PowerPoint for a junior high Career Day at which I presented. There are several slides dispelling stereotypes about librarians, followed by a few slides on what librarians are and where we work. Lastly, I spoke about my job as the Assistant Director of the Mountain West Digital Library and why Google is not enough (namely, because of metadata).

1. Librarians: We’re not what you think
Rebekah Cummings, Assistant Director
September 20, 2013

2. What comes to mind?

3. Surprise #1
1. Not all librarians are women

4. Surprise #2
2. You need a masters degree

5. Surprise #3
3. Not all of us deal with books (but most
of us love them anyway)

6. Surprise #4
4. We’re rebels. (No, seriously)

7. What is a librarian?
Worst.Definition.Ever.

8. What is a librarian?
Someone who organizes,
describes, and makes available
large amounts of information

9. How to become a
librarian
• Graduate from high school
• Get a 4 year bachelors degree
• Go to an ALA-accredited graduate school
• Enjoy an awesome career!

10. Kinds of libraries
• Public Library
• School Library
• Academic Library
• “Special Library”

11. What do I do?
• Photographs
• Maps
• Artwork
• Music
• Diaries
• Journals
• Birth and
death records
The Mountain West
Digital Library

12. Special Collection Silos
BYU University
of Utah
UNLV Utah State
University

13. Who uses our site?
• Other librarians
• Researchers
• Students
• Teachers
• Genealogists
• Historians
• People interested in their own family
history

14. Another cool thing
about MWDL
The Digital Public Library of America
will make the cultural and
scientific heritage of humanity
available, free of charge, to all.

15. Can’t I just Google it?

16. This can’t be
automated…
This stuff…
it’s called
metadata.
And it’s
what we do.

17. QUESTIONS?
(You can ask how much I make. It’s public record.)

18. Thanks for listening!
Rebekah Cummings
Assistant Director
Mountain West Digital Library
rebekah.cummings@utah.edu
801.587.8893