UCLA LISAAA Class Notes

Update: I am now Research, Instruction & Collection Development librarian at Georgetown University’s Lauinger Library, specializing in Communications, Journalism, and Film.

I’ve been working as a reference and instruction librarian at College of San Mateo, just south of San Francisco, for almost two years now. Being at a community college has a lot of advantages. I’ve formed close relationships with other faculty and really feel like one of their peers. (I’ve been very involved with learning communities on campus, for example.) And the benefits can’t be beat, especially the 15 weeks or so off a year (though I’ve been working part-time over the summer to keep myself sane). The downside is, I’m spread thin and sometimes feel likethere isn’t enough time to do any one thing well. As only one of two full-time librarians, I do reference, instruction (on campus and online credit classes and orientations), collection development, Web development, database maintenance and vendor relations, interlibrary loan –pretty much everything imaginable except cataloging. I do much more teaching and public speaking than I ever expected (or wanted) to. But overall, this has been a great first library job: intense and full of learning opportunities.

My name is Julie Huffman, and I graduated with my MLIS in June of 2005. During my school years, I was the co-president of the student chapter of the Special Libraries Association. However, upon graduation, I became a different kind of "special" librarian–a public librarian! I’d worked as an MC for the Los Angeles Public Library for four years–before and during school, and LAPL paid for my tuition. Upon graduation, I was hired by them as a full-time young adult librarian for the Studio City branch. A year later, I transferred to become the Studio City library’s full-time adult librarian (my current post). I love my job: I teach computer classes (mostly, to seniors), I have a monthly book club, and I get to do lots of collection development. It’s a good gig. Best wishes, Julie

After receiving her B.A. in painting, sculpture and graphic arts, Libby started work as a photo archivist at the Getty Museum in 1981. During her career at the Getty she held positions as a curatorial assistant, an archivist, and a technical systems manager. After 20 years she came to the conclusion that she wanted to work more closely with primary research materials. She began graduate studies at UCLA’s GSE&IS in 2003, emphasizing work in archival studies and taking advantage of internships and employment at various local institutions such as the Palos Verdes Public Library, Walt Disney Imagineering Library, and UCLA’s Special Collections department in the Young Research Library. After graduating in 2005 and taking a brief break to go sailing in the Cook Islands and New Zealand, she returned to work in UCLA’s Special Collections, where she’s been processing arts-oriented collections since January 2006.