Hope for the Future

This past week a few of us residents met at the University of Delaware for a regional residency meeting. University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, Rutgers, Towson and UD were all represented. It was so good to meet other residents and hear about some of the challenges that residents face as well as discussing the benefits and issues in the ongoing resident programs. I'll admit that even though I feel a lot of camaraderie with my fellow librarians and I work and rely on their input constantly, it is a lot of pressure to be not only the only resident, but the first at the University and Maryland. There is a ton of pressure to do a lot of things well, and I found that I'm not the only resident that feels this way. I think that by in large we are all a group of overachievers and balancing what one wants to do and what one can do, is something I and the others are probably working on constantly. So, it was nice to be in the same room with people in the same boat.

A couple of the residents were nearing the end of their tenure. And, even though I am only 8 months into my residency, I often think about where I will be in 16 months when my residency ends. So, it was really good to talk about how to incorporate the myriad experiences acquired through various projects, on our CV's/resumes. And, it was great to talk with a resident nearing the end of her residency that has already acquired a great position. In addition to the meeting, the RIG (Residency Interest Group) Blog posted about a former resident that was promoted in 2009 to Associate University Librarian.

But, even though I'm thinking about what opportunities might be out there in a year or so when I'll be looking again, I'm still happily knee deep in the opportunities I'm creating and coming across in my time right now. And, it's really good to know that some of my fellow residents have gotten through all this and it has launched them into successful careers. Phew!