by Jennifer Hunter

Getting to be an academic librarian right out of library school is quite a coup. Yet despite all the preparation that one can get from classes like “Academic Librarianship,” nothing quite prepares you for those first few months on the job. If you’re lucky like I am, you’ll have amazing, generous co-workers who will show you the ropes. Still, a lot will be on you just to know what to do. Here are some of the things I learned in my first few months, and some tips to make your transition into being an academic librarian a smooth and successful one. 

Learning the Logistical Ropes

Welcome to your new library! Now learn everything about it. While the overall function of libraries is fairly similar, most libraries have particularities that you’ll have to learn rather quickly. What are the policies and procedures? How do spills get cleaned up? Do librarians share in circulation responsibilities? How do the computers/printers/scanners/screen readers work? Who do you call when the printer breaks down? You’ll have endless technical questions about the logistics of the library. Just remember that it’s completely ok to ask. In fact, if you’re not asking, chances are the printer is still jammed.

Cultural Fit

It’s hard to know if an environment is going to be a good cultural fit before you start working, but once you’re there, it’s good to get to know the culture. For example, how do people celebrate birthdays? Are there particular internal politics that you need to be aware of? Do people collaborate or work alone? These are good conversations to have with a variety of people so you get different perspectives.

Mindset

You might be used to having people tell you exactly what to do and how to spend your time at work, but you’ll likely have to approach being an academic librarian from a much different perspective. You might be in a position that has faculty status, in which case you’ll be expected to act like faculty, with all the responsibilities and privileges of that kind of position. But even if you’re not faculty, you’ll still have to be a self-starter and come up with ideas. Ideas and projects are the thing that is going to make your job interesting. You’ll need to have a lot of them to keep yourself busy. Think about the kinds of things that would be useful for your students, faculty, and colleagues as a starting point.

Outreach

How will anyone know who you are or what you can do for them if you don’t let them know? They won’t! This is why outreach to both students and faculty is a huge component, and when you have liaison relationships, relationship management is a big deal. It’s really hard to do your job if you don’t know what people need or want. Within the first couple days, you should know who to reach out to and introduce yourself. Visit the academic departments you’ll be responsible for and introduce yourself to the secretary or office manager. Ask to make appointments with faculty and deans. Send them emails, and follow up. Polite persistence and personalization are key.

Instruction

If you’re a reference and instruction librarian, instruction is a very real thing and you’ll be asked to teach fairly soon after you start. In my first week I had one instruction request, and in the first month I taught six times. As soon as you start, find out what instruction looks like at your institution and for your liaison departments. Is there an instruction coordinator? Do you have free rein? Are you expected to assess each instruction session? In the beginning, make it easy on yourself by seeing what your predecessor may have left for you. As you get more comfortable, start modifying materials and creating your own.

Collection Development

Buying books is amazing. I hope you get to do it. While I took a collection development class, it’s hard to prepare for this responsibility in a vacuum. You just sort of have to do it and ask for advice along the way. Find out what your collections look like and if there are special collections as well. This takes time, but it’s helpful to know what might be relevant to your constituencies, and it also gives you more flexibility in your teaching role.

Research and Writing

If you’re on the tenure track, you’ll need to jump into research and writing fairly soon. See if your new institution has Institutional Review Board (IRB) certification that you need to go through. Again, this is a big area where you’ll have to be a self-starter. Think about what’s interesting to you and dive in.

Service

This means committees, and you’ll probably have to sit on some. This also means meetings. You will likely hear a lot of jokes about committee meetings. Find out early what kind of service commitments your library values and don’t over extend yourself right away.

Top Five Tips

Ask a ton of questions.

Your colleagues have been there for a while and they know, well, likely everything. Lean on them as a resource.

Breathe.

It’s going to be a whirlwind in the beginning. Take it one thing at a time.

Make a list of projects you want to do.

You’re an academic! You have the opportunity to do your own thing. It’s a privilege and kind of amazing that people care what you’re thinking about.

Keep track of your activities.

A colleague recommended that I keep a rough list of what I do each day so this way when it’s time for reviews/reappointment I have a list of how I spent my time.

Don’t stop networking.

You did it when you were looking for a job, so be sure to keep making connections and reaching out to people. Other professionals have great ideas and you can form cross-institutional collaborations.

Jennifer Hunter is Reference/Instruction Librarian for the Camden Campuses of Rowan University and Camden County College.  She is a past president of SCARLA, the Student College, Academic, and Research Libraries Association at Rutgers.