First impressions…

My second class session of Cataloguing is today. Perhaps it’s too soon in the semester to form an impression, but I really like the instructor and the material so far. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but *cataloguing might be fun*. Emphasis on the might simply because cataloguing could always turn ugly in a few weeks. Anyway, the assignments are fun and not that hard (so far). The catch is that there are SO MANY OF THEM. Literally, folks, I have like 1-3 assignments due each week for this class alone.

As for my other class, Use and Users of Information, the assignments are stretched out a little more, but the reading is insane. I have about 350 pages of reading for just this class due a week from tomorrow. The readings so far are also a little too theoretical/philosophical for my tastes at this point. Is a tree information? Um, I’m not sure. Does it matter for this class? Still I think this class will be useful. In every job/career/industry/etc there’s a concern about what customers want, how they use a “product” and how to meet their needs. This class aims to provide some guidance on addressing that concern.

So yeah, different kind of workload this semester. Hopefully it won’t kill me.

On another note, I’m getting freaked out about my job prospects. I’m now subscribed to two librarian mailling lists, and the consensus between both is that library schools might be misleading you a bit when they say “Everyone is retiring and there are tons of jobs!” What I’m finding out is that libraries are either replacing retirees with para-professionals (people without MLS/MLIS degrees) or they’re opening their positions up for people with experience only. The number of entry-level positions are slim to none.

Not that this is detering me from getting my degree. I still love the content and I’m determined to finsh, but I’m adjusting my future career expectations a bit. Man, I hope things improve in 18 months.