Goodbye 511

Our last class is Wednesday and this will probably be my last 511-related post.  To be honest I am not sure if I will keep up with the Blog...Maybe I will, but turn it into something else?  But I will miss Dave's lectures.  He is passionate about what he believes in and makes you sit on the edge of your seat weather you agree with his opinions or not. 

Also, in the beginning of the course I was pretty sure I wanted to become an Academic librarian, although now I am also considering Public.  The different librarian guest speakers we had were great!  (Some were more exciting than others. LOL)

Overall it was good experience.  I will miss the classroom experience since next semester I will be taking an on-line course.  Good Luck to all my classmates and happy holidays!

Food For Fines...

Nice Idea!

Library in Colorado accepting food donations in lieu of fines

Online Class

So no actual class this week.  Kinda bummed, as I always like Daveheart's lectures.  Really surprised on how fast the class went this semester.  I have learned so much about librarianship, and technology.  The former- I am as excited about as I ever was, and the latter, well, I still am not uber thrilled about learning "techie" stuff but not as overwhelmed as I was before.  OK, I am off to view those links in the LMS.  Happy Turkey-Day to all!

Mrs. Softy

An Ode To Margaret-Thatcher

No one likes Whoppers...

Quick thought on last nights class...E-Science, not for me.
Another quick thought...Damn it I wish I sat on the right side of the room cause the left side got stuck with Whoppers.
Quick thought number 3...Thatcher? Really? She helped spur the soft-serve ice cream movement? Off to the internet to track that info down.

511 Discussion Board

I really like the Scared, Nervous, or Anxious board on the LMS.  Sometimes I read what other have posted and I think "I am so glad someone asked that!" Some questions are point blank like "Where do we get information on ALA Membership?" Others are more like..."My blog sucks!"  

This week I really connected to the person who posted that they are feeling disconnected.  I am also feeling a little disconnect, but I am thinking that it is because I have not matriculated.  I am taking IST 511 to really see if I want to pursue my Masters degree in Librarianship.  I already have a MS in Counseling and I really love my job, and I have had a fulfilling and rewarding career.  I work at SU and have the opportunity to take classes for free, so why not pursue a second degree. (I also obtained my first Masters without having to take out a student loan by working at a SUNY college and receiving my degree at a SUNY college.)

At this point I think that I would enjoy a second career as a librarian.  But I, like the poster, don't know if I should apply to the distance-program or take on-campus classes.

I have gone over the pros and cons a million times and I feel that practically, taking the distance program would work better for me, but in my heart I know I would miss the "in-person" classes. 

Any words of wisdom for me, fellow IST 511'ers?

Economy Tanks...Library Usage Goes Up

library use rises in Boston as economy falls...

Thoughts on last evening's class...

#1 Favorite Line- Jesuits are so cool, they're almost not Catholic.  (I am a Catholic, and I can attest, I am so cool I am also almost not Catholic!)

                                                             Noreen Falcone Library-Lemoyne Campus

 
Loved the debate at the end of class- LOVED IT!  Our group is doing the e-book topic for our poster presentation and we met this afternoon and our discussion got a little heated...  I love that at the surface some topics seem so mundane, but after you peel away the layers it becomes so complex...The issues of Socio-economics, and elitism and hoarding and family and I could go on and on, by far one of my most favorite class discussions to date.

Some election results from last night...

Approved

Confusion

Library Taxing District

Proposal Passes

How English Evolves

Check this out...http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11640951

The British Library is asking the public to help it track how pronunciation is shifting in Britain.  After taking a few linguistics courses in undergrad I have always been intrigued by this subject.  If you are into "regional dialects"  Here is a fun site for you...Do you speak American?

Library cards for kids

Two of my friends just brought their respective children to obtain library cards this month.  One child is 4 yrs. old and the other baby is 2 weeks old.  Hmmmm, what the heck does a 2 week old need with a library card?  Anyway...I want to wait until Sofia gets older to get her card, I want it to be an experience I can share with her.  Both my friends posted pics of their kids with the new cards, the older girl was all smiles with her new card, the other, well she was asleep.  Anybody have any thoughts on this?  When should you get your first library card?

Modern Family

I never get a Chance to watch Modern Family, by the time I usually get home from this class it is already over...but last night I did catch it and it was hilarious.  The Dunphy family gave up all electronic gadgets and gizmo's for a week (or at least tried) it was pretty funny but in the first ten minutes there was a library joke...go on- HULU.com it right now!

Thought I'd share...

My friend found out I was taking this class and sent me this link...ENJOY.

http://awfullibrarybooks.net/

Papa don't preach...

                              
A few of us in class I would classify as "Career Changers" and I am glad the question was posed in class last night to Mr. Blane Dessy regarding our resume's and how to present ourselves in interviews when we might be new to the profession but not new to the work force and have several years experience under our belts.

Steve Weiter, spoke about the "hot sauce" or the fire in the eyes of a new young professional...Well like Madonna's song, "Like a Virgin" even though I have been around the block a few times (career-wise of course) being in this class makes me feel all "shiny and new"

So I hope when I graduate and go out looking for my first job in the Library field my age and experience won't be counted against me, cause believe you me, I still got the HOT SAUCE!

Mommy club

In class I was part of the group debating the pros and cons of giving moms access to their child's library borrowing habits.  I am a mom, and before I had my child I probably would not have cared about those "pro" positions we came up with. My stance would have been "under no circumstances should we give parents the right to check-up on their kids, how very "Big Brother" of us" Now all I think about is the welfare and safety of my little girl. And if I thought I could gain any perspective or knowledge about a problem I thought she was having through her library book selections, then maybe looking at her library record wouldn't be such a bad thing.  It made me think a lot about perspective.  It made me think of how a persons beliefs can be turned upside down by life's circumstances.  Mostly, it made me think about my little girl, and how I hope when she gets older, we can have the type of relationship where I didn't have to snoop around in her life, but she would willingly share with me things. (well , at the very least, what she's reading!)

  Sofia Reading her Oprah Magazine

E-readers...MORE FUN!

Excited to (E) read

More books to Ban

Article in Syracuse Post Standard

Sci-Tech Librarian

I teach ECS 100, a freshman transition forum for 400+  students who are coming into LC Smith, the college of Engineering and Computer Science at SU.  I set up a session for Elizabeth Wallace to come in today to speak to the classes.  Elizabeth is the Associate Librarian for Biology, Geosciences, Engineering and Computer Science.  I believe the students got a lot out of her presentation but I found out some nifty tips and hints about the library, the databases and the website...   On a side note, what a cool librarian Elizabeth is!  

Libraries Extinct in 2019...

Well no, libraries will probably not become extinct like the poor dinosaur (actually I don't think they are really extinct either, have you ever seen an ostrich) anyway, I digress...

Here is a blog entry talking about how libraries will need to adapt...will libraries become extinct? and a cool little extinction timeline that shows the libraries will be defunct by 2019.

One class 2 locations

After hearing the moderator's comments after Prof. Lankes Keynote address our Prof. sounds like a rebel force in the Library Land. Apparently not every librarian is as passionate about librarianship as he is.

After the Keynote I feel pretty energized about coming back to school and feel like Librarians have nothing to fear...Right?  It sounded like another speaker during the conference had a speech titled "Library's are screwed" or something like that.  I would have liked to hear what he had to say.  

So, in class tonight I learned a few things, a little about collection building, a little about the e-book revolution and also that Prof Lankes watches GLEE! How awesome is that!

Duct Tape, Acne and Beaded Curtains...

Those are just a few of the AWESOME topics that Sue Kowalski touched upon in her talk to our 511 class last night!  I am not exaggerating when I say I think I love this librarian!!! She was inspiring and energetic and witty!  I worked for a short stint at a Syracuse City high school as a Liaison to Syracuse University through a grant program...I actually cringed every-time I had to take my students to the library.  The librarian wasn't the problem but her support staff treated the students who came in like convicts.  "Why are you here?"  "What are doing?"  "Be quiet!!!"   What made it worse that the school I was assigned to was my Alma Mater. Things had sure changed since I had been a student (well not the furniture or decor, but definitely the "vibe" of the library)  So I related to her when she recounted her bad experience with the Syracuse City School librarian.

Her talk also brought me back to my elementary school days.  My first recollection of my school library was the librarian reading Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. I loved going to the library and checking out books...I also helped  the librarian every year with the RIF (Reading is Fundamental) sales.  Those memories are fond ones...that I remember not because of the physical space of the library but of the warm hearted librarian.  Although I am leaning into going into Academic Libraries, I hope I can be as energetic, caring and innovative as Sue is and as was my elementary school librarian.

Librarians in the public eye and those in the back rooms...

In our 3rd class Prof. Lankes spoke about how in the past some librarians have been the one up front, answering the questions from their members, checking out the materials, etc.  And then there were the librarians in the back who acquired the books and did some of the "behind the scenes" stuff.  I was happy to hear that the line between the front line librarian and the one behind the curtain has become blurred.  As a counselor my favorite part of the job is helping a client or student work on their problems, offer possible solutions and scenarios and seeing them overcome or "solve" that problem.  But on the other hand, I also like to do research are studies.  It sounds like a job of a librarian is much of the same, and that makes me even more convinced I am making the right choice in pursuing this degree.

The Dewey Decimal Spiral Staircase (But can't I just take the elevator?)

So when Professor Lankes told us about the Seattle Library and described how the spiral staircase goes through the floors in the order of the Dewey Decimal System I knew I just had to see it!  Seeing as I can't fly out to Seattle anytime soon I found it here.

Here is the link to the entire article, where you can also take a virtual tour...Seattle Library

And a quote about the stairs by one of its members

"I will preface my comments with a disclaimer: I love the new library, and I'm honored by its presence in our city. However, there is one major problem — the lack of accessible staircases. Going up, you can reach every floor via stairway and/or escalator. However, to get from the sixth floor down to the fifth you must take an elevator (the emergency staircases don't count, as they are for emergencies only). This has already become a problem by day two, as the sixth floor librarians were encouraging those of us who were confused and irritated (and there were many) to submit written complaints. The old library may have been run-down and ugly, but at least I could reach any stack on any floor and walk back down the sames stairs to an exit."
— Bill Nordwall, Seattle

No Social Media for a Week?

Social media blackout, A Dim Idea.
Cool blog entry...Which, interestingly enough, I would not have found if I didn't "Friend" Syracuse University on Facebook.

Curious George...Was he only curious because he wanted a banana?

As my background is in the Social Sciences, when Prof. Lankes started discussing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation I became excited.  Not that I wasn't excited before, mind you!

To me my motivation for learning has always been intrinsic.  I have always been a curious person.  I never needed my parents to give me money for every "A" I earned on my report card.  I would feel disappointed or satisfied by the grade I earned not by the reward I received.  Although I might be in the minority according to this recent article...Pay-grade

Now, there are two schools of thought on this (I am being very simplistic, there are many schools of thought on this) but in the broad sense, Why was I always a curious child...Was it Nature or Nurture? Did my environment shape who I was or did my genes?  Well, obviously if I knew the answer I wouldn't be writing this blog entry, I would be dusting my Nobel Prize and sitting on my pile of money.  But I digress; anyway this got me thinking.

How, as a librarian, could I make my clientele more intrinsically motivated to use the library?  Then I thought...does it even matter what the motivation for using the library is...as long as people are coming?  Is it just enough to get "butts in the seats?"

Shameless Plug!

Vote for Me~!

http://www.93q.com/Article.asp?id=1926457

First Class-Oh no the dreaded "Tell me a little about yourself..."

Actually I liked that Professor Lankes gave us the Headline Option.  Problem with me is I froze up and couldn't think of a witty headline.  I am a preparer, so of course I needed much more time than 10 minutes.  But I loved hearing how everyone came from very diverse backgrounds, made me feel much better that I had no library work experience to speak of. 

I also was pleasantly surprised. The instructor was engaging (not a stereotypical stuffy librarian in a bun and glasses!)  Most importantly he emphasized the importance of the Librarian and not the Library.  Also, that a love for books is not the only prerequisite for becoming a librarian, but the role of the Librarian is to "Improve Society Through Facilitating Knowledge Creation in their Communities" or ISTFKCC as I like to call it!

I also am a trivia buff and my goal is to someday be on Jeopardy, so I will remember the little nugget of information about the Muses, and how the shrines to them were forerunners of today's modern museums.
Some more info to those of you interested...(yes, it's in wikipedia, don't shoot me!)

Muses to Modern Museums

Also interesting to me was that Prof. Lankes mentioned the CEO of Google thought that when children reach a certain age they ought to be able to change their names so to hide their youthful indiscretions online.  I had just read a blog the day before talking about this very thing.

A future of disposable names

Makes me happy that when I was in HS I took a typing class and didn't have Facebook.  Oh the horror of having to block my mother!

First it's all about "Me, Me Me"

I didn't know what to expect for my first Library Science class.  I know no one in the program or anyone who has pursued the program. So I couldn't speak to anyone ahead of time to get a feel for how the course would look, run, feel etc...

I had not been on the "other side" of a classroom in many years.  I graduated with my MS degree in Counseling in 2004 and since then I have been working in higher ed. mostly in academic counseling positions but also teaching 1st Year Transition courses, or what used to be called "Freshman Seminar"

I became a Counselor because I love to help people, and although I joked in class I was sick of hearing peoples problems, I was being facetious.  The very reason I chose to pursue a second career is the very fact that I want to continue to help students, in my case college aged students, improve their lives and reach their academic potential. 

OK, now that I have bored you to tears, on to my class reaction!