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A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That
by Stephanie Braunstein
"What do you want to do with your MLIS?"
There's that question again, the current version of: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" A brief glance at my driver's license verifies that I am already well into grownup territory, but somehow I never seem to tire of what the cliché-makers refer to as "re-inventing" myself.
This latest reminder of my ongoing re-invention process came in the form of that "what do you want to do" question, from a librarian interviewing me for a practicum at a local art museum. Yes, I'm honestly interested in the fine arts, and I'd feel privileged to be able to help with the cataloging and preservation of Judge E. B. Crocker's personal collection of books and manuscripts. The problem is not whether I am interested in this one area - but that I am interested in almost everything. I am the quintessential "eclecticist," and narrowing myself down to one or two interests to pursue for practica and/or eventual career opportunities is like trying to reduce a painting by Pieter Brueghel into a size appropriate for a postage stamp. You just cannot get all of the variety and detail into that small a space (the art simile seems especially apt here..!).
Education and Aspirations
And, speaking of similes, did I mention that I have a Master's in English? I currently teach literature-based composition courses as an adjunct professor at the local university and local community college. So, practica involving academic librarianship in the humanities also seem like a good fit. I could help students find interesting online articles on obscure writers - Aphra Behn sound familiar to anyone? I could explain how to find books that explain the mysteries of MLA citations. I could steer students toward electronic resources like Project Muse or JSTOR's Classical Studies Database, to further their knowledge of classical mythology. These odd bits of knowledge and more would come in handy in a practicum at an academic reference desk.
As for Ms. Behn, she is considered an early feminist... which brings me to yet another revelation about my background and interests. I have a minor in women's studies, and consider myself to have pro- woman politics. Thus, when I see a practicum opportunity at a library serving women who have been sexually abused and the people that help them, I jump at that chance as well. I want to work with this kind of material and these issues so that I can feel useful, both to society in general and to my gender in particular.
Challenging Choices
We are now up to three possible practica, and I must make a choice. I am leaning toward the general academic library, because it seems the most likely place to find touchstones for all of my interests. Isn't that what a university is supposed to do - provide us with access to a universe of ideas? But, just before the semester officially begins, I vacation in central Mexico and visit a lakeside expatriate community and a colonial city known for its linguists, artists, and musicians. Now, I must say that I have traveled to places as diverse as Nara, Japan, Vence, France, and Camucia, Italy, but I have never had such a strong desire to actually move to a foreign land until I experienced both Ajijic and San Miguel de Allende in Mexico.
I'll leave it to the travel books and sites to describe these charming places in all of their splendid detail; all that is relevant here is that they have libraries. What does any self- respecting American bibliophile do when visiting a foreign city? Find the local English-language library, of course. You may guess what happens after visiting the library at the Lake Chapala Society in Ajijic and the Biblioteca Publica in San Miguel de Allende; now I want to find a way to spend a semester working in one of these libraries. My mind hums with questions: Whom do I contact? Could I actually get units for this? Will my travelers' Spanish be sufficient to work with a bilingual catalog?
Reluctant Realism
That last question is the one that finally stills the mental humming. I am currently struggling with name authority work in my English-language cataloging class, for heaven's sake. The exponential intricacies involved in adding another language to the mix suddenly appear staggering to me. I realize that I am definitely not ready for a practicum in a foreign country, so am back to the reality of keeping it geographically close and in my native language - at least for now. Maybe I'll finally enroll in that Spanish class next summer.
I go back to my rational decision to take the practicum at the university library. I sign the forms, send them to the proper e-mail boxes, and buy a journal for recording my experiences at the practicum site.
But, wait! What about that practicum I saw last week described on the SLIS e-mail list - the one about cataloging an insect collection? I have an insect collection! I really do admire bugs - they are so adaptive and colorful! And, wait again... there was that other practicum I heard about from ...
Stephanie Braunstein is, as noted, an eclectic gal who has been working at an academic law library for almost twenty years. She holds an MA in English literature and Pedagogy from California State University, Sacramento and is about halfway through her MLIS at San Jose State University. She enjoys poetry, travel, and - of course - bugs.