This week marks the official one year mark of my time as an academic health sciences librarian. I’ve hit the one year mark at other jobs, but this anniversary has more meaning because now I have a career. And since anniversaries make people reflect, I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned from this past year, and where I’ll be at the second year mark.

To say that this year has been a whirlwind would be an understatement. I’ve taken at least a dozen trips to conferences and workshops, done a handful of presentations, and developed a multi-pronged outreach approach from scratch. It’s been a lot to handle, and it’s definitely taught me how to manage my time effectively (most days). I’ve learned how to manage the balancing act of saying yes to new opportunities while being mindful of my time and energy levels – while I love the growth that comes with new experiences, it’s not worth it if I end up completely losing my mind.

Most of what I do in my day-to-day work was not covered in library school, so I have had to do ( and still do) a lot of learning on the job. I’ve come to realize the importance of taking your education into your own hands, and being willing to ask for help when necessary. Luckily, groups like MLA and NN/LM offer tons of educational resources and I take advantage of free webinars whenever I can. My colleagues have been hugely helpful in showing me how to navigate teaching, research, and academia in general.

As far as what’s next, I plan to keep doing what I’m doing: keep an eye out for opportunities to expand my boundaries and take advantage of them when I can. I’d like to present at MLA ’18 in Atlanta, and I’m working on extending my outreach activities to reach more of my target population. I’m hoping that when my second anniversary comes around, I can say that I’ve continued to learn and grow into the best librarian I can possibly be.

So here are my tips for any new health sciences librarians out there, or any new librarians in general:

• Make friends with your colleagues, and don’t be afraid to ask them for help
• Be open to new opportunities, because you never know where they may lead
• Remember that your time is valuable, and treat it accordingly