Career Path of an Outreach Librarian at State Library

My college experience was quite interesting. I was living in Nicaragua and graduated from high school there. I came to the States for community college, stayed for a year, and then circumstances required me to return home.

I then attended Maria College of the Americas, which has a campus in Nicaragua and is based in Naples, Florida. After another year, I came back to the States, this time to Miami, and enrolled at Florida International University (FIU).

While at FIU, I wanted to study journalism but was also working full-time. I was looking for a quicker way to graduate. A classmate recommended the liberal studies program, highlighting its breadth and the diverse skills it offered. I was drawn to the College of Arts and agreed it was a great idea.

I had also secured a part-time job at the public library through a classmate from my journalism classes. Juggling a job, school, and a second job was a lot. I took my friend's advice, applied for the liberal studies program, and was accepted.

My first job after graduating was a six-month contract position at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland, working in their library. Although it sounds crazy to move for just six months, it was a fantastic experience.

After those six months, I returned to Miami and worked at the University of Miami library for seven and a half years. I held various roles, including inter-library loan, reference, and eventually a management position.

I noticed that many managers didn't have degrees or extensive experience but were paid more than me. This motivated me to pursue library school. While at the university, I had already completed another master's degree.

I was the only manager in my department with both a bachelor's and a master's degree. I realized that library school was the next step if I wanted to advance in the library field. Florida State University offered a highly-regarded online program.

Florida State is one of only two universities in Florida with a library program, the other being the University of South Florida. When I applied, Florida State was ranked among the top 15 library programs in the country. I decided to pursue this opportunity close to home.

At that point, I had earned a Master's degree in International Administration from the University of Miami. During that time, I also completed an internship at the State Department, working at the U.S. Mission to the UN in New York. I applied for the U.S. Department of State Student Internship program, not expecting to be selected, especially while working and studying full-time.

I requested and was granted an educational leave of absence. My supervisors were very supportive, likely because I was the only manager at the time with a degree and pursuing further education. I was in New York for four months at the U.S. Mission's research unit, the library there.

I met some incredible people and utilized both my library experience and my International Administration degree. Fast forward to 2014 or 2015, a former coworker from my 2011 internship in New York contacted me. They mentioned a position opening up and asked if I would be interested in returning. I enthusiastically said yes, excited to try something new and a different type of library.

I had previously worked in government and academic libraries. I was ready to experience working for the State Department in New York. I was there for about eight months, about a year and a half into my library degree program.

When my contract ended, I returned to Miami and applied for an internship program with the Miami-Dade Public Library system. This program allows library school students to apply for librarian positions before graduating and even offers tuition reimbursement. It seemed like a great opportunity.

I returned to the public library system where I had initially started. I worked there for seven years, progressing from Librarian One (intern) to Librarian Two, where I managed a department, and then to Librarian Three, overseeing an entire branch, staff, and operations.

My role evolved significantly, moving from programming and outreach to branch management and a lot of project management. I then applied for a position here in North Carolina at the State Library of North Carolina, focusing specifically on outreach. I wanted to see if I could concentrate on one area rather than managing many.

It's been great here; I've been here almost six months and am learning new things. It's funny how I've now worked with federal, local, and now state government, and each is distinct. When I finished my library degree in 2016, none of my classes were geared towards public or school libraries.

I always assumed I would return to academic libraries. However, my experience in public libraries has been amazing. I've enjoyed working with people one-on-one and helping individuals, particularly immigrants and first-generation individuals whose parents may not have spoken English fluently.

Being in Miami, I was able to greatly assist Spanish-speaking individuals. I hope to do the same here in North Carolina. I'm developing programs for the Hispanic population and helping people who are new to the state, and sometimes new to the country, navigate the resources available at the State Library.