Meeting with More Librarians

 Log 12

Meeting with More Librarians

Student: Austen Esch

Supervisor: Shelley Barba

 

March 28, 2025, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

I'm taking a photo in front of the whiteboard on the wall in my workroom. This was probably a classroom before it became a computer room.

I finally got to meet with the reference librarian, a meeting that had been delayed due to the campus closure and fire incident earlier in the semester. Shelley took me over to the Writing Center, where he spends part of his week assisting students who need help with research, citations, and finding appropriate academic resources. It was interesting to see how librarians rotate through student spaces like the Writing Center to provide more direct support. This is part of a push by the Texas Tech library to meet students where they are, rather than waiting for them to come into the library. He walked me through the typical responsibilities of a reference librarian, including how they answer questions and teach students how to use databases. He also told me that they even offer instruction sessions for classes that need help with research-heavy assignments. It gave me a better sense of how reference services differ from technical services like cataloging, which I’ve been more involved with during this internship.

After our conversation, Shelley and I walked back toward the library. During this walk, she casually revealed something that completely surprised me: he’s her husband! I had absolutely no idea, and she laughed when I said I never would’ve guessed. It was funny to realize that he had been mentioned in separate conversations throughout the semester, and I hadn’t connected the dots. It was also really neat to see how both of them are deeply involved in different aspects of library work, with Shelley in cataloging and metadata, and her husband in reference and public services. It made me appreciate the broad range of career options within librarianship and how different roles can suit different personalities and strengths. It also reminded me of how tight-knit and collaborative the academic library community can be.

 

March 31, 2025, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

I am working in my typical workspace. Later, I will visit Shelley at her office so that we can discuss her experience as the curator of the University's theses and dissertations.

Today was another day focused on my subject headings work. I continue to check each one for compliance with the Library of Congress Subject Headings, making sure that all terms are appropriate, specific, and officially recognized. This batch has its own challenges, but I’m finding that I’ve developed a much better rhythm and strategy for handling the process. I’ve also gotten more familiar with navigating the LCSH database. Part of this has been improving my ability to recognize which subject headings are close enough to correct versus which ones need to be entirely replaced. As always, Shelley checks in with me to see how things are going and offers advice or answers questions when needed. These regular check-ins keep me motivated and help me feel like I’m doing meaningful work in support of the library’s academic mission.

Later in the day, Shelley shares with me a story that reminds me just how complex and sensitive her role can be. She tells me about a thesis submitted by a student who had interviewed a closeted man living near the Texas-Mexico border for a research project on LGBT discrimination in that region. The student was deeply concerned about the safety of the man they interviewed and did not want the thesis published in Texas Tech’s online repository, fearing that the man might face death threats or serious harm if his words were ever traced back to him. Shelley recalls how emotionally stressful the situation was, as she was responsible for protecting the integrity of the research while also honoring the very real safety concerns of both the student and their subject. In the end, Shelley made the difficult but compassionate decision to ensure the thesis would never be made publicly available. Hearing this reminded me that library work is not just about organizing information. It also involves ethical decisions, empathy, and protecting vulnerable voices.

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