*Response 1:
Date: Thu, 02 Jun 2005 14:35:17 -0400
From: Mike Bell (Univ. of Tenn. at Chattanooga)<Mike-Bell_at_utc.edu>
Subject: ACQNET: RE: How came you to Acquisitions?
When I began my career twenty-five years ago, I didn't even know what
the Acquisitions librarians did. I began as a reference librarian at
UTC, then assumed the position of Head of Circulation and ILL for a
time. Suffering burnout after nine years in public services, I was
delighted to accept the offer to take over Acquisitions and
Collection Development when that position came open. In essence,
I was sort of pushed up the chain by the Library administration in
place at that time. I had no training in accounting or business
practices, so I had to learn on the job, but it has been a great
experience. I have been in this role since 1989 and have seen a lot
of dramatic changes in what we do and how we do it and look forward
to the changes to come. I have been a reference librarian,
supervised circulation, stack maintenance, and ILL, even been Acting
Dean for a year, and I would not trade my current position for
anything out there.
Interestingly, I don't recall anyone in my class at George Peabody
ever mentioning that they aspired to be an Acquisitions librarian.
Nor do I recall much in the way of training for such a role being
offered as part of the curriculum.
W. Michael Bell
Assistant Dean and Head of Acquisitions and Collection Development
Lupton Library
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
*Response 2:
Date: Thu, 02 Jun 2005 14:57:28 -0400
From: Vicki Meehan (Clermont County Pub. Library) <meehanvi_at_oplin.org>
Subject: ACQNET: RE: How came you to Acquisitions?
What an interesting thread. I enjoy reading about out how people came
to choose the library profession, and now, specifically, acquisitions.
I have been the acquisitions librarian for a public library for
almost a year and a half. I applied for the job because I needed a
job after a move to a new city. I thought the job sounded
interesting and I thought that I would be well-suited for it. I had
worked in a full-service bookstore for 4 years, so I thought I
wouldn't be in totally uncharted territory. I also worked at a
publisher (in editorial) for 5 years.
In library school, in no way did I prepare to be in technical
services. (After I took cataloging, I no longer thought *at all*
about technical services. Finding out that cataloging was more of
an art than a science cured me of any notion of being a cataloger.)
By the end of library school, I thought I would end up doing
research/reference in a special library. I'm not even close to that,
but I *do* do a lot of research. I solve problems all day long and
enjoy maintaining relationships with vendors, setting up new
procedures, analyzing everything It's always something new.
Vicki Meehan
Acquisitions Librarian
Clermont County Public Library
Technical Services
2548 U.S. Route 50, P.O. Box 875
Owensville OH 45160
p: (513) 735-7144
f: (513) 735-7140
meehanvi_at_oplin.org
*Response 3:
Date: Fri, 03 Jun 2005 08:08:04 -0400
From: Kimberley Shaw (Wellesley College)<kshaw_at_wellesley.edu>
Subject: ACQNET: RE: How came you to Acquisitions?
Hello all:
I also happened to get into Acquisitions because of a convenient
opening t the right time. I had been working for a publisher, and
had decided that the academic world would be a better fit for me than
the business world, and that working for a library would be optimal.
After getting my MLS and trying out cataloging, reference tasks, etc,
I still like the Acquisitions field best!
Kimberley Shaw
Wellesley College Library
------Original Message--------------
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 11:55 PM
Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 10:10:44 -0500
From: Patrick Bickers (U. of Missouri-Kansas City)< BickersP_at_umkc.edu>
Subject: ACQNET: How came you to Acquisitions?
Hello Colleagues,
Over the years, I have gotten the impression that most of us did not
start our librarian careers with the idea of being acquisitions
librarians. I became interested in acquisitions because my first
SLIS-student job was as a firm order clerk. I would be curious to
know if most acquisitions librarians took a similar route, or if most
of us "inherited" our positions because "someone had to do it?"
Thank you for your comments.
Sincerely,
Patrick M. Bickers
Monographic Acquisitions Librarian
Miller Nichols Library
University of Missouri-Kansas City
800 East 51st Street
Kansas City, MO 64110
Phone: (816) 235-2225
Fax: (816)333-5584
email: bickersp_at_umkc.edu
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Received on Fri Jun 03 2005 - 22:42:31 EDT