Hello! And welcome to my blog! My name is William! If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that my bio says I’m a librarian, poet, human being living in Kansas – but since I have more than 140 characters I think I’ll take the liberty to extrapolate. I currently work as a Reference Librarian at the Lawrence Public Library in Lawrence, Kansas. I love all things poetry and currently host a Poetry Social once a month at the library, and I’ve been living in Kansas pretty much since I was born. And I don’t want to forget to mention that I’m married to the love of my life, Nathan, whose encouragement and support in all things I do means the world to me. Now let me explain how I’ve come to be where I am now…

Deeply appreciative for what I had learned and for those who had taught me, I have, since graduating high school, sought a career path that would allow me to give back the knowledge and experience I had gained. When I left my home town, Tonganoxie, to attend Graceland University, a small private college in Iowa, I had every intention to become a certified teacher so I could come back and teach mathematics at my high school. However, what I realized quickly was things don’t always go according to plan.

Unsatisfied with the field of education, I kept my mathematics focus, but also added a major in English with concentrations in both writing and literature. When I informed my advisor of my intentions she laughed and told me that I would be there for ten years. I graduated after four, having committed myself to course loads of up to 24 credit hours a semester, sleepless nights filled with papers and projects, and lots of coffee. It was at this point that I decided that in the near future I would continue my education with a Master in Library Science. Upon leaving Graceland, I gained employment as a paraeducator at a high school close to my home town and worked two other part time jobs just to make ends meet. I loved working with the students and delighted in those moments when I knew at least one person gained something valuable from me, but there was something missing. After a year, I submitted my application for the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University and officially began my path toward becoming a librarian.

In the summer of 2009, after an observation at a reference desk, a thank you note, and an interview, I was invited to join the adult services staff at the Lawrence Public Library as a reference assistant. It’s here where I truly felt I began to thrive in my job responsibilities, which included assisting patrons at the reference desk, completing research requests, and participating on a number of committees. This active experience in a library setting while attending library school enhanced my education beyond words. Shortly after graduating, I obtained a professional position thanks to the encouragement and support of my supervisor.

Through the course of my life I have taken on roles of a son, a brother, a student, a reader, a writer, a dreamer, a pizza maker, a deli clerk, a paraeducator, and now I’m proud to say I am a Reference Librarian! Now, I hope you’ll enjoy my musings…