternoon in worked at. Surprisingly, in the last
who can step into the position and which we always have a good couple of years, eBooks usage has
run with it from their experience. attendance for. We've been receiving been trending downward as patrons
Some libraries prefer this, while compliments for our expanding musicreport enjoying having the actual
others such as the Winter Park collection, audiobook CDs, and our book in their hands, so I've seen the
Public Library and Orange County checkouts for downloadable eAudios fad of iPads, Kindles, and tablets die
Library System actually prefer has been through the roof. We don't down quite a bit from just five years
newly graduated students as they have any rules about how new an itemago. The biggest change I've seen
don't have to "remove" any training has to be before we'd purchase it for has been in the type of work a public
or experience they don't like that the collection. If a patron wants librarian does. It used to be
the applicant gained from other something, more than likely we order research, readers' advisory, database
library systems. it for them. tutorials, teaching patrons how to
evaluate reputable sources,
I see. That’s a good point. In what ways have you seen and connecting patrons to
Switching gears, in what ways do libraries and their focus change government services to now being
you see your current library over the years? Have patrons’ needscheerleaders for their libraries
meeting the needs of their changed over time? doing continuous
community? outreach, programming, teaching
Patrons today still enjoy having classes, and marketing for their
I’m fortunate to be at a smaller city a quiet, private, and safe space to libraries.
library where the residents are visit when they need to study or find
appreciative of our collection and respite from a noisy What do you see as the biggest
services. We offer about two larger and chaotic world. Our patrons very change or adjustment libraries will
programs a year (Legos, bees and much prefer our library to be quiet, soface in the next five to ten years in
butterfly gardening with local we don't allow cell phone order to remain relevant in their
Lorem Ipsum
honey vendors, etc.) so that we conversations, also there’s a communities?
Dolor
draw large audiences (300-400 separation by a long hallway and
people throughout the two-hour doors closing off the children’s I think the biggest challenges
programs) as opposed to offering department from the adult department.libraries have are trying to be
minor, of-little-interest programs Patrons will actually report noise something they're not. They get in
more often and receiving an level annoyances to staff because their own way. They jump on
[Street Address]
attendance of two or five patrons they're trying to study and nonsensical bandwagons such as
[City], [State][Postal Code]
(this happened often at the OCLS concentrate. So this fad that's been switching to an only mobile
and Winter Park[Web Public
Address]Library). happening in libraries for a while nowreference model. I saw the
Since we are part of a city proudly stating "We're not your implementation and inevitable
government, we have our own in- Grandmother's library!" and "We're demise of this mobile model at a
house IS Department that is fast to more than just books!" is getting it library I worked at which removed
respond to any technology issues wrong and smacks of trying too hard all the desks and instructed staff to
and we have newer computers and to be "cool" and relevant. Yes, there continuously roam the stacks in
furniture. The Children's has been more demand for computer search of patrons. Instead what
Department offers several story- usage because not everyone can happened is patrons would stand on
time afford computers and an Internet the non-faded rectangular space of
connection and yes patrons go nuts carpet where the desks used to be
for DVDs, which have a high and wait for service. As it turns out,
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The Library In Review June 24, 2018
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