SLIS Alumni News

SLIS alumna Rebecca Daniel (MLS'09) works at Barrington Area Library as the Youth Services Collection Development Librarian in Barrington, Illinois. Rebecca responded to some questions in an email interview about her new job and advice to students.

What are your key job duties?
“I'm in charge of the fiction collection for the youth services department so I do all the ordering, evaluating, promoting, and weeding for the birth-8th grade fiction collection. I am also the coordinator of our Library Activity Center [LAC]. The LAC is an off-site collection of popular materials for all ages. The titles there are not available for holds, so it's a "grab and go" collection. I'm in charge of ordering and evaluating the fiction collection at the LAC and I do programming there. I am in charge of preschool outreach for the library. I coordinate preschool off-site storytimes and do preschool loans. Local preschools can request bags of books on various themes from the library. I also work the reference desk, do programming, and storytimes.”

What do you like most about your job?
“I love the interaction with the kids who use the department. There are the regulars who come in and like to stop by the desk to say hi and those who try to never miss your storytimes. They're the ones that make the job fun. I also enjoy the opportunity to really entrench myself in the world of youth/teen fiction. I love reading up on new titles and trying to prepare for which ones are going to be popular with our patrons. It's nice to actually start applying what I learned in SLIS!”

Do you have any advice for students?
“Good luck and apply for everything! Also, if you're applying for a position in youth services (public or school) start signing up for listservs now. PUBYAC and YALSA are great listservs to start reading and getting a feel for what's going on in youth services/literature. Also, try reading as much children’s literature as you can. Employers will ask you for sample reader's advisory and they always ask what you're reading. In an interview I was asked what 4 books I'd want to have with me on a deserted island. Be prepared for questions like that. Finally, check out the Kidlitosphere, it's a great group of librarians/youth lit enthusiasts who blog about juvenile-YA lit, programming, and other topics of interest.”

Posted Oct. 15, 2009