Library Thing!

I LOVE ARCHIVISTS!

I HAD A GREAT TIME AT THE 2 day pre-conference workshop. I will blog later tomorrow. Stay tuned!

I love being a librarian.

After being absent online for almost a year, I thought I would post and tell anyone who still checks this blog or bloglines how I'm doing. I'm actually doing GREAT and I'm so FINALLY sooooooo happy! I work 2 part time jobs: one as a part-time librarian, and the other as archivist 12 hours a week. I am going to the SAA conference next week, and I have decided I am going to blog about it and add another chapter in my life. I am very lucky. In the last six months that I have been employed after library school I have learned so much. Most importantly, I have learned that in library school I have learned only a fraction of what librarianship has to offer, and my charge is to learn more! Librarianship really means life-long learning, and that's what I love about my job. I love becoming interested in topics I would have never thought about before someone asked how they'd go about finding it. I love helping people. This has increased my confidence and has giving my life meaning--something that while I was a student I think I still *had*, but it's become more clear to me what my purpose is on this earth, and I'm very ecstatic about that. Lastly, I ACTUALLY READ NOW. Honestly, throughout undergraduate and graduate work, I hardly read any leisure books. I have read almost 6 books this year and for that I am proud. Being a librarian has taught me how to read. And think. And think about how to solve problems.

Thanks so much to everyone who has helped me get to where I am. I am so happy that I've gotten to where I need to be ;). Is anyone else going to SAA?
gwyn!!!!

Anyone still here?

I feel like everyone left the hotel, the beach, the park...
Where is everyone? I mean, I know we're busy and class is over...
I miss people...lol.

Well today, I was watching the news. They were talking about how teens are given out too much information. True, true. BUT! The reporters went to a LIBRARY (It was easily identifable as a library in the background) and showed what appeared to be a librarian (I may be jumping to conclusions) her daughter's own myspace account, and all the personal information she posted. Her mom was in shock: "I DIDN'T KNOW MY DAUGHTER WAS DOING THIS (GASP!!)" AHHH!

My own mother proceeded, "Do you have a MySpace"? Yes, mom, I have a MySpace. But I don't post any personal information. No blog attached. A blog attached to pictures might be interesting. I am able to connect with friends, which is great.

But why did they go to a LIBRARY to show LIBRARIAN X her daughter's information? Her mother could have probably found the info herself with a couple e-mail searches or name searches if she were really curious. I just didn't see what the point of that was. Could they go to a non-descript computer lab? I'm so confused as to why they did that.

Oh well.

Gwyn's Blogging Do's and Don'ts

As the semester draws to a close, I would like to take the opportunity to give my advice for future 753 students on blogging based on my experience. Who am I to be giving advice? I am unsure myself. However, I would like future blogging students (who feel like their muses fell asleep) to read these thoughts in case they may help. Here it goes:

1.) Blog Often!: Establish a pattern with a set time of day to blog. Blog the entire duration (a 1/2 hour? 15 minutes?) daily, or on odd days. Fit blogtime into your regular life (like grabbing a cup of tea each morning, or feeding the cat) and blog directly after. You decide, just get on a firm schedule, where you are posting every Tuesday and Thursday, etc,. The more blogging, the better. Looking back, I wish I had posted more, because I missed out on many of the good conversations that ensued.


2.) Don't feel like you need something EXTRAOUTOFTHEORDINARY TO SAY: Feel like you must be completely original? You're not going to blog that often, then. It's ok to softly blog about something you read, or start with a paper you wrote for another class to find your voice, and build on your text while linking other ideas and questions you had never quite considered. Some writers may like to have a guided experience, where they are given a topic each week. I would suggest Rory Litwin's "Library Juice", which provides questions and paper starters. This resource is great for getting creativity flowing.


3.) "I" is good sometimes, but not always: It is easy in the context of blogs being like "journals" to talk about yourself more and how you view the world than comment on how others think through the links you provide. Publishing your own material without a middleman is wonderful, but be professional. And if you feel passionate, so will others. But to be important, like any paper, blog entries must be supported by research. Consider each blog to be a mini-paper.


4.) REREAD REREAD; REVISE REVISE: "Quit" instead of "Quite"? "No" instead of "None"? Double check, not just for typos, but for understanding. Does it make sense? Are you repeating the same concept? It's ok to change errors. I would even suggest taking one day to go through as editor rather than writer.

5.) Don't delete bad posts! Keep!: Even if the posts seem trival, keep everything. Unfinished thoughts? Keep. You can work on them later. Of course if you truly feel you should remove an entry, do. But remember once blog posts disappear, they are not easily retrievable.


6.) READ!: If you do not read other blogs, you are not going to be as successful in writing your own. Ideas spread like wildfire, and before you realize, your opinion may already be outdated.

And of course, as they say in every advice column, but I mean this genuinely: HAVE FUN!

Blogging has added so much to our profession. Every voice counts. :)


The other day one of my peers gave his business card, containing a link to his blog. I thought this was great, considering some people would not want future employers reading the thoughts. What a statement to not just let employers stumble across your blog through Google, but to GIVE them the link. His blog link, to me, was the equivalent of showing his authentic, improptu voice as a member of the profession.

When people create their own websites for public viewing, they may use the best pictures and the best writing samples. Since a blog is more current and updated, there is no time for primping and perfecting. Therefore? A blog is REAL. How often to employers allowed to read and understand what topics you have been dappling? A blog can provide a positive sharing experience on paper: informative yet with hints of informality.

NEWS JUST IN! I just realized I didn't have 2 links in this entry, and searched, "business card" and "blog", which lead me to this interesting article about JUST THAT. Again, I came up with an original idea only to realize there is nothing original about it...;). Good thing though, it means others are thinking, and that's ok with me!:)!

Library Anxiety

Research has shown "library anxiety" exists among college students. Constance Mellon has contributed vastly to this field through her studies. Information for our project on IM reference demonstrated the same truth--leaving ones' chair for the reference desk to ask a question can be stressful, or intimidating. I read a very interesting article which related the variable of academic procrastination to library anxiety. The authors could not be more right. Anthony Onwuegbuzie and Qun G. Jiao found a positive correlation between students who procrastinated and those with library anxiety.

What I like about the article is they show postive correlation, but the relationship is not necessarily causal. My assumption is that students who have library anxiety have trouble finding research, and because they fear failure, procrastinate until they are in a pinch to get the research they need, either through ILL or Internet. Conversely, one could argue people who procrastinate put off going to the library anyway, and after it is too late, they are afraid of asking for help while being cut down to the wire.

Entering my second semester of this program, I wonder if I too suffer from the same anxiety, even though I am going to be a future librarian. How many library students ask other librarians every day at the reference desk how to find information on a certain topic? Or for plain help?

I think library students are under even more pressure. I feel sometimes like "I should know the answer because I'm a library student. Why can't I find the information I am looking for?" and instead of asking (which would save time and be beneficial to my understanding of how to search) I choose searching alone. I wonder how many LIS students feel the same.

My advise would be to always ask even if you feel stupid, because the people who ask questions are usually the ones who find out more information and are better able to understand information in the future.

My brother always says if you ask questions to your professors now and look stupid, you won't look stupid in front of your boss. He's right.

Paperless Academic Library?

This is something that causes a great deal of concern. If you can try to change my mind, please do!

There has been a great deal of discussion about whether academic libraries in the future will no longer have physical materials, but rather, only electronic materials. Does a college or university really NEED a physical library? My answer is YES. Below I have highlighted a few of my own concerns with moving from a physical library to a paperless foundation.


FIRST CONCERN: BEGINNING RESEARCH:
Pretend you are a new undergraduate. You are barraged with a variety of courses the first two years before deciding upon majors, and are given advice left and right about what direction to follow. Where do you start? For those who have been educated in a geographic area lacking strong public or school libraries, the academic library may be the first exposure to scholarly research materials. The university's library should serve as a base for beginning reference instruction, include books as well as online resources, and introduction to materials. I know in my own searches, I will use one set of words only to discover different words can yield better results. By having a set of books on a shelf with different titles and content, but within the same subject, students may be able to explore a more thorough understanding of their own research topics.

SECOND CONCERN: THE POOR STUDENT AND ACCESS
The absence of a library assumes a great deal about the economic circumstances of the student body. The mission of the library is to provide materials to support the student body and faculty. For some, this may mean checking-out textbooks which cannot be afforded. Sure, providing e-textbooks may potentially cost less for students, but will each student need a laptop to turn to page 52 in class and read aloud? Some students like the materiality and convenience of a book, and knowing said book will arrive on interlibrary loan in time for class. Some libraries do not like students holding on to textbook materials for a semester, but that is a different argument altogether…

The mission of higher education is to provide a worldly conscience. If the materials are not readily available, institutions are going to have a more difficult time fulfilling their mission.

THIRD CONCERN: ARE ELECTRONIC MATERIALS THE ONLY RESOURCES OUT THERE?
Just like we earthlings assume our planet is the only one with sustaining life, others assume all information can be provided through Google or a subscribed search engine. As librarians, we know this may not be the case. Or, the metadata could be stored but difficult to retrieve.

FOURTH CONSIDERATION: SPACE
If institutions of higher education no longer support libraries or books, what will they place value? Newly enrolled students may develop an understanding that other facilities are more important, like a hockey rink, or a bowling alley. Deemphasizing the role of the library further emphasizes the role of other buildings on campus. Many academic libraries, like Dominican University, have considered the importance of revamping the environment to provide a more comfortable, new-age look.

FIFTH CONCERN: PROFESSOR AND LIBRARIAN?
Will librarians continue to exist in wireless computer labs? Of course I see the necessity, but some academics may not. Currently, library staff and faculty are separated at most colleges to specialize their consecutive professions. They meet to discussion acquisition development. They each play a different role in the acquisitioning process. By eliminating the role of the librarian, the faculty may wear the suit of both purchaser and educator. Without a centralized area to collect materials, the institute of higher education may question allowing faculty to purchase materials that would not be made accessible to all. Will a library’s budget only be put toward electronic resources from that point forward? What if a good text is not offered in electronic format? Will it be scanned?

One has to wonder what a university without a library would be like, or how it would function in a decentralized research environment. Any thoughts?

Who are your Users?

I had only been to the Oak Park Public Library a few times, during early morning hours. The users were predominately mothers with young children and retired folks. You can image my surprise when I visited in the late afternoon and observed a completely DIFFERENT situation. Junior-high and high-school students freed from class were zooming between stacks, conversing by the cafe, and wandering through the gallery. My first impression was, "My experience would be TOTALLY DIFFERENT depending on my shift."

This caused me to wonder if library workers in the exact same environment, have completely DIFFERENT perceptions of users.