Ask the Librarian
Your local public library can be a never-ending source of great
information. You can find new authors, great books, computer access,
reference sources, homework help, and much, much more!
Usually, all you have to do to find out just about anything you need to
know is ask at the Reference Desk for help, or get in touch with the
Young Adult Librarian.
"The Genius" has been very lucky in this respect, in that John, the YA
Librarian at her local library, is a totally cool, helpful guy! Since he sees
me so often (yes, I'm at the library 3-4 times a week!) he knows what I
like to read, and is always great about letting me know what new
YA/Teen books have come in.
My goal is to make every teen and pre-teen in the world aware of
the great asset that your local library is! That being said,
TeensReadToo.com is proud to unveil our "Ask the Librarian" section.
Surely someone has questions about what goes on at the library, what
kind of help a public library can provide, and how to get the information
you need. So that being said, simply Ask the Librarian any questions
you may have!
Send in your question, which I'll forward to John, the Young Adult
Librarian at my local public library, and when he sends back his
response, I'll post it here!
information. You can find new authors, great books, computer access,
reference sources, homework help, and much, much more!
Usually, all you have to do to find out just about anything you need to
know is ask at the Reference Desk for help, or get in touch with the
Young Adult Librarian.
"The Genius" has been very lucky in this respect, in that John, the YA
Librarian at her local library, is a totally cool, helpful guy! Since he sees
me so often (yes, I'm at the library 3-4 times a week!) he knows what I
like to read, and is always great about letting me know what new
YA/Teen books have come in.
My goal is to make every teen and pre-teen in the world aware of
the great asset that your local library is! That being said,
TeensReadToo.com is proud to unveil our "Ask the Librarian" section.
Surely someone has questions about what goes on at the library, what
kind of help a public library can provide, and how to get the information
you need. So that being said, simply Ask the Librarian any questions
you may have!
Send in your question, which I'll forward to John, the Young Adult
Librarian at my local public library, and when he sends back his
response, I'll post it here!
January 2008, Question from Reader Lauren:
Hey,
Okay I have a question that I'd be very glad if he would answer! I'm
really curious about having a job as a librarian, but I really don't know
anything about it. What can you go to school for? Is it a specific
thing or can it be English or something? And YA librarian....what's all
that about? How do you get involved in that?
I'm not sure if any of that makes sense, but just any basic information
would be awesome. :)
And John's response:
Lauren,
I am so pleased that you asked about my profession.
Librarians come from all fields, so study undergraduate courses as you
like. To become a librarian, most libraries will require you to have an
MLS or other Information Technology degree from an ALA accredited
institution. I earned my degree just last year from the University of
Illinois http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/, in Urbana. There are many scholarships
available to new library school students and some libraries will even
help their employees with the cost of education if there is budgeted
money available to staff.
Just so you know, I have a degree in English (creative writing) and a
degree in Acting, and my degree in Library and Information science. I
know librarians with degrees in History, Math, Science, and Psychology. I
have had classes with other students that were medical doctors before
enrolling in a library program. So the educational experience is really
vast. But you will need an undergraduate degree first. And take your
time, because you can work in a library while you study undergraduate
and graduate courses.
You might read this article, too:
How To Become a Librarian
Read the full article at:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA605244.html&
I became a teen librarian (or young adult librarian) after taking a lot
of youth services courses about how to serve children and teens and
became interested in teen literature and teen programming like movie
nights, gamefest, and talking about books in schools. I am fortunate to
work in a library where I can provide services to both teens and adults.
Some teen librarians must work with all children, from newborns to age
18. I can focus on patrons from ages 10 to 16 or even create a program
specific to patrons in 7th grade if I want.
If you haven't seen these sites, be sure to see what we offer for teens
at the Bloomington Public Library.
www.bloomingtonlibrary.org
www.bngamefest.org
www.bnfilmfest.org
Please let me know if you have any other questions about libraries,
books, or being a librarian.
Hey,
Okay I have a question that I'd be very glad if he would answer! I'm
really curious about having a job as a librarian, but I really don't know
anything about it. What can you go to school for? Is it a specific
thing or can it be English or something? And YA librarian....what's all
that about? How do you get involved in that?
I'm not sure if any of that makes sense, but just any basic information
would be awesome. :)
And John's response:
Lauren,
I am so pleased that you asked about my profession.
Librarians come from all fields, so study undergraduate courses as you
like. To become a librarian, most libraries will require you to have an
MLS or other Information Technology degree from an ALA accredited
institution. I earned my degree just last year from the University of
Illinois http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/, in Urbana. There are many scholarships
available to new library school students and some libraries will even
help their employees with the cost of education if there is budgeted
money available to staff.
Just so you know, I have a degree in English (creative writing) and a
degree in Acting, and my degree in Library and Information science. I
know librarians with degrees in History, Math, Science, and Psychology. I
have had classes with other students that were medical doctors before
enrolling in a library program. So the educational experience is really
vast. But you will need an undergraduate degree first. And take your
time, because you can work in a library while you study undergraduate
and graduate courses.
You might read this article, too:
How To Become a Librarian
Read the full article at:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA605244.html&
I became a teen librarian (or young adult librarian) after taking a lot
of youth services courses about how to serve children and teens and
became interested in teen literature and teen programming like movie
nights, gamefest, and talking about books in schools. I am fortunate to
work in a library where I can provide services to both teens and adults.
Some teen librarians must work with all children, from newborns to age
18. I can focus on patrons from ages 10 to 16 or even create a program
specific to patrons in 7th grade if I want.
If you haven't seen these sites, be sure to see what we offer for teens
at the Bloomington Public Library.
www.bloomingtonlibrary.org
www.bngamefest.org
www.bnfilmfest.org
Please let me know if you have any other questions about libraries,
books, or being a librarian.