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Rotary Classification Talk
Austin Stroud gave a presentation about his career as a librarian. He has worked as a library director for the Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County Public Library for the past 5 years and is also an adjunct faculty member at Ivy Tech Community College. Stroud became interested in librarianship due to his early experiences in libraries, positive mentors, and a desire to educate and train others. Both rewarding and difficult aspects of the job were discussed, including educating the community and funding challenges. Stroud advised future librarians to gain experience, stay up to date on technologies, and be flexible to changes in the field.
Rotary Classification Talk
- 1. TITLEClassification TalkClassification Talk Presentedby Austin Stroud September 8, 2015
- 2. Introduction Name: Austin Stroud Hometown:Mitchell, Indiana Current Town: Bedford, Indiana Classification: Librarian Current Employers: Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County Public Library (5/14 – Present) & Ivy Tech Community College (8/11 – Present) Current Job Titles: Library Director & Adjunct Faculty Education: BS – Labor Studies (Indiana University) MS – Education/Instructional Systems Tech (Indiana University) MLS – Library Science (IUPUI) Areas of Interest: Library Technology, Instructional Design, Distance Education Other Organizations: American Library Association, Career Success Coalition, Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Library, Greene County Alliance, Indiana Library Federation, Literacy Coalition
- 3. Why did Ibecome a librarian? • Early experience • Positive mentors • Educating/training others (Digital Divide) • Challenges (why I’m a director) • Changes in the field (especially technology) • Community impact
- 4. Rewarding & DifficultParts of the Job Rewarding: •Educating others •Community involvement •Colleagues •Variety Difficult: •Funding •Perceptions of libraries •Underserved populations
- 5. Career Forecast/Advice forFuture Librarians From the Bureau of Labor Statistics Thinking about becoming a librarian? •Get volunteer or library work experience (Reading books isn’t enough!) •Keep up with new technologies/trends •Obtain a second graduate degree for more opportunities •Be flexible and open to relocation or working in related fields •Adapt and accept change as a major part of keeping libraries relevant
- 6. Technology/Government/Environmental Impacts onLibraries Technology: •Maintaining relevancy •Continuous learning •Improved efficiency •Increased availability •Collection •Online resources Government Regulations: •Decreases in funding (property tax caps and income tax reductions) = budget shortfalls •Unserved townships Environmental: •Education •Responsible recycling and use of materials
- 7. Ethical Issues inLibraries • Censoring/intellectual freedom • Confidentiality • Served versus unserved patrons • Quality of information • Conflict of interest • Neutrality There are others – these are some big ones that come to mind.
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