librarian

library technician

referee

division chief

section head

Library Of Congress

My response to your review request details my extensive experience and contributions during my 21-year career as a Metadata and Cataloging Librarian at the Library of Congress, Islamabad Office. My journey began with a childhood dream of working at the Library of Congress, a passion nurtured throughout my education, including my MLIS and BLIS degrees, complemented by an MBA in Marketing. This unique blend of library science and business acumen has informed my approach to cataloging and resource management.

My responsibilities encompassed the entire cataloging lifecycle, including original and copy cataloging of monographs and serials for a network of 44 libraries. I developed significant expertise in various standards and tools, such as NACO, CONSER, RDA, MARC21, GPO guidelines, ILS, OCLC's Connexion, OCLC Pre-processor, MARC-Edit, and LCAP. My proficiency extends to creating and searching NARs, SARs, and geographic headings, utilizing the Library of Congress Classification Systems, WorldCat, XML, FRBR, Linked Data, the Library Reference Model (LRM), LC-PCC PS, LCSH, LCC, LCGFT, LCDGT, and E-Resources Cataloging.

Early in my career, I proactively enhanced my skills through initiatives such as completing a Persian language course at NUML University and undertaking Microforms training in India, subsequently training the Islamabad staff and successfully implementing the system. Similarly, I successfully implemented RDA training within the office. My contributions also involved resolving a significant backlog issue in a previous role.

Throughout my tenure, I've consistently sought professional development, participating in international training and online RDA training from Washington D.C., resulting in several awards and recognitions. I've particularly enjoyed collaborating with the Serial section and Washington D.C. colleagues on OCLC records creation and the seamless export of bibliographic records into our ILS using the OCLC pre-processor for Library of Congress online catalog users.

My daily tasks included original and copy cataloging, assisting patrons, processing acquisitions, and preparing materials for preservation. While most days are rewarding, the most challenging aspect was addressing urgent queries requiring the retrieval of information from exceptionally old and sometimes poorly documented records. The collaborative and supportive office environment has consistently made teamwork efficient and enjoyable.

Beyond my technical skills, I excel as a communicator and collaborator, committed to providing exceptional customer service. My multilingual capabilities (English, Urdu, Persian, Punjabi (Arabic script), and basic Arabic, alongside other regional Pakistani languages) allow me to serve a diverse community effectively.

I am eager to continue contributing my expertise and passion for innovative and impactful advancements within the library field.


A typical day at The Library of Congress can be a good or bad day among employees or an employee which depends on what issues or nature of concerns is implemented among various divisions in each office setting. Any employee from a variety of occupations available within The Library of Congress can learn valuable information or the requirements of his or her job descriptions from training or interaction among supervisors and colleagues. Management within each division can have its own political, codes of conduct towards how they govern their own facility among researchers, visitors, agency officials, tourists, pioneers, and famous celebrities. The difficult process while employed at The Library of Congress is dealing with the ethical decisions, federal by-laws and
government policies which can be favorable/unfavorable, biased/unbiased, and Congressional powers of law which is not always in the interest of government employees and the American public. My personal opinion towards enjoyable features while employed at The Library of Congress is becoming a government employee representing the oldest, cultural institution of learning and
knowledge in the United States, on the job training, promotions, employee benefit programs, employee assistance programs, center for automation classes for learning and development, annual musical concerts, annual National Book Festivals Programs, Smart Benefit Programs, and Emergency Town Forums if required.

The Library of Congress' Information Systems Office was my first professional job after receiving an associate degree at the Institute of Computer Technology at the Watergate Building, Washington, DC and first hired from my class of 23 others, at the Library of Congress, civil Service Commissioned at GS-5 level, the same level of anyone being hired with a BS or BA degree from a 4 year college... And was promoted to GS-7 level within 2 years when 2 years was the standard when a project change took me to Legislative Reference Service of Congress. All of my work was with developing the MARC Library system (MAchine Readable Catalog: Designing the present day computerized library system the world still uses today..
I have maintained that high standard of professionalism in any and all fields of work and schools of computerized Information Technology.
And even at this point in my life, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY is where I am most comfortable in my everyday profession.
This is why a foundation of CompTIA A+ training is important to my future.
Few things are more important than being a part of the team that developed and automated the world's Libraries ALL OVER THE WORLD.

The Library of Congress has very poor management throughout the organization, as many managers are promoted through time-in-service or loyalty.  Poor management has a lot of poor consequences that vary by department, such as toxic work culture, unclear procedures, and unclear goals.  In addition, institutional support for employees needs a lot of improvement, including bad IT support and HR that is so bad that a novel is waiting to be written about it.

Oh yeah, a lot of introverts work there, with frequent shoe-gazing and thousand-yard stares as employees pass each other, like ships in the night with no GPS or working lighthouse.  If you have more sociability than mob hit man or stinging jelly fish, this will be hard to put up with at times.

The pay varies, of course, and job stability is good.  Or bad, depending on your point of view.  Just what it takes for someone to get fired is unclear.  Perhaps not even murder qualifies LC employees for termination, so you're stuck with your co-workers for the duration of your working life at LC.  Abandon all hope, ye who work--sorry, are employed (get the distinction?)--here.

The job was in a very run-down part of D.C, in a little warehouse annex building on Taylor Street, in Northeast D.C, but The Library Of Congress was my employer. I recorded and audio-edited books for the blind and physically handicapped in two-hour shifts in little makeshift sound studios, eight hours a day, five days a week, with lunch breaks.

I learned the fine art of recording talking books, which involved audio recording actor / narrators, then editing out their non-vocables and mistakes using LOC propriety audio editing software.

Management was so-so to poor.

Workplace culture was very stripped-down, very basic, and practically nonexistent.

The hardest part of the job was the environment; very run-down in a hard-scrabble area of Northeast D.C.

The most enjoyable part of the job was working with AFTRA / SAG professional actors and readers and getting free tickets to great theatre in D.C., Baltimore, and Columbia, Maryland.

A typical day of work includes moving and positioning a series of books into chronological and numerical order so the library employees can find them without difficulty. Our supervisors manage our productivity on every project that is presented to us. As an employee, it is very pertinent that we have a team of co-workers working on these assigned projects to make sure that we meet our deadline in a timely fashion. The hardest part of the job is taking in the many personalities that exist under one building. Although it poses a challenge, it's a challenge that I take on with a smile everyday. The most enjoyable part of the job is the lack of pressure and anxiety put on us as a team to perform. Very calm and relaxed situation to work under. I've learned how to overcome a lot of obstacles such as attitudes and challenges within the workplace. I've also learned how to compromise with management on multiple levels to come an agreement on a safe, accurate, and easy working environment.

A typical day would start by replenishing the items that we sold the most, and organized them before our customers came to the shop.  I would assist employees and customers with their merchandise and books purchases in the morning and afternoon.  I had to compile the totals at the end of the day, and I had to work very fast since the public arrive at the last minute, and wanted to buy all the merchandise at the shop. 

The most enjoyable part of the job was helping students or foreign clients to find books or items that they could not get it anywhere else.  I would send a few emails weekly to customers who called requesting information on books and merchandise when they were out of state.

Some of my co-workers were focused on their own world, and did not contribute much for the team.  Management was laid back, and only recognized the efforts of the sales associates at times.  I learned that there are very different styles at work

Good range of arrival times. Offices can be noisy. Supervisors do not deal with problems. They ignore problems and poor performers stay there for an entire working lifetime. Staff are generally not accountable enough. Salaries are good. If one handles library materials, that is interesting. International publications arrive. Office culture is civil, but tends towards unfriendly and cold. Upper management is dismissive of staff complaints. Too much work in some offices due to lack of staff or lack of competent staff. Work ethic of staff varies. Restrooms poorly maintained (very little warm water, only 1 working faucet out of 5 sinks, some toilets don't flush fully). Mediocrity is tolerated. That is hardest part of job. Food service is poor. Desk sharing in some areas: personal storage for even a day is inadequate. Independence is encouraged. Computers are upgraded regularly. Air quality tends to be poor. 

I would first check to see if any new mail needed to be prepared for inter departmental shipping. I would then sort and organize mail by various ways. After sorting , deliver new incoming mail and collect new mail for delivery the next day.I learned how to get along with people of varying nationalities and cultures. I was fortunate to have very knowledgable managers who always assured me of their faith in my capability to complet not only my assigned work but additional duties as well. The hardest part of the job is the attention to detail that you are required to have. You have to be both accurate and efficient in your work habbits in order to meet specific deadlines. 
The most enjoyable part of the job is the feeling that you get in knowing that you are an essential part of one of the most important facilites in the world.

Pros: Lots of professional growth opportunities if you seek them out, are interested in leadership, and take a proactive approach to advancing your career.  The collections and staff are incredible. Public programs are diverse, extensive, and free. Staff can check out books.

Cons: It can be challenging to advance your career if you stay in one position too long. Some divisions are quite understaffed and opportunities for advancement can be scarce. This combination can lead to low morale. The Library is extremely bureaucratic and slow moving in many areas.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Librarian 8 salaries reported	$108,642 per year
Library technician 4 salaries reported	$80,274 per year
Referee 2 salaries reported	$89,743 per year
Division chief 3 salaries reported	$187,512 per year
Section head 3 salaries reported	$164,956 per year

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