Interview with a Library Practicum Student
Recently, Linda Black, reference specialist, got to know one of our current library practicum students, Karla Malone. Here’s what Karla told her about herself.
Currently, I am working as an Accounting Clerk at The Salvation Army Divisional Headquarters here in Omaha. I decided to go back to school a few years ago, and entered the Pre-Pharmacy program at UNO. When I realized that Chemistry and I weren’t a good fit, I started looking at other programs at UNO, eventually discovering the Library program in Teacher Education.
I had considered Library Science as a career when I was in high school, and then again when I decided to go back to school in 2001. Due to family responsibilities, I needed to attend school in the Omaha area, but I couldn’t find any schools offering a Library program locally, so I chose a different field at that time.
I will graduate in August of 2012, with a Bachelor of General Studies with a concentration in Library Science. I am planning to pursue my Master’s as well.
For the practicum, I was instructed to choose three libraries where I would like to work. Since I am not sure of the type of library that I want to work in, I chose one from each area: Public, Academic, and Special libraries. When deciding which academic library I would like to work in, I considered several factors. I wanted a library that had multiple staff members so that I would be exposed to diverse training and opinions, without having a staff so large that I would never interact with them all. After some research, I chose the Bellevue University Library as my best option.
I have really enjoyed learning about all of the different positions here, but the position that I have enjoyed most was Technical Services with Casey, especially the archives and acquisitions. From this experience, I have become much more knowledgeable about the variety of duties encompassed by the library staff, but I think the most valuable thing that I have gained during my time here is the friendships that I have made.