Thinking Outside the Box: An Interview with Government Librarian Wendy Reynolds

By Stacey Nordlund

Earlier this year, I attended a conference at which SLIS director Sandy Hirsh spoke to the importance of thinking broadly about the skills we develop throughout the MLIS program.  Many SLIS graduates are taking advantage of opportunities outside of the library realm because our skills are transferable to so many types of environments. Hirsh’s presentation included a pertinent quote from well-known librarian Stephen Abram: “LIS skills are good currency in this world – but only for those with the flexibility and insight to exploit the opportunities.”

With this in mind, I have been conducting informational interviews with librarians working outside of the traditional public, academic, and school library spheres. One librarian I recently chatted with, Wendy Reynolds, is a government librarian in Toronto, Ontario. She kindly took the time to answer a few questions – on a weekend, no less! – about her work and her thoughts on librarianship in general. Wendy is the Manager of Library Client Services at the Ontario Legislative Library, an organization which serves as a resource for the elected Members of Provincial Parliament who serve in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

Seeing Through Librarian-Tinted Lenses: The Relevancy of MLIS Coursework

by Kimberly A. Price

I work in a law firm without a library (eek!). I’ve sometimes lamented the fact that I do not have a job  in a traditional library setting, or even a library associated with my work; but having a job pays the bills, and given the current state of the economy, I do truly feel blessed to have a job at all. While I still long for the day I can refer to myself as a “librarian”, I have recently realized that, even in my current job, I am already using many of the skills I’ve learned thus far in my MLIS coursework.

If I put on my “librarian lenses”, I can see that much of the work I do is relevant to my future career choice. I find this encouraging, and I hope you will too, as it is validation that the things we are learning are practical and important, in more ways than I originally anticipated. This realization has broadened my own view of what it means to be a librarian or information professional, and it has helped me recognize experiences outside of my MLIS courses that will be directly applicable to my culminating eportfolio and future job.

Looking at the glass half full, I’d like to share some of my experiences, with the hope of inspiring you to put on your own “librarian lenses” and recognize the value of the lessons and skills you have learned in this program, regardless of whether you are working in a library or not.