Hi. I’m Meagan.

An eternal student, I am embarking on a career change that aligns with my love of the pursuit of
knowledge and being of service to others in ways that contribute to the greater good.

For seven years, I was a consultant on an innovative and industry-leading pilot team for which the focus was to investigate and mitigate fraud via rapport building across lines of business and data analysis using beta technology. We established relationships across a number of external business sectors from the ground up, developed successful outreach initiatives that served to empower adjusters to recognize and report fraud, and leveraged technology to improve detection and spot patterns. My employer has recently been purchased by a larger Canadian insurer, and my new role no longer aligns with my accumulative expertise. I started to consider a career that is better suited to my personality and experience, and it was while reading What Color Is My Parachute? that I had an epiphany about pursuing a career in librarianship.

After researching the professional responsibilities of a library and information technician and many, many calls to my local library later, it become abundantly clear that my culminating work experience and my hobbies (writing novels, website design, pursuing independent learning, creating digitally and tactilely) are incredibly well-suited to a career in the library world. I decided to take the leap and enrolled in the library and information technician program at Mohawk College.

I am enthralled with the course content so far, as evidenced by my 97% average to date, and am leveraging every opportunity to learn as much as I can from professors, peers and my mentor about the library profession.

Here is a brief overview of how I believe my experience and skills will translate perfectly into the library and information technician role:

• Customer Service: I am an enthusiastic self-starter and team collaborator with 25 years of customer service experience in a variety of fast-paced customer service positions that have provided support in-person and by phone, email and chat

• Reference and Inquiry Services: I have seven years experience in a consulting role that includes providing direction and recommendations for file handling, conducting research on claims and case-law decisions, and compiling reports of my findings. Being a student myself also puts me in a unique position of being both relatable to students and current in my research database knowledge and citation capabilities. The LIT program is heavily research based and I am writing between 3 to 5 research papers each semester in a variety of citation styles.

• Quick to learn: I am regularly adopting new technologies, systems and workflows in my current position, my work as a photographer, and as a student. My ability to quickly learn and adapt will serve me well in learning new systems quickly and effectively.

• Interpersonal and Technical Skills: In addition to working in a collaborative team environment and with customers directly, I am the founder of a successful photography business for which I have developed expertise in client service, website management, brand awareness and various creative technologies. As the owner and sole employee, I am responsible for all problem solving, research and integration of new technologies and tools, workflow implementation, and maintenance of my website, social media accounts and communication with clients.

Stating that I am excited about this change in direction would be an understatement.

I am ecstatic to be pursuing my dream career and am eager to begin work in this field. I am humbly but thoroughly confident that I would be a positive, enthusiastic, and hard-working addition to any library, with my accumulated work and life experience enhancing what I can bring to the table.

I’m looking forward to hearing more from you and how I can contribute to your library and team.