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The Path Never Intended
by Chrissie Anderson Peters
It was never my dream, goal, or interest to work in a library. When I was in college, I seldom used the library for anything other than for occasional research - or as a social spot to meet up with friends before going elsewhere.
My first jobs out of college (in 1993) were at a homeless shelter and a local deli - not long-term career goals. Meanwhile, I had applied for a part-time position at our local public library. During summers at home from college, I had taken my little sister to the library for their summer reading program, and found a renewed passion in reading for fun. I had rekindled my appreciation of this same brick building from where I had received my very first library card, a magical tool that opened doors to unexplored worlds from age eight through adolescence. The library called and asked me to come in for an interview, then made an offer later that week.
I found myself assisting in reference, circulation, planning and implementing children's programs, doing bulletin boards, and "other duties as necessary." I loved serving the public, but was constantly at odds with the branch supervisor and her non-approach to managing the facility and staff.
The one big thing that I learned in that first position was what kind of supervisor I never wanted to be. I was exposed to several different aspects of library work, but that was the one thing that really stuck with me. I didn't want to be the kind of supervisor or co-worker who brought my problems to work and took them out on others. I vowed to keep that realization near and dear, regardless of where I might land.
Let the Wild Rumpus Begin
After about two years, I moved to a larger locale, where I landed a position as a church programs coordinator. Six months later, the pastor informed me that the church wasn't certain that it could afford this new position, so I took to the want ads - and found exactly one library listing.
I was offered that circulation assistant position, which I did full- time for six months. It had benefits - which the church job had not - but the pay was substantially lower. I had to work part-time as a telemarketer to supplement my income. My experience in this public library was totally different. Our director was personable, friendly, and genuinely helpful. He talked to me about pursuing the MLS someday, explaining the doors that might open when and if I decided to do so. To this day, I still consider him a dear friend; he never once made me feel stupid or insignificant and always took time to explain professional matters.
After six months, though, I applied for a full-time position at a local private college's library. I landed that job, only to learn that the benefits really were not as good as what I had at the public library. So, I continued to work in the public library part- time, while working in the academic setting full-time. I wanted to take classes and could do so for free at the college - if I could ever get out from under my bills enough to cut back on the part-time job and have time to enroll.
The year spent at the college library was an enlightening one, to say the least. "Enlightening" is not necessarily a synonym for "happy" or "fulfilling." That year was the toughest I've endured emotionally and mentally - possibly even physically, as the stress and strain from working in two radically different environments began to take its toll after only a few months. The college environment left me numb and frequently in the path of some professor or co-worker's rage.
My one true respite was the twenty student assistants that I supervised each semester. I gained invaluable experience training and mentoring and forming bonds with them that went beyond the hours we spent together working and learning from each other during those evenings. I learned a lot that year as the evening circulation supervisor - I did ILL, managed most of the course reserves, and took care of things as the only staff member in the library from 7:00PM-midnight. The rigid academic environment did not suit me well at all, however. I longed to find another library job in the area, but there seemed to be nothing available for someone without an MLS.
First Professional Position
So, I left to accept a professional-level position in a county library system approximately 35 minutes away. As their new youth services librarian, I beat out four people with the MLS because of my varied library background. In the time that I spent there, I had so many incredible experiences that I cannot even begin to list them all. I started new programs, created a youth services newsletter, and took part in a three-person collection development committee responsible for using a $1 million opening day collection budget for several expanded/new locations coming into our library system. I was encouraged to join and take part in professional organizations, including our state library association. I was named to the Library of Virginia's Youth Advisory Council and worked for two years on creating the Summer Reading Program manual used across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
When I tendered my resignation over 2.5 years later, I knew that it was time for me to go, but I also realized that I had gained so much priceless experience there that I could certainly make it in the profession. Besides, I was leaving to pursue my MSIS through the University of Tennessee's new distance education online cohort.
One Step Forward and How Many Steps Back?
I proceeded with what was supposed to be a fairly lateral move in a public library system that crossed state lines, one location in Bristol, Virginia, and one in Bristol, Tennessee. To say that this was an odd arrangement is an understatement. Add to that the fact that the director under whom I interviewed left (at the board's request) less than two weeks after I was offered the job; the fact that my first paycheck reflected not a lateral move at all, but instead a twelve percent decrease in pay, and I had nothing in writing to back up what I had been promised; and that the new Director hired in a few months later decided to rearrange everything I had been promised upon coming to work there. You can probably imagine that I felt like I had taken several steps backward in leaving my previous position.
The new library system was supportive of my classes, though, and worked with my challenging schedule very diligently. I was able to work on some homework on the job and learned to cater class assignments to things that pertained to work, allowing me to do even more of my homework on the clock. Perhaps the most important thing I learned in this position was patience. I had to learn to be patient and to find ways of making my work there more appropriate, more exciting, and more rewarding in order to shut out the feelings of resentment that I frequently felt there.
Living in Paradise
It was with great trepidation that I went to an interview with a community college in July 2001. I recalled only too well how unhappy I had been in the only other academic environment I'd worked in. I remembered the frustration with being told that I couldn't do things simply because I didn't have a Masters degree. And, although I desperately wanted out of the situation I was in at the public library, I was also terrified of being professionally brow-beaten again in another academic setting.
It didn't take long for me to realize that this environment would not be like the other college library had been, though. The Director had been a public library director for six years and was married to a public library director. He understood my strengths in public services and seemed quite eager to put them to work in the community college setting. I jumped at the offer set before me a few days later.
I have now been at the library at Northeast State Community College for 3.5 years. I have the best colleagues and the best director/dean in the world; I have the best job in the universe. I'm given permission to succeed, but also permission to try things and fail. My director says, "Hey, you never know until you try." I finished my master's degree in December 2002, by which time I had begun a monthly newsletter for the library and implemented two new programs to better serve the campus and surrounding community.
Since then, we've branched out to a third series of public programs and have recently hosted author Sharyn McCrumb and NASCAR President Mike Helton at library-sponsored programs. I have also partnered with the early childhood education department on campus and do monthly storytimes at five child care centers (with which NSCC partners in a federal grant called Child Care Access Means Parents In School (CCAMPIS)). I work with the Imagination Library program in each of the counties served by NSCC, and help coordinate registrations of the children of staff, faculty, and students, as well as serving on the Council of the Sullivan County Imagination Library.
I cannot imagine being any happier or more fulfilled than I am at NSCC, and hope to stay in this wonderful place for years to come. I know that I am making a difference, and I know that the difference comes from the path I've taken since 1993 when I started working in my hometown library system. The path I never intended to take ended up fitting my needs and abilities, for which I am eternally grateful.
Chrissie Anderson Peters is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, where she was a distance education student. A member of the Tennessee Library Association, the Virginia Library Association, ALSC, NMRT, and YALSA, she is a Librarian for Northeast State Community College in Blountville, TN. Her community involvement includes active participation with the Sullivan County Imagination Library program, as well as recent activities with People United for Animals (PUFA), a local animal advocacy group. Her passions include writing, music, reading, traveling, her "children" (the feline kind -- Mel, Reid, Xander, Willow, Ella, Lance, and Mariel), and spending as much time as possible with her husband Russell, who makes her life a joy each day. Chrissie's recent "big thrills" include having a chapter included in Priscilla Shontz's The Librarian's Career Guidebook (Scarecrow, 2004), as well as lending some research assistance and being mentioned by name in Sharyn McCrumb's latest novel, St. Dale (Kensington, 2005).