Research, Reference, and Relationships: A Day in the Life of CMU’s Instruction and Outreach Librarian

When one thinks of a day in the life of an academic librarian, one likely imagines an individual who spends most of their day reading to familiarize themselves with the collection and guide patrons through the process of finding that perfect resource. These two tasks are, in reality, only a fraction of what I as CMU’s Instruction and Outreach librarian does for a living. Here is a brief glimpse into what my job looks like. 

I usually arrive at work around 8:00 a.m. and begin by going through my work emails. Most frequently, those work emails relate to planning activities that will help me connect with CMU students at events on campus or in classes. After doing this for about an hour, I begin grading assignments students have turned in as part of LIB 197, a one credit course the library offers on how to research using library resources. I usually try to limit grading to 2 hours or so a day.  

Usually by 11 a.m., I have a committee meeting or two that I must attend or lead. Most librarians serve on several library, university, or professional committees and usually chair at least one committee. Committees frequently pertain to different aspects of the university and/or libraries’ operations and institutional goals. Committee meetings usually don’t last more than an hour.  

Usually around noon, I take a 30-minute lunch break and begin staffing the Ask a Librarian Chat Service. Ask a Librarian Chat Service is the 24/7 question answering service that CMU Libraries makes available to students and community members. It is staffed by CMU Library Research and Instruction Services Librarians from 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m-4:00 p.m. on Friday, and 1:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Sunday. During the remaining hours, it is staffed by partner librarians at other institutions. My Ask a Librarian shift, in this case, ends at 2:00, and I usually answer two to three questions per shift. 

During the afternoon, I usually have an outreach activity such as a library tour, a class to teach, or an event where I set up a table and promote library resources. From there, I usually dedicate the final two hours of my day to scholarship (preparing a conference presentation or drafting a book chapter or journal article) and planning for the next day. 

Well, everyone, that is a pretty average day in my work life. I hope that was informative, and I hope that this information can potentially inspire you to become an academic librarian.