Renaine Julian is embarking on brand new terrain, unexplored territory, going boldly where no man has gone before (well.. at least at Florida State!).  Renaine is Florida State’s very first Data Research Librarian, a goal to which he has been working toward for quite some time.

A true Nole, Renaine received his Bachelor’s of Science in Political Science, his Master’s of Science in Urban and Regional Planning, and his Master’s of Science in Library & Information Studies all from FSU. While obtaining his first Master’s degree, he began working as a Reference Assistant in Strozier Library to make ends meet.  “I instantly grew fond of working in an academic libraries,” Renaine recalls.   “I knew I wanted to be a librarian long before I finished my first master’s [in Urban and Regional Planning].”  So, after finishing his first master’s, Renaine immediately applied for and began his second master’s program, a Master’s in Library and Information Studies, the very next semester after graduation.

While working through his two master’s programs, Renaine moved his way up through Strozier, going from Reference Assistant to Security Supervisor, Overnight Supervisor, and finally to Circulation and Course Reserves Supervisor.   After almost five years at Strozier Library, Renaine moved to the Florida Virtual Campus where he was a Library Support Technician, working “behind the scenes” on library systems and electronic resources.

The semester before he graduated with his Library Science degree, Renaine was searching for the perfect career to begin.  With an academic background in the Social Sciences, he knew that he wanted to work somewhere within these fields.  “I was of the opinion that becoming a librarian for Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Data or another social science discipline would be a great way to combine my professional and academic backgrounds,” says Renaine, and that was the direction he headed when applying for jobs.

As luck would have it, Renaine’s dream job posted in the last semester of his Library Science master’s. He is back at Strozier Library, but now he is the Data Research Librarian, Florida State’s very first.   “I was able to find a place doing what I love and working for my alma mater,” Renaine remarks.  “So far, this job has been everything I thought it would be and more.  I’ve established some solid relationships with faculty in my subject areas and, consequently, have created all sorts of fun projects for myself.  Most importantly, it looks like this whole data services thing is finally getting off of the ground,” Renaine shares.

Just as he wanted, Renaine is working working within the social sciences.  In addition to being the Data Librarian, he is also the Subject Librarian for Geography, Economics, and Urban and Regional Planning.

Renaine is currently maintaining a blog to document his first year in his new position; the blog is entitled “Confessions of a Rookie Data Librarian,” and you can follow along here!