Library Assistants

While in high school, spend a good amount of time in your school or public library. Take notice of how materials are organized and handled from drop off to pick up. Just using your own library for school projects or perusing the aisles for new books will increase your knowledge of how libraries are organized and kindle your love for information. You may even want to ask if you can work part time in your school or public library as an assistant. Even just working on a volunteer basis will give you great experiences, including checking materials in and out at the circulation desk, working with patrons, shelving returned books, and working with book records.

The American Library Association (ALA) and other professional library organizations (such as the Music Library Association) offer information on careers, education, and membership (the ALA, for example, offers a membership option for college students and a "supporter" membership option for nonlibrarians who "through their personal commitment and support, promote library and information services." Be sure to explore what these associations have to offer.

Participate in information interviews with library assistants and other library professionals. In such an interview—which can be conducted in-person, on the phone, or through video-conferencing technology—you will get the opportunity to ask library assistants about their job duties, work environment, likes and dislikes about their careers, educational training, and other topics that will help you to learn more about the field. Ask your school counselor or librarian to help you set up information interviews. Perhaps you could even job-shadow a library assistant to learn even more about the field. Your school library, of course, is another great place to start for exploration opportunities.