I doubt your commitment to public service..

As of late I have been really trying to narrow down what type of librarian I want to be. I have always known that I would probably do well being involved with the public. I am not trying to be cruel, but there is a stereotype that is perpetuated of people in my field as bookish, nerdy, and socially awkward. So far I have met many people that supersede this conception, however I have met just as many that fit the mold. So I always had it in my mind that I would be someone who was made for the public arena. I mean, I definitely have my share of awkwardness, but I think overall I am a pretty sociable person. I have been working in the public sphere of the library for over 5 years now (gosh, that is strange to say). In either reference or circulation, which I must say the circulation desk is at the forefront of the public interaction. They are the first beacon that people run into in the library (generally) and therefore they get all the off the wall questions that people immediately ask as they enter the building. My experiences may have potentially jaded me. I am not as convinced as I was before that serving the public is what I want to do or what will satisfy me.

I have also been thinking that maybe I am just getting the wrong impression. Reference librarians generally only work a certain amount of hours on the desk a week. The longest I have seen them work in succession is 5 hours, but where I am working at now the shifts are at most 3 hours. So the public interaction is in small doses. Circulation is its own beast. I have seen circ desk's where the librarian works a normal day shift 9-5 behind the desk, in constant contact with the public. Ultimately I think just keeping to my current strategy of being open to all library experiences and willing to do anything that will get me a job will help me out in the long term....