Meet Aimee Graham – INALJ Florida Assistant Editor

This interview is over 1 year old and may no longer be up to date or reflect the interviewee/interviewees’ positions

by Shelley Macon, Head Editor, INALJ Florida

Meet Aimee Graham – INALJ Florida Assistant Editor

aimeegAimee Graham is the fabulous Assistant Editor of INALJ Florida.

Her dedication and commitment have helped make the INALJ Florida page into the true “one-stop shop” for job hunting information professionals in the sunshine state.

Shelley – What drew you to the library field?
Aimee – When I was in elementary school, I also enjoyed helping the librarian with re-shelving books, mainly because I was scoping out which one I wanted to read next. I toyed with a few majors, but my love for literature and information kept coming back, so eventually I switched majors from Accounting to English. As my undergraduate degree came to a close, we were discussing what our plans were; someone mentioned to me ‘Have you ever thought about becoming a librarian?”. I never had. So I researched the program at the University at Albany; I figured if I didn’t like it, I could always withdraw. I fell in love with the field my first day, and knew it was what I was supposed to do.

Shelley – What would be your ideal job?
Aimee – I am a user-centered librarian, so being an Outreach Librarian, or just a Reference and Instruction Librarian at a mid to large university is ideal for me. I just want to feel like I’m contributing and making a positive impact, even in the smallest way.

Shelley – What are your future career goals?
Aimee – Ideally I would like to be a Coordinator of Instruction within 10 years.
Shelley –  What was the most useful thing you learned in library school?
Aimee –  At the University at Albany in Albany, NY, we have a course called the Information Environment; it exposes students to the various types of libraries, such as academic, medical, law, federal, etc. This course really helped me narrow down exactly where I would like to focus my career as I was uncertain prior. I thought this was a course all MLS students had to take in grad school, but now in my career in a different state, I’m learning it’s not.  Tied would also be insight from my favorite Professor at Albany, Frank D’Andraia; I had two courses with him, and in his courses he was realistic about the job hunt, expectations, and instructed us on how we should conduct ourselves. It was so informative and helpful, I actually referred to my noted from that class when I started going on interviews.

Shelley – What is the most useful thing you have learned on the job as a library professional?
Aimee – I stated previously, I am a user-centered librarian. I have learned through my professional experience that not everyone in this profession is, or are not good with working with people. Having just begun my career, the most useful thing I have come to learn (or enhance in this case) is patience.

shelleym1Shelley – How has volunteering for INALJ helped you as a library professional?
Aimee – Absolutely! It has exposed me to a plethora of different library opportunities, including my current position. I have also had the opportunity to network and begin to get myself known through the library world, particularly in my part of the Suncoast.

Aimee was also featured in the article Aimee Graham …Success Story by Naomi House