Meet…
25 November 2008
SLIS Alumnus Christopher Livingston Secures Job at Kern County Public Library
Within just a few short months of his graduation from SLIS in Spring 2008, Christopher Livingston has been hired as a librarian at the Kern County Public Library
in Bakersfield. Having focused on public libraries and archives in his coursework, his new position is a perfect match for his experience.
Livingston spends most of his time working on the reference desk, and also helps with projects pertaining to the library's local history room. He is creating a finding aid for the history room's large map collection and helping organize the collection so that it can be added to the Online Archives of California. He added that the class in Archives and Manuscripts he took at SLIS has been very helpful to him in the development of the finding aid.
One of the side projects Livingston is working on involves outreach to local high schools to let them know about one of the resources available at Kern County Public Library. LearningExpress is a database of test preparation tutorials and practice exams that allow patrons to practice for tests such as the SAT, the GED, and the entrance exams for careers in law enforcement, health care and the military. Livingston goes to high schools to demonstrate the database to teachers and classes and encourages students to come to the library to access this resource.
Livingston made the decision to become a librarian when he was finishing his Master's degree in history and it dawned on him that he was spending a lot of time in the library. He realized that he was not just doing research, but also observing the librarians and forging relationships with them. "They were very welcoming," he remembers, "and they gave me good advice about the profession."
It is a decision he is glad he made. "I'll retire from here," he says of his position with Kern County Public Library. "This is my last stop." He adds that the library is "just coming into the 21st century. Their practices are getting updated and they've been really receptive to my ideas." To that end, Livingston has been put in charge of drafting a guide to the library's new IM reference service and training his colleagues on how to use it.
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