The Absolutely True Map of a Part-Time Librarian

 I do a lot of different things and with all those things comes a set of digital footprints along a very diverse map. Some paths directly overlap and some are islands out there that were used specifically for some reason or another. 

Work

I'm, currently, a part-time youth services librarian who works mostly with tweens and teens. This means that I spend a lot of time creating programming (Pinterest and Canva), looking up that "have you seen that video..." (Youtube), and suggesting books that are like ________ (Goodreads). As a city employee, we run on Gmail/Google + all day: emails, calendars, forms, docs, spreadsheets, etc. We also struggle with poor communication so attempts at using things like Slack and Discord have been attempted but then forgotten shortly after. 

As a tween/teen librarian it's also imperative that I keep up with what books are being published to offer appropriate recommendations without having to actually read all the books. For this purpose I rely on Goodreads. I can keep track of all the books I've read, write my own reviews/notes, and look at other users' reviews. They also provide lists that are user created and this is pretty invaluable to me when I'm helping a young patron look for something to keep them interested in reading. For example, this blog title is adapted from Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian which has been on the banned book list since it came out due to themes, language, and the author's background. To read reviews and updates on it, you can see it's page here on Goodreads. 

Though I use my personal profile, Facebook groups have also been a big part of my work life. I'm a member of a number of library support groups that allow me to connect with librarians across the world. Sometimes it's a post about program suggestions or celebrating when real life teens show up for a program while other times it's people posting jobs. A lot of the time it's people posting anonymously to vent about burn out, difficult patrons/coworkers/managers, and asking for help with issues like book banning or extremist groups It is a difficult time to be a librarian and as someone growing in this field, it helps to see all the hurdles out front and know that others are struggling and supporting out there.

School

As a graduate student, my footprint now has expanded to Dominican's Canvas platform, Outlook, and Blogger. I also use Canva for school to create presentations, graphics, and maps. Between school and work, I've really become comfortable using Canva and I really enjoy how easy it is to use and how I can easily revisit projects for editing. 

Artist's Life

I am definitely a lifelong learner when it comes to the arts and my digital map reflects that. As an illustrator and surface designer, I use a lot of different websites for inspiration and community, but also for commerce. I didn't go to school for the arts and am self-taught which means I'm always on the hunt for platforms that provide quality lessons. 

For this purpose, I have profiles on Skillshare, Domestika, and Coursera. Skillshare and Domestika both offer classes on a multitude of different topics taught by professionals. Skillshare is subscription-based though many instructors give out free monthly trials. Domestika is based in Spain and most of their classes are taught in Spanish and their teachers are more global. These classes can be paid for individually or with a membership. Both allow for communication and the sharing of work with Domestika also hosting job opportunities too. Coursera offers classes taught in partnership with colleges and universities that focus more on the humanities and business. You can take classes for free or pay to get a certification in something specific.

Other arts websites that I use are artist forums such as Get Messy (based in Germany) and Flickr Commons. These are used for inspiration on specific projects that I'm working on to look for source imagery and to continue a daily practice of creating. Flickr Commons is connected to image archives from around the world and I use this also for exploring textile designs. Once I create a textile, I use the e-commerce site Spoonflower to show and sell my work. Spoonflower is a print-on-demand company located in North Carolina and in Germany. 

How does this all look on a map?

Image Source: Blog Author

The map above is broken down into Visitor and Resident on the horizontal and Professional and Personal on the vertical. A digital visitor is someone who steps on to a platform just to see what's going on but doesn't often interact. Whereas a resident is someone who has a profile and spends a lot of time online for all manner of things. When I broke down the professional to personal, I thought about what makes the most income. Though an artist and designer, my day-to-day job and reason for being in school is the library. 

A lot of the big digital sites are things that overlap from personal and professional and I use them definitely as a resident with Google, Facebook, Pinterest, and Amazon being the biggest ones. For example, I have profiles for Google and Pinterest for home and work. Whereas, I have one personal Facebook profile but I'm in an assortment of library support groups and follow profiles like the American Library Association while also keeping up with arts groups. 

Looking at this map, I'm reminded of what I said a few weeks ago in my intro blog post: that I find something and stick to it when it comes to technology. I rarely seem to step out of my comfort zone or go looking for something else out there that might do it better. This map also highlights that in not pushing myself out there I'm also not seeing what other digital places I could be using in my professional life.