Thoughts on Library School

This post by Nicole Engard has been much discussed in the library student community. Many commenters have focused on the distance learning aspects of her experience while at least one commenter indicated that they thought the problems were with library education in general. I am currently in library school and in fact, in the Drexel online program. Some classes are more successful than others: some teachers are better, the content of some classes is more interesting and the students more engaged. Other classes are flat: everyone seems disengaged both the students and teacher and the topics themselves are not terribly exciting. However, I found this to be true in both my undergraduate and previous graduate (both face-to-face) experiences.

In fact, I find that the students in this program tend to be more helpful and supportive than those in my previous programs and I think that has much to do with the people who become librarians. In my other programs, classmates were rivals--it might be for jobs, assistantships or better grades, but I had several group experiences in the library program that while it might have been difficult starting the group--the feedback, the interactions were constructive and downright pleasant.

I came to library school via a large corporation where I managed up to 30 professional employees who were located all across the country. This group meetings happened over the phone or via net-meeting, communication was by phone or email and even performance reviews were conducted over the phone. To do this successfully, we all had to work to make our expectations clear--I checked email throughout the day and sent everybody a copy of my schedule at the beginning of the day so that they would know I might be in a meeting for several hours and not able to respond to email during that time. My group did the same for me. Was it ideal? No, but we figured out how to make it work and even work well. It also allowed us to focus on the work and not get so caught up in the usual workplace soap operas.

And, when this is done in distance education, it works well. Communication doesn't just happen and teamwork doesn't just happen either. I chose an online program for the convenience and because I thought it would make me a better librarian. We have new tools to use for collaboration and communication and while many libraries don't use these yet, they will need to consider them for the future. And, what better way to learn about the tools than to use them while learning

I usually find that even when I am taking a course, I don't love, I find something else to interest me. Maybe it will start me thinking about a new application for the library or I might use it as a springboard to develop project management skills and always it is an opportunity to improve my communication skills because communicating with your classmates only online means that you have to learn to be concise and clear in order to be understood by your classmates and teachers.

Like every other program I have been in, or every job that I have had, you can bring more to it than you need to get by. Since I started the library program, I have discovered library blogs and wikis and new forms of communication that expand what I learn in the classroom and I create opportunities to try those things out. I suppose that I could have done that without library school but I doubt that I would have and I certainly would not have had the professional opportunities that I have had.