Do you have a question for Marian? 
Send it to the editor, Deanna Briggs, dbriggs@copyright.com to forward to Marian.

Dear Marian,

I find myself at the crossroads of two exciting opportunities and I don't know which way to go. During my last semester of library school, I interned at a medical library and really fell in love with the work. My coworkers are terrific and the environment is vibrant. For years, I've been planning to continue with my library education to get a Ph.D. I earned a place at a prestigious university (I don't want to name) in another state to start my advanced studies in the fall. My coworkers found the funding to hire me full time at the library-a surprise to me. Now I can't decide what to do. What should I do?

At a Crossroads

Dear At a Crossroads:

Wow! How exciting for you! It's terrific that your colleagues are able to fund a position for you. It's equally fabulous that you have the opportunity to continue your library studies at a good school. I can understand why these possibilities give you a dilemma. Each one has advantages and disadvantages and would definitely influence your career. Part of the urgency of your situation is that you probably need to respond to the job offer soon and you have a berth for the fall.

In this day and age, when finding a good job is a big challenge, many people might drop their studies in favor of the job. Since continuing with your studies is your dream and you have pieces in place for that in the fall, changing your path is not so easy. Have you considered any compromises? Getting some work experience, especially in a setting you like, before working on a Ph.D. could be a good thing. It will give you experience you can draw on in school and might even influence the course of your dissertation. You didn't say what you plan to do with a Ph.D. If you are planning to teach, gaining some practical experience you can use in your teaching could be something positive you can pass along to students. The work experience couldn't hurt if you plan to return to the workforce. Besides the practical experience, ou might find the money useful.

Would it be possible to postpone your schooling by a semester or a year or longer? Some universities have flexible plans to allow students the option of holding off on their enrollment. If that is not possible, how easy would it be for you to either reapply at a future date or be accepted at another school? Would it be possible for you to work while going to school? What about telecommuting options for either the job or working on the Ph.D. remotely? What will happen to the position if you do not take it? Would it be possible for you to return to this kind of work after earning your doctoral degree? Would that interest you? (It seems like I have more questions for you than you have for me!)

Since you seem so interested in both options and flummoxed by your situation, if it's possible to do both, that might be the best path for you. Otherwise, perhaps you should start making lists of pros and cons for each and go with which option has the most pros and the least cons.

Best wishes,
Marian

Dear Marian,

I returned from the Special Libraries Association Annual Conference with a stack of business cards of people I met. I'm a relatively new librarian at the beginning of my career. I feel a lot of pressure to keep in touch with everyone so I can build my network, but I'm not sure how to do it. "Hi. Would you like to be my penpal?" seems a little ridiculous. What would you recommend?

Wants to Keep in Touch

Dear Wants to Keep in Touch:

It's great that you already know the importance of networking and are interested in building and maintaining your network. While it's understandable to want to keep in touch with everyone you meet at a conference, it is not always practical. You aren't the only person who sees the challenge of corresponding with everyone in your Rolodex. Some people who give out business cards probably don't realistically expect to be contacted by everyone who takes a card.

One approach is to start with the people with whom you would like to keep close contact-whether it's someone who might be a mentor, a person doing the same kind of work, or someone working for a company you might like to work for one day. Make keeping in contact with those people a priority and start writing to or calling them first. You can probably sort your stack of cards into piles based on what kind of contact you'd like to have with people. If you can't think of something to say in an initial post-conference contact, simply say that you met at the conference and are writing to make sure they have your contact information-even if you gave them a card. It might help if you say something specific about how, when, or where you met and if there was something particularly memorable about the conversation. Almost everyone appreciates a reminder about when and how they met someone. If you fear you might forget the details about each new contact before you have a chance to contact them, you might want to put some notes on the back of each card about who the person is and why you took her/his card. You making the first contact shows initiative and indicates that you are serious about keeping in touch with that person. That's a good thing.

Best wishes,
Marian

Dear Marian,

I recently got labeled a ‘sick time abuser’ and I don’t know what to do about it. For the last two years, I’ve had a client to whom I needed to send daily research reports on a priority basis. Because of the nature of the work, it’s been difficult to find someone who could cover for me when I wanted to take time off. I refrained from being out sick or taking a lot of vacation time because it was easier for me to give up those things than it was to find someone who was reliable and skilled enough to keep this important client happy. In December, he retired. Since then, I’ve had the flu and a horrible cold and I took a week of vacation around Christmas—something I hadn’t done in two years. Now my boss is complaining about my behavior. It’s not like I didn’t deserve a break and have the time coming to me in the first place. What should I do?

Sick and Tired

Dear Sick and Tired,

It’s amazing how sometimes going the extra mile for our jobs, like not taking time off, can turn around and nip us in the ankle. It does sound like you’re in a bit of a jam. It also sounds like you probably deserve the time off, since you haven’t had much of it in the last two years. That you’ve also probably taken a lot of it in the last few months might make your manager concerned.

Taking time off is rarely easy. Coping with staff shortages because of absences can be a big challenge. An absence for a week or longer can strain staff resources, whether it’s a planned vacation or sudden illness.

If you think your manager doubts the validity of your illnesses and you have any materials from a visit to a medical specialist or anything like that you could show your manager, you might consider doing so. It seems a bit like grade school to have to bring a doctor’s excuse for being absent, but that might convince her or him that you’re being truthful. It also might not hurt to investigate your level of time off and the sick and vacation leave policies of your employer to make sure your use falls within the guidelines and then, perhaps, talk to your manager about them. Explaining why you haven’t taken much time off in the past could be a good idea, too. Your change in behavior might seem a little random to your coworkers. Once they know the whole picture, maybe the situation will improve.

Best wishes,
Marian

Dear Marian,

I don’t particularly mind one or two coworkers bringing a child with them to work occasionally. I dread school vacation week each year because of how many of my coworkers bring their children in. I need a coping strategy. Help!

Tired of Babysitting

Dear Tired of Babysitting,

The presence of children in the office is not an easy issue. I’ve worked in settings where coworkers frequently brought children to work. At one office, we joked about reforming ourselves as a day care because of the number of toddlers. I’ve also worked in libraries with coworkers who frowned sternly upon the presence of children in the offices. School vacation week is a particularly problematic time because many parents can’t always find appropriate childcare during the week. And, of course, childcare emergencies can happen.

If there is a large number of children in the office, perhaps it might be possible to arrange some kind of coordinated activity to occupy them, like maybe showing movies in a conference room, having them play a quiet game together, or seeing who can reshelve the most books the most accurately.

If their presence is particularly problematic to you or your coworkers, maybe you should have a chat with your managers about the situation to see if the office can work on an appropriate remedy.

Remember that your interaction with the children is an appropriate time to help them learn about librarians, librarianship, how friendly and helpful we can be, and how we have the world’s coolest and best jobs. If that doesn’t help, maybe you could find some activities to do outside of the office during the week. Take a long lunch. Go for a walk. Work in a different area. Call in sick.

Best wishes,
Marian