What you bring to a community

Some rambling thoughts from a post from class:

One of my first experiences with a library was at the Burien Public Library. Thanks to a bit of a Google search, I just discovered that this particular branch was actually part of the King County Library System, not a branch of the Seattle Public Library System.

I remember enjoying the stacks of books, that there was a magical place where books were loved and read for pleasure. I never considered that books could be used for research or knowledge. Since my family lived a few blocks away from the library, we would make weekly walking trips to the branch in the summer, with a quick weekly drives during the Seattle Monsoon season.

When I was seven, my family moved north to Everett, Washington. As soon as we had settled in our new home, my mother began to find her way to the local library. My love affair of books continued but had begun to evolve. I began to use the library for my homework and began to use its resources to continue my education. In retrospective, I can see how libraries began to morph to its current evolutionary process.

An example would be the tools I used to search magazine articles. I had to use *gasp* microfiche. I first had to look for articles in the library’s database. Once I found the article I was looking for, I had to write down the microfiche’s call number and then look for the article without breaking the delicate machine. My library would later upgrade to computers with the internet, later allowing free Wi-Fi to its patrons.

As many of you have already discussed, to accept new technology, with its positives and negatives, is the only way that many libraries will survive in this new era. If your patrons are starting to read more, thanks to e-readers, find a way to connect through this technology. If you find your patrons use a new upcoming method for their library needs, find the way to connect and grow together. Educational, Recreational, Informational. Three concepts that need to be balanced to fit the needs of a community. What you put into each concept is what you will receive in your community and your patrons. What you do or do not promote will be reflected in how your library grows, or not.

On a rambling note, I am reminded of a small incident last April at a comic convention in San Francisco. It was a few days after the iPad was first released. I was in attendance at one of the comic panels DC Comics was hosting. One audience member asked the panel what DC’s plans were for digital comics. Keep in mind, that many comic companies had already announced plans to convert or only publish comics on a digital format. One of the co-Publishers of DC announced that the company had no real business plan for the new format. With that answer I knew that DC had already failed. By not anticipating new business outlets or new formats in which to reach a new audience, the company will fail before it can begin. So goes the same for libraries.

When I think of my future life as a library professional, I don’t think about the stereotype image of a librarian, helping patrons and telling others to be quiet during study time. I think of my role as a librarian as someone who is a navigator of resources. I will direct where I need to direct. Help when I need to help. But I will accept any resources that will continue the pursuit of knowledge, data, and information to anyone in need.

How to deal with People and other such stuff.

"Teamwork is -- it's a combination of Attitude and Planning. The two fit together. 

It takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of thought."

-Enid Irwin

For some reason I've been avoiding writing this post. It's actually an easy post to create when I consider my larger background in teamwork and management.

For over five years, I've worked for Starbucks Coffee Company as a either a Manager, Assistant Manager, and now as a Shift Supervisor. Every day that I go to work, I must plan out how my shift will be run depending on the time of the shift and the staff that has been scheduled. Each member of my team has specific duties that must be fulfilled in order for the shift to run smoothly and effectively. If any one member of the team falls out of place, whether due to the amount of business on a "rush" or from poor performance, the team must band together to fix the situation. A great manager can see all of this as it happens and moves the team into a different direction to correct the problem. 

Sometimes teamwork come naturally in my current position. Yet, I can say this after five years of experience. Even when I walk into a new store, I still know my expectations for the business and the role I play in employee relations. Any new experience, outside of my current role, can be scary and intimatding.

Which leads to my role as a SLIS student. Having completed online courses before, I am used to an individualistic approach to my coursework. The idea of group projects with students I have never met, never seen, and whom may live thousands of miles away from me, is a daunting concept. Yet, this is the role that many current librarians must now experience as the world of information becomes smaller and smaller, thanks in part to the internet.

Ken Haycok, in a lecture at San Jose State University's SLIS Colloquia Series, discussed the different aspects of teamwork as a way of showcasing how important each person can be when a group is formed to accomplish a goal. Teamwork is "... acknowledging the process, what's involved, what behaviors we should expect, what I can do to help us address those behaviors, and move forward."

Just like in my first days at Starbucks, or in any new position, there must always be not only an adjustment period, but an acknowledgment from all members of a newly formed team that new ideas must be allowed to grow. The comfort zone that we all take, well, comfort in should be destroyed to seek a new path that we might find challenging but will ultimately proof rewarding. It is with this in mind that I must both be open to new ideas, but acknowledge the fun in the challenge.

ALA

Since deciding to become a Librarian, I have found the stars are beginning to align. I was accepted, received financial aid that would enable me to focus on my studies, and meet students at SJSU through random encounters.

The best part about this "timing" thing was this past weekend when the American Library Association (ALA) held their Mid-Winter meeting here in San Diego.

Since I am a student (and this would be my first professional conference), I choose the Exhibit Supreme pass over any of the other bigger priced passes. There was a part of me that was a little sad that I wasn't able to attend some of the meetings. Yet, after walking through the exhibit hall after the first evening, I felt overwhelmed with the amount of information.

The exhibit booths were AMAZING. Just the idea that publishers want you to take a copy of their new books was the best part. And since I'm trying to catch up on a larger amount of the Young Adult titles that are available, it was the perfect opportunity to load up on some of these titles. In the coming months, you'll see some of those titles reviewed on this blog.

Walking the exhibit floor was a great introduction to the world outside of the library. The types of technology that are available to library systems is vast and expanding. Though eBook readers usage is rising, the amount of physical copies still available lead me to wonder when the larger switch from physical to digital might occur.

I know that this is an exciting time to enter the world of Library Science because this is a time for change. What that change will be, and how it will translate it modern libraries, is what excites me and what was fun about the ALA Mid-Winter Meeting. 

Christmas Present

So I have the greatest friend in the world.

This Christmas she handed me a box, wrapped in pretty paper. Inside was a brand new iPad.

A shiny, pretty, ENGRAVED iPad.

Naturally I cried. A lot.

But what has emerged from this pretty gift has been a new format of studying. On my first day of class I noticed the different types of ways I was now absorbing information. I was typing notes on my laptop and then sending the notes to my iPad. Instead of staring, hunched over my laptop, I was reading my school notes in a leisurely manner as I would a book. I found that I am retaining more information by this new method than my previous studying techniques.

I have also found that the Kindle app on my iPad is a very fun and handy feature. The vast amount of free classics are very appealing. Highlighting my favorite Sherlock Holmes passages has been fun as well.

I haven't begun to fully capture what the iPad can do for this semester's courses. I think that's the part I'm more excited about. How my shiny new toy can translate to a higher academic success. Let the games begin!

My Small Introduction

In the middle of my last semester at Washington State University, I was struck with the knowledge that I had no idea what I was going to do with my shiny new Bachelor's Degree. My major was to be Humanities with a minor in Political Science. It's a great general degree that would serve as a background but nothing that would establish myself in the art/literary fields I enjoyed. I had no experience  to back up my passions and no clue of how to proceed.

My work experience had always been (and still is) in retail. I spent many years working as a clerk, and later as a manager, in various bookstores. When my boyfriend, now husband, and I moved to the San Diego area, I began a new retail career with Starbucks. It was a drastic change from books to food retail. In the beginning I enjoyed my new position, but over time I realized that it was not the career that sparked my passion. This lead to a revealuation of what my passion had been, books.

One of my favorite parts of working at a bookstore had been the conversations with customers. The ability to discuss their loves and translate that into a book suggestion has always been one of my great retail skills. That and my absolute honesty if I don't agree with a sales pitch. I cannot sell something I don't believe in.

The problem with returning to the book world was that I didn't want to return to the world of book retail. I needed something new, a challenge. I wanted to be a librarian. I want to change the world through words, conversation and information.

I wanted to be say with pride, just like Rachel Weisz's character in The Mummy, that "I am a Librarian."

So here I am. Fresh off the boat starting my Master's program at San Jose State University. And like any overachiever, I have my next two years plotted out. It is my aspiration to study Youth Librarianship. There is something so endearing when children, tweens, and teens seek literature as a passion instead of a chore. Maybe that the idea that our future isn't complete lost in the chaos of the public school system.

To be honest, this passion sounds great on paper. It sounds even better when I talk about it with friends, family, and the library connections I have established in the past few months. The problem with this passion, and one of the reason for this blog, is that my knowledge of children/teen literature has dwindled since I left book retail. A few days ago I strolled through a Barnes and Noble to look at current Young Adult trends. I knew that Twilight series had been the "hot" read for awhile. I didn't realize how the series had now inspired a larger influx of Young Adult Paranormal Romance titles. Clearly, I felt out of my depth.

I want this blog to become an examination of these Young Adult titles and trends. I want to explore how the growing eBook world will effect the manner in which Children/Young Adult literature is now perceived in bookstores and in the world of education. I also want to use this blog to explore how a new MLIS student can use this challenging time of technological growth to her advantage. 

Basically, this is the story of how I survive my master's program and emerge as a Librarian.