tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40618708490314685812016-08-31T12:02:13.342-04:00Letters to a Young LibrarianAdvice to those who are new (or even not so new) to librarianship from someone who has been doing this work for a while now.Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.comBlogger501125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-50987356654461576642016-08-25T07:56:00.000-04:002016-08-25T07:56:19.288-04:00Interview Post: April Hathcock<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mF4Al6kykjo/V77Z49UwotI/AAAAAAAAKsU/HNw7SwdQFnodYBZASOKQ-kLvPNzYn5zqQCLcB/s1600/IMG_0327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mF4Al6kykjo/V77Z49UwotI/AAAAAAAAKsU/HNw7SwdQFnodYBZASOKQ-kLvPNzYn5zqQCLcB/s320/IMG_0327.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Biographical</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Name?</b></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">April M. Hathcock, First of Her Name</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Current job?</b></span><br /><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Scholarly Communications Librarian at NYU</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How long have you been in the field?</b></span></span><br /><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5 years</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">How Do You Work?</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What is your office/workspace like?</b></span></span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I used to work in a tiny cubby and was promised a bigger office one day, but wasn’t holding my breath on it. (Real estate is always at a premium in NYC, even at work.) When one of my colleagues left to go on to bigger and better things, I immediately put in my bid for her office. So glad I did. Now I have space to work and meet with students, faculty, and staff in consultation. As for decor, I’m very much a functionalist/minimalist. I’ve been in that office for almost a year, but it still looks like I just moved in.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>How do you organize your days?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Each day starts with email. So much email. There are usually several meetings spread throughout the day and throughout campus, so I try to get as much email done before I start heading out for those. I always stop and take time for lunch, though. Girl’s gotta eat. When the weather is nice, I eat outside in Washington Square Park and take a moment to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. In between email and meetings, I check in on Twitter here and there and do some research and writing for my own academic work.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What do you spend most of your time doing?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I do a lot of consultations. These can be in-person, though most often they involve, yep - you guessed it, email. I read, write, and edit a lot of contracts. And before you start thinking that sounds really boring, let me just stop you right there. It’s the best fun ever.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is a typical day like for you?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A typical day starts a little later than most since we don’t get going too early at MPOW. I roll in a bit before 10, start hacking away at the emails, run to a few meetings, grab lunch in the park while checking Twitter, work on more emails, do an in-person consultation or two, maybe squeeze in some time in the afternoon for reading some articles or working on some of my writing projects. I usually leave around 5:30.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you reading right now?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">For fun, I’m reading </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/911364586"><i><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; line-height: 115%;">Murder in Time</span></i></a><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/911364586"><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; line-height: 115%;"> by Julie McElwain</span></a></span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">. It’s pretty good. It’s about a modern-day FBI agent who travels back to 1815 and tries to solve a murder. She faces all these cultural and historical roadblocks, like, you know, lack of forensic technology and presence of rampant sexism. As of my writing this, I’m taking a break from my social justice reading because combined with current events it was getting me down. I usually read a lot of stuff having to do with critical race theory and intersectional feminism, though.</span></span><br /><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What's the best professional advice you've ever received?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mama and Daddy Hathcock: “Don’t ever expect anyone to just give you what you deserve. You have to make sure you demand it from them. This world isn’t out to help you. You’ve got to help yourself.”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I go to a lot more meetings than I ever thought possible. And I worked as a corporate lawyer before this! Academic librarians definitely have lawyers beat on the meetings.</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.4px;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Inside the Library Studio</u></b></span></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is your favorite word? Abacaxi. It means “pineapple” in Portuguese. Also, pamplemousse. It means “grapefruit” in French. I have a thing for languages and for fruit, obvs.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your least favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Granular and granularity. It’s eased up now, but there was a time a year or so ago when I swear I heard that word every hour on the hour. So annoying.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My great-grandfather was an electrician. I’d love to try that. Though I’d probably fry myself so maybe I shouldn’t.</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession would you never want to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Window-washer. I’m afraid of heights.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Everything Else</u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What superpower do you wish you had?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">Telepathy. (Cue evil laughter)</span>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you most proud of in your career?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That I’m doing something I love and making sure that I get what I deserve for it.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>If you're willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m learning, but I often make the mistake of trusting people who don’t have my best interest at heart. Sadly, not everyone cares as much as you think. You gotta be careful out there.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>When you aren't at work, what are you likely doing?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reading, eating, wandering the city, or watching Netflix.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>Who else would you like to see answer these questions?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jennifer Brown at Columbia. Speaking of which, I gotta hit her up to see if she wants to grab lunch one of these days...</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><i>April tweets at&nbsp;</i><a href="https://twitter.com/AprilHathcock" style="font-style: italic;">@AprilHathcock</a><i>. Although she's inspired more than one post, this is actually the first one she's written for </i>Letters to a Young Librarian. <i>Hopefully not the last.</i></span></span></div></div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-44427973926576893552016-08-23T11:43:00.000-04:002016-08-23T11:43:26.186-04:00My Journey So Far, Or 500 Posts and Counting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3de771wp3eM/V7uenolXqdI/AAAAAAAAKpE/roQJIaa85oEa_pi6P5Jdkh8N5wRONdKHgCLcB/s1600/tumblr_mh5qnaQnWk1s1tctyo1_r1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3de771wp3eM/V7uenolXqdI/AAAAAAAAKpE/roQJIaa85oEa_pi6P5Jdkh8N5wRONdKHgCLcB/s320/tumblr_mh5qnaQnWk1s1tctyo1_r1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />It's so hard for me to believe that this is the 500th post on this blog. It all started years ago because I got angry, and that fact hasn't really altered, but so much else has changed. Here are some things that I've notice along the way:<br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>It's okay to get angry</b>, but I need to do something with my anger. I used to think it was useless to get angry, even in the midst of my ire. I also know part of my reticence to show anger had to do with the inescapable socialization that women are supposed to be nice. It's okay to get angry, but more to the point: it's important to get angry. Being silent can be seen as agreement, so taking a stand is important. I've come to see speaking up as part of my job, both at my place of employment and in the profession in general.</li><li><b>There are like minded people everywhere, just not always right next to me</b>. Writing hundreds of posts, tweeting like a maniac, and generally being myself has brought so many amazing people into my life. Of my closest friends, people who I consider not just friends but family, the unmistakable majority of them are people I met through social media and through blogging. When I started this blog, I was definitely working with some great people, but beyond having "library" or "librarian" in our job titles we didn't have a lot in common. All of that changed over the course of this blog.</li><li><b>Mistakes are the best learning opportunities</b>. I never set out to waste time or flub a project, but I can tell you I've learned more from my mistakes than anything else. Best of all, I've learned that being open about my mistakes can save other people a lot of headache and heartache. There were times that I ran events where it almost seemed the staff outnumbered the patrons. Then there was that book review blog we tried to start, for and by the alum of a former school. The blog posts that fell flat. The time I unknowingly offended someone I respect and was called out for it. These were valuable experiences. I do what I can to avoid repeating mistakes, but I'm glad I've had the opportunity to learn.</li><li><b>Being vulnerable and being human are the best way forward</b>, even though it might not seem that way at the time. There's that great Oscar Wilde quote, "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken." At first it sounds so ridiculously trite that it should be ignored, but I think it sounds like a cliche because it's so very true. I was never milquetoast or bland, but writing this blog has helped me find and strengthen my voice. I've also been able to find my passion within librarianship.&nbsp;</li><li><b>I have to keep listening. I don't know everything</b>. Yes, I've reached this point in my career that all my mouthing off has started to pay off. I get invited to give talks and asked to write things. I'm currently sitting on two invitations to write books (neither of which I have time for right now, but both of which I want to pursue eventually). Despite all this, I am still and forever learning and growing. Everything from minor issues like new technology to major concerns like a learning theory I'd embraced being called into question. I know I wouldn't be able to continue on this path if I hadn't been writing this blog.</li></ol><div>Thank you for whatever part of this journey you've seen, and thank you for reading this blog. Here's to 500 more posts.</div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-32728488391373456752016-08-16T08:56:00.001-04:002016-08-16T08:56:24.031-04:00Hack Library School Interview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Ak7yFTrf9w/V7EORN0tdGI/AAAAAAAAKYs/_zf4ONNvqi4SX8Qsk7Wr25o3H8RgybisgCLcB/s1600/fb64e0360f1eba9585d8421116809fac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Ak7yFTrf9w/V7EORN0tdGI/AAAAAAAAKYs/_zf4ONNvqi4SX8Qsk7Wr25o3H8RgybisgCLcB/s320/fb64e0360f1eba9585d8421116809fac.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />I was interviewed by Brenna Murphy as part of the great blog, "Hack Library School." Head on <a href="https://hacklibraryschool.com/2016/08/10/interview-with-jessica-olin-from-letters-to-a-young-librarian/">over there to read the intervie</a>w, and when you're done poke around <a href="https://hacklibraryschool.com/">the rest of the blog</a>.</div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-79224784425467390042016-08-11T09:31:00.000-04:002016-08-12T10:10:56.685-04:00Interview Post: Brenna Murphy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TNQkChf3fCQ/V6x6iepvNMI/AAAAAAAAKXA/2K4l-AnWxmoJTvWU-6dSgGiOhb31TTiTQCLcB/s1600/IMG_7858%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TNQkChf3fCQ/V6x6iepvNMI/AAAAAAAAKXA/2K4l-AnWxmoJTvWU-6dSgGiOhb31TTiTQCLcB/s320/IMG_7858%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="228" /></span></a></div><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></u></b><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Biographical</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Name?</b></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brenna Murphy</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Current job?</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">Library Assistant in circulation at an academic library. Up until last week I was also a part-time student at the iSchool at the University of Illinois. I’m also one of the managing editors of the blog </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://hacklibraryschool.com/"><i><span style="color: #1155cc; line-height: 107%;">Hack Library School</span></i></a></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How long have you been in the field?</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4 years.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">How Do You Work?</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What is your office/workspace like?</b></span></span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My desk is a mess. I have a few personal effects, such as pictures and trinkets, but most of my space has been taken over by bookbinding supplies (book tape, exacto knives, rulers, glue) because this past year I’ve been learning to do book repair for my library.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;">What do you spend most of your time doing?</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of what I do is customer service. I help patrons at the circulation desk, answer phones, and respond to emails. I’m also responsible for discharging books, collecting circulation stats, and training student workers. I serve on a couple of committees, including a fun one that plans social events for library employees.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is a typical day like for you?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As a full-time library employee, part-time student, and blogger, my days have been pretty full for the last two years. An average day might look like this:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9am - 5pm: Work. I’m responsible for a host of different things in circulation, including providing customer service at the desk, responding to phone and email requests, discharging books, recording circulation statistics, and serving on a couple of different committees.</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5pm - 6pm: Bike home and prepare dinner. I love to cook!</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6pm - 8 pm: Class. This summer I took Adult Popular Literature, where we talk about the different genres and learn how to provide readers’ advisory.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">8pm - 9pm: Work on projects for </span><i style="color: #222222;">Hack Library School</i><span style="color: #222222;">. This could include writing posts, giving feedback to other writers, scheduling guest posts, or responding to email enquiries.</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9pm - 10pm: Read in bed until I fall asleep.</span></span></li></ul><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 17.12px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you reading right now?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">The last book I read was </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/237209.In_the_Woods?from_search=true"><i><span style="color: #1155cc; line-height: 107%;">In the Woods</span></i></a></span><i><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"> </span></i><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">by Tana French. I loved it, but don’t get me started on the ending! Now I’m working through </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/105992.Helter_Skelter?ac=1&amp;from_search=true"><i><span style="color: #1155cc; line-height: 107%;">Helter Skelter</span></i></a></span><i><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"> </span></i><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">by Vincent Bugliosi to get my true crime fix. I wish I could say I’m reading something academic, but I just finished school and I need a break!</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What's the best professional advice you've ever received?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Don’t be discouraged by rejection. I can’t attribute this advice to any particular person because I feel like I hear it all the time - and I need to hear it! Especially as I begin my job search. I try to treat every rejection letter as inspiration to keep on trying.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At one point, I was responsible for recruiting people to take a library survey for an assessment initiative. This included approaching strangers in the lobby of our bustling library and asking them to fill out a survey. The constant rejection was awful! I have newfound respect for those Greenpeace campaigners I see on the street.</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Inside the Library Studio</u></b></span></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oubliette"><span style="color: blue; line-height: 107%;">Oubliette</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">. My love for this word stems from my obsession with the movie </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth_(film)"><span style="color: #1155cc; line-height: 107%;"><i>Labyrinth</i></span></a></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your least favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is technically two words, but I can’t stand when an author describes a character as having “almond eyes.” I feel like I see it everywhere and it drives me nuts (pun intended).</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">I love animals and have volunteered in shelters for years. I’m too squeamish to be a vet, but I think it would be awesome to work in a </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_caf%C3%A9"><span style="color: #1155cc; line-height: 107%;">cat cafe</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">.</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession would you never want to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Accounting. I worked as an accounting assistant in a corporate setting before I moved into libraries and couldn’t stand the monotony of endless Excel sheets.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Everything Else</u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What superpower do you wish you had?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The ability to read faster. I always have a pile of books waiting to be read and I never seem to be able to get to all of them.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you most proud of in your career?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">My career is still in the early stages, as I’m currently searching for my first post-grad job. So far, I’d have to say I’m most proud of the work I’ve done at <i>Hack Library School. </i>We’ve done some neat projects, such as interviewing the candidates for </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://hacklibraryschool.com/2016/03/02/ala-presidential-candidate-interview-jim-neal/"><span style="color: #1155cc; line-height: 107%;">President of ALA</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"> this spring and a series of posts about </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://hacklibraryschool.com/2016/03/07/voces-del-sur-voices-from-the-south-venezuela-series/"><span style="color: #1155cc; line-height: 107%;">Latin American librarianship</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"> in conjunction with the blog </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.infotecarios.com/"><i><span style="color: #1155cc; line-height: 107%;">Infotecarios</span></i></a></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">. Our blog is entirely student-run and I’m really proud of the work we’ve done together.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>If you're willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One day when I was new to reference, I was helping an alumni of my university look for the print copy of his thesis from about thirty years ago. According to our catalog, the thesis was no longer available. He was upset by this news since he did not have a copy for himself. After he left, I kept thinking about his situation and did a little more digging. It turned out that his thesis was part of a digitization project and was now online. Luckily, I had his contact information and let him know the good news - he came in the next week to look it up on one of our computers. This scenario taught me to explore every option before giving up on a reference question!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>When you aren't at work, what are you likely doing?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cooking (probably Mexican food), reading, running, or hanging out with my husband and three cats.</span></span><br /><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uJ3axePvS_4/V6x8valxyOI/AAAAAAAAKXM/3ShTH_mWiUkd6ojdZdCOIXK8Ww_CQNgjACLcB/s1600/photo%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uJ3axePvS_4/V6x8valxyOI/AAAAAAAAKXM/3ShTH_mWiUkd6ojdZdCOIXK8Ww_CQNgjACLcB/s320/photo%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>Who else would you like to see answer these questions?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kristina Williams, who is taking my place as Managing Editor at <i>Hack Library School</i>!</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: white; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><i>Brenna tweets at&nbsp;</i><a href="https://twitter.com/LibBrenian" style="font-style: italic;">@LibBrenian</a><i>.</i></span></span></div></div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-86774872497557505512016-08-09T06:49:00.000-04:002016-08-09T06:49:02.302-04:00Getting Into the Community<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_P8x7mP66yY/V6eVGEdJ3VI/AAAAAAAAKSY/s23c3YqN1XoBwph2xbLELQn4hA2IBiZWQCLcB/s1600/Stephen%252527s%2BLicense%2Band%2Bcomic-con%2B011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_P8x7mP66yY/V6eVGEdJ3VI/AAAAAAAAKSY/s23c3YqN1XoBwph2xbLELQn4hA2IBiZWQCLcB/s400/Stephen%252527s%2BLicense%2Band%2Bcomic-con%2B011.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picture taken by Martha Boyd</td></tr></tbody></table>This past weekend, I was on a panel at the Dover Comic Con. The other panelists were an English teacher from a local high school (also the husband of another librarian at my school) and the new provost, who used to teach literature at my college. Our panel, "Classrooms Can Get Graphic (Novels)", was about integrating graphic novels and comics across the curriculum. It was well attended, well received, and fun. But best of all, it was a way to support and be part of the efforts of the Dover Public Library, who organizes and runs this convention. Lots of people talk about the need to build&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_and_gown">town-gown</a> relationships, but this was us actually doing it.<br /><br />The thing is, all libraries - no matter what type - need to be an active part of the community they serve. From corporate libraries hosting parties to support scientists in their R&amp;D department to public librarians teaming up with K-12 teachers to academic libraries cooperating in events run by the nearby public library. This is more than outreach, which is of course very important. This is about supporting the efforts of other organizations and about partnerships.<br /><br />Here are some of the other things we've done to make sure that this library is an active part of not just the college community, but also city and state:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Participate in a state-wide effort run by the Sexual Assault Network of Delaware as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.&nbsp;</li><li>Tie our book displays into on campus events, like Domestic Abuse Awareness and Disability Awareness.</li><li>Write reviews and actively promote the services of a therapy dog organization.</li></ul><div><br />It can be hard to find time for this kind of thing when you're so focused on getting through the day to day, but it can also be highly rewarding. Being an active part of your community is more than getting patrons to come into the library; it's about getting out and working to further community goals.<br /><br />How about you? What are some of the things you've done to support others in the community where you are? What are some of the things you'd like to do?</div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-82523021095326484812016-08-04T07:51:00.003-04:002016-08-04T07:51:55.686-04:00Just For Fun: Do You Smell Fudge?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">One of my most ardent fandoms is also the one I talk about least. It's not something I see all the time on Tumblr and Twitter, like <i>Leverage</i> or <i>Harry Potter</i> or <i>Pokemon</i>. However, I recently bought the entire series on DVD just for the extras and commentaries - even though I've watched every episode at least 5 times before - so I figure it's time for me to talk about how much I love <i><b>Warehouse 13</b>. </i>I'm going to try to keep this spoiler free since I'd love more people to join this fandom. On the other hand, you'll need to understand the premise, so...<br /><br />You remember that enormous warehouse at the end of <i>Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark </i>where they store the ark? Imagine the stories of the people who retrieve and guard those artifacts, those items with supernatural powers, and who maintain the facility. Add in a healthy dose of steampunk aesthetic, and you'll be close to <i>Warehouse 13</i>. But that's just the reason I started watching it. How about why I love it so deeply...?<br /><i><br /></i><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NHkpbrMC5VY/V6JCLbO_ILI/AAAAAAAAKP0/TjK5vnBor4UEtaWVKWhUFgUJJq_A83gQACLcB/s1600/photo_cast_01_129018127572.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NHkpbrMC5VY/V6JCLbO_ILI/AAAAAAAAKP0/TjK5vnBor4UEtaWVKWhUFgUJJq_A83gQACLcB/s320/photo_cast_01_129018127572.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.syfy.com/warehouse13/photos/cast">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>First, there's the fact that it's <b>a true ensemble cast</b>. Each character gets a background and human characteristics and family, and they're all in every single episode. They have to work together to solve the problems, and when they don't... well, it doesn't work well.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4rkPR1yCwq8/V6JKHjzcNkI/AAAAAAAAKQE/shaf-P2OhD0PNbNt6G0TbgLDasPEOOjCACLcB/s1600/fc94512f400de544c265d18d408c5441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4rkPR1yCwq8/V6JKHjzcNkI/AAAAAAAAKQE/shaf-P2OhD0PNbNt6G0TbgLDasPEOOjCACLcB/s320/fc94512f400de544c265d18d408c5441.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/fc/94/51/fc94512f400de544c265d18d408c5441.jpg">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Second, <b>it's goofy</b>. It's not a spoiler to tell you something from the first episode, right? Anyway, during the first episode we learn that an important diagnostic question employed by agents of Warehouse 13 is, "Do you smell fudge when there is no fudge?" Best part? That question actually comes in handy later in the series. Incidentally, the purple gloves are what agents wear so the artifacts don't impact them.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WgpaihgCHLw/V6JM4PTBuDI/AAAAAAAAKQQ/M1B7tSsIdcsr1wVYROvDLOfZXF53yr0YgCLcB/s1600/kateglove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WgpaihgCHLw/V6JM4PTBuDI/AAAAAAAAKQQ/M1B7tSsIdcsr1wVYROvDLOfZXF53yr0YgCLcB/s320/kateglove.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.newnownext.com/warehouse-13-411/04/2013/">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Third, there are so many fabulous <b>guest stars</b>! <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000550/">Kate Mulgrew</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0372117/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Anthony Head</a> and <a href="http://www.cheriecurrie.com/">Cherie Curie</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0715953/?ref_=tt_cl_t10">Roger Rees</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001309/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Anthony Michael Hall</a> and so many more than I can name here.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R_83sGC8J5U/V6JOsadeMtI/AAAAAAAAKQc/fsyN9FFb3VY13U-v7iDFOboVYoCaDarTACLcB/s1600/GW280H235.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R_83sGC8J5U/V6JOsadeMtI/AAAAAAAAKQc/fsyN9FFb3VY13U-v7iDFOboVYoCaDarTACLcB/s1600/GW280H235.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.warehouse13fans.com/page/Sylvia+Plath's+Typewriter">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Fourth, <b>literature and history</b> is woven throughout the series. That picture above? That's Sylvia Plath's typewriter. I won't tell you what powers it has, but I will tell you it's a very powerful object. There is no one genre or period which gets more focus than another. Studio 54 comes up, as does Lewis Carroll. HG Wells gets mentioned plenty. The Saracen-Arab Wars. And so on. And so on.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9hMM2qFNboU/V6JRcf6S82I/AAAAAAAAKQo/dzzuWyV2GPgwiG53f3OEzZzImKbCs-f-QCLcB/s1600/Steve_with_Buddha_Statue.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9hMM2qFNboU/V6JRcf6S82I/AAAAAAAAKQo/dzzuWyV2GPgwiG53f3OEzZzImKbCs-f-QCLcB/s320/Steve_with_Buddha_Statue.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://warehouse13.wikia.com/wiki/Steve_Jinks">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Finally, this show was my first encounter with a realistic portrayal of <b>an American practicing Buddhism</b>. So many times in popular culture we see Buddhists as these completely enlightened and fully realized individuals who are a cross between a cowboy and the Dalai Lama. But most of us American Buddhists are just people on a path who are working towards and seeking that state. Finally, in <i>Warehouse 13</i>, I saw my own experiences represented.&nbsp;The character, Steve Jinks, and his Buddhist practice made me feel so much more comfortable about my own path than any of the books or articles or dharma talks I've attended.<br /><br /><br />How about you? If you are already a member of this fandom, what's your favorite thing about the show? If you aren't yet a fan of <i>Warehouse 13</i>, did I convince you to give it a try?</div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-61551655069598174452016-08-02T07:33:00.001-04:002016-08-02T07:33:40.876-04:00Being Gentle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I have a personal situation that is taking up most of the energy and focus I have that's not devoted to work, so I didn't have a post yet for today. I was going to try to read an article and crank out a post on that topic, but then I said to myself the thing I've been saying a lot to my friends lately: "Be gentle with yourself. You're doing the best you can right now." And I took a deep breath. And instead I'm going to tell you this: being gentle with yourself doesn't mean you don't hold yourself accountable. It just means that you don't berate yourself or drive yourself mercilessly. You are lovely and wonderful and complete, just as you are, at whatever stage of your path. Yes, strive for better, but support yourself as best you can.<br /><br />To soften the blow of a super short blog post, here are some lovely videos and pictures and such:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qtZUKTz1MBg/V6CD146j8oI/AAAAAAAAKMM/5XSgICofLVgYYzY3e_Bz40poVK4O52gMQCLcB/s1600/The%2BGentle%2BGiant.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qtZUKTz1MBg/V6CD146j8oI/AAAAAAAAKMM/5XSgICofLVgYYzY3e_Bz40poVK4O52gMQCLcB/s400/The%2BGentle%2BGiant.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pZ1nAR86Vd8" width="420"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="600" src="https://vine.co/v/ejKXJ3Fn1Ua/embed/simple" width="600"></iframe><script src="https://platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js"></script></div><br /></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-45792479629746913032016-07-28T07:29:00.001-04:002016-07-28T07:47:01.889-04:00Interview Post: Jessica Schomberg<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Biographical</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Name?</b></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jessica Schomberg</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Current job?</b></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Media Cataloger/Assessment Coordinator &amp; Department Chair, Minnesota State University-Mankato</span></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How long have you been in the field?</b></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I got my first job in libraries as a student page in 1992. My first full-time, post-MLIS job was in 2000.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">How Do You Work?</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What is your office/workspace like?</b></span></span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I actually have two offices, for two of my different hats:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My cataloging office (pictured first): the skull of Sam the super skeleton is in the foreground, my map table and some of my music backlog is in the background. *cue crying at the size of my music backlog*<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The library department chair office (second image): the department chair role is a rotating position, so I haven’t done much to make this office feel like “mine” -- other than add a ginormous white board so I can track some of the major projects my library will be working on for the next few years.</span></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fRSsf9TfbQI/V5npjdmkOxI/AAAAAAAAKHk/dCuVMy-v_tEgBDRjeOYg9v0g9rrmVgSjwCLcB/s1600/20160429_094925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fRSsf9TfbQI/V5npjdmkOxI/AAAAAAAAKHk/dCuVMy-v_tEgBDRjeOYg9v0g9rrmVgSjwCLcB/s320/20160429_094925.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3wMD0MW3T-A/V5npjSmZlJI/AAAAAAAAKHg/tH2QFlv4sG0CXXw_XHpHP0gUxvCN7sI3gCLcB/s1600/20160429_105545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3wMD0MW3T-A/V5npjSmZlJI/AAAAAAAAKHg/tH2QFlv4sG0CXXw_XHpHP0gUxvCN7sI3gCLcB/s320/20160429_105545.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>How do you organize your days?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I try to put everything I’m working on in my Outlook calendar. If my calendar doesn’t tell me to do something, I am very prone to distraction.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What do you spend most of your time doing?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Writing documents or reports and talking with people. While I love cataloging, I don’t usually get to spend much time actually doing it (hence the backlog).</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is a typical day like for you?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It varies a lot, but generally some mixture of formal meetings, impromptu conversations, and sitting in front of computers.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you reading right now?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m not quite as bookwormish as <a href="http://readordie.wikia.com/wiki/Yomiko_Readman"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Yomiko Readman</span></a>, but this question still always makes my head explode. The three things in top rotation at the moment, all by authors whose writing I adore:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50283085" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Witches Abroad</span></a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> by Terry Pratchett (Granny Weatherwax 4evah!)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/434003841" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Frontiers of Justice: Disability, Nationality, Species Membership</span></a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">by Martha Nussbaum</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/859298689" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #1155cc;">The Language Hoax: Why the World Looks the Same in Any Language</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"> by John McWhorter</span></span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What's the best professional advice you've ever received?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m like a sponge in terms of soaking up advice, so it’s hard to pick the best. Um, maybe... try stuff, see if you like it; if you don’t, move on and try something else.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Going into library school, I knew I didn’t want to teach and I didn’t want to supervise. I now do both.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The other side of this, though, is that I never expected to love teaching. I enjoy making connections with students and, in a really good class, seeing them leave with a different perspective on the world. (Yes, that’s possible even in one-shots.)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Inside the Library Studio</u></b></span></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liminal"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Liminal</span></a>.</span></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your least favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/herstory"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Herstory</span></a>. Sorry, but it makes me literally cringe.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Option A: in a world where universal health care and basic income were guaranteed, I would love to work in a bakery/deli again.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Option B: I would love to expand my knowledge of statistics and linguistics and do Cool Things with those areas of expertise.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession would you never want to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anything involving viscera and/or sales.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Everything Else</u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What superpower do you wish you had?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, my library superhero name is Lackadaisical Porcupine so maybe my superpowers would be taking naps and foraging for leaves and using my quills to fend off annoyances.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you most proud of in your career?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The peer network I’ve developed on twitter, maybe? IDK. This kind of question is hard for me.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>If you're willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t really buy into the culture of nice [<a href="http://learningforward.org/docs/jsd-june-2011/macdonald323.pdf?sfvrsn=2"><span style="color: #1155cc;">PDF</span></a>], but I’m also not always very strategic about how I express that. This can have repercussions.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>When you aren't at work, what are you likely doing?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Snuggling cats, drinking tea, and either watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112178/?ref_=nv_sr_1"><i><span style="color: #1155cc;">Star Trek: Voyager</span></i></a> or reading.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>Who else would you like to see answer these questions?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stephanie <a href="https://twitter.com/sendaulas"><span style="color: #1155cc;">@</span></a><a href="https://twitter.com/sendaulas"><b><span style="color: #1155cc;">sendaulas</span></b></a> (her account is protected so I haven’t included her last name)</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: white; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><i>Jessica tweets at&nbsp;</i><a href="https://twitter.com/schomj" style="font-style: italic;">@schomj</a><i>. This is Jessica's third post for </i>LtaYL <i>The first was "<a href="http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/2015/10/my-library-life-with-invisible.html">My (Library) Life with Invisible Disabilities</a>," and the second was "<a href="http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-power-to-name-by-jessica-schomberg.html">The Power to Name</a>."</i></span></span></div></div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-63904228540651879572016-07-26T07:49:00.002-04:002016-07-26T07:52:30.163-04:00What Makes It Real?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-61FSgSD9L8I/V5dO8-WQ5rI/AAAAAAAAKCk/v6NWZQCeUAs7kiwGTeXuwlqu4n-CoEKEgCLcB/s1600/Pinocchio_blue_fairy.sized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-61FSgSD9L8I/V5dO8-WQ5rI/AAAAAAAAKCk/v6NWZQCeUAs7kiwGTeXuwlqu4n-CoEKEgCLcB/s400/Pinocchio_blue_fairy.sized.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />A friend of mine mentioned something about being "a real writer now" over the weekend, and it got me thinking. First, I already think of that person as a real writer since they've written for this blog and multiple articles and so on. But second, I understand what they're talking about. There's a big difference between being a thing and feeling like a thing. I believe the process of feeling real can be helped along, though, and here's some ideas of how I've helped myself (and others) move along.<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Keep a list of your accomplishments.</b> Got retweeted by someone you admire? Received a compliment from a tough to please patron? Finished a small but important project? Write it down or keep it in a special folder on your email. I literally have a folder called "happy making" on my main gmail account.</li><li><b>Speak kindly to yourself.</b> Negative self-talk is such a hard habit to break. Believe me: I know. I've mostly broken this habit, however, by imagining I'm saying those things to someone I love. I'd never tell a good friend, "you'll never amount to anything because you made this mistake." Of course I wouldn't! Instead, I'd say something like, "well, you screwed up, but you're human. How do we repair the damage for you and move forward?" If you stop insulting yourself, maybe you can even start complimenting yourself and then believing in yourself.</li><li><b>Stop comparing yourself to others.</b> This is another idea that is easier said than done, but even a small victory with this can make a big difference. There are schools with bigger budgets and staffs; there are people younger than you with publishing contracts; there are blogs with broader readership. Besides, you only see the end result when you see the accomplishments of others. You don't see all the mistakes they made or the struggles along the way.</li><li><b>Get yourself a cheering section.</b> Simply put, I have a great group of friends who aren't afraid to call me on it when I make mistakes, but who are also quick with support. They're peer mentors and sounding boards. Friendships like this take work, so I provide the same kind of support for them. In fact, when I was trying to figure out how to talk about this, a member of my cheering sect<span style="font-family: inherit;">ion said, "<span style="color: #263238; line-height: 16px;">You have good friends because you are awesome, so maybe go w/ MLP and friendship is magic?" And they were right. If you're an aspiring writer, court friendships with other writers. Artist? Seek out other artists. Librarian? Find other librarians. I'm sometimes humbled by the support I get, but I'm always honored by their love.</span></span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #263238;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">This all comes down to learning to feel comfortable when you're not in your comfort zone. Being new at something, learning and trying new things, can be hard. It's also hard to feel "real" in those endeavors, but it is possible. Be gentle with yourself and keep working on it.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #263238;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #263238;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">Anything helpful I forgot that you've done in the past?</span></span></div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-88746939629646249142016-07-21T06:55:00.000-04:002016-07-21T06:55:27.213-04:00Prolegomena to Any Future Organizational Frustration, by Brian Rogers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>[Editor’s note: “prolegomena” means prefatory remarks.]</i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Upon beginning my first full-time professional librarian gig, I was neither young nor did I consider myself a librarian (hold onto your dreams, aspiring archivists!). I had been dabbling in different industries, each of which required varying work ethics, displays of organizational prowess, and feats of mental determination. Oh, how I dabbled. Thus, being a full-fledged adult worker, bearing an advanced degree and all the gumption of a novice, I unwittingly hauled along some tacit assumptions about how to get s*#^ done.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-87HB7HaZ1D4/V5CooTFaPcI/AAAAAAAAJ9s/FnFRbQeBS9kwiS67zGLbzP1E7i4yIIoQQCLcB/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-87HB7HaZ1D4/V5CooTFaPcI/AAAAAAAAJ9s/FnFRbQeBS9kwiS67zGLbzP1E7i4yIIoQQCLcB/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And then came that first year. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You will want to do things. You will be excited and you will want to summon forth that energy to prove your mettle and efficiency. You will want to tackle project after project. You will want to advocate for the library’s value in your effectiveness and passion as a worker. You will want to help and you will want to improve.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then you will hit that first organizational brick wall. And once you’ve picked yourself up from that, you will trip over a smaller, second brick wall. And once you’re done cursing brick walls, you’ll scurry through a dust storm, step a little too deep into that mud puddle, and wonder why the hell there are so many traffic cones surrounding you.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x4hL-hJdfeA/V5Coz-VwIKI/AAAAAAAAJ9w/LTesyxvxkAU_uom7Z7CCOreJs7mWFUhRwCLcB/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x4hL-hJdfeA/V5Coz-VwIKI/AAAAAAAAJ9w/LTesyxvxkAU_uom7Z7CCOreJs7mWFUhRwCLcB/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to the odd and wonderful, oft infuriating and anachronistic, world of libraries. We fidget at a nexus of competing energies and agendas, goals and stakeholders, timelines and budgets, purpose and value. There are never enough of us; there’s rarely enough time; we can never please everyone; and we choose our battles the best we can.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you aren’t careful, frustration can and will become your norm. To the purpose of preserving yourself, your energy, and your enthusiasm, I vaguely offer the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Librarians are an idiosyncratic lot. Our personality types run the gamut, but there is a steadfast, determined and stubborn quality about us, as a collective, that I admire. We each stand up for what we deem important to the mission of the library. The quicker you come to appreciate the commonality of intent, independent of the temperament of expression, the easier it will be for you to recognize when your interests and goals may need to recede to whatever good the library (or its governing entities) deems as priority.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-enjkiH-vL4Q/V5CpCL1kikI/AAAAAAAAJ90/arux9AtuCKog7ko0cvTlgIbC8ANlM7zlwCLcB/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-enjkiH-vL4Q/V5CpCL1kikI/AAAAAAAAJ90/arux9AtuCKog7ko0cvTlgIbC8ANlM7zlwCLcB/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The politics of managing a library are unavoidable. We each have our say and our perspective, but few of us will ever be in the position to maintain a holistic awareness of the effort it takes to keep this particular ship afloat. Patience and fortitude, and all good things in time, is the outlook you need. It may take years to push through an initiative you are convinced will only take weeks to finish, and it may take minutes to decide on a project that takes years to complete. You may or may not have a say in either scenario. Adjust your sense and scale of time to be more expansive. Consider your projects and goals, your intent and wishes, from the macro. Libraries tend to not function like industrial behemoths, chugging along at an ungodly pace and churning out service after service after service. We live and work and thrive in an ecosystem that is delicate and sturdy, demanding and lackadaisical.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Purely from anecdote, no two libraries seem to be alike. Talk to one person and you’ll get the rigid, hierarchical, bureaucratic, slow-moving sloth of burden. Talk to a second person and you’ll get the mental whiplash of an overworked, agile, change-oriented… gazelle of delight? Talk to a third person and they’ll hover somewhere between the two, an uncertain and unholy hybrid. Probably don’t talk to a fourth person or you’ll have difficulties generating conclusions. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wherever you happen to end up, take the time to understand the organizational culture you just stumbled into. Understand its history, the folks who have worked there since time immemorial, and the ones with but a mere few years of existential weathering. Understand where they’ve been, where they are, and where they’re trying to go. This is an elementary, but crucial, first step. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every one of us, irrespective of rank or position, whether by design or accident, has a deep influence in how our library runs and how we serve in its mission. But you cannot use brute force to wield that influence, however subtle or overt it may be. The hope, of course, is that you find a library that places reciprocal diligence into getting to know and appreciate you, and that it is a co-evolution of personal and organizational growth. To that end, never cease to advocate for yourself and your professional intentions, while preserving the congeniality of open dialogue.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Brian Rogers is the Director of Library IT at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Prior to that, he worked as a Web Design and Instruction Librarian. Prior to that, he worked as a software tester and copyeditor for the tech industry. Prior to that, he’ll tell you over drinks. He holds a BA in English from Emory, and an MLIS in Archives, Preservation and Records Management from the University of Pittsburgh. Everything clearly, clearly worked out precisely as he imagined it would. He tweets</i> <a href="https://twitter.com/bhar0"><i>@bhar0</i></a>.</span></span></div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-51654200885276669692016-07-19T07:48:00.002-04:002016-07-19T14:43:20.644-04:00The Information Literacy Wrestling Spectacular<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tXwpsPOGI9g/V4a8PGm6fLI/AAAAAAAAJ1E/8tafhunD0_QjgNnBOsGqQny2cTzT5Fy6ACLcB/s1600/9316876993_c0d1002e9f_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tXwpsPOGI9g/V4a8PGm6fLI/AAAAAAAAJ1E/8tafhunD0_QjgNnBOsGqQny2cTzT5Fy6ACLcB/s400/9316876993_c0d1002e9f_z.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://flic.kr/p/fciqWe">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />If you've been doing information literacy instruction for any length of time, you've had to deal with the faculty member who wants a laundry list of skills and websites shown to their students. If you're especially lucky, you've also gotten "teach them everything they'll ever need to know ever about the databases" with a heaping side dish of "oh, and can you do it the first week because I'm sure they'll need it." Of course, there are variations on this theme, like faculty who see you as a substitute teacher who want you to come when they're at a conference or others who wait until you're in the information literacy session to ask for yet another thing... It's enough to make you sigh dramatically just thinking about it, right? The thing is, librarians know the laundry list isn't going to work. By the time students need the skills we've taught them, sometimes years later, they will have forgotten everything including the librarian's name.<br /><br />It's all very frustrating. Feels like a wrestling match at times, and if you're at an institution that considers librarians staff instead of faculty, it can feel like a very mismatched sumo match.<br /><br />The truth is, though, that it's been years since I've had to consciously think about this kind of issue. I have my arguments and responses so firmly in place that it's become second nature to me. But then I saw a string of&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/papersquared/status/752887924455186433">tweets</a> from <a href="https://twitter.com/papersquared">Carolyn Ciesla</a>, and I started to think about it again. I realized it would be a good thing to share on my blog, so here is how I approach the situation, including some of the phrases I use over and over again:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Start early.</b> I email all the first year seminar faculty, and anyone else who incorporates librarian led info lit, way ahead of time so I can be the one to start the conversation. This way I am more likely to be the one steering it to make sure my outcomes are in the mix. I use phrases like "<i>we want to partner with you</i>" to bring that thought home.</li><li><b>Make sure there's an assignment involved.</b> This helps with faculty who want their students to see all the things now because I can tailor my suggestions to what the students will actually need. When there isn't an existing assignment, I offer to help them design one. "<i>It will help cement the lessons, if your students have to use the skills right away.</i>"</li><li><b>Establish a pedagogically sound timeline.</b> Make sure your instruction happens between the students getting the assignment and when it's due. I admit I stole this line, but I tell faculty "<i>it's better that the instruction be just in time instead of just in case.</i>"</li><li><b>Have a pre-established information literacy curriculum.</b> This can be hard to establish, but nothing has helped me push back against the laundry list approach more than this answer. "<i>With first year seminars, we teach X, Y, and Z, and since your class is on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, there isn't a lot of time left over.</i>" Also, "<i>Since this is a senior seminar, most if not all of them will have already seen X, Y, and Z, but to be safe how about I breeze through that before moving onto A, B, and C.</i>" (How to establish a curriculum for your information literacy program is a whole other kettle of fish.)</li><li><b>Be willing to say, "no."</b> This is the most difficult thing, and you might want to check in with your boss before you do it, but it is possible to decline and come out alive. "<i>We want to establish the basics for the students before we go onto something as advanced as that.</i>" This can be harder when faculty plop a request into your lap in the middle of the session, but it's still possible to tell them no, but kindly, at that point. "<i>Your students will be able to find everything they need using the database I'm showing them now, but if we have time at the end I'll try to fit that in</i>" is especially apt.</li><li><b>Know when to give in.</b>&nbsp;I once worked with a faculty member who wanted to teach databases and web analysis on their own, and they wanted me to show their first year students how to use our citation management software. I still think citation management software is a bad idea for first years. Using that kind of software for a paper that will have five citations is overkill and useless since first students won't use it again for months or even years. When this particular faculty member came to me (at a previous job), I complained to my director. "Do I really have to do this? Can I tell them no?" He told me it was my choice, but then wisely pointed out that I could embed my own agenda in the larger lesson and show them how to assess websites in the midst of teaching them how to use the software to create a citation. Smart man, and his idea worked perfectly.</li></ul><br />I hope this post helps. I know I said, "yes! sure!" to everything early in my career, and don't beat up on yourself too much if you aren't comfortable turning down faculty requests and demands. As for the more experienced info lit instructors reading this, chime in with ideas that have worked for you in the past.</div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-28932025081979576162016-07-14T07:38:00.002-04:002016-07-14T07:38:47.118-04:00Interview Post: Emily Thompson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fppM1Z9LYgU/V4d14I6Y9II/AAAAAAAAJ1Y/ghLNaP1usVUX-4hdnihd4piB-z1WispUwCLcB/s1600/IMG_2389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fppM1Z9LYgU/V4d14I6Y9II/AAAAAAAAJ1Y/ghLNaP1usVUX-4hdnihd4piB-z1WispUwCLcB/s320/IMG_2389.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Biographical</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Name?</b></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Emily Thompson</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Current job?</b></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Studio Librarian at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>How long have you been in the field?</b></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Almost 5 years.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">How Do You Work?</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What is your office/workspace like?</b></span></span></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have a desk that wraps around to a table. If I need to focus, I can turn to the desk and face my bulletin board. If I’m feeling tired or stressed, I can put my laptop on the table and look out on the big tree next to the University Center.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>How do you organize your days?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My job entails desk shifts, instruction, and individual appointments; so every day is a little different. I try to spend a few minutes in the morning figuring out where I have to be and at what time. Then I can see which hours are free to work on projects or research.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What do you spend most of your time doing?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I spend most of my time teaching students how to make videos and other multimedia. It might be in a class or 1-on-1 or answering questions at the Studio Desk.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is a typical day like for you?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">People have typical days? There’s usually a combination of Studio desk shifts, 1-on-1 appointments, and classes. All of them involve helping students with various media projects, so my brain keeps the Adobe Suite on constant rotation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My favorite days are when I actually get to see the finished projects that the students have been working on. The head of Sculpture (Lauren Ruth, MFA) lets me be a guest critic in the Performance Art class for the assignment I help them with, and it’s my favorite two days of the spring semester.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you reading right now?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I somehow keep grabbing books without finishing them, so I have two going right now: <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45414348"><i><span style="color: #1155cc;">Salamander</span></i></a><i> </i>&nbsp;by Thomas Wharton and&nbsp; <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/55795584"><i><span style="color: #1155cc;">The Tokyo Zodiac Murders</span></i></a> by Soji Shimada.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What's the best professional advice you've ever received?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You cannot control other people.” Betty Burton told me this back in my first career as a costume designer. I also once had an Esoteric Buddhist Master tell me that I should stop dwelling on old thoughts because they’re like old gum. And like old gum, I should spit them out.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We always talk about how dynamic librarianship is, but I didn’t expect to end up in a position that requires so much constant learning. Every single day a student will get one of our software programs into a new knot, and we have to help them untangle it. Either that or a professor will ask, “Hey, so could you maybe teach my students X?” and we figure out how to do it. I am never bored.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That and fixing a 3D printer. Those things are evil, but my life would be much worse if I couldn’t fix it myself.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Inside the Library Studio</u></b></span></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gah! Jaleh Fazelian already said “defenestrate.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I used to live in Taipei, Taiwan and my favorite expression was O-bu-okay. In Chinese, the word “bu” basically means “not,” and it gets inserted between two of the same verb to basically add an “or not” to the end. For example, “Yao-bu-yao?” is “Do you want it or not?” So they’ve taken the english word OK and added their own grammar. “O-bu-okay” is literally “OK or not OK?” and they run it all together with a delightful lilt.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your least favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t have a word that bugs me. I feel like all of them have their place, but should be used carefully.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wish I knew how to be a really good carpenter. I like patterns and puzzles and I would love to be able to apply that to wood.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession would you never want to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am the least detail-oriented librarian you’ll ever meet, so anything that involves data entry. I always have to do everything three times to make sure I haven’t missed or added anything by mistake.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Everything Else</u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What superpower do you wish you had?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Teleportation. I’ve moved around so much that I don’t get to see all my favorite people nearly often enough. If I could teleport, I would be able to have coffee with whomever I want without the travel time.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you most proud of in your career?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m really proud of the network I’ve built. I genuinely like to meet new people and I try to keep them in a mental file cabinet. Then I can introduce them to each other and spread the network further. The Aquarius-Pisces cusp in me wants everyone to be successful and I like connecting the people who can help each other.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>If you're willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have a lot invested in being “fine.” Most of my big mistakes revolve around being fine to the point of breaking and then exploding. I’m very grateful to be in a position that will occasionally tell me “no.” <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For a more specific example, while I was trying to build out my position at my previous job I tended to be a bit over-enthusiastic as to what I could handle. My “Sure, I can teach your students how to make videos.” was interpreted as “Awesome, we don’t have to learn this thing that’s now required for all 900 of our seniors. We can just send them over to the library.” It required not one but two interventions from the library director explaining that if it’s required of everyone in your department, the department may have to support it. It taught me to ask more questions, say no, and be assertive in reminding colleagues that I’m only one person.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>When you aren't at work, what are you likely doing?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m really a homebody. I tend to be at my house working on some sort of fiber project (knitting, cross-stitch, or sewing clothes) while my cat cries at me to let her go outside. (She’s not allowed outside.)</span></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KFadr0_N2iY/V4d4NFi9G2I/AAAAAAAAJ1k/__Xwrn6ezfU4N14noSvW5SEOwfEcNa8igCLcB/s1600/IMG_2341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KFadr0_N2iY/V4d4NFi9G2I/AAAAAAAAJ1k/__Xwrn6ezfU4N14noSvW5SEOwfEcNa8igCLcB/s320/IMG_2341.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>Who else would you like to see answer these questions?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would love to hear what Meg Hixon has to say, although I worry she’ll get stuck on the superhero question.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: white; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">Emily tweets at&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/librarianofdoom">@librarianofdoom</a></span><i>. This is actually her third post for </i>Letters to a Young Librarian. <i>Previous posts: "<a href="http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/08/pushy-polite-by-emily-thompson.html">Pushy Polite</a>" and "<a href="http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-seven-phases-related-to-building-my.html">The Seven Phases Related to Building My Job from Scratch</a>."</i></span></span></div></div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-36450170714757891282016-07-12T07:18:00.000-04:002016-07-12T07:18:19.168-04:00Captaining the Ship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H7leMctSTMc" width="420"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A while back, a library science graduate student said something like, "did I tell you I've decided I don't want to be a library director?" to me. I'm pretty sure my response was, "Nobody in their right mind does." After we both laughed, I followed up with, "I felt the same way when I was new in the field. Goes to show you never know."</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I remembered that conversation when I read </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a piece on </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Chronicle of Higher Ed:</span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="http://chronicle.com/article/Don-t-Cry-for-Me-Academia-/236931" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Don’t Cry for Me, Academia!" by Kevin J.H. Dettmar</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. In it, Dettmar speaks eloquently about his path to administration, and about how much he loves being a department chair. I found myself nodding along as I read each paragraph. Like Dettmar, I never envisioned a career that would lead to administration, but here I am. </span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of headaches involved with being in charge, but there's a lot of good in administration as well. In case you're considering moving to library administration, here are some of my favorite aspects of my job:</span><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Having a voice/seat at the table</b>. It's not that people didn't listen to me before this job, but there's something nice about the extra weight people both at my college and in the community give my words because I've got the word "director" in my job title.&nbsp;</li><li><b>Setting the agenda</b>. I've got a lot of strong feelings about the direction academic libraries should pursue, and being in administration gives me a way to follow that path. I'm not a dictator; I do listen. But I'm the one captaining the ship and I get to stear. (Sorry/not sorry about the mixed metaphor of paths and ships.)</li><li><b>Helping staff grow.</b> I am still a bit shy of the word "mentor," but it's something I've really grown to love. As the director, I can require professional development and help people work to their strengths. I get to guide people through things they don't think they can do, just like Hamlet the Minipig up there. And that kind of opportunity is worth all the budget headaches in the world.</li></ul><div><br />How about the rest of you? I know a lot of directors/managers/administrators read this blog. What do you like about being an administrator? Please leave a comment.</div></div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-74403596879345366272016-07-07T09:04:00.001-04:002016-07-07T09:19:50.013-04:00Just For Fun: Bugs!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I love insects and spiders. Really, I do. I talk to moths that land near me, telling them how pretty they are. No, I don't get or expect answers. I'm careful to step over ant processions. They have as much right to exist as I do. I capture jumping spiders in my bare hands to escort them out, and anything bigger gets removed with a cup and a piece of cardboard. I think they're fascinating and a lot of them are adorable to me.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong: I'll still swat a mosquito or spray a wasp nest if it's being built on my porch, which both my cats and I use. But really, I love bugs. And thanks to a <a href="https://twitter.com/schomj/status/746543304473354240">friend</a>, I recently found out that there's an <a href="http://insectariuminstitute.com/">insect museum</a> just up the road from me in Philadelphia. So of course I took myself there. Here's some of what I saw:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CbzevwaLG0k/V32Wmmd5CPI/AAAAAAAAJpM/BQa62Wlj7tQXQdSJgtbnppH6-ObpgautQCLcB/s1600/20160702_113434_5_bestshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CbzevwaLG0k/V32Wmmd5CPI/AAAAAAAAJpM/BQa62Wlj7tQXQdSJgtbnppH6-ObpgautQCLcB/s320/20160702_113434_5_bestshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />That's a&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platymeris_biguttatus"><b>White Spotted Assassin Bug</b></a>. They're native to West and Southwest Africa. Bonus for those of you who don't like bugs: they prey on cockroaches!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N7zis_yPHoA/V32YLKK0eEI/AAAAAAAAJpY/_GLxRAtboZgpSlLqv0_E62zU8W1cCFpLQCLcB/s1600/20160702_113538_5_bestshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N7zis_yPHoA/V32YLKK0eEI/AAAAAAAAJpY/_GLxRAtboZgpSlLqv0_E62zU8W1cCFpLQCLcB/s320/20160702_113538_5_bestshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romalea_guttata"><b>Lubber Grasshoppers</b></a> are native to parts of the United States, so if they look familiar that's why. According to the sign at the Insectarium, they are named for the weird way they walk.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0QNMs6qxYJI/V32ZxxigHmI/AAAAAAAAJpk/HlxTe51QuQ40RKeiR_wYXqzKoPm0DP7SACLcB/s1600/20160702_113659_7_bestshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0QNMs6qxYJI/V32ZxxigHmI/AAAAAAAAJpk/HlxTe51QuQ40RKeiR_wYXqzKoPm0DP7SACLcB/s320/20160702_113659_7_bestshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />This <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenopus_coronatus"><b>Orchid Mantis</b></a>&nbsp;was playing peekaboo with me. They're from Southeast Asia. Doesn't it look like it could be part of the plant?<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sPrWpQ_Uvpc/V32cvDv9NhI/AAAAAAAAJp8/J6iVJH8tis0Ddn2UhiFif682Gi0s7qV0ACLcB/s1600/20160702_114836_7_bestshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sPrWpQ_Uvpc/V32cvDv9NhI/AAAAAAAAJp8/J6iVJH8tis0Ddn2UhiFif682Gi0s7qV0ACLcB/s320/20160702_114836_7_bestshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The tank with the <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extatosoma_tiaratum">Macleay's Spectre Stick Insects</a></b> caught my attention for a while. They come from Australia, and can grow up to EIGHT INCHES LONG!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-By82Vg5Li9g/V32eJbR0ZRI/AAAAAAAAJqI/j-jp3st_WdsfS9v2b7FWjDarzjR-zhj9gCLcB/s1600/20160702_115131_5_bestshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-By82Vg5Li9g/V32eJbR0ZRI/AAAAAAAAJqI/j-jp3st_WdsfS9v2b7FWjDarzjR-zhj9gCLcB/s320/20160702_115131_5_bestshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I fell a little in love with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archispirostreptus_gigas">Giant Black African Millipedes</a>. I like cucumbers a lot, too. They are native to a large part of Africa. They have a life expectancy of 5-7 years and are often kept as pets!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vwqo8VJAbGI/V32gdESPfgI/AAAAAAAAJqY/5EwTsKWc2AY0zMbpCcBvbt-0Mur-4M7wwCLcB/s1600/20160702_114245_7_bestshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vwqo8VJAbGI/V32gdESPfgI/AAAAAAAAJqY/5EwTsKWc2AY0zMbpCcBvbt-0Mur-4M7wwCLcB/s320/20160702_114245_7_bestshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1_B39H7Rsfs/V32gcJxfHjI/AAAAAAAAJqU/YnZewpMLMGo7zsb_iAiGz8MFUj2lXPLAQCLcB/s1600/20160702_113911_6_bestshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1_B39H7Rsfs/V32gcJxfHjI/AAAAAAAAJqU/YnZewpMLMGo7zsb_iAiGz8MFUj2lXPLAQCLcB/s320/20160702_113911_6_bestshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />This was the best part of the day. These are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblypygi"><b>Tanzanian Giant Tailless Whipscorpions</b></a>. You'll find them both in Tanzania and in Kenya. They're harmless to humans, and I got to HOLD ONE! It was delicate and light and completely unfazed by me.<br /><br /><br />I left out most of the insects that I knew would really bother people, like the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (although I did get to pet one!). I find insects and arachnids, like my friend the whipscorpion, fascinating. Yes, I even like wasps unless they insist on building in spaces where my cats go. I figure if you've made it this far in the post that you like 'em, too, so share yours in the comments?</div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-18922062378516862292016-06-30T09:11:00.003-04:002016-06-30T09:52:26.138-04:00Interview Post: Robin Bradford<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LnDC07OU6hs/V3UXYhD0HbI/AAAAAAAAJiA/PK6wSKp8eNI6ldA7RaCjQyGAeeUikWu9QCLcB/s1600/ylof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LnDC07OU6hs/V3UXYhD0HbI/AAAAAAAAJiA/PK6wSKp8eNI6ldA7RaCjQyGAeeUikWu9QCLcB/s320/ylof.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Biographical</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Name?</b></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Robin Bradford</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Current job?</b></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Collection Development Librarian</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>How long have you been in the field?</b></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I started my very first library job in 1992, so….24 years. Wow.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">How Do You Work?</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What is your office/workspace like?</b></span></span></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My office, right now, is clean. Hooray! But, normally, there are books and papers cluttering it up. Because, even though I get a fraction of the paper that I got when I started doing collection development in 2001, the clutter seems to cling to me like a designer fragrance. Eau du paper.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>How do you organize your days?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a great question and I wish I had a great answer. It usually works out to me doing print based materials 3 days a week, and AV 1-2 days a week. I focus mainly on new things, but the replacements issue is huge in my collection areas (fiction, music CDs, and fiction DVDs) so time has to be set aside for replacements, too. I have a reminder on my outlook calendar for replacement DVD ordering, because it’s easy to forget but so important. I also work 16 hours/month in public service, so time has to be set aside for that too. That’s usually when I order Overdrive books, because I don’t need to be in my office with catalog and/or journals to do it. I take a weekly turn on the library’s twitter page (visit me on Tuesdays <a href="https://twitter.com/TRLDistrict">@TRLDistrict</a>) and then there are the little things like meetings, conferences, programs, and special projects, that get tossed into various days. You’d think that every day would be the same, but that is rarely the case.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What do you spend most of your time doing?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Discovering things to order.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is a typical day like for you?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Usually, the first thing I do is read email, then check in with twitter. Check the news, see what’s going in <a href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/">booklandia</a> [<i>Editor’s note: Publishers’ Marketplace is behind a paywall, but it’s Robin’s favorite</i>.]. Decide what format I’m going to focus on that day (audiobooks, large print, regular print, a certain genre, DVDs, music CDs) and then off we go. If it’s baseball season, that’s usually the soundtrack in my office.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you reading right now?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://elliottkay.com/dead-mans-debt-is-now-available-on-amazon/">Dead Man’s Debt</a></span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> by Elliott Kay, <i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/891653232">Beyond Addiction</a></i> by Kit Rocha and just last night I finished <i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/906798388">Skies of Ash</a></i> by Rachel Howzell Hall. I recently discovered this series, and it is my new obsession.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What's the best professional advice you've ever received?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Don’t ever pretend you’re not smart.” That sounds like good LIFE advice, but it was definitely good professional advice. Thank you, Georgia Cravey! And “If you’re going to bring me a complaint, come with 2-3 suggestions on how to fix it” Thank you, Penny Pace-Cannon.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Paying $80 for one copy of an ebook.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Inside the Library Studio</u></b></span></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today, it is conundrum.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your least favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Entitlement. (My least favorite attitude, as well.)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Professional cellist.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession would you never want to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mathematician.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Everything Else</u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What superpower do you wish you had?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Telekinesis. I’m actually really mad about this.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you most proud of in your career?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Opening up collections to a much wider variety of materials, and making a wider variety of people feel like their library really does want to have the things they’re interested in.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>If you're willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">HA! I actually talk about my mistakes all the time on twitter. One of my favorites was ordering 85 copies of a book when I meant to order 5. Luckily, most of them were able to be sent back. Not all 80 copies, though… I’ve ordered things that were tiny, there was also that football book once with the astroturf cover…</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>When you aren't at work, what are you likely doing?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m a tv show addict, so probably discovering a new show, or catching up on current shows, or watching the show my friends told me about and I never did see….If a show was on during 2004-<span style="font-family: inherit;">2008, when I was working and in law school, there’s a good chance I missed it. Prison Break, Lost, Friday Night Lights, Heroes….yeah, I have a lot of catching up to do. If someone has forced me outside into the world, I’m probably at a restaurant, a baseball game, or somewhere near large bodies of water.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>Who else would you like to see answer these questions?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shayera Tangri.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: white; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><i><span style="line-height: 115%;">Robin tweets, a lot, at <a href="https://twitter.com/Tuphlos">@tuphlos</a>.</span></i></span></div></div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-9786934233240920522016-06-28T11:19:00.001-04:002016-06-28T11:19:16.622-04:00Minority Serving & Representing Libraries<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">We are a predominately white and female profession. I'm not so much worried about the woman power stuff (and I do include anyone who identifies as female part or all of the time in that term), but the Caucasian aspect bothers me. Especially at my own institution, which has a student body that is largely African American. This topic came up a few months ago when I was participating in a <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&amp;vertical=default&amp;q=libleadgender&amp;src=typd">#libleadgender</a> conversation on Twitter, one that was - I think - lead by <a href="https://twitter.com/AprilHathcock">April Hathcock</a>. Talk had turned to how we work towards inclusion as a way to serve our community:<br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en">I love blend of convo b/w inclusion for patrons/students &amp; in workplace. Do you consciously think abt, work on both? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/libleadgender?src=hash">#libleadgender</a></div>— April Hathcock (@AprilHathcock) <a href="https://twitter.com/AprilHathcock/status/707737279398334464">March 10, 2016</a></blockquote><br />As I said above, I work at a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority-serving_institution">minority serving institution</a>, and every day I try to move towards this kind of inclusion. <a href="https://twitter.com/brettdcurrier/status/707738068845891584">Someone asked</a> me to explain further what I do, so here it is. This is by no means scientific, but I feel it helps the situation.<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>I start recruiting students to work at the library before they've even started classes. </b>Any time I work an orientation (and I work plenty of them), I'll answer anyone's questions about jobs in the library but <b>I will bring up the topic with all students of color</b>. I talk about how working in the library isn't just sitting at a desk doing your homework, about how we give our student workers important tasks to do and sometimes even have them take the lead on projects so it will look good on a resume and/or internship application.</li><li><b>I skip the name on application materials and look at the body of their application</b>/cover letter/resume/etc. first. I am very white. I was out in the sun for hours this weekend, and I think I've darkened almost to an ecru (usually my skin is more cream color). I also have a fairly Caucasian sounding name. Study after study has shown bias, either conscious or unconscious, even when it comes to whether your name *sounds* white. This is my way of controlling for that bias.</li><li><b>We do book displays tied to different minority groups and people of color outside of their designated months</b>. We had a display about protest culture and important figures tied to civil rights protests in the fall instead of during African American History Month. We had another display with materials about Islam and Muslim Americans and Arab Americans in the winter, instead of in April during Arab American Heritage Month.&nbsp;</li><li>Most importantly, I think, <b>I talk about the elephant in the room</b>. I talk to students, especially our student workers, about how the library can better support students of color. I've said some version of "Librarianship is such a white profession, but I want the people behind the desk to reflect the people who come up to the desk" so often I've lost count. I'm the director, so things I say are weighted differently from other librarians - they're taken more seriously, whether I want them to be or not. I try to keep that in mind, ask questions, and then really listen to the answers. Even if my feelings get hurt, listening is even more important than asking the questions.</li></ul><br />In the past, I've been guilty of trying to be the "<a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=White%20savior">white savior</a>," but someone (Thank you!) pointed it out to me and I've mostly worked that instinct out of my system. I no longer assume I know how to fix every problem, especially one as complex as systemic and ingrained racism. I'm curious what kinds of efforts have been successful for others. Comment or respond on social media? Thanks!<br /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-22672576537956062232016-06-23T08:52:00.003-04:002016-06-23T09:11:09.869-04:00Interview Post: Amy Watson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E8Q6mAkYfxI/V2vY2ygeieI/AAAAAAAAJag/BR1agY4V_Msc9w2iBN2PJDq0WFEnLTDqACLcB/s1600/IMG_3454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E8Q6mAkYfxI/V2vY2ygeieI/AAAAAAAAJag/BR1agY4V_Msc9w2iBN2PJDq0WFEnLTDqACLcB/s320/IMG_3454.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Biographical</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Name?</span></b><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">Amy Watson</span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>Current job?</b></span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">I am an information specialist for a Fortune 500 coatings &amp; specialty chemicals company. Our information centers support our company globally, with a primary focus on our science &amp; technology centers. My areas of research responsibility are coatings/paint, glass, and fiberglass. I always tell people that my job is to support our scientists from their first glimmer of a new idea, all the way through to patenting and commercialization.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>How long have you been in the field?</b></span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">I’ve worked in libraries since I was in high school, starting as a student page. My public library job continued while I was in college, and after undergrad I kind of floundered my way into library school. I finished my degree in 1997, and though my goal was academic reference, I have spent my entire professional career in special (nonprofit or corporate) libraries.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">How Do You Work?</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What is your office/workspace like?</b></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">I split my week between two physical libraries, but in both cases my workspace is integrated into the library. Our company has a “clean desk policy,” so both of them are pretty tidy. They’re very clearly “my” space though – I have a lot of little nerdy knickknacks and I love calendars.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>How do you organize your days?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">I carry an amazing planner, and I’m queen of to-do lists. I keep a running tally of the searches I need to do, so that my scientists can pop by &amp; see where they are in the queue. I try to make every Wednesday “admin day” and just sit down to crank out all of the administrative stuff I might let slide otherwise. I treat myself to a fancy coffee &amp; a donut Wednesday mornings, and just slog my way through.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What do you spend most of your time doing?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">I’d say that the bulk of my time is split between doing literature searches, predominantly looking for patents, and internal document management. We’re the administrators of our electronic laboratory notebook system, and I try to be on hand as much as possible to make that run as smoothly as I can.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is a typical day like for you?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">I’m the early shift at both of my sites, so I turn on the lights a little after seven most mornings. I try to plot out and stick to a weekly to-do list, but have to maintain some flexibility as people drop in with deadlines and emergencies. Since I split my time between two physical libraries it often feels like I have two Mondays every week. I am a firm believer in work/life balance, so I try incredibly hard to be back out the door by four.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you reading right now?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 107%;">Mostly travel guides for Alaska and Vancouver. And maybe a few romance novels.</span>&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What's the best professional advice you've ever received?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">My dad once told me: “Never ask someone to do something that you’re unwilling to do yourself.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">I am the introvert to end all introverts, so I’m very surprised at how much I enjoy leading training sessions and teaching. It takes me a bit of time to be comfortable with my audience, and I lean very heavily on s</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">elf-deprecating&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">humor, but it’s something my boss pushed me out of my comfort zone to do. I enjoy getting to know our scientists through the sessions quite a bit.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Inside the Library Studio</u></b></span></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">Quagmire. Cornucopia. Plethora.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your least favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">Maintenance. I can never spell it on the first try.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">On good days I think about intellectual property law, or auditing. On bad days, long distance trucking, or miniature goat farming.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession would you never want to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">Anything medical. God bless every single person who’s ever had to put up with me during a blood draw.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Everything Else</u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What superpower do you wish you had?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">Freezing time or teleportation.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you most proud of in your career?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">Before my dad retired from the military, he arranged for me to go on an educator’s flight in a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling plane. During the descent to the runway, I was able to sit in the cockpit and I noticed our company logo in the corner of the plane’s windshield. I’ve supported our aerospace scientists on some of their innovations, and I was so thrilled to see something that I’d researched in a real world application. Especially since it was something so personal to me. Our company motto is “We Protect and Beautify the World” and in that moment I thought, “yes, yes we do.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>If you're willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">I’m a big believer in recognition, and one of my favorite things to do each year is host a patent &amp; trade secret luncheon. A few years ago a scientist came into the library and said “What time’s the luncheon today? I’d like the salmon!” and I realized that I’d completely forgotten to invite him. (Thank god for gossip networks...) Everything was fine, the restaurant was accommodating, and no one knew I’d forgotten him but him… but I was horrified. I still am. This event is something I pride myself on doing, something so important to me, and I’d dropped the ball.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>When you aren't at work, what are you likely doing?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">Planning our next vacation. Reading, listening to music, hanging out with my husband and our cats. &nbsp;Knitting. Obsessing about hockey. Napping like a champion.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>Who else would you like to see answer these questions?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">Erin Leach. Amy Wainwright.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: white; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: white; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Amy tweets at&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/librarianamy">@librarianamy</a>.</i></span></span></span></div></div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-24528199893749376732016-06-21T11:42:00.000-04:002016-06-21T11:42:55.641-04:00Innovation and Deep Pockets<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I read an article last week that had me steaming by the time I was halfway through it. The article could be boiled down to one idea: academic libraries should look to public libraries for inspiration so we don't become relics. The author went on to point out what a lot of big schools (and just big schools) have been doing in this vein.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tsGFNGoXl9w/V2gM0M4KyqI/AAAAAAAAJVg/U-hBUOQl0fU75ovQ1VdmJFKh9dJJQHj_QCLcB/s1600/ABtwP3k.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tsGFNGoXl9w/V2gM0M4KyqI/AAAAAAAAJVg/U-hBUOQl0fU75ovQ1VdmJFKh9dJJQHj_QCLcB/s1600/ABtwP3k.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, after reading this article. (<a href="http://imgur.com/gallery/9ogej">source</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I'm not going to name names, because this isn't the first (or second, or twentieth) time I've seen this phenomenon. "Look at this cool new thing," from someone at a big school is inevitably something either I or a colleague at another small school, or both, have been doing for a decade. And I'm getting tired of it. So tired that I had a mini Twitter rant after reading it:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1I0DY2q6OZ8/V2gonqF7moI/AAAAAAAAJXU/v7zTTguuuO0T7jPJImMCCb-8RSUtdMQkQCLcB/s1600/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1I0DY2q6OZ8/V2gonqF7moI/AAAAAAAAJXU/v7zTTguuuO0T7jPJImMCCb-8RSUtdMQkQCLcB/s400/Capture.PNG" width="338" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">original rant <a href="https://twitter.com/olinj/status/743524218948681728">here</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Let me toot my own horn for a bit here and tell you about things I've done that were inspired in part or in whole by public libraries:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Graphic novel collections (built two on my own and am building a third with help from my staff right now) and other <a href="http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/2011/06/im-thinking-like-vegas-my-collection.html">popular reading materials</a>&nbsp;collections;</li><li>Live action role playing&nbsp;<a href="http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/2011/09/there-are-zombies-in-library-or.html">gaming</a> in the library;&nbsp;</li><li><a href="http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/2013/12/puppy-power-therapy-dogs-in-academic.html">Therapy dogs</a> for comfort during final exams;</li><li>A circulating board game collection (I haven't written a post about this yet, but I should.).</li></ul><div><br />One other thing that I've done that I consider innovative was a <a href="http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/04/schoolin-my-community-or-outreach-and.html">cultural literacy talk series</a> which featured topics like the biblical/literary/scientific origins of modern zombies and perspectives on abortion as seen through teen movies.</div><div><br /></div><div>Further, I'm not the only librarian at a small academic library who is doing these kinds of things. Not by a lot. Graphic novel collections are widespread now, and board games collections are gaining traction. I've seen maker spaces in academic libraries. Arts &amp; crafts nights. Dance parties. Video game tournaments. I could go on and on, but I won't.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even all of that wouldn't bother me, though, if not for the cherry on the poop sundae of this phenomenon. The thing that bothers me the most is that people think I have no imagination because I can't spend a lot of money on things. Or, as Barbara Fister put it (so much better than I ever could):</div></div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/mjecclestone">@mjecclestone</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/olinj">@olinj</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jacobsberg">@jacobsberg</a> There's a lot of privilege in libraryland that confuses under-resourced with being not visionary enough</div>— (((barbara fister))) (@bfister) <a href="https://twitter.com/bfister/status/742735296383442945">June 14, 2016</a></blockquote><br />Other small academic library people, share some things you've done in the comments!<br /><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-65864639603597873372016-06-16T09:35:00.001-04:002016-06-16T09:51:49.840-04:00Interview Post: Tara Lannen-Stanton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3gp1LVvTfgk/V2KkcjF1KaI/AAAAAAAAJSE/FxMldv4KuXYoeOyUUf0yH_a4TxRhaTuHQCLcB/s1600/Tara%2BPic%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3gp1LVvTfgk/V2KkcjF1KaI/AAAAAAAAJSE/FxMldv4KuXYoeOyUUf0yH_a4TxRhaTuHQCLcB/s400/Tara%2BPic%2B1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Biographical</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Name?</span></b><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white;">Tara Lannen-Stanton</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Current job?</span></b><br /><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Assistant Director, Job &amp; Business Academy (JBA) at Queens Library. JBA provides job search help, technology training, business development, and entry-level job skills training.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">How long have you been in the field?</span></b><br /><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10 years (wow!)</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">How Do You Work?</span></u></b></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What is your office/workspace like?</b></span></span><br /><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have an office with an actual door, which is just about the most amazing thing ever in the workplace. I have lots of cubbies and boxes filled with years of stats sheets and other items for grant reporting, in case of audit. I’m definitely a messy desk person and have my “organized” piles. I’ve been trying to separate things into current work, to read, to file, and to throw away, but that doesn’t always work.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>How do you organize your days?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I live and die by my Outlook Calendar. I make a lot of use of follow-up flags and tasks. For example, when I send out emails that have due dates (either for myself or others), I put a flag on it and set a reminder for a certain day or time. Sometimes that leads to way too many reminders but it’s the best solution I have found. I also take a lot of notes in a 3-subject binder and put stars next to important items and check boxes next to things I need to do or follow up on. I actually have a whole box filled with notebooks that I’ve used throughout the years. Every once in a while I go back to refer to something or for an old idea.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What do you spend most of your time doing?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Meetings, meetings, meetings…also writing, reports, and managing staff. A lot of the work that I do now is program and grants management, but I also spend a lot of time working with our development department to find more funds to sustain, expand, or start new services.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is a typical day like for you?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Before I go to work, I have coffee rituals, or as my husband would say, “coffee messes.” I definitely like to get into work early so I have at least an hour to work without having to run to a meeting. Then my day basically proceeds as above (meetings, meetings, reports etc). I really love it when I am able to get out to the different JBA locations and see my team and interact with customers. When I see customers in their natural habitat, they’re usually happy and tell me all about how my team has helped them. It’s really nice because when customers call me in my office, it’s usually because they’re upset or something has gone wrong. I don’t really have a set schedule which often means just working until the work is done for the day. I feel like I am never truly caught up, so I do try to write down a few things that I need to accomplish the next day before I leave.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you reading right now?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">The new </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/911171976"><span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Mercy Thompson book</span></a><span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">. I had forgotten I’d ordered it, so when it was delivered to my Kindle while I was reading something else it was a delightful surprise.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.8px;">&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What's the best professional advice you've ever received?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve been lucky to have some great leaders and mentors around me during my library career, but I think the best piece of advice I got was from my first library supervisor. It was my first semester of library school and I had been lucky enough to land a library intern job at Ann Arbor District Library, but I was really hating library school. When I complained about the busy work and what I felt was the lack of academic rigor, she said to just get myself through and take what I could from the classes, I just needed that piece of paper and I was going to be a great librarian. She was right.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, basically everything I do! When I started library school, I thought I would probably put my MA in Middle Eastern studies to work and be an academic librarian or a cataloging librarian. Several twists and turns later, I ended up doing something within libraries that I love just as much. I’ve immersed myself in the workforce development world, approaching it from a public library perspective where we provide services to everyone, with no pre-qualifications, makes me quite happy even on days when my job is difficult.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Inside the Library Studio</u></b></span></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This question was hard. Does it make me a bad librarian if I say I don’t have one? I’m sure there are words that I use often but none really stand out as favorites.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What is your least favorite word?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t think I have a least favorite word either. Probably business jargon-type words?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Probably another helping profession of some sort…a doctor or teacher. But maybe a trapeze artist or something equally as implausible.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What profession would you never want to attempt?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would not want to be an honest to goodness grant writer. I work a lot with our development department on writing grants and proposals, but I am a program person. I like to design, implement, and sustain programs.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u>Everything Else</u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What superpower do you wish you had?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Flying!!!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>What are you most proud of in your career?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two things come to mind. One is personal; it’s how far I have come both personally and professionally while raising my daughter. I was in high school when I had her and it was a struggle, especially when she was little, to go to school and work and raise her, but I am so proud of what we’ve done together. The second is really just about my department and my staff. We started out as a temporary grant-funded project and in just a few years became an established and, I think, important service for customers at the library. It’s also about the connections we’ve made, the relationships we’ve established, the reputation we’ve built as a great and effective service.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>If you're willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lots of mistakes, big and small, I feel like there are too many to choose from. A mistake I made this week was not saving a document I was working on regarding a new program model. I had completely finished it and then clicked out and when it asked me if I wanted to save, I said no. Thankfully that mistake only hurt me, I stayed late to finish it. I think a lot of making mistakes is learning how to deal with the fallout. I’ve found that if you acknowledge your mistakes graciously and apologize and just in general be a reliable person, you can recover from a lot. That and trying not to beat yourself up…I’m still working on that.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>When you aren't at work, what are you likely doing?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reading, watching TV shows (I didn’t have a TV growing up so I just love ALL the shows), and drinking craft beer.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.8px;"><b>Who else would you like to see answer these questions?</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Huh, good question. Maybe Karen Keys or Amy Mikel, two of my favorite librarians at Brooklyn Public Library.</span></span><br /><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Tara tweets at&nbsp;</i></span></span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><i><a href="https://twitter.com/TaraLSF">@TaraLSF</a>, but she says "not often."</i></span></div></div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-86833132477216800032016-06-14T07:14:00.000-04:002016-06-14T07:14:21.255-04:00We Need to Do Something<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As I sat down to write this week's post, I learned about the tragedy of the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida. As of my typing this, there are 50 confirmed dead and 53 injured. Pulse, the location of this horrendous hate crime, was a gay club. It is Pride Month and it was Latin night. The victims of this completely preventable crime were there at a club that was likely a home away from home for them and on a night that was honoring and valuing the latin@s in the community. They should have been safe. This shouldn't keep happening. It just shouldn't. So if you're looking for a library oriented post this week, you'll have to wait until I publish the guest post on Thursday. I need to write about gun violence in this country.<br /><br /><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en">i find myself searching for this tweet every few months <a href="https://t.co/Nfb3o2WFM7">pic.twitter.com/Nfb3o2WFM7</a></div>— EMO SLUT (@princess_labia) <a href="https://twitter.com/princess_labia/status/741974351432581120">June 12, 2016</a></blockquote>I understand the implied fatalistic attitude in that tweet, but I can't give into it. This is not inevitable. Nobody should have to live in constant fear that they will be the random victim of a bullet, and we all do now. We all do. Schools aren't safe. Libraries aren't safe. Churches aren't safe. Night clubs. Movie theaters. Nowhere is safe. And we deserve to feel safe. We need to do something about this.<br /><br />Please, if you live in the US, contact your elected officials. Here are a few links you can use:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://www.senate.gov/index.htm">Contact your senator</a>. (I haven't found a way to link directly to the list, but that page has a pull down menu in the top right corner that is labeled "Find Your Senator".)</li><li><a href="http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/">Contact your representative</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.usa.gov/state-governor">Contact your governor</a>.</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>I'm not going to argue with anyone about whether or not we need gun control, so I'm turning the comments off for this post. If you try to bully me on other posts or on Twitter or wherever you can find me, that won't work either. I'm also not going to post all the countless works that have been written about how guns just mean more gun violence, not safety. If you haven't come to believe that yet, nothing I link is going to convince you. Guns are too easy to obtain. That's it. Or, in the words of my friend, Donna Lanclos:</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><div dir="ltr" lang="en">Spew homophobic poison &amp; insist on arming bigots &amp; have the NERVE to offer feeble prayers instead of moral and legislative courage FUCK YOU</div>— Donna Lanclos (@DonnaLanclos) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonnaLanclos/status/742012575945101313">June 12, 2016</a></blockquote><br />And here's one of the cutest gifs I've seen in a while as a way to thank you for taking action:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BACQtqFXeDk/V11_Elu7TcI/AAAAAAAAJMo/495tc5SRuOExzf_fqQsiXxIlOtsORGwwwCLcB/s1600/giphy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BACQtqFXeDk/V11_Elu7TcI/AAAAAAAAJMo/495tc5SRuOExzf_fqQsiXxIlOtsORGwwwCLcB/s1600/giphy.gif" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/xT0GqAHz8AC3FiJQMU">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-58981640948433266372016-06-09T09:33:00.001-04:002016-06-09T09:33:43.603-04:00Employee Copy Rights, by Michael Rodriguez <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G_O8ZzpoAlg/V1lwAINkRXI/AAAAAAAAJGY/-mqE-usmGe0oTWz4TWSQ90GxyTP4OWBQQCLcB/s1600/14901020222_4ca85af022_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G_O8ZzpoAlg/V1lwAINkRXI/AAAAAAAAJGY/-mqE-usmGe0oTWz4TWSQ90GxyTP4OWBQQCLcB/s320/14901020222_4ca85af022_z.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://flic.kr/p/oGKCaL">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s a basic fact: you own what you create unless you sign it away. However, a lot of people don’t realize that just about every employer asks you to give up at least some of your rights, and just about every working librarian is an employee of some sort. As such, it behooves us to maximize our copy rights.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Works for Hire<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Works for hire” means intellectual property created as part of your job duties. The rule of thumb is that employers own brochures, social media posts, videos, slide decks, syllabi, and other content that you create for the marketing or teaching you are paid to do. This means that you might need permission to reuse these works if you change jobs. Note: your employer must identify the works-for-hire provision as a condition of employment, <i>and</i> you must sign off on this condition. Otherwise, your works are not for hire.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unpaid Works<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Generally, employers cannot claim ownership of works created while employees are off the clock. If you come home from your 9-to-5 and write a blog post, for example, then you own that blog post, no questions asked. But many employers claim ownership of materials created “using company resources.” So if you use your work computer while on lunch break, then you are using company resources. What if you’re operating your personal laptop but using the building’s Wi-Fi or electricity? In that case, I doubt a reasonable employer would claim ownership … but personal hotspots are more secure anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Contracted Works<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you an independent contractor? Then you own your intellectual property unless the contract says differently. For example, when I teach webinars for the State of Florida, I agree to grant the State nonexclusive distribution and reuse rights; however, my contract plainly states that I own and may reuse any materials (e.g., slide decks) created for the webinar.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Scholarly Works<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you work for a college or university? Are you faculty or professional staff? If so, then you should own any peer-reviewed articles or other scholarly materials you create. Most universities exempt scholarship from the default works-for-hire policy, even if scholarly output is an expectation for employment. Notwithstanding this exemption, universities commonly claim the right to use your scholarship for their own purposes, such as marketing or internal research. And universities generally do lay claim to your syllabi and teaching materials. Don’t assume a blanket exemption exists for faculty.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Know your rights<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Information is power. If you are already an employee, review your employer’s policies or talk to Human Resources. If you are a prospective employee, then ask to see a standard contract or the employee handbook. Most government agencies have this information publicly available online, so knowing your rights comes easily. But if you have to ask, be sure to ask nicely—throwing legalese at bosses or HR is a sure way to ruffle feathers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Negotiate Better Rights<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Try to negotiate better rights and write these terms into your contract before accepting a job or freelance gig. For the contentedly employed, promotions are an opportunity to renegotiate existing contracts. I know a former State of Nebraska employee who got all his output released under a Creative Commons license! Not all organizations are willing or able to grant such exceptions, but it usually doesn’t hurt to ask. At least try to retain <a href="http://www2.isu.edu/~baerralp/MoralRights.pdf">moral rights</a>, especially the right to have your intellectual property attributed to you. Or write language into the contract giving you distribution rights without ownership. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When you create something, it’s yours. As employees, let’s work to keep it that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Michael Rodriguez is an Electronic Resources Librarian at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Previously he worked as E-Learning Librarian at Hodges University in Florida. Michael is an independent copyright trainer and consultant, a 2015 </i>Library Journal<i> Reviewer of the Year, and an avid hiker and cyclist. He tweets </i><a href="https://twitter.com/topshelver"><i>@topshelver</i></a></span><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-65233810807229958512016-06-07T07:48:00.000-04:002016-06-07T07:48:00.708-04:00You Are Going To Be Okay: Things You Need To Know For Your New Job<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8o4mFaGDuVY/V1NqP6VS7iI/AAAAAAAAJBk/B7LpEfVkVrAGhDLRTMaaqj1W-woN_B0LwCLcB/s1600/7QwXz.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8o4mFaGDuVY/V1NqP6VS7iI/AAAAAAAAJBk/B7LpEfVkVrAGhDLRTMaaqj1W-woN_B0LwCLcB/s400/7QwXz.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />A while back, I wrote a post of specific advice for a <a href="http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/11/i-got-job-now-what.html" target="_blank">first time instruction librarian</a>, but this week I want to expand that advice to be more inclusive of all brand new librarians:<br /><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>They hired you on purpose</b>. Most professional positions get lots and lots and LOTS of applicants, so if you're the one who gets the job offer it is definitely a conscious effort on their part. I know this might seem ridiculous to emphasize, but so many people act like it was an accident that they got a job offer. Really, it wasn't a slip up by the hiring committee (or person).</li><li><b>You don't have to interview anymore once they give you the job</b>. This is a fault of mine. For the first year of any job, I keep trying to prove why I'm the right person. I'm not saying you should be arrogant, but you don't have to keep selling yourself to your boss and your coworkers. They met you during the interview process. They know you. It's your job.</li><li><b>You are going to get overwhelmed</b>. It's okay. It's normal. My first professional position was an amazing opportunity, but the interview process had felt too easy and - as I've already mentioned - I kept trying to interview for it even after they'd hired me and I'd started working. Anytime you start to feel overwhelmed, take lots of notes and ask lots of questions. Don't be afraid to ask questions again if you weren't clear on the answer. Nobody should expect you to hit the ground running.</li><li><b>You are going to make mistakes</b>. Unless you are a perfect superbeing (in which case, you're either lying or have a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TARDIS">T.A.R.D.I.S.</a> available), you're going to mess up. You'll forget to spellcheck an email that goes out to a big group, or be late to a meeting, or even *gasp* forget about an appointment. Don't make a habit of it, but don't hide from it. Own your mistakes and make amends and talk about how you'll move forward if it impacted a bunch of people. Make mistakes, but learn from them.</li><li><b>You are going to be okay</b>. When I was a brand new library director, I felt like I was drowning almost every day. Now that I've been doing it for a while, I can feel and see and hear the progress. You'll have the same thing. If you're lucky, you'll have mentors on the ground with you. (I'm sorry, but your boss can't really mentor you - a mentor needs to be a safe space where you can complain about your boss if necessary or debate when it's time to move up/on with your career.) If you don't have mentors there, reach out to local librarians or even people online.&nbsp;</li></ol><div><br />This isn't an all inclusive list of things you, in particular, will need to know. It *is* a list of things that every new librarian (or old librarian with a new job) needs to know. Don't you think? Other experienced librarians, anything to add?</div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-42066309140238203412016-06-02T10:17:00.000-04:002016-06-02T10:17:13.699-04:00Just for Fun: Superheroes and Comics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-buB_vaz13rQ/V0i-rckEpeI/AAAAAAAAI8w/dRZPKiXh38868gsD6gNDJiMGrGbaWqUZACLcB/s1600/lyingcat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-buB_vaz13rQ/V0i-rckEpeI/AAAAAAAAI8w/dRZPKiXh38868gsD6gNDJiMGrGbaWqUZACLcB/s400/lyingcat.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://horrorfeminista.com/tag/lying-cat/">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />I'm taking a Smithsonian class through&nbsp;<a href="https://www.edx.org/"><span style="color: blue;">EdX</span></a>&nbsp;right now: "<a href="https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:SmithsonianX+POPX1.4x+2T2016/info"><span style="color: blue;">The Rise of Superheroes and Their Impact on Culture</span></a>." Every online class I've ever taken has a requisite "introduce yourself" post at the beginning of the class, but they are usually kind of boring. This one, though, was so much fun to think about and to write that I thought I'd share it with you all:</div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Why did I decide to enroll in Superheroes?</span></b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Because there's always more to learn, even though I've taught graphic novels and comic books and presented about using them in the classroom multiple times. Also: Stan Lee is one of the teachers.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">What am I most excited about learning about?</span></b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br />The creative process behind the comic books. Rhetorical analysis and historical analysis and looking at comics as modern fairy tales, I've done. (Love thinking about how the theories of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/64208181"><span style="color: #0078b0; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Jack Zipes</span></a>&nbsp;apply&nbsp;to the changes in the big name heroes.) I'm trying to push myself to be more creative, too, so this fits perfectly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">What am I hoping to achieve in the course?</span></b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br />I'm coming into this class with limited expectations. Learning? Growing? Fun? I am really just taking this class for poops and giggles, even though it will likely look nice on my CV.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Who is my favorite superhero? Why?</span></b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br />GAH! How can one pick? My favorite comic book character isn't a superhero in the traditional sense.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.usagiyojimbo.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Usagi Yojimbo</span></a>&nbsp;is my boy, but that's no surprise. I adore samurai films (especially&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_Kurosawa"><span style="color: blue;">Kurosawa</span></a>) but I'm also a sucker for fierce animals. For a more traditional "superhero" pick, it's probably&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellboy"><span style="color: blue;">Hellboy</span></a>. Sure, he's a demon, but he's always seemed more "real" to me than so many others. Also, Mike Mignola's art style resonates with me. There's a newer character of whom I'm fond but I don't know her as well yet:&nbsp;<a href="http://comicvine.gamespot.com/zephyr/4005-12459/"><span style="color: blue;">Zephyr (Faith Herbert)</span></a>. It's an oft heard refrain, but representation really matters. Seeing a rad fatty flying? Awesome.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Who are my all-time top 5 favorite superheroes? What is my favorite comic for each?</span></b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br />I don't like typical superheroes, but since I already discussed my real favorites above, I'm going to list 5 comics or graphic novels that I love that have mainstream superheroes:<o:p></o:p></span></div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Batman in "<a href="http://comicvine.gamespot.com/detective-comics-643-the-library-of-souls/4000-113114/"><span style="color: #0078b0; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Library of Souls</span></a>." I'm a librarian, so anything library-esque catches my attention. And in this book, Batman has one of the most groaningly awful good lines I've ever seen: "He pulled out a Saturday Night Special. Too bad it was Friday night."&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Any of the animal cyborgs in&nbsp;<i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/61117739"><span style="color: blue;">WE3</span></a></i>&nbsp;by Grant Morrison, but the bunny most of all. Using animals to show us our own mortality is brilliant, and the rabbit was perhaps the bravest of the group.<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Superman in&nbsp;<i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/37685448"><span style="color: blue;">The Wake</span></a></i>&nbsp;by Neil Gaiman. That cracked, although not broken, fourth wall moment when he and Batman talk about nightmares where they are really actors playing themselves in a television show...? That moment has always stuck with me, and creative moments that stick feel like Art instead of art.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Death at any point in "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandman_(Vertigo)"><span style="color: blue;">The Sandman</span></a>" series, but especially in&nbsp;<i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/34375117"><span style="color: blue;">The Kindly Ones</span></a></i>&nbsp;when she comes to take her brother. Her kind but absolute honesty is so different from all of her siblings, and her ability to find joy in her life is inspiring.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">And I know I promised to stick to traditional superheroes, but I can't not mention one of my newest favorite characters:&nbsp;<a href="http://sagacomic.wikia.com/wiki/Lying_Cat"><span style="color: #0078b0; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Lying Cat</span></a>. She may only be a supporting character in the plot of "<a href="https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/saga"><span style="color: blue;">Saga</span></a>," but she feels to me like the voice of the series.<o:p></o:p></li></ul><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Who are some of my favorite authors and illustrators?</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;</span><a href="http://evandorkin.livejournal.com/"><span style="background: white; color: blue;">Evan Dorkin</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">, for sure. LOVE&nbsp;<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beasts_of_Burden"><span style="color: blue;">Beasts of Burden</span></a></i>.&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.bryan-talbot.com/"><span style="background: white; color: blue;">Bryan Talbot</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">, too. His storytelling ability slays me.&nbsp;</span><a href="http://scottmccloud.com/"><span style="background: white; color: blue;">Scott McCloud</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">. His ability to teach by demonstrating in his works is amazing.&nbsp;</span><a href="http://fabioandgabriel.blogspot.com/"><span style="background: white; color: blue;">Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;- I am always happy when I read their books. I don't even care what the story lines are, I know I'm going to love it.&nbsp;</span><a href="http://geneyang.com/"><span style="background: white; color: blue;">Gene Luen Yang</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;(I don't remember this, but I've been told I squeaked when I met him in person). He's another artist/author with amazing storytelling skills.&nbsp;</span><a href="http://jillthompson.tumblr.com/"><span style="background: white; color: blue;">Jill Thompson</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">... I was introduced to her drawing style in "The Sandman" series and try to follow her wherever she goes.&nbsp;</span><a href="http://ursulavernon.com/"><span style="background: white; color: blue;">Ursula Vernon</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">. I wish I could live inside her art sometimes - so beautifully surreal. I could go on and on and on.</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">How do I engage with other comic fans in your local community and/or online?</span></b><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br />I mostly don't engage in the local community, but I do go to the tiny comic con they have in my city every year. This year I'll even be presenting! On a panel with an English professor (at the college where I work) and an English teacher (at a local high school) about integrating comics into the curriculum. Online, I chat with friends and follow my favorite publishers (Dark Horse, Fantagraphics, Image) on Twitter so I can keep up with what's new.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">So how about you?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-22380128744654145592016-05-31T08:31:00.001-04:002016-05-31T08:31:51.857-04:00Five Years of Letters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W12cV0odJJg/V0ZUIU1XHaI/AAAAAAAAI68/TxVZjFoM-ac8wJZWu81k-P-kjManAnfrwCLcB/s1600/number-5-candle-sparkler-CAND49.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W12cV0odJJg/V0ZUIU1XHaI/AAAAAAAAI68/TxVZjFoM-ac8wJZWu81k-P-kjManAnfrwCLcB/s1600/number-5-candle-sparkler-CAND49.JPG" /></a></div><br />Can you believe it? I can't believe it, even if you can. Five years of this blog. Five years of advice and working through my thoughts and building relationships with new guest authors and old. To celebrate, I'm going to give away books! Of course books. While I was playing around with different ways to mark the anniversary, I decided the books I mentioned in my post from last week, "<a href="http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-case-for-theoretical-eclecticism.html" target="_blank">The Case for Theoretical Eclecticism</a>," are a perfect fit for this kind of occasion. In case you've forgotten, here they are again:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/295956" target="_blank">Letters to a Young Poet</a>, </i>by Rainer Maria Rilke</li><li><i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/made-to-stick-why-some-ideas-survive-and-others-die/oclc/68786839" target="_blank">Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die</a></i>, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath&nbsp;</li><li><i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/rules-for-radicals-a-practical-primer-for-realistic-radicals/oclc/140535" target="_blank">Rules for Radicals: A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals</a></i>, by Saul Alinsky</li><li><i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/seeking-meaning-a-process-approach-to-library-and-information-services/oclc/52813993" target="_blank">Seeking Meaning: A Process Approach to Library and Information Services</a></i>, by Carol Kuhlthau</li><li><i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/start-where-you-are-a-guide-to-compassionate-living/oclc/29184413" target="_blank">Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living</a></i>, by Pema Chodron</li><li><i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/thinking-fast-and-slow/oclc/706020998" target="_blank">Thinking, Fast and Slow</a></i>, by Daniel Kahneman</li><li><i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/upside-of-stress-why-stress-is-good-for-you-and-how-to-get-good-at-it/oclc/892041545" target="_blank">The Upside of Stress: Why Stress is Good for You and How to Get Good At It</a></i>, by Kelly McGonigal</li><li><i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/why-fairy-tales-stick-the-evolution-and-relevance-of-a-genre/oclc/64208181" target="_blank">Why Fairy Tales Stick: The Evolution and Relevance of a Genre</a></i>, by Jack Zipes</li><li><i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance-an-inquiry-into-values/oclc/673595" target="_blank">Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance</a>, </i>by Robert Pirsig&nbsp;</li></ul><br />You will get two copies of your pick of one of these books (except the Kuhlthau, since it's pretty pricey) - one for you and one for a library of your choice! All you have to do in order to enter the contest is let me know that you want to enter and let me know which book you choose. You can comment here (just make sure to include a way for me to contact you), @ <a href="https://twitter.com/olinj" target="_blank">me on Twitter</a>, or <a href="mailto:librarianjessica@gmail.com" target="_blank">email me</a>. I suppose you could send me smoke signals or a carrier pigeon, but I'd probably just call the fire department about the smoke and show the pigeon where I keep the bird seed without noticing the message on its leg.<br /><br />The contest will run from the day I publish this post (May 31, 2016) until the end of the day on the actual anniversary of the first ever post on&nbsp;<i>Letters to a Young Librarian</i>&nbsp;(June 8, 2016). I'll try to pick and announce the winner by the end of that week.<br /><br />This is my way of saying thank you. I am grateful for the conversations and the ideas and the people I've had come into my life because I got angry and started to blog. Really so grateful.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GAnJheNQfFI/V0sWCNpF1-I/AAAAAAAAI9M/BA6xiR7RYtotvIgkKyRX5VGRiqJpJ3kawCLcB/s1600/giphy%2B%25281%2529.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GAnJheNQfFI/V0sWCNpF1-I/AAAAAAAAI9M/BA6xiR7RYtotvIgkKyRX5VGRiqJpJ3kawCLcB/s320/giphy%2B%25281%2529.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/90s-thank-you-animaniacs-whhgbV7Tzete8" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061870849031468581.post-56742265777549105902016-05-26T07:56:00.001-04:002016-05-26T07:56:43.368-04:00Interview Post: Tim Hensley<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: center;"><u><b>Biographical</b></u></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Name?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Tim Hensley<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Current job?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Director of Collections at the <a href="http://va-holocaust.com/">Virginia Holocaust Museum</a>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">How long have you been in the field?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">I’ve been in the profession since 1995. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;"><u><b>How Do You Work?</b></u><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">What is your office/workspace like?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">My position oversees the archives, library, and exhibits, so I wind up working throughout the museum. My office is in the library section of the collections department overlooking our reading room. This is where I do both administrative work and all the server-side digital preservation work for the video, audio, and photographic collections. &nbsp;<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HLcayCbfwmI/V0bj83QXGRI/AAAAAAAAI7c/7lyBUvwlahoJ9oAjSSVnFmD6l4-sQBTPQCLcB/s1600/20160401_162348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HLcayCbfwmI/V0bj83QXGRI/AAAAAAAAI7c/7lyBUvwlahoJ9oAjSSVnFmD6l4-sQBTPQCLcB/s320/20160401_162348.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>How do you organize your days?</div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">I tend to work through my day based on a floating priority list. As the primary reference person, I attempt to field as many of the incoming questions as possible. This means I’m often pushing information to people outside the organization or digging for something for our staff. The bulk of our internal work is project based, so what we might be doing at any given time depends on the deadline. I tend to stagger my workload between physical and mental tasks to keep from getting bored. &nbsp;<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">What do you spend most of your time doing?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">I spend the majority of my time fielding requests for information during the academic year and teaching during the summer. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">What is a typical day like for you?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">It depends entirely on what projects are on my calendar. Since we are an embedded collection within an institution, our work is shaped by the needs of the organization. What often happens is that Monday and Tuesday are spent working through piles of information requests from the weekend while long and short-term projects become the focus of more work as the week progresses. Collection development and processing take place constantly and serve as a nice diversion throughout the week. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">What are you reading right now?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/17411907">The Gate to Women’s Country<span style="font-style: normal;"> by Sheri Tepper</span></a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/900623786">Lafayette in the Somewhat United States</a></i> by Sarah Vowell, <i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/756377518">Golden Harvest<span style="font-style: normal;"> by Jan Tomasz Gross</span></a></i>, and <i><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/915056863">Black Earth: the Holocaust as History and Warning</a></i> by Timothy Snyder. &nbsp;<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">What's the best professional advice you've ever received?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">It’s not one thing that I’ve been told but rather a collection of things I learned from having a couple of fantastic mentors. I worked with a reference librarian early on in my career – Anita White-Carter – who is incredibly gifted. As a graduate student, I always went to her when I was struggling with a question or some part of a process; she’s really the reason I took the route I did professionally. The second was a professor from grad school – Jim Carmichael – who stressed us weekly with research questions that grew progressively more complex throughout the semesters. His tactic worked well as it gave me a framework for how to think about answering questions (any questions!) even if you have no background in the subject. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">What have you found yourself doing at work that you never expected?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Working with mannequins. Not the sort of thing most librarians would ever have to know I imagine.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9EyzWILFusU/V0bkGcy-WfI/AAAAAAAAI7g/tJnRrYrSuKQbIYaM5UWjt5T-cKZ_aHoqwCLcB/s1600/20150722_141423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9EyzWILFusU/V0bkGcy-WfI/AAAAAAAAI7g/tJnRrYrSuKQbIYaM5UWjt5T-cKZ_aHoqwCLcB/s320/20150722_141423.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;"><u><b>Inside the Library Studio</b></u></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">What is your favorite word?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Syncopation. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">What is your least favorite word?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Stupid.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">What is your favorite curse word?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Asshat.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">What profession other than your own would you love to attempt?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><a href="http://firefly.wikia.com/wiki/Browncoat">Browncoat</a>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">What profession would you never want to attempt?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Auditor.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;"><u><b>Everything Else</b></u><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">What superpower do you wish you had?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Teleportation, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightcrawler_%28comics%29">especially if it comes with blue skin and a prehensile tail</a>. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">What are you most proud of in your career?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Not eating my young -- I say that flippantly but this profession can have a toxic bent I didn’t expect when I was coming out of grad school, so I’m most proud of serving as a mentor to young librarians and archivists. I think paying back to a profession that has given me a talent for research a purpose beyond writing unread academic articles is likely the most praiseworthy thing I’ve done. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">If you're willing to share, tell about a mistake you made on the job.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">I’ve made them all. It doesn’t matter what realm we’re discussing – collection development, customer service, material processing, reference services – I’ve fumbled in a variety of ways both minor and spectacular over the years. I have no intention of stopping. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">When you aren't at work, what are you likely doing?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">It could be anything but I tend to get the most enjoyment out of reading, drumming, hiking, traveling, cooking, and long, rambling conversations. I also have an affinity for pie and whiskey. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Who else would you like to see answer these questions?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">I’d love to see how Anita <span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">White-Carter</span> and Jim <span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;">Carmichael</span>would answer these. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">Tim tweets at <a href="https://twitter.com/geistweg">@geistweg</a>.<o:p></o:p></div></div>Jessica Olinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282500023825318766noreply@blogger.com0
http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2016-36
336880
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:QTEFN7OIPPZG75YTLGDCYWSVHY3UERKN
<urn:uuid:5a021a42-5afa-462a-9b8e-c0ebc026d266>
2016-08-31T16:04:25Z
216.58.217.129
sha1:DJ7IFP3YFPK6URLL6XRCJCB7ZIG7NWC7
<urn:uuid:45c90721-8000-41a3-a78c-123ceba54821>
http://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
response
<urn:uuid:09ab309f-9080-4557-93fd-9a53088809cb>
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-153-172-175.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2016-36
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for August 2016
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf