Professor-ish to Librarian-ish: An NTT faculty member's transition to the UTA Libraries

This presentation is about the psychology of my work as one of the many members of academia who sit at a periphery and how the way I work is informed by these experiences. I didn’t get any of the tenure-track/stream/whatever jobs I applied for out of my doctoral program in anthropology and archaeology. Like many, I found adjuncting gigs to cobble together some sort of income, and I took on courses that were at the edge of my expertise. Over several years, I moved from adjunct to lecturer to senior lecturer but never could attain what most academics covet. For that and other reasons that I explore in the presentation, I’ve always felt like a Professor-ish, never quite there. At the start of 2023, I started a new position with UTA Libraries and now feel like a Librarian-ish. I am not trained in library or information sciences. There are many things about the running of a large library that I will have to learn through experience over time. My role as Director of Open Partnerships and Services is an opportunity to contribute to the open and digital movements in academia and I am incredibly excited. But, I still straddle the fence of academics and libraries, leading to challenges and an outsider’s view on what a Library can do and how it can serve its community.