Realia

Thing 22 asks us to talk about volunteering to get experience in the library field. I did do some volunteering while I was in
library school. In the beginning, I started out volunteering mainly to get an idea of whether or not I would like the library environment; I had never worked in a library before I started library school, and I thought that getting some practical experience would help reassure me that I hadn’t made the wrong educational choice. I started out by volunteering to shelve books at the local public library.

Later on, when I was in my last year of library school, I did some more volunteer work, this time in an attempt to explore a particular area of library work, cataloging, that I thought I might want to work in. I volunteered for a local museum, cataloging their library collection. This served two purposes. First, it was again a way of getting real-life experience to make sure that I would like cataloging as much as I thought I would. Second, it was a way of getting solid cataloging experience that I could put on my resume. When you are just starting out, it can be hard to get a paid position in exactly the area of library work that you want to focus on, so volunteering can be a way to demonstrate that you have skills in your preferred area of work. At the time, I did have a paid library job, but it was in reference, and I wanted to get some cataloging experience to put on my resume.

My library science program also required a practicum, and if you are in a program that does not require a practicum or internship, I highly recommend doing one anyway, if possible. It is yet another way to get some practical experience before you finish school.