Last one.

Papers are submitted in the LMS drop box. Presentations are spoken and finished. The snow has finally stopped. What can I say; it’s been a wacky, weird and wonderful semester learning about LIS and the profession.

There have been highlights and slaps of reality this first semester. I found a group of people who are as excited and passionate about librarianship, but I also found out the reality of the profession. I learned that there are going to be times when I need to be an independent learner, and organize assignments and find questions to answers myself. Most importantly, I found out I want to be in this profession, and realized I need to expect the unexpected.

Instead of blabbing in run-on sentences about things I learned, here are some concepts:
• Be amused, not annoyed, when people ask “Why are you going to be a librarian?” to “You need a degree for that?”
• Buy an APA stylebook because most assignments require this format for citations.
• Start assignments early because they take a long time.
• Speaking skills and preparations are important for speeches and presentations.
• Visit professors outside the classroom and attend guest lectures on campus.
• The library world is constantly changing; don’t expect it to be predictable.
• Libraries have been around for thousands of years-the format, not the need for information changes.
• Be aware of new trends and technologies in the field.
• Start to form connections, whether it be with another student, professor or individual in the field.
• Not every librarian likes to read or owns a cat.
• Social networking is huge in the profession, so joining Twitter and other sites are helpful.
• I still don’t know what area of librarianship I want to pursue.
• Reference is cool.

One last thing I learned is that it’s important to keep a portfolio. So, this shall be the last entry on this blog until my online portfolio is created. Peace out, Girl Scout