By Cynthia G.
My journey into Librarianship began the first time I entered my small, two room public library in the Town of Pomfret where I grew up. I was about six years old. My mother brought me into the small children’s section and told me I could pick out any book I wanted and that I could take it home! I was beyond excited! I loved everything about the books themselves – their smell, new pages and the story each contained. I loved to read and be read to ask a child so this was like a dream come true! What struck me was the coziness of the room and the many books lining the shelves to choose from. I went there frequently from then on and developed a love for reading and libraries! This love of libraries stayed with me throughout my teen years as I spent as much time as I could in my High School Library.
After I finished my Bachelor of English degree, I took a career assessment test and met with a career counselor to go over the results. The test indicated that I was most suited to a career in libraries. I then began taking courses to acquire my Master’s In Library Science (MLS). During the time I was pursuing my MLS, I worked as a library clerk and Reference Assistant at the Otis Library in Norwich, CT. It was there that I discovered that I loved being a “detective for information.” I love the research process and how wonderful it is to finally find an important piece of information that helps a library patron on his or her way.
After completing my MLS, I acquired a new position in November of 2001 as the Community Services Librarian at the Hagaman Memorial Library. Throughout my years at Hagaman, I have witnessed first hand the evolution of technology and how it has changed the face of librarianship. The development of Kindles, Nooks, Tablets, and iPhones has changed the way communities receive reading content. Libraries are re-thinking their traditional role as a place to do research and borrow books and movies, to a place that is the hub of the community, where the public can meet, take classes on technology and other topics, get their GED, become a U.S. citizen, listen to lectures, come to cultural events, hear concerts, as well as borrow print and non-print materials. Librarians are becoming the teachers of new technology. This is extremely important so that digital inequality can be eliminated and all citizens can have access to information and resources pertinent to that person’s educational and employment advancement as well as for personal enrichment and entertainment.
Libraries and librarians will always be needed for any community to thrive educationally, economically and culturally. A lot has changed in libraries since I was that six year-old little girl entering my small, two room home town library for the first time, One thing that has not changed and that will always exist is the need for equal access to information and resources, no matter the format.
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