How about if I say "need to add to my knowledge of research tools so I can expand my job prospects in the future"?

I think you'd want to play up the helping-people angle there, at least in addition.

I've decided that Halloween is going to be our Great Big Holiday. We're entertaining a dozen 3-6 year olds tomorrow night with games and goodies. I've got a carved, seedless watermelon brain in the fridge, 4 dozen Halloween cut out cookies to be decorated by the kids and pre-made no-sew fleece hats in black, orange and white to be decorated into pumpkins, skeletons and ghosts for a craft.

Oh, and five carved pumpkins with assorted hanging skeletons, witches and ghosts.

Timelies all!

My folks are coming through town this weekend on their way to Florida. Hopefully the house is clean enough...

Good points, everyone!! I think I've tightened it up considerably. I added on ", as well as pass on that new knowledge to co-workers and others" to expand on the teaching part, and incorporated most of Vortex's suggestions, as well. Thanks!!!

I wanna go to Cashmere's party.

Kathy, it looks really great. The only thing I'd caution you on is that most MLS essays start with growing up loving the library. Is there another aspect of libraries/librarians that you could emphasize that might make you stand out from the crowd?

It's a cliche, sure, but I'm going to go with it. I wouldn't have gotten into the library field if it wasn't for the fact that I lived there as a kid. I think I demonstrate pretty quickly that I might have idealized the profession as a kid, but I'm fully aware of all the problems now.

I've got to drop it off at the FedEx office in the next hour, otherwise it won't make it there on time (yes, it's due by Monday morning at the latest--I'm such a procrastinator!!!).

Fingers crossed for you, Kathy! One of us! One of us!

Seriously, I grew up (at my parents' admittedly rather out-there church) basically being told I'd probably burn in hell if I dressed as a witch on 31st Oct. Also, I used to get ranted at for watching BtVS by such Christians. Also, also, I've sat through 40-minute sermons about Harry Potter and the Hell-Bound Children Who Like Reading.

There are some churches in the US that have a "Hell House" for Halloween. It's set up like a regular haunted house amusement thing, where you walk through the dark creepy house and there are weird sounds and things jump out at you, except that each room shows a different scene of teenagers sinning (usually witchcraft, gay, suicide, premarital sex, and a few others) and then the torments they endure in hell.

OH! Yes, Minister. I was a HUGE Yes, Minister fan.

I have the DVDs for Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, if you ever want to borrow them.

I also have the House of Cards series.