"The first duty of a human being is to assume to right functional relationship to society -- more briefly, to find your real job, and do it." -- Charlotte Perkins Gilman

My work experience covers public and business librarianship. In both these jobs, I find transferable skills and develop new ones, all while maintaining my commitment to quality service.

Middlesex Public Library, Middlesex, NJ (May 2010 - December 2010)

My role as Circulation and Reference Intern at the Middlesex (NJ) Public Library brought me closer to essential public library functions such as circulation, reference and collection development.  I am familiar with SirsiDynix and ILL procedures by the Libraries of Middesex Automated Consortium (LMxAC).  The internship gives me opportunities to apply knowledge in collection development through assistance with purchase of digital music DVDs with grant money and acquisitions for the children's collection, copy cataloging in Sirsi, and informal reader's advisory work.  I will also be responsible for adult and children programming, working as a reader for MPL's Summer Program on Storytime Picnic Fridays and planning a "Stitch and Sip" knitting group for adults. 

Saiber LLC Law Library, Newark, NJ (February - July 2008)

I was grateful for the opportunity to work in the Saiber LLC law library for five months in 2008 when the librarian went on maternity leave.

The position concentrated in acquisitions, circulation, and collection development and management. I was in charge of distribution of periodicals and pamphlet updates to attorneys and cataloging and shelving books.  Collection development duties included reviewing requests for materials from attorneys and requests sent directly to the library, ordering materials once the request was approved by our Managing Partner, and updating materials to ensure accuracy and currency.  I maintained billing records for the two subscription databases (Lexis and Westlaw) and worked with our CFO to ensure all online research was billed appropriately.  This resulted in an approximately 10 percent increase in billable research time. 

Near the end of my tenure in the library, I conducted light legal research, mainly obtaining full text of cases and citations for attorneys and staff.  In this reference work, I utilized print and electronic versions of the following resources:

• New Jersey Administrative Code (N.J.A.C.)
• New Jersey Statutes Annotated (N.J.S.A.)
• McKinney's Consolidated Laws of the State of New York
• New Jersey Reports and Superior Court Reports
  
• West's New Jersey Digest 2d
  
• Federal Reporter (2d and 3d) and Federal Supplement
  
• United States Code Annotated (U.S.C.A.)
• Practice-specific resources, including insurance/reinsurance, employment and labor law, personal injury, and health and hospital law.
  

My time in the library led to other opportunities in library management. I worked closely with our database reps to maximize their weekly in-house research assistance time and Firm attendance at occasional special workshops.  For National Library Week, I ran a successful book drive for Davis House, a Youth Consultation Service transitional foster home based in Newark, NJ.  The firm donated 50 children's books to Davis House.