Shira Kavon, Senior Librarian at CNN’s New York Bureau, fields all kinds of reference questions in her daily work serving the Bureau’s writers, editors, and producers. Recently, Shira was asked to find a list of OxyContin addicts for a show doing a story on the Rush Limbaugh-addiction scandal. At first, she says, she was stumped but then, “by using the Internet site of a local Illinois newspaper, I was able to track down a group that was suing the company [that manufactures OxyContin] because they claimed they became addicted.” The names led to phone numbers and addresses, and she found the information just in time – a mere thirty minutes before the segment was to air.

Her job certainly has its intense moments, but Shira enjoys it thoroughly. “People pursue the library degree because they love the hunt for information, they love the challenge.” Challenge is right – she might be asked to find anything from information on terrorism from foreign and domestic sources to a clip of the Friends episode where Phoebe sings a “Silly Phoebe Song.”

CNN’s New York Bureau is one part of the larger network headquartered in Atlanta, where CNN was founded in 1980. Atlanta has the largest of the network’s newsroom and library operations. Though New York’s newsroom and library are smaller, they are responsible for serving an internal population of 300. The library primarily collects reference books and directories, periodicals and newspapers, and collects, indexes, and catalogs videotapes. It also provides access to many databases. There are nine staff members, five of whom are professional librarians.

Shira entered library school with the goal of becoming a news librarian. She had worked previously for a television news transcription company, and a film distribution company that specialized in documentaries and foreign films. While working for the transcription company, she met news librarians who worked for CNN, ABC, CBS and other news organizations and was struck by their role in the production of news. “I said aha! this is the thing, I have to do this. Their jobs fascinated me, and I wanted to be among their number.”

A lifetime “news junkie,” she fostered her interest in news librarianship while in library school at Queens College by reading, watching, and listening to news. National Public Radio’s librarians were mentioned frequently on the air, and Shira says they became her idols. She also got involved in SLA, which she recommends all library students join. “You come into an organization that really welcomes you and encourages you to do your best work in the field, whether you’re a novice or a longtime library professional.” She also sought out mentors among the Queens faculty, who helped her discover that “your lifelong interests can enhance what you contribute to your new field.”

Above all, Shira encourages students to stay connected to their passions. Many librarians may be embarking on second or third careers, as she has. “I think people need to understand that they don’t have to leave behind their interests and the professional background they come from. Loving your job, that’s important too, finding a job you love.”