Library Routes

After coming across Alex's contribution to the Library Routes wiki, I thought I would write up my own brief path to librarianship.

I came to librarianship somewhat late in my professional career. After graduating from McGill with a BSc (Physics) in 1992, I followed a career path that started in retail (selling computers at Bureau en Gros/Staples) and continued on to technical writing for ERP software companies and eventually to web development.

In 2001 I returned to academia as a faculty lecturer at the Centre for Continuing Education at McGill. Having only a BSc, it was recommended that I start working towards a Master's degree. Remembering that Morville and Rosenfeld, authors of the polar bear book, were both originally librarians. That lead me to the MLIS program offer at what was is today called the School of Information Studies. I worked on my MLIS degree part-time while teaching full-time at the Centre, and graduated in 2006 (along side the wonderful woman who I share my life with: yes, a family of librarians!).

Soon after graduation, we moved to Ottawa, where I worked at Carleton University in the communication department, managing the university's web site. After that contract I moved on to Community Foundations of Canada, where I started as their IT manager and eventually became their director of knowledge management.

In 2008, we moved back to Montreal so that I could take up a position at McGill's School of Information studies. I worked there for two years as a professional associate, teaching courses in web development and knowledge management. My work as SIS is formally ending this week, and on Monday I start a new position as an Assistant Librarian at the McGill Library, where I will be responsible for the library's web site, etc.

So it has been a somewhat winding road to get to where I am today. Technically, I still am not a librarian, and won't be until Monday at around 9am! And while I didn't initially set out to become a librarian, I have to say that for the first time in a long time, I feel like I have found my calling.