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The first year as an academic librarian presents many challenges. Organizational culture, personalities, and dealing with the nuances and quirks of a new institution and the people that work there isn't covered in library coursework. This article is an attempt to help new or aspiring academic reference librarians figure out the ropes.

How am I qualified to offer this insight and advice? I recently finished/survived my first year as a Business Librarian. As such, much of the discussion that follows is from my perspective as a subject librarian, but should help anyone wishing to work for an academic library. Most importantly, keep a sense of humor and understand you will make mistakes. Just keep powering through, and before you know it, a year will have passed.

Getting Acclimated - Meet and Greet

First things first. Walk around the library and meet the people working in other departments. Try to meet coworkers not directly in your work area. If you work in Reference, go over to Access and chat. Also, take a deep breath, harness all that first week/month's excitement, and start writing lists. What you need to learn. What you need to accomplish over the next few months. Set some realistic goals. This is a good way to get a handle on the overwhelming wave of stuff you need to assimilate.

Setting some goals, such as meeting with all the other reference librarians and asking them about their jobs, is helpful for breaking down that wave into manageable/doable parts - which will give you a sense of accomplishment after you complete them. Then, it's time to arrange your office for the proper feel. You'll be spending hours in here. Pay attention to lighting and seating and make sure it's comfortable. Our campus provides a free ergonomic evaluation, and our library will purchase furniture, lighting, and other elements to help create a good ergonomic office environment. Check into this at your institution.

Instruction and Public Speaking

I often have to speak to large business classes, and initially found this absolutely terrifying. I had some experience teaching small classes for a business college, and I worked as a flight attendant for a number of years - so getting in front of a large planeload of people and telling them to put on their seatbelts wasn't a problem. Library instruction to an enormous group of students was a different challenge. I decided to create a plan of attack.

I still do this with every class, whether I've taught it before or not. I write a lesson plan that consists of exactly what I plan to do: introduction, resources I intend to cover, and examples. Once I have this written out, I then practice it in front of myself, the dog, the cat, my husband, my reluctant children, whomever. Practice, even just going through it all in your head from beginning to end, really helps. I also make sure that the room is equipped appropriately for my presentation with a computer, screen, and projector. Be mentally prepared for equipment glitches. The good news is that getting up in front of a group of students gets easier the more you do it.

Committees - Love 'em, Hate 'em

Ah, committees. At times their meetings will seem to devour your schedule. The temptation as a new academic librarian is to join every committee or task force that arises or needs a member. Many times, you may not have a choice. If given the choice, though, try joining those that really interest you. I joined a task force in charge of implementing a staff wiki that I thoroughly enjoyed. Here's the important point: I looked forward to meetings.

Tenure Worries and Publication

Breathe. Take a deep breath and then just write something. During your first few months, the overwhelming wall of stuff you need to learn can make this seem like just another daunting task. One difficulty in research and writing is finding the time in your busy schedule to do it. It's a good idea to set aside a morning or afternoon once a week to work on research and papers, if your management/administration allows this.

What to research and write about? Write about your experiences. Try writing book reviews to hone up your writing skills. Write for your state's library association newsletter/magazine. A tenured colleague of mine claims that anything you do is an opportunity to write an article.

Ten Tips

1. Prepare for meetings. Read past minutes and any preparatory materials. Bring something to discuss. Be an active participant. If you're prone to not talking in groups due to shyness or other reasons, challenge yourself to participate by asking at least one question or volunteering some helpful information.

2. Answer e-mails. Offer your viewpoint or input when asked.

3. Emulate those you admire. Seek out the sage wisdom of veterans. Notice those who are always prepared for meetings with something to contribute. Also notice how they interact with faculty and conduct themselves. Some places have a formal mentoring program. Utilize both this option and informal mentoring opportunities.

4. Send compliments to coworkers about things they've done or written. This is a nice gesture and builds good working relationships.

5. Follow through with everything in a timely manner. This just makes everything flow smoothly.

6. Maintain your sense of humor. Remember Oscar Wilde: "Life is too important to take seriously."

7. Write and try not to freak out - get used to seeing your stuff in print. ALA's New Members Round Table provides help.

8. Bring yourself to the job. Your past experiences, and your personality.

9. Join organizations such as ALA (American Library Association) or SLA (Special Libraries Association) and attend conferences. ALA has a New Members Round Table (NMRT) with a variety of resources for new librarians and those new to ALA. These and other library organizations are good places to meet librarians (network) and see what's going on elsewhere (trends), as well as a legit way to do something constructive while getting away from the office and out of town.

10. Realize when the job isn't a good fit. Not all jobs are perfect, but sometimes things don't work out well and you must leave. Use the experience and knowledge you've acquired and seek that better job.

Suggested Reading:

Gordon, Rachel Singer. The Librarian's Guide to Writing for Publication. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2004.

Toth, Emily. Ms. Mentor's Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997.
Geared towards women, but some good advice for men as well.

Tucker, James Cory and Matt Torrence. "Collection Development for New Librarians: Advice From the Trenches." Library Collections, Acquisitions, and Technical Services 28 (2004): 397-409.

Louise is the Business and Economics Librarian at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Prior to her librarian career, she worked as a flight attendant for several interesting years.