By Jane Suda, Head of Reference and Information Services, and Jeannie Hoag, Reference & Assessment Librarian

What is a Personal Librarian?

The Personal Librarian Project connects you with an expert guide to the library. Do you want to know where all the good books live? Need some help figuring out a convoluted citation style?  Feel like you’re ready to delve into the exciting world of subject-specific databases? Well, my friend, if you’re reading this on the Library Blog, you can probably see where this is going. If you need help with anything moderately library-related, get help from a librarian! 

By the way, if you’re thinking “Gee, the Personal Librarian Project sounds great, but this seems a little awkward…” we see you, and we hear you. It’s super common for students to feel nervous or embarrassed to ask for help in the library–so common that there’s actually a term for it: library anxiety. Students hold themselves to some pretty unreasonable standards. You may feel like you should already know how to use the library’s databases, or how to find books on a specific topic, or how the library is responding to COVID-19. And because you feel like you should already know, you hesitate to ask. Sound familiar?

The best way to get an answer is to ask a question. We have a 24/7 Ask a Librarian chat service that’s a terrific way to get answers right now. But sometimes you want a little more, and that’s where the Personal Librarian Project comes in. Your personal librarian is like a mythical being who shows you all the library shortcuts and makes your time at Fordham so much easier, only it’s a real person. You should definitely sign up for a personal librarian. Set yourself up for success. Your future self thanks you!

Looking for more magic?

Check out these related reads:

• Trade of the Tricks: Inside the Magician’s Craft by Graham M. Jones
• Magic: The Basics by Michael D. Bailey
• The Personal Librarian: Enhancing the Student Experience by Richard Moniz
• Wonder Shows: Performing Science, Magic, and Religion in America by Fred Nadis
• A Cognitive Theory of Magic by Jesper Sørensen