An Introduction to ME!
HELLO! 💗
My name is Mary Beth Mckenzie. I hail from the beautiful Appalachian Mountains tucked away in a southern Ohio valley along the river. I went to schooling in my city growing up and obtained a bachelor's degree in mathematics at our local university. It is unusual for someone of my educational background to be pursuing an MLIS, but as far as my career goes, I have always worked with the public. For over a decade I was with the United States Postal Service. I loved helping people and interacting with members of the community, unfortunately the postal service would rather you keep it to a minimum. They are an organization focused on numbers and faster performance time with increased volume of workload. Finding a job at my local county library brought out my strengths. I am able to establish relationships with members of the community, express a creative side I did not know I had in me, and hone my analytical skills to find solutions for patrons. Currently I work as a Library Assistant at one of the branch locations, besides the usual tasks that come with librarianship, I also provide story times for 10 classes and run the most successful adult programming in the county. It brings me great joy to not only help assist patrons in finding resources but also provide fun activities that foster a love for the library. Thus, that is how I ended up here! I am on track to graduate in May of 2025 and am open to the opportunities an MLIS will be able to offer me. I am curious about many of the facets that go into a library, so whether it is local history, administration, or technical services, I know I will be happy no matter where I end up.
When I clock out and have free time not dedicated to building my house (which will hopefully be done by the end of this year!🙏) I like to split my time among my multiple hobbies. I love playing video games, baking, watching anime, reading graphic novels and revenge fiction. During the warm seasons of the year, I tend to my garden and my honeybees! I also participate in various crafting. So far, the ones that have stuck are making candles, bookmarks, and stickers.
cactus candle created by me checking in on the 'girls'
image property of the author image property of the author
My husband has actually been trying to get me to take advantage of the technology we have in modern times and sell some of my creations online. That is where I feel technology uses me. I am so hesitant and intimidated to have an online presence and often am just a consumer. As far as application and knowing how various software and new technology goes, I am quite proficient and learn quickly. This enables me to help patrons more than I would have thought. I did not realize just how many IT questions librarians get daily. Having knowledge of databases and resources is great for reference, but also having the competency to operate various software and technologies provide a great help to tech-illiterate patrons.
I am looking forward to the semester and wish everyone success! How I'm feeling: not sure but whatever emotion this may be?
Honeybees! That sounds fun (from afar). What a wide range of experience you have, Mary! I'm excited to learn alongside you this fall.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your post! In my opinion, the Appalachian Mountains are the most beautiful place in the country. I would love to know more about the house you are building! Like you, I was drawn to the service aspect of the library profession- I love helping patrons. Is there one particular IT problem that you find yourself helping with the most? Also- hooray for the USPS! I look forward to being in class with you.
My house is one story, brick, and is like a small cottage. It is surrounded by the beautiful hills and is right across the street from my nana and papaw who are my world! We bought it from a sheriff's auction, with that being said we expected it and it has been a complete gut-job.
DeleteThe most common IT question I get is, "Do you know the password to my email?" It's laughable that patrons think we have access to such sensitive information like that but they are not tech savvy so they do not know. Password resets for emails and social media, sending and reading emails, downloads and printing, and overall help with navigating their smart phone are the most common IT questions we get. Very basic but it is asked every hour during our shifts.
Thanks for the comment Clayton! :)