Interview with Jill Weston, Information Literacy Librarian at Vogel Library

Post date: May 15, 2013 6:57:56 PM

Interview with Jill Weston, Information Literacy Librarian at Vogel Library

· How did you get into the library field/what made you want to become a librarian?

I was interested in college but worked on writing and getting my MFA instead because wanted to be a writer. I did not want to be an adjunct, so I talked to someone else who went into library sciences and then publishing. I did not research the field very well at first, but I like what I’m doing now so it worked out.

· Do you have a Masters degree and if so, where from?

MLIS from UW-Milwaukee

· What was your specialization/concentration and why?

It was just a general LIS degree because I didn’t know if I wanted to go into Academic or Public Libraries at that time.

· What is your favorite job or task at this particular library?

Collection building à least favorite would be teaching the freshman classes, just because it is the same thing every time, so I feel like I’ve already given the information even though it is a new group of students who are hearing it. I dislike repeating myself.

· Do you plan on staying at this library long term or do you have plans to go elsewhere someday?

Staying here – My husband has a great job, I love areas I work with and my house – if I left it would be because I was feeling good about publishing my books.

(Writes different genres of books – finished YA realistic fiction most recently)

· How often do you deal with censorship challenges at your library? What have been some recent outcomes?

Haven’t dealt with them here personally, but would take the advice offered by the ALA. They don’t have any legal steps that they can take, but they offer advice. They’re not an officiating agency, they’re just a …group of librarians who have come up with some principles and main ideas.

· What kinds of themes or activities does your library do?

Grant for America’s Music: A film history from blues to blues grass – next year possibly hosting an event. – We could have game nights. We already have a large amount of students who come here, so we don’t really need to do activities to draw people in. It would be more so for educational purposes.

Night at the Museum idea – laptops with museum DVDs and headphones, people in costumes walking through the library to advertise it possibly

· How well would you say that your library tries to stick to the rules and principles of the ALA and of the ALA Bill of Rights?

Adhere to it but is not consistently forefront in everyone’s minds. #2 during collection building

Conclusion:

Jill seems to really love doing the part of a stereotypical public librarian, but in an academic setting. This way she gets to develop collections and search for appropriate materials for different classes, but she also might start hosting events in conjunction with the Public library like the musical event that is scheduled to happen next year. From this interview I now have a better view of what an academic librarian actually does (collection building, freshman classes, information literacy liaison, etc.) and I like the way that it could be combined to also hosting events, which is an aspect that I really like in public librarianship. As I have done most of my job experience in public libraries, that is my natural inclination and so it was interesting to hear of the ways that the two positions might be similar. A main reason, I’m discovering, that I am shying away from academic librarianship is that I have a lack of confidence in my ability to help people discover the right information. Perhaps taking a few classes in information literacy while getting my degree would help with that and I may look into other library professions a little more closely.