| layout | default |
|---|---|
| title | Five Year Plan |
| subtitle |
5 Year Goal - Find a Librarian 2 Position
I am writing this five year plan in October, 2021. At this time, I am in my last semester at UNCG’s MLIS program.
In December, 2021, I will graduate and will continue working as an intern at WCPL.
After I complete my internship, I will transition into a Librarian 1 role. In the next five years, I would like to apply my Librarian 1 role towards advocating for LGTBQIA+ issues, local history topics, and digital literacy.
At the end of these five years, I will transition to a Librarian 2 position and will continue working on these issues for the entirety of my career as a librarian.
The plans in place for this five year plan will provide a framework for my future career and will provide long-term collaborations and partnerships with both fellow library staff and with local communities and organizations.
Steps to Complete My Five Year Plan
- Graduate from UNCG.
- Complete my internship at WCPL.
- Transition into a Librarian 1 role.
- Create partnerships with the local community.
- Bring local history and LBGTQIA+ issues into the public library that I will be working at.
- Transition into a Librarian 2 role.
Acronym List: AUX (Assessment & User Experience), INALJ (I Need a Library Job), MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science), NCLA (North Carolina Library Association), SNCA (Society of North Carolina Archivists), UNCG (University of North Carolina at Greensboro), WCPL (Wake County Public Libraries)
Note: Words in brackets are unknown factors at this time.
| Goals | Strategies | Resources | Evidence of Completion | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complete my practicum with Duke University’s AUX Department | As of October 2021, I am halfway complete with my practicum. I will continue to seek support from both my practicum supervisor and Dr. Depolt to ensure that I create two artifacts by the end of the practicum. | Duke University Libraries, Dr. Depolt, Dr. Bird | Two artifacts | August - December |
| Attend the NCLA as a student | My manager at my internship with WCPL paid for my conference fee this year. I will attend the virtual conference on October 15th and network with fellow librarians. | NCLA, WCPL | Informational interviews scheduled | October |
| Graduate from UNCG with my MLIS | As of October 2021, I am halfway through my last semester. I will continue to seek support from my professors and classmates to ensure that I am able to complete my coursework and capstone by December, 2021. | Dr. Depolt, Dr. Bird | MLIS | December |
| Goals | Strategies | Resources | Evidence of Completion | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complete my internship with WCPL | My internship will conclude in May, 2022. Before my internship ends, I plan on seeking more opportunities to expand my skill set for future public library jobs. I will ask my manager and WCPL librarians about programming and shadowing opportunities. I will also look for opportunities to do informational interviews so I am better prepared to transition into a librarian role when my internship ends. | WCPL | Experience as a library assistant | September 2021 - August 2022 |
| Present at the SNCA 2022 conference | In my Special Collections class at UNCG, I wrote a paper on the influence of power dynamics in organizational memory. I intend on presenting this paper at the SNCA 2022 conference. I will reach out to Dr. Post, my professor for this course, for guidance and support through the process. | SNCA, Dr. Post | A presentation (a Powerpoint or a physical poster) | April |
| Apply for Librarian 1 positions | After my WCPL internship ends in August, I will apply for Librarian 1 positions nationally. I will seek support from my manager at WCPL as I transition from an intern to a Librarian 1. | WCPL, inalj | A Librarian 1 position | August - December |
| Goals | Strategies | Resources | Evidence of Completion | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work as a Librarian 1 | If my job search in 2022 was successful, I will be working as a Librarian 1 at this time. I will use my first year as a Librarian 1 to get settled in my new town and new position. I will look for support from my coworkers and patrons. In my first year as a Librarian 1, I will begin drafting a list of ideas for programming and partnerships with the local community. | [Library’s Name], [Town Name], [Local Organizations] | A rough draft of programming ideas, rapport with coworkers | January - December |
| Enroll in a self-paced technology course, using Library Carpentry or the Odin Project | As of October 2021, I am interested in learning about the intersection of libraries and technology. I would like to use my role as a Librarian 1 to learn how I can apply technology to my new position. To achieve this goal, I will enroll in a self-paced course using Library Carpentry or the Odin Project. Library Carpentry tailors their courses specifically to librarians. The Odin Project focuses more generally on how to write HTML and CSS. These courses might also lead to creating workshops at the library to educate patrons on digital literacy. | Library Carpentry, The Odin Project, [Library’s Name] | A digital portfolio | January - May |
| Join the [state]’s public library association and become an active member of a committee | I will join my state’s public library association and become an active member. I will become involved in advocating for libraries within my state. I will also become a mentor to new librarians. | [State]’s public library association | A public library association membership, a title in a committee | January - March |
| Goals | Strategies | Resources | Evidence of Completion | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investigate [topic] and publish a journal article in [journal name] | In my second year as a Librarian 1, I will reflect on trends and patterns I have identified in my public library. I will use these trends and patterns to write a journal article, to officially be submitted to a publication. This article will also be an opportunity to present at my state’s public library association. I will seek support from both my public library and my state’s public library association in writing this article. I might look for a co-author and use this opportunity to segue into writing an article on trends within public libraries nationally. | [State]’s public library association, [Library’s Name], [Co-Author], [Journal Publication] | A published journal article | January - August |
| Partner with the local community and design a library exhibit | I will partner with the local history society if one exists and seek ways to promote specific moments in the local town’s history. These efforts will ultimately culminate in creating an exhibit within the library to educate patrons on a specific topic or moment in the town’s history. This opportunity will create a partnership with the town’s patrons and will hopefully create future collaborations that can identify additional areas of historical interest for advocacy. This goal will likely not be accomplished entirely within 2024 and will be a long-term goal stretched for the entirety of my career as a librarian. | [Local history society], [Library Name] | An exhibit in [Library Name] | August - December |
| Partner with the local LGBTQIA+ center and advocate for LGBTQIA+ issues within the library | I will partner with the local LGBTQIA+ center, if one exists. This partnership will create opportunities in the library to create safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ individuals and to advocate for policy changes in the library’s collection development plan. I will also seek support from the LGBTQIA+ center in creating programming and events. This goal will likely not be accomplished entirely within 2024 and will be a long-term goal stretched for the entirety of my career as a librarian. | [Local LGBTQIA+ Center], [Library Name], Patrons | Changes in policy, new programming and events, a new partnership with the LGBTQIA+ center | January - December |
| Goals | Strategies | Resources | Evidence of Completion | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create workshops on digital literacy, to be used both in my public library and libraries nationally | As a continuation from the courses I enrolled in 2023, I will create workshops on educating patrons on digital literacy. I will also use this opportunity to create a framework for these workshops that can be used across public libraries nationwide. I will seek partnerships and collaboration with other library institutions to ensure that these workshops are designed well. | [Library Name], collaboration with other libraries | Digital literacy workshops | January - December |
| Cross train in the collections and IT department at the library | I will reach out to other library staff within my system and request that I train in their departments as well. I will use this opportunity to begin transitioning into a Librarian 2 position. By training in other departments, my skill set will expand and allow me to gain a better understanding of the wide diversity of systems in place that make up a library. | Collections department, IT department, [Library Name] | New skills gained from cross training | January - September |
| Apply for Librarian 2 positions | After cross training in other departments, I will begin applying for Librarian 2 positions both within my system and libraries nationwide. I will seek support from my coworkers and other departments as I transition into this new managerial position. | [Library Name], inalj | A Librarian 2 position | December 2025 - March 2026 |