I knew a woman with an MLS who worked at the University of Notre Dame library, and who loved her work, and who was simultaneously pursuing anadvanced degree. The combination of books, university campus atmosphere, computers, and advanced degree coursework were appealing. In addition, I was then and am now a big fan of childrens' books, which is why I loved libraries to begin with.

Do you have a library/information science degree?

    I have a Master's in Library Science from the University of Michigan.  Some awards, too, for that matter.

What kinds of library positions have you held and where?

    I worked as an academic reference librarian at the University of Denver in Colorado. While there, I also managed the public services departments, which included Circulation, Current Periodicals, Inter-library loan, and Reserves department. I taught bibliography classes to the Freshman, two courses for ESL Foreign Students, and wrote a computer aided instruction software program about using the library.

How long were you a librarian?  Four years.

Are you currently working as a librarian?

    No.  I left the field when I had an opportunity to write full time. A friend pointed out that writing was what I did in my spare time, and so recommended that I pursue it full-time. At that point, I switched into technical writing, a field I still work in, 15 years later.

Which came first in your life, your work or career as a librarian, or writing for children? 

    Writing for children.

Did your library work have anything to do with becoming a children's writer?

    It helped to move me in the direction of writing. I should have become a children's librarian instead of an academic reference librarian, though!

Did your library work directly influence your work as an author? 
Did incidents from your library work ever make it into your books? 

    Yes, in that I am acutely sensitive to the importance of children's books to virtually all librarians. In my current novel, (underway) one of the supporting characters is the school librarian.

What were the greatest benefits of being a librarian to you as a writer?

    The opportunity to be around people who love books!

If you wrote while working as librarian, how do you manage the time-juggling act? 

    Family and work. Mornings and nights.

Special Quote from Beth Walker:

    For anyone in library school, who loves children's literature: follow your heart! Get involved in children's books, be a children's librarian, and no matter what, write if that's what you love to do.

Forthcoming Book by Beth Walker:

    Girls with AD/HD: Don't Lose This Book! (written for middle school and high school girls) will be published in the fall of 2004 by Woodbine House Publishing.