Hermionish: How to Cook a Wolf

Nearly a month has passed since my last post and I pleased to note that I am not at a loss for news! I think I'll write a few posts just for simplicity...

Last semester, the director of Caro Area District Library -- who was my practicum supervisor -- asked me if I would be interested in a paid position working on special projects and covering the circulation/reference desk from time to time. As you can imagine, I was completely geeked and, of course, accepted the offer. I started working at CADL in early February -- after I sufficiently healed from my surgery and had the drainage tube removed. (Ick, I know.)

Discovering an old "date due" slip

While being trained on the desk, I couldn't help but ponder how much the field and its practices have evolved over the years. Even looking back just 25 years, when I first started using libraries, the changes which have taken place with the advent of the OPAC and the retirement of the traditional card catalog. I made a conscious effort to take in my surroundings in hopes that I'll be able to accurately recall, someday towards the end of my career, what my first few days as a newly minted LIS professional felt like and what the work entailed.

So what have I been working on? My first project focused on weeding the library's business collection (the 650s) and building a pathfinder to assist patrons with navigating the materials. I found using an Excel spreadsheet to be the easiest method as it afforded me with an actual visual of the collection as well as greatly aided me with building the pathfinder as I included subject headings. Now that the 650s are weeded, I've turned my attention to the culinary collection (the 641s) which consists of about 15 tight shelves of materials. I got to work with M.F.K. Fisher's The Art of Eating which included How to Cook a Wolf! Loving it thus far.

Both the director and the assistant director are whom I consider to be "veterans" in the LIS field and therefore a wealth of knowledge. I've enjoyed my experiences and look forward to each and every shift at the library.