Friday! My calendar was pretty open, so I spent a lot of time working through the VHS collection spreadsheet my LIS intern has been putting together. A frustration of trying to format modernize the film collection at my library is the surprising number of titles that are not available in DVD or BluRay. I was amazed to discover that The Spirit of Crazy Horse is not available on DVD. Don't even get me started on recordings produced by local historical societies. It's an interesting process.
I also spent some time reading though tweets and blog postings by other Library Day in the Life participants. It's always fun to get a glimpse into other library professional's lives. It is inspiring and encouraging. Best of all, it's an opportunity to start a dialogue with others. I'm all about making connections, collaborating, and learning. This project provides me with a real opportunity to have that experience in a new way.
Showing posts with label librarydayinthelife. Show all posts
Showing posts with label librarydayinthelife. Show all posts
Friday, February 3, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Library Day in the Life: February 2
This morning my full-time staff member and I met with University Libraries administration via conference call for our mid-year budget review. The meeting went well. Our agenda included the give back deadline (if we anticipated having any funds left over by the end of the budget year), additional resources needed, and "tactical initiatives as they relate to strategic plan and cost implications". We are on target with our budget although things might get a little tight to close out the year. We'll have a conference call sometime in late April to plan for the 2012-2013 fiscal year.
During the afternoon I did some ordering for the circulating collection at my campus as well as the Diversity collection for the University Libraries. I am the selector responsible for the diversity fund for materials that are primarily housed at the University Park campus. Those purchases are funded through the Paterno endowment.
I also worked on revising the form for circulating digital equipment. I revised the form for our (limited) circulating laptop collection. The old form had a lot going on which meant it was confusing and took a long time to complete. The revisions I made to make the form easier to complete and streamline the process were well received by my staff and users, so I decided to use it as the template for the digital equipment form. Hopefully it will be met with the same positive response.
During the afternoon I did some ordering for the circulating collection at my campus as well as the Diversity collection for the University Libraries. I am the selector responsible for the diversity fund for materials that are primarily housed at the University Park campus. Those purchases are funded through the Paterno endowment.
I also worked on revising the form for circulating digital equipment. I revised the form for our (limited) circulating laptop collection. The old form had a lot going on which meant it was confusing and took a long time to complete. The revisions I made to make the form easier to complete and streamline the process were well received by my staff and users, so I decided to use it as the template for the digital equipment form. Hopefully it will be met with the same positive response.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Library Day in the Life: February 1
I don't have very much to report about my day. I did meet with my full-time staff member to plan for a budget update call tomorrow. We took a look at our budget and did some projections for the remainder of the year to make sure we stay on track financially. This is my second year going through this process and I'm happy to report it makes a lot more sense to me this year. Budgets are not as scary as you think.
I also participated in the ALA Committee on Legislation's (COL) monthly conference call. I am the ALA Executive Board liaison to COL, so I try to learn more about their work via their listserv, calls, and retreat. Today's agenda included discussing the Legislative Agenda, an overview and discussion of Midwinter, and any updates on legislation.
I also participated in the ALA Committee on Legislation's (COL) monthly conference call. I am the ALA Executive Board liaison to COL, so I try to learn more about their work via their listserv, calls, and retreat. Today's agenda included discussing the Legislative Agenda, an overview and discussion of Midwinter, and any updates on legislation.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Library Day in the Life: January 31
Today was a much busier day than yesterday. I had my monthly telephone meeting with my boss. She actually has a cold and sounded miserable. On the plus side she wasn't at the office, but she was trying to keep up with work from home. We had a productive meeting. I caught her up on my Midwinter and things in general at the campus library.
I met for a little while with my LIS intern. We touched base about a project I have her working on to evaluate the library's VHS collection. By comparing holdings with other campuses in the system, alternate physical formats (DVD, BluRay), streaming video services (such as Filmakers Library online,), and circulation statistics I'll make some collection development decisions. I will also have to consider the impact shifting to other formats will have on accessiblity including access to closed captioning and and subtitles.
My afternoon was spent covering my regular Tuesday afternoon virtual reference shift. I've been staffing our virtual reference desk on Tuesdays 12-3pm since September 2004. It's really hard to believe I've been part of our team for that long. Where does the time go? I really enjoy virtual reference, it can a rewarding learning experience and I can honestly say that the frustrations have been minimal.
In case you missed the announcement, National Library Legislative Day will take place April 22-24, 2012 in Washington, D.C.. Registration is now open.
Throughout the day I chipped away at email. I provided some feedback regarding an LIS curriculum review from the standpoint of an employer. That was an interesting process for me particularly as someone who has been mentoring more and more LIS students and graduates and my work within ALA. It is also a reminder that LIS education is indeed interested in providing students with the skills necessary to be successful in the workforce.
I met for a little while with my LIS intern. We touched base about a project I have her working on to evaluate the library's VHS collection. By comparing holdings with other campuses in the system, alternate physical formats (DVD, BluRay), streaming video services (such as Filmakers Library online,), and circulation statistics I'll make some collection development decisions. I will also have to consider the impact shifting to other formats will have on accessiblity including access to closed captioning and and subtitles.
My afternoon was spent covering my regular Tuesday afternoon virtual reference shift. I've been staffing our virtual reference desk on Tuesdays 12-3pm since September 2004. It's really hard to believe I've been part of our team for that long. Where does the time go? I really enjoy virtual reference, it can a rewarding learning experience and I can honestly say that the frustrations have been minimal.
In case you missed the announcement, National Library Legislative Day will take place April 22-24, 2012 in Washington, D.C.. Registration is now open.
Throughout the day I chipped away at email. I provided some feedback regarding an LIS curriculum review from the standpoint of an employer. That was an interesting process for me particularly as someone who has been mentoring more and more LIS students and graduates and my work within ALA. It is also a reminder that LIS education is indeed interested in providing students with the skills necessary to be successful in the workforce.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Library Day in the Life: January 30
It's my first day back at the office after the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Dallas. Thankfully, things were pretty uneventful at the library while I was away. I caught up with my full time staff member Ruth. It was great to see her, she stays on top of so many things and makes my job that much easier. I was also greeted by this stack of mail. The overwhelming majority of them are book catalogs addressed to different librarians who have worked here.
I spent a lot of time getting through email and trying to respond to the really really important messages. One of those messages was from faculty wondering if I could help find impact factor information and article acceptance rates for a journal. I was happy to highlight our access to Journal Citation Reports (JCR) and highlight some of the data it provides for journals it indexes. Not all journals are indexed, which can be really problematic for interdisciplinary researchers. Article acceptance rate information is getting harder to nail down, especially with open access and e-only journals on the rise. Thankfully we can send emails to editors and ask these questions. I wonder at what point these "measures" are reconsidered.
Tomorrow and Wednesday will be the really important messages.
I had a really decent day, although it sounds somewhat boring. As in previous libday cycles, the week starts off slow but usually picks up.
I spent a lot of time getting through email and trying to respond to the really really important messages. One of those messages was from faculty wondering if I could help find impact factor information and article acceptance rates for a journal. I was happy to highlight our access to Journal Citation Reports (JCR) and highlight some of the data it provides for journals it indexes. Not all journals are indexed, which can be really problematic for interdisciplinary researchers. Article acceptance rate information is getting harder to nail down, especially with open access and e-only journals on the rise. Thankfully we can send emails to editors and ask these questions. I wonder at what point these "measures" are reconsidered.
Tomorrow and Wednesday will be the really important messages.
I had a really decent day, although it sounds somewhat boring. As in previous libday cycles, the week starts off slow but usually picks up.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Coming soon: Library Day in the Life 8
I've signed up to participate in the Library Day in the Life Project: Round 8.
The Library Day in the Life Project is a semi-annual event coordinated by Bobbi Newman of Librarian by Day. Twice a year librarians, library staff and library students from all over the globe share a day (or week) in their life through blog posts, photos, video and Twitter updates.It's a great way to get to know other library people from around the world and learn something new.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Library Day in the Life: July 28 guest entry
Sarah Denzer has been the awesome LIS intern at Kelly Library since August 23, 2010. She graciously agreed to write a guest blog entry about her internship experience as a part of this week's Library Day in the Life project.
When I began my MLIS last August at the University of Pittsburgh, I was fortunate to get an internship position at the Penn State Greater Allegheny library, Kelly Library. Today happens to be my last day as an intern at the library and it gives cause for a great deal of reflection regarding my time spent here. My internship, in combination with rigorous study and a move across country has not always been easy, but it has definitely been worth it.
When I think back to my first day I recall the following: intimidation, anxiety, feeling lost and completely out of my comfort zone (those feelings most feel when they begin something new). And this was certainly a new experience for me—I had never worked in a library before and although I had done a brief internship at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, it had prepared me only a little for this. Those feelings felt at first speedily went away as the weeks went by. My co-workers were incredibly patient and very generous with their time and resources to make me as comfortable as circumstance would allow. I generally create strong ties in the work-place, so this was essential for me to feel at “home.” Routine provided opportunity to smooth out those essential skills needed in myself as a developing librarian.
Due to the small nature of the Kelly Library, I was fortunate to participate in a number of activities. My primary responsibility was to serve at the reference desk: this was initially the most stressful position for myself (an introvert), but certainly the most rewarding. There is very little that can prepare you for your first reference interview—and nothing that can perfect it better than practice, practice, practice! It was thrilling the first time I realized I was no longer intimidated by the process. In addition to reference, I was also able to participate in the following: circulation, receiving and shipping and adding/withdrawing materials. Furthermore, I was actively engaged in a few projects: organizing, writing up citation guides, assisting the Head Librarian in the development of a YALSA webinar, and compiling resources for a research webpage for the campus’ 2011-2012 Teaching International program. I was also able to attend some instruction classes taught by our Reference Librarian, learn how the cataloging system works, and even travel with the Head Librarian to the Penn State Harrisburg library to interview/meet with a few of their librarians. In all, there was a rich variety of activities/opportunities for me to participate.
What I feel today is almost 100% the opposite of what I felt on my first day as an intern. In sum, I feel comfortable. I feel blessed. There are multiple benefits that spring from my time spent here: knowledge, confidence, experience, networks, and friendships. It is invaluable. Although graduating with an MLIS is an essential foundation, my internship provided a practical application of everything I learned in the classroom. In combination, these two serve to prepare me for the professional workforce. I am sad to leave, but am grateful that I can look forward to the new horizon with a confidence that would not be possible otherwise.
When I began my MLIS last August at the University of Pittsburgh, I was fortunate to get an internship position at the Penn State Greater Allegheny library, Kelly Library. Today happens to be my last day as an intern at the library and it gives cause for a great deal of reflection regarding my time spent here. My internship, in combination with rigorous study and a move across country has not always been easy, but it has definitely been worth it.
When I think back to my first day I recall the following: intimidation, anxiety, feeling lost and completely out of my comfort zone (those feelings most feel when they begin something new). And this was certainly a new experience for me—I had never worked in a library before and although I had done a brief internship at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, it had prepared me only a little for this. Those feelings felt at first speedily went away as the weeks went by. My co-workers were incredibly patient and very generous with their time and resources to make me as comfortable as circumstance would allow. I generally create strong ties in the work-place, so this was essential for me to feel at “home.” Routine provided opportunity to smooth out those essential skills needed in myself as a developing librarian.
Due to the small nature of the Kelly Library, I was fortunate to participate in a number of activities. My primary responsibility was to serve at the reference desk: this was initially the most stressful position for myself (an introvert), but certainly the most rewarding. There is very little that can prepare you for your first reference interview—and nothing that can perfect it better than practice, practice, practice! It was thrilling the first time I realized I was no longer intimidated by the process. In addition to reference, I was also able to participate in the following: circulation, receiving and shipping and adding/withdrawing materials. Furthermore, I was actively engaged in a few projects: organizing, writing up citation guides, assisting the Head Librarian in the development of a YALSA webinar, and compiling resources for a research webpage for the campus’ 2011-2012 Teaching International program. I was also able to attend some instruction classes taught by our Reference Librarian, learn how the cataloging system works, and even travel with the Head Librarian to the Penn State Harrisburg library to interview/meet with a few of their librarians. In all, there was a rich variety of activities/opportunities for me to participate.
What I feel today is almost 100% the opposite of what I felt on my first day as an intern. In sum, I feel comfortable. I feel blessed. There are multiple benefits that spring from my time spent here: knowledge, confidence, experience, networks, and friendships. It is invaluable. Although graduating with an MLIS is an essential foundation, my internship provided a practical application of everything I learned in the classroom. In combination, these two serve to prepare me for the professional workforce. I am sad to leave, but am grateful that I can look forward to the new horizon with a confidence that would not be possible otherwise.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Library Day in the Life: July 27
The major focus for today was a lunch for our LIS intern, Sarah. Her last day is tomorrow. I'm sure the year she's spent in the Pitt LIS program and the Pitt Partners internship program have gone by very quickly. It's been great having her part of our library staff. It's also been great for me to give back to the profession and play an even more active role in a new professional's development.
A running joke I have with Sarah is that she's worked here longer than I have. She started at this campus in mid-to-late August. I didn't start my position here until a month later. We both learned as we went, with our fall semester road trip being one of the many highlights.
Lunch would not have been complete without dessert
and of course a gift.
One of our staff members made a blanket to make sure Sarah would not forget her experience at Penn State.
A running joke I have with Sarah is that she's worked here longer than I have. She started at this campus in mid-to-late August. I didn't start my position here until a month later. We both learned as we went, with our fall semester road trip being one of the many highlights.
Lunch would not have been complete without dessert
and of course a gift.
One of our staff members made a blanket to make sure Sarah would not forget her experience at Penn State.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Library Day in the Life: July 26
I had a pretty busy day today, especially for this point in the summer. The morning was spent in a meeting. A faculty member teaching a media ethics course this fall wanted to brainstorm about ways to build in technology and civic engagement into the course. The students will be recording video and audio using an iPod Touch. My experience with blogging, video, and Facebook turned out to be useful for the discussion. It is always nice to be part of a major course assignment conception.
I left the media ethics meeting to present to students in the STEM program. I was invited to talk to them about the library during their lunch. I kept things short and sweet. I distributed a one page handout with a few general pieces of information. I also gave them each a library mug. I received the most questions about the mug.
It was a good day to be outside of the library, not just because of the beautiful weather. I think some people are still getting used to seeing me beyond the library building. Of course, library stuff is taking place beyond the building.
Of course I continued to write and respond to email throughout the day. :)
I left the media ethics meeting to present to students in the STEM program. I was invited to talk to them about the library during their lunch. I kept things short and sweet. I distributed a one page handout with a few general pieces of information. I also gave them each a library mug. I received the most questions about the mug.
It was a good day to be outside of the library, not just because of the beautiful weather. I think some people are still getting used to seeing me beyond the library building. Of course, library stuff is taking place beyond the building.
Of course I continued to write and respond to email throughout the day. :)
Monday, July 25, 2011
Library Day in the Life: July 25
Today is the start of round 7 of the Library Day in the Life project. I enjoyed participating in round 6, so I'm back for more. When I first saw the announcement I figured that it would be a quiet summer week and I wouldn't have much to offer. Turns out there are a number of things that have made their way onto this week's calendar.
This is actually our LIS intern's last week at the library. She's finishing her program at Pitt. I kept telling her it goes fast, but even I was caught a bit by surprise when I returned from vacation last week and realized how soon she'd leave us. The mantra will be "it's not goodbye". I'm thankful for all she's taught us over the past year, not to mention her invaluable assistance on a variety of projects.
Today I spent most of my day completing responses to emails sent to me while I was out of the office. I managed to send two, and both recipients thanked me for the response. There are still a few more drafts I really want to finish this week.
A faculty member did come over to check style manuals for two articles accepted for publication. One APA, the other Chicago. It was nice when he told me my showing him in early May how to use Microsoft Word to change footnotes to endnotes was a tremendous help. Another win for information literacy.
I also did some prep for a meeting on Tuesday. A faculty member contacted me a week ago regarding a few different things. I don't completely know what we and a few other people will be meeting about, but I know it involves brainstorming for a course she's developing for the fall. At least two of the meeting participants will be attending from another campus via Polycom.
The day's had fits and starts. I'm not usually much of a "it's been a Monday" person, but today definitely had that quality. It started with a thunderstorm and discovery I was completely out of conditioner. It's ending with some sunshine and a trip to buy conditioner.
This is actually our LIS intern's last week at the library. She's finishing her program at Pitt. I kept telling her it goes fast, but even I was caught a bit by surprise when I returned from vacation last week and realized how soon she'd leave us. The mantra will be "it's not goodbye". I'm thankful for all she's taught us over the past year, not to mention her invaluable assistance on a variety of projects.
Today I spent most of my day completing responses to emails sent to me while I was out of the office. I managed to send two, and both recipients thanked me for the response. There are still a few more drafts I really want to finish this week.
A faculty member did come over to check style manuals for two articles accepted for publication. One APA, the other Chicago. It was nice when he told me my showing him in early May how to use Microsoft Word to change footnotes to endnotes was a tremendous help. Another win for information literacy.
I also did some prep for a meeting on Tuesday. A faculty member contacted me a week ago regarding a few different things. I don't completely know what we and a few other people will be meeting about, but I know it involves brainstorming for a course she's developing for the fall. At least two of the meeting participants will be attending from another campus via Polycom.
The day's had fits and starts. I'm not usually much of a "it's been a Monday" person, but today definitely had that quality. It started with a thunderstorm and discovery I was completely out of conditioner. It's ending with some sunshine and a trip to buy conditioner.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Library Day in the Life: January 30
It's been a productive day of working from home. I read and sent a lot of work email, and queried colleagues on Facebook for a little help on a project. It's been nice to make progress on some projects and chip away at various tasks. There's still plenty more to do, but I definitely picked up some momentum this weekend. My to do list did not really shrink, but I'm definitely in a better position to cross some items off that list in the next couple of weeks.
Today is the last day of the Library Day in the Life project round 6. I had a really great week documenting my activities for others to read, see, and hear. I've also enjoyed the tweets, blogs, and video posts from others. Even when it seemed like people had similar positions or similar types of days, each one was really very unique. I learned a lot from documenting the experience and reading about others' experience. I still have quite a few entries to read, but I'm getting there.
Thanks so much for reading this week. I hope you'll continue reading. I already have some ideas for future entries. Plus you never know what else might come up.
Today is the last day of the Library Day in the Life project round 6. I had a really great week documenting my activities for others to read, see, and hear. I've also enjoyed the tweets, blogs, and video posts from others. Even when it seemed like people had similar positions or similar types of days, each one was really very unique. I learned a lot from documenting the experience and reading about others' experience. I still have quite a few entries to read, but I'm getting there.
Thanks so much for reading this week. I hope you'll continue reading. I already have some ideas for future entries. Plus you never know what else might come up.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Library Day in the Life: January 29
It's Saturday. While I'm not at the office, I'm still doing the library thing. Today's work was mostly via email. I had plans to work on my part of a presentation for the upcoming ACRL National Conference in March, but did not get around to it. I also planned to do some ALA work. The planning counts as work, doesn't it?
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Library Day in the Life: January 27
My commute to work was slow this morning. There was some issue getting through the Squirrel Hill tunnel. Over each traffic lane was a big red X and the traffic light was red.
After sitting for a bit that truck on the right made a u-turn, the lights turned green, and traffic was moving again.
Once I got in I logged into my calendar and email. I responded to a lot of emails, a pretty even split between work-related and ALA-related. I also spent some time talking with my LIS intern about her classes this week and a project for YALSA later this spring.
My afternoon was filled with meetings. I attended the campus' faculty senate meeting. One of the reports did duplicate a report I heard at yesterday's Library Faculty Organization meeting, but the rest was reports from standing committees and other business. Next was another quick check of email and then a meeting with my reference librarian about a campus event the library collaborated on last year. I offered advice on how to make our involvement better parallel the other units participating. It was a really good meeting.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Library Day in the Life: January 26
I started my morning viewing our Libraries Faculty Organization meeting via MediaSite Live. This type of participation is very important when you are at one university geographically dispersed. I am a member of the University Libraries faculty and that is my tenure home. Despite our multiple locations, it is important for my colleagues and I to participate as a member of the library faculty. The agenda included introduction of a new campus librarian (who happens to be filling the vacancy I created when I took this position), a report from the Dean (Barbara Dewey), reports from the University Faculty Senate, and some constitution and bylaws changes we'll vote on next meeting.
There were a number of campus tours on campus. I suspect students from one or two high schools were checking things out. I saw three or four tour groups go through the library. One of them was led by one of our work study students. She's actually interested in becoming a librarian, so I'm always excited to talk with her about the opportunities. She waved and said hello as she went past my office with her group, which meant that the generally disinterested groups of students looked into my office, smiled, and waved.
I spent most of my day in the office working on a variety of tasks. A meeting scheduled for the afternoon was canceled so we could use that time working on the subcommittee's task of recommending changes to our "Advice to the Untenured" document. I made good use of that time and worked through my part of the document. I also completed the agenda for Friday's Virtual Reference Team meeting. It's a bit more full than normal, but that's okay. It's nice to have a lot to talk about for the first meeting of the semester. By April we're all pretty worn out. I'll talk more about our meetings on Friday.
I also responded to various emails and made a couple of telephone calls. As a new supervisor it is expected that I will take the University's Mastering SuperVision certificate program. It will be offered this summer at a campus here on the western side of the state. The dates all actually fit into my schedule and I've confirmed my travel will be supported, so I'll plan to take that from late April to mid-June. I travel so much during the fall and spring semesters, not to mention the unpredictability of winter weather, it was hard to figure when I might take the course.
I did a little more unpacking of my office when I needed a break from the computer. I'm waiting for the order of hanging file folders to come in so I can finish. As I was flipping through some of my stuff, I found this note. Talk about a blast from the past. I also must have been in a hurry, that's some messy handwriting.
I'll recycle the original and preserve the photo.
There were a number of campus tours on campus. I suspect students from one or two high schools were checking things out. I saw three or four tour groups go through the library. One of them was led by one of our work study students. She's actually interested in becoming a librarian, so I'm always excited to talk with her about the opportunities. She waved and said hello as she went past my office with her group, which meant that the generally disinterested groups of students looked into my office, smiled, and waved.
I spent most of my day in the office working on a variety of tasks. A meeting scheduled for the afternoon was canceled so we could use that time working on the subcommittee's task of recommending changes to our "Advice to the Untenured" document. I made good use of that time and worked through my part of the document. I also completed the agenda for Friday's Virtual Reference Team meeting. It's a bit more full than normal, but that's okay. It's nice to have a lot to talk about for the first meeting of the semester. By April we're all pretty worn out. I'll talk more about our meetings on Friday.
I also responded to various emails and made a couple of telephone calls. As a new supervisor it is expected that I will take the University's Mastering SuperVision certificate program. It will be offered this summer at a campus here on the western side of the state. The dates all actually fit into my schedule and I've confirmed my travel will be supported, so I'll plan to take that from late April to mid-June. I travel so much during the fall and spring semesters, not to mention the unpredictability of winter weather, it was hard to figure when I might take the course.
I did a little more unpacking of my office when I needed a break from the computer. I'm waiting for the order of hanging file folders to come in so I can finish. As I was flipping through some of my stuff, I found this note. Talk about a blast from the past. I also must have been in a hurry, that's some messy handwriting.
I'll recycle the original and preserve the photo.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Library Day in the Life: January 25
It's damp and dreary today in Western Pennsylvania. Traffic this morning was terrible. I've been averaging a 45 minute drive to campus, today it took me about an hour and ten minutes. I wasn't the only librarian affected. A number of librarians on Twitter and Facebook noted their commutes were as bad and, in the case of one, worse (45 minutes turned into 3 hours).
Not far from the campus is a billboard. Since I started here in September there's been an attractive ad up for the campus. After the winter break, they changed it. A red light and this project motivated me to snap a quick photo.
It reminds me that as the head of the campus library, I need to keep in mind ways to tap into this selling point.
Once I got into the office, I spent some time reading and responding to email: agenda items for the Virtual Reference Team meeting on Friday, a collaboration with two student learning units on campus, and a request for a smoke detector in the building since we still have a smoking issue in the main stairwell.
Tuesday afternoons from 12-3pm ET I staff the University Libraries' Virtual Reference Service (VRS). I've been working this shift since I joined our VRS Team during the Fall 2004 semester. Statistically it is our second busiest shift. If memory serves me right, in 2009 we received 22% of our questions during this day/time slot. I also conducted 305 sessions that year. During a lull in my shift, a LIS student I recently became friends with on Facebook messaged me there with questions about his career path and attending ACRL. I find myself doing more and more mentoring, talking about the profession, and career goals via Facebook. I still do quite a bit of this via email as well.
Virtual reference and lunch this afternoon
I rounded out my day by meeting briefly with my reference librarian. We just checked in on two things. I'll meet with her on a more substantive topic later this week. I also went through more email, and was pleased to find a conference call scheduled for tomorrow was canceled so we could use that time to work on what we were planning to discuss. I intend to use the time precisely in that way.
A highlight of the day was to see a tweet from Spacesaver about their ALA Mid-Winter Wrap Up blog entry. There I am! I completely forgot they took a picture when I claimed my prize. I feel like a winner all over again.
Not far from the campus is a billboard. Since I started here in September there's been an attractive ad up for the campus. After the winter break, they changed it. A red light and this project motivated me to snap a quick photo.
It reminds me that as the head of the campus library, I need to keep in mind ways to tap into this selling point.
Once I got into the office, I spent some time reading and responding to email: agenda items for the Virtual Reference Team meeting on Friday, a collaboration with two student learning units on campus, and a request for a smoke detector in the building since we still have a smoking issue in the main stairwell.
Tuesday afternoons from 12-3pm ET I staff the University Libraries' Virtual Reference Service (VRS). I've been working this shift since I joined our VRS Team during the Fall 2004 semester. Statistically it is our second busiest shift. If memory serves me right, in 2009 we received 22% of our questions during this day/time slot. I also conducted 305 sessions that year. During a lull in my shift, a LIS student I recently became friends with on Facebook messaged me there with questions about his career path and attending ACRL. I find myself doing more and more mentoring, talking about the profession, and career goals via Facebook. I still do quite a bit of this via email as well.
I rounded out my day by meeting briefly with my reference librarian. We just checked in on two things. I'll meet with her on a more substantive topic later this week. I also went through more email, and was pleased to find a conference call scheduled for tomorrow was canceled so we could use that time to work on what we were planning to discuss. I intend to use the time precisely in that way.
A highlight of the day was to see a tweet from Spacesaver about their ALA Mid-Winter Wrap Up blog entry. There I am! I completely forgot they took a picture when I claimed my prize. I feel like a winner all over again.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Library Day in the Life: January 24
I started my day off very early by responding to an email from the chair of an ALA New Members Round Table committee I serve as the supervising board member. A significant part of my work as a librarian is my involvement in the American Library Association. I strive to be timely in my responses to all email, so even at 1:01am I'm likely to write back. Why yes, one of my goals for 2011 is to improve my work-life balance. We'll blame my early email response on an eagerness to start off Library Day in the Life.
That is my library (taken about 3pm today). I've been here since September 20, 2010. I'm having a lot of fun in my current position. I get to deal with a lot of different things. In the morning I assisted our LIS intern, Sarah, with a student's reference question. It's always fun to collaborate with her and provide reference service mentoring. Sarah interns ten hours per week in our library and is here on Mondays and Thursdays this semester. She's going to be a great librarian.
This afternoon I spoke with a patron about an overdue lost item and associated fines. I had to gather information about the item from our circulation system and learn from my full-time library assistant how lost and replaced items have been tracked and dealt with in the past. I even found a little bit of time to unpack more boxes in my office. My new file cabinet and bookcase finally arrived last week, so I'm working on getting settled. I ate lunch at my desk but despite my intentions I did not really multitask. It did give me an opportunity to catch up on the #libday6 tweets.
This afternoon a candidate gave a presentation for an open position for an assistant professor of communications position. As a member of the faculty, I attended that job talk. Throughout the day I waded through lots of email. I even responded to some messages, including a request to be a reference for a scholarship applicant. I also spent some time talking on the phone with a colleague at another campus about some committee work and the upcoming ACRL conference in Philadelphia.
That is my library (taken about 3pm today). I've been here since September 20, 2010. I'm having a lot of fun in my current position. I get to deal with a lot of different things. In the morning I assisted our LIS intern, Sarah, with a student's reference question. It's always fun to collaborate with her and provide reference service mentoring. Sarah interns ten hours per week in our library and is here on Mondays and Thursdays this semester. She's going to be a great librarian.
This afternoon I spoke with a patron about an overdue lost item and associated fines. I had to gather information about the item from our circulation system and learn from my full-time library assistant how lost and replaced items have been tracked and dealt with in the past. I even found a little bit of time to unpack more boxes in my office. My new file cabinet and bookcase finally arrived last week, so I'm working on getting settled. I ate lunch at my desk but despite my intentions I did not really multitask. It did give me an opportunity to catch up on the #libday6 tweets.
This afternoon a candidate gave a presentation for an open position for an assistant professor of communications position. As a member of the faculty, I attended that job talk. Throughout the day I waded through lots of email. I even responded to some messages, including a request to be a reference for a scholarship applicant. I also spent some time talking on the phone with a colleague at another campus about some committee work and the upcoming ACRL conference in Philadelphia.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Library Day in the Life: Round 6
I'm excited to be participating in Library Day in the Life Round 6. It's coordinated by Librarian By Day. I'll post blog entries, tweets, and photos from January 24-30, 2011.
While I kind of randomly (and blindly) participated during round 5 on Twitter when I saw the hashtag being used by others, this year I'm official. I think it will be particularly interesting since I'm in this new management role, four months as of January 20. There are a few interesting items on my calendar for the week I hope make it interesting for everyone, including me.
I also plan to tell my library intern Sarah about the project so she can follow along to get multiple library perspectives, not to mention global perspectives.
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