Ch-ch-ch-changes
I gave my notice at work today.
I first talked to the Interm Director (and fellow Reference Librarian). She knew it was coming, particularly as she was one of my references and had gotten a call about me two days prior. While I received the job offer yesterday I felt it was only polite to refrain from making an announcement until my boss knew. As it turns out, the majority of the staff happened to be in for morning meeting instead of the normal handful, so I had quite a crowd for the announcement.
I first talked to the Interm Director (and fellow Reference Librarian). She knew it was coming, particularly as she was one of my references and had gotten a call about me two days prior. While I received the job offer yesterday I felt it was only polite to refrain from making an announcement until my boss knew. As it turns out, the majority of the staff happened to be in for morning meeting instead of the normal handful, so I had quite a crowd for the announcement.
I am excited, anxious, relieved, and a little bit guilty. I've been at this library for three years to the day, and various issues aside, this is the first job I've held with a solid safety net and support built in. I can't help but feel like I'm bailing on my co-workers and on the library, especially in the face of some potentially dramatic changes in structure. The possibility that things could improve so that I could actually get to all these projects and ideas that keep bubbling up is appealing. I also feel guilt because I know first hand exactly how short-staffed my department is (in addition to the whole library), and by leaving I'm making that situation worse.
All this being said, I am leaving for a position that was a long time coming. For a number of reasons I had been on the look out for other employment opportunities for some time, but this job was a different category than the others.
I first met the director of my new library on March 29th at a network meeting, at which I stopped to talk to her because of some materials my director had asked me to send to her. The result was us chatting for quite a bit and me waxing geekily enthusiastic about a whole range of topics. Apparently this is not always a bad thing. At the end while walking to our cars she mentioned that they were going to be creating a Technology Services Librarian position, and that I should send her my resume (which I did as soon as I got home).
So this job has been in the works for about six months. It took some time, the job description had to be created, reviewed, revised, posted internally, posted publicly, etc. During this time I kept my department informed of the possibility and progress. Actually when the job was posted publicly in July my co-workers pointed it out to me specifically just in case. My soon-to-be boss contacted me directly when the job posting went public, and I formally applied then.
Interestingly for all that this was one of the easiest application processes I have gone through, it was probably also the most stressful. I'm not sure why, but when I know that I am a strong candidate the process creates more anxiety for me. I think it's the possibility of failure. I want to get excited about the possibility, but have to remind myself to not get my hopes up. I hate the chance that I botched some small detail and disqualified myself. The job posting almost exactly mirrored my current position, and while more and more libraries now have a Technology Services/Systems Librarian, it's not a universal position. In this case I had dialog with the director and had my resume solicited. At my second interview I found out that a fellow student from my graduate program also had independently recommended me for the position.
Right up front this new position has several benefits over where I have been working. I actually like that the library serves a smaller population. The resources of a larger town are nice, but I'm not a city girl. A higher salary is always nice, but just as important to me is the distance from home. My commute will be cut in half. Long term my current commute is simply not sustainable. Additionally my it takes me through some absolutely atrocious traffic and in town roads. I am looking forward to a shorter, smoother, less congested drive.
Professional and personal anxiety aside, I am excited to continue my professional journey at a new library starting next month. My new library is gorgeous, and some of the ideas discussed at my interviews met with interest. I have a lot to look forwards to. However in the meantime I need to buckle down and wrap things up.
All this being said, I am leaving for a position that was a long time coming. For a number of reasons I had been on the look out for other employment opportunities for some time, but this job was a different category than the others.
I first met the director of my new library on March 29th at a network meeting, at which I stopped to talk to her because of some materials my director had asked me to send to her. The result was us chatting for quite a bit and me waxing geekily enthusiastic about a whole range of topics. Apparently this is not always a bad thing. At the end while walking to our cars she mentioned that they were going to be creating a Technology Services Librarian position, and that I should send her my resume (which I did as soon as I got home).
So this job has been in the works for about six months. It took some time, the job description had to be created, reviewed, revised, posted internally, posted publicly, etc. During this time I kept my department informed of the possibility and progress. Actually when the job was posted publicly in July my co-workers pointed it out to me specifically just in case. My soon-to-be boss contacted me directly when the job posting went public, and I formally applied then.
Interestingly for all that this was one of the easiest application processes I have gone through, it was probably also the most stressful. I'm not sure why, but when I know that I am a strong candidate the process creates more anxiety for me. I think it's the possibility of failure. I want to get excited about the possibility, but have to remind myself to not get my hopes up. I hate the chance that I botched some small detail and disqualified myself. The job posting almost exactly mirrored my current position, and while more and more libraries now have a Technology Services/Systems Librarian, it's not a universal position. In this case I had dialog with the director and had my resume solicited. At my second interview I found out that a fellow student from my graduate program also had independently recommended me for the position.
Right up front this new position has several benefits over where I have been working. I actually like that the library serves a smaller population. The resources of a larger town are nice, but I'm not a city girl. A higher salary is always nice, but just as important to me is the distance from home. My commute will be cut in half. Long term my current commute is simply not sustainable. Additionally my it takes me through some absolutely atrocious traffic and in town roads. I am looking forward to a shorter, smoother, less congested drive.
Professional and personal anxiety aside, I am excited to continue my professional journey at a new library starting next month. My new library is gorgeous, and some of the ideas discussed at my interviews met with interest. I have a lot to look forwards to. However in the meantime I need to buckle down and wrap things up.
Good for you!!! I imagine it can be hard to leave a job like that (I actually cringe thinking of the day I might leave my current job! I love it that much!), but in the long run you have to look out for your own best interests--because no one else will!
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