Job

For the last seven months, much of my time and brain space has been devoted to job searching. After 15 job applications, 5 job interviews, and 3 job offers, I've finally accepted a tenure track position at University of Wyoming libraries as the Instruction and Assessment Librarian and I'm totally excited about the job. This is the job description:

The Instruction and Assessment Librarian provides leadership for the Libraries for our instruction program that includes bibliographic and formal instruction. The position also oversees an assessment program that evaluates our instruction program and will provide direction for improving information literacy for the university. This position also provides reference and instruction, including night and weekend work and may have subject liaison responsibilities. The Librarian reports to the Head of the Reference and Instruction Services. As a member of the library faculty, you will pursue an active and ongoing program of professional development, scholarship, and service.

This position is a great fit for me because it will involve a great deal of teaching, which is my favorite part of librarianship and what led me to library school in the first place. The University of Wyoming is in Laramie and meets many of the requirements that Mike and I had for our next place: it has mountains, an active outdoor culture, and is within a day's drive of many of our family members who live in Idaho, Utah, and New Mexico. They do have nasty winters in Laramie, which we experienced firsthand in December 2007 when we got stuck there while driving from Illinois to Idaho. But, harsh winters notwithstanding, we are really looking forward to getting settled there. Mike is looking into employment options with the University, area community colleges, the Wyoming Arts Council, Wyoming Humanities Council, and more. Laramie is a small town of about 27,000 people, but it's just about a two hour drive to Denver, so it's not completely remote from civilization.

We're planning to move in mid-July and I'll start work at the beginning of August. We're taking a house-hunting trip to Laramie in the middle/end of June. So, if your travels take you to Wyoming in the near future, get in touch and come visit us!

Graduation!

Yes, I'm a real librarian with a master's degree in Library and Information Science! The commencement ceremony was today and it was a beautiful, sunny day. Very exciting!

Michael has been the most supportive spouse through this whole degree program. He's simply the best!

I started the MS program with these three lovely ladies two years ago and we worked together for those two years at the Central Reference Desk. They're the best coworkers a person could ask for and I will truly miss them.

(Regalia was optional -- I didn't wear a cap and gown, but I really did graduate!)

So, I got the degree. I'll post about the J-O-B after I accept it tomorrow morning!