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Naomi House’s interview with success story Crystal.
Naomi: How did you find your current job?
Crystal: I saw a posting for the MIT position on the Simmons GSLIS Jobs and Opportunities Blog http://gslis.simmons.edu/blogs/jobs/.
Naomi: Favorite library you have been to?
Crystal: I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the Long Room at Trinity College in Dublin. It was awe inspiring to walk into that space, it’s so beautiful. They also have the Book of Kells on display which was amazing to see in person.
Naomi: Favorite book?
Crystal: This is always a hard question! I would have to say my favorite book is Atonement by Ian McEwan, but A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is a close second. Where The Red Fern Grows was the first book that made me cry back when I read it in grade school, and that was incredibly important because it showed me the power that stories have. My “to read” list on Goodreads is ridiculously long, but that’s comforting because I know I’ll never be at a loss for a good book to read.
Naomi: Favorite thing about libraries/ library technology?
Crystal: Libraries promote open access; they represent freedom of information. Libraries defend the rights of all Americans to access of information and educational materials. Literacy is my passion and I believe that under-served populations have a right to achieve literacy/information literacy and the library offers materials and services to promote that. Public libraries are a community space in which all members of the community are welcome, and I believe that is an increasingly important role of the public library as our society becomes more closed off from its physical community and more involved in virtual communities.
Naomi: Any websites or feeds or blogs we should be following?
Crystal: Here’s a rundown of the blogs/websites I’m following:
http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/#.UUdPdjdRpOc
http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/
http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/theubiquitouslibrarian/
http://musingsaboutlibrarianship.blogspot.com/
Naomi: Best piece of job hunting advice?
Crystal: Don’t give up! Keep peddling those resumes. Persistence pays off (so does networking).
Hi, I’m Crystal. I am currently working at the MIT Libraries as an Access Services Assistant. I received my A.A.S. Library Technician degree back home in Spokane, WA and worked 6 years at the Spokane County Library District. I started as a page, moved up to a circulation clerk, and then spent four years doing reference. I would eventually like to be back working at a public library because I enjoy the variety it has to offer. My other library work experience includes a contract position at the Harvard Development Office Library in which I was archiving donor files and cataloging new items into the collection. I’m currently enrolled in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Simmons College in Boston and have one semester left! My goal is to find a public librarian position back home in the Pacific Northwest.