Dear SLIA: LIS, Getting Lost and Bibliotherapy

A few years ago, I received this question from a young LIS professional, "I really want to pursue Children’s/YA lit and Bibliotherapy and the like. So given a career wise choice, is it okay to move to MA psych?"

The question was coursed through Messenger, so I replied back, "What is holding you back?"

The reply was immediate. "Actually wala naman po. I just feel lost right now since I didn’t make it for MA Comp Lit."

This was my reply.

We all get lost sometime, somewhere. It’s a scary place to be. But, not knowing where to go may be an opportunity to pause and examine the path you have taken, so far; to retrace the steps that led you to where you are right now, before moving forward. 

I have read Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Road and it is all about loss and being lost. What the main character did was to go back to his roots. To that place where he first realized his sense of being, his own self. The journey was both difficult and delightful. But for the main character, it was a way of relinquishing the self he lost. It’s alright to feel lost. Maybe I can say this because I have lost, been lost and felt at a loss. It’s a vulnerable place to be, but it’s where real courage and faith surface. Now, I welcome being lost as I may discover a new part of myself I did not know exists.  

If you have a strong LIS background, Psychology will help you better understand your readers and your learners from all walks of life and of all ages. It’s a good theoretical anchor for the practice of bibliotherapy. 

Find your core. What makes you happy? What pushes you to do good? What is that one thing that has given you the greatest challenge and yet, you feel determined to continue?  

Good luck! I will pray for you!

I share this in full confidence and permission was given by that young LIS professional who I believe is in a happier state of being.

Librarian Mentors

A few weeks back,  a comment on one of the blog's post on a featured Filipino Librarian made it public. The blog that got this comment was about Joy Fajardo Nera's mentoring to a younger staff at Assumption College in San Lorenzo.  The comment came from Ms. Aza Salva who thanked Mrs. Joy Fajardo Nera for encouraging her to do more on the job and to go beyond the expectations of the profession. Ms. Aza Salva is no longer a librarian in Assumption College but she keeps fond memories of her boss and her style of mentoring.

When I sent Mrs. Nera this bit of good news, this was her reply --

I read your  blog and the message written by Ms. Salva.  That message from my former staff made me realize that I am on the right track. Knowing Aza is doing well in Brent International School and that the other young librarians who started  their careers with me are also doing their best  wherever they are right now, makes me feel proud that  they learned something from me (kahit na pabalik balik mga reports nila sa akin noon). Imagine! I took the chance of getting newly graduates of LIS whenever we have available slots in schools, train them, teach them what I know and later on set them free to become heads or coordinators too.

I suppose this is one area where library research can have a look at: mentoring programs in libraries as indicators of success and professional growth.  If not in the area of research, perhaps mentoring is one aspect of library management where LIS professionals can engage in deep thought and conversation as far as professional practice is concerned.