ABSTRACT
When you’re the new librarian at the library, there’s a lot to learn, much more than the human resources onboarding tells you. This chapter helps the new employee adjust successfully. The authors provide ideas for learning each part of your new environment: the library; departments; the online tools and software; the municipality, campus, or institution beyond the library; and the consortia. Suggestions are given for using committees, events, email lists, new employee groups, and more to enhance orientation. The new human environment is important, too: what are your new supervisor’s goals? What most concerns your staff? Get to know your new colleagues and their priorities. Tips are given for learning your job and adjusting to differences from the old way. Deal with new job brain fog. If you’ve moved, get acquainted to your new geographic area. Learn the community around the library. The chapter gives advice from interviewees who have experience in being the new person, including accepting the need to ask lots of questions and to identify important external orientation factors such as finding the coffeeshop on the way to work. The chapter concludes with questions for reflection.
