[ This is hilarious:  I have “Five Years” by David Bowie in my head.  Not the proper song for the occasion. ]

I’m really excited about my 5-year work anniversary at the Manchester City Library.  No one even knows, but that’s not the point.  The point is, if you knew me before April 6, 2004, you never would have guessed I’d last a whole five years at any job.  (I managed to gloss over that fact in my interview.)  So, to celebrate this momentous occasion, I hit up the Wayback Machine and found the blog I was keeping at the time, “whitewash: noun or verb transitive?”  Here are a couple excerpts:

April 5, 2004—

“I have a job now.  I’ll be working in the bowels of the Manchester City Library.”

By bowels, I meant tech services.  I was really into word choice at the time.

April 7, 2004—

“The new job is looking like it’s going to be pretty good.  I stay busy, I do mindless repetitive tasks, I’m learning a real automation system (in your face, Library.Solution), I have a desk and a computer and keys and an email address, it’s not socially awkward, and I’m finally in a public library (I say ‘finally’ as if I were trying to break in for more than a year and a half).  So, yeah.  Things are looking good in that department.”

Having my own desk and an email address were a huge deal at the time.  A lot has changed in five years.  I’ve finished me degrees (BA and MS).  I’ve been promoted twice (once due to a job that was reclassified to keep me on when I finished my master’s).  I’ve worked with the public (first with adults, then with children) for most of the five years.  I’ve done a little of everything—I think that’s what I’m best at.  The mindless repetitive tasks are fewer and farther between, but they’re still there as projects warrant.

Two memorable things happened when I interviewed in March 2004.  The first was that I said they could expect to keep me at least five years as I worked to complete my education.  The second was that I said my ultimate goal was to be a children’s librarian.  Not only did I make it the five years, but, upon proving myself as a competent employee, I was pretty much handed the job I had said I wanted.  I had no idea that would happen.  It’s a great feeling.  And, assuming my job survives budget season, I raise my glass to the next five years.

Five things I love about my job:

1. I get to help people—connecting people with the information and resources they need is THE thing about being a librarian.  In my job, this ranges from answering questions directly to organizing materials in ways that make life easier for patrons.
2. I’m surrounded by kids’ books, and I get to buy them—a dream come true!  And not just books, of course; buying audio is another favorite.
3. I get to hang out with a crowd whose minds are still corruptable…er, I mean, developing—this has become much less about being subversive, and much more about providing fun, positive experiences.
4. My opinions and my contributions are valued—it’s not that I live for praise, but I get to create a lot of my own projects based on what I think we need, for the greater good.
5. I work with great people—anyone who’s ever been part of an unhealthy work environment knows how important this is.  We’re not perfect, but I genuinely think we have a great crew at MCL.

Note: My opinions are my own, and don’t reflect those of the Manchester City Library, its employees, the trustees, the City of Manchester, or any other person or entity.

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