My friends know that I struggled with the culture of the UA Libraries – for me, it wasn’t a good fit, and at times I admit that I’ve wanted to write that all off as their fault. Then again, I did have a full day interview back in 2007, and I had the opportunity to evaluate whether it was the right place for me.  I didn’t, at the time, know what questions to ask to help me get at whether the culture was right. And admittedly, even had I asked those questions, I might still have been blinded by the salary difference between there and my previous workplace. And so I didn’t ask the questions I needed to ask and ended up in a place that wasn’t right for me.

But distance brings perspective. And in that perspective I can now see just how much I gained being there during those three years. Yes, I learned a lot about the kind of library environment that doesn’t work for me, but I also learned a lot about working with a very wide range of people, with hugely variations in communication styles, work styles, all of that. I learned a lot about looking at the bigger picture of the organization: it can’t be just about MY job – it’s about how we work together and juggling priorities and resources.  The library, after all, is a growing organism and an academic library at a public research institutions is also tied closely in with other “ecosystems” – the university, to be sure, but also the political and cultural environment of the state.  The University of Arizona Libraries did teach me to think at a broader level about my role – whether I wanted to learn that or not – and that continues to help me.

I’m not sorry I left. I needed to leave. My first year here at Georgia State has been what I needed it to be, and the second year is shaping up to take me in new directions that are also what I need.  But I don’t regret my time at UofA – or at Youngstown State either. Both of those gave me perspectives and experiences that I still draw on now.

Well, ok then. That’s a BIG question, and I can only answer what mattered for me with my decision to come to Georgia State. While I accepted the offer quickly, there was a long thought process that went into me even applying.  Especially since I swore, when I left Atlanta in 2002, that I would never live in this city again. Apparently “never” is 8 years in my world.

But I wouldn’t have come back now if the job hadn’t been right. So, what told me this was the right place?

• The conversations during the interview process felt like just that, conversations
• The information I gathered from the library during the interview came across as accurate – not a picture painted to make things sound good
• The information I could gather from the library’s website supported what I was being told – at least in the areas I could access
• The university’s strategic plan and other documents available from the university supported what I wanted to have at the institution I worked for

All of this though, could have been things that I interpreted as I wanted to interpret them. What else stood out?

• The dean came to my interview presentation, obviously listened and asked questions when I met with her at the end of the day.  I’ve not had that happen at any other interview (though to be fair, at one, I met with the dean prior to my presentation and was asked what I planned to talk about and that framed our conversation, since that dean was unavailable during the presentation)
• People smiled and seemed happy to be here – this might seem like a small thing, but it very much sets the atmosphere
• During different interview meetings, people were mentally present and seemed to be listening to what I was saying – I never felt like anyone was just there physically but really focusing on all that they had to get done around this meeting.
• The  conversations I had with people I knew who worked here – both before I applied and after.
• The attitude in the library that I picked up on while interviewing. It very much felt like one that was customer/patron/user/whatever name you use focused, where the first question that would be asked of something new was “how does this benefit our users” rather than”how does this benefit us”.
• The gut feeling that this was a good place to work – all the other stuff comes together to create that gut feeling.

All of these things combined, and perhaps some that I haven’t yet identified came together to have my answer to the offer be yes.  And that yes brought me back to Atlanta – and if I’m being truthful, I’m surprisingly pleased to be back here despite my words 8 years ago.

As of July 1st, I will be one of the business librarians at Georgia State University Library. I am thoroughly excited about this opportunity along with the opportunity to return to Atlanta. That’s where I was when I decided to go to library school and 8 years later I’m heading back.  Family is nearby (in eastern TN, as well as a few in the Atlanta area) and I’ll get to work with awesome people like Cliff, Jason Puckett and a whole slew of other excellent people.

I’ve been at my current job for almost three years (it would have been 3 years July 2). I’ve learned a lot while I was here and I definitely appreciate the opportunity to have come here from Youngstown State’s Maag Library – another place I learned a lot. It’s time to move on, though, and I am thoroughly excited about this opportunity. I wish I could have started as soon as I accepted it, but silly things like finding a place to live and moving have to come first.

Now the fun begins.   Anyone know a good property manager/group in Atlanta?