Remember those challenges, those worries, from two weeks ago? If you do not, I am jealous, because I certainly do. What I will say, though, is that they are not as “aggressive” as they used to be because they were replaced by something else—they were replaced by awe.
Information comes at us Fast, with a capital F. We blink and something is outdated. We wake up the next morning and history has changed. My coffee has just cooled down enough to drink and a weeks worth of news is covered on TV. I am in constant awe of the information we have at our disposal, and even more so at the information we do not know that we have. And a majority of this awe comes from Gumberg.
One of the main reasons I want to be a librarian someday is because of all the information I will be able to access whenever I want it. But, I know I cannot be alone when I say that I had no idea that libraries have as much information as they do. I have made two guides so far for the Research Guides database (if you like philosophy, look for the Kant and Hegel guides and let me know what you think), and am working on developing two more: Women Writers (right now limited to the United States) and African American Writers. The latter two are not published yet, but that does not detract from the point I will eventually be getting to, which is this: there is, quite literally, an endless amount of information at Gumberg, and it is at our fingertips—and we have no idea it is there.
Okay, maybe not “literally” endless, but it has to be close. When I learned how to properly search for information to help complete these guides, I felt like I went inside the matrix, in a way. None of these resources are secrets, but seeing everything in front of me felt surreal, and knowing I am creating guides that will lead people to this information feels even better.
The five or so hours I get to spend searching through databases and catalogs each week are ones I look constantly look forward to. It may be work, but it is fun work—new, exciting work. So this week, I may not be too worried, and maybe next week I will be, who knows. What I do know, though, is that each week I get to create something new and share it with everyone, and if that is what I have to look forward to on a daily basis someday, then I know I am on the right path.
Building Bridges 