I've struggled on how to best write this post and have even kicked around the notion of not publishing it; however, since this is a blog about my observations experiences in the field...
Earlier this year I was hired at my practicum site, a public library, and have had several rather curious encounters with patrons over the past few months which have left me second-guessing myself. My conclusion, which subsequently resulted in me sharing the following statement with my fellow LIS-colleagues:
Please do not mistake my reference interview questions, can-do attitude, courteous and friendly demeanor as an indication of interest in starting a romantic or sexual relationship: I am merely doing my job as an information professional.
(Clarification: the above statement is just a rant.)I politely thanked the patron for his 'compliments' and redirected him to the task at hand...and kept redirecting the patron back to the reference interview. In other words, "Thank you, (insert name). Let's focus on finding you materials on (insert topic)."
Perhaps, I should not have even said "thank you"?!
The notion 'she's nice to me; therefore, she must be interested or desire me' is incredibly frustrating. Has our society grown so accustomed to indifference and rude behavior that when kindness and politeness are shown it must really be considered something else?
When I receive assistance at Lowe's or Home Depot, I don't check out the team member who has helped me, tell him he's beautiful, and that his dark brown hair / green eyes plus tool belt are really my 'thing'...while oogling his package.
Completely inappropriate -- not mention: disgusting. It's not classy and certainly not ladylike.
It's downright uncivilized.
As a friend said, "Books are for checking out and taking home -- not the librarian." While it's funny, it's completely true.
Two hours ago, I finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It's been on my radar for awhile now, but I just haven't had the freedom to make much progress on my list of books for pleasure reading as of late.
With the likes of Megan Cox Gurdon and her infamous article about the dangers of contemporary YA fiction, it should come as no surprise that The Perks of Being a Wallflower landed itself among the top ten on ALA's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books list for the 2000-2009 decade. (Read an earlier post I wrote about Gurdon's article.)
Does Mrs. Gurdon honestly believe
that a sexually explicit YA novel might somehow traumatize a teen
mother? Does she believe that a YA novel about murder and rape will
somehow shock a teenager whose life has been damaged by murder and rape?
Does she believe a dystopian novel will frighten a kid who already
lives in hell?
In which Gurdon responded with the following in her second article on the subject:
No, I don't. I also don't believe that the vast majority of American teenagers live in anything like hell. Adolescence can be a turbulent time, but it doesn't last forever and often—leaving aside the saddest cases—it feels more dramatic at the time than it will in retrospect. It is surely worth our taking into account whether we do young people a disservice by seeming to endorse the worst that life has to offer.
Fall of 1999
My own thoughts? I don't believe that by publishing "edgy" fiction for young adults that adults or society is "endors[ing] the worst that life has to offer." In the case of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie experiences a range of events in which I personally encountered while in high school including the suicide of a classmate and dating violence.
I loved the book and found it to be powerful, perspicacious, and moving. In fact, I wish I would've read it back
when it was first published in 1999 as it would've given me much comfort during such a tumultuous time in my life. (The crazy part: Back in the day, I
likely shelved it many times while working as a Page at Oxford Public
Library.) I believe that YA has the power to save hence my support of the YA Saves Project.
My favorite passage:
"And we could all sit around and wonder and feel bad about each other
and blame a lot of people for what they did or didn't do or what they
didn't know. I don't know. I guess there could always be someone to
blame. Maybe if my grandfather didn't hit her, my mom wouldn't be so
quiet. And maybe she wouldn't have married my dad because he doesn't hit
her. And maybe I would never have been born, so I don't know what to
say about it all especially since my mom seems happy with her life, and I
don't know what else there is to want.
It's like if I blamed my aunt Helen, I would have to blame her dad for hitting her and the friend of the family that fooled around with her when she was
little. And the person that fooled around with him. And God for not
stopping all this and things that are much worse. And I did do that for a while, but then I just couldn't anyone. Because it wasn't going
anywhere. Because it wasn't the point.
I'm not the way I
am because of what I dreamt and remembered about my aunt Helen. That's
what I figured out when things got quiet. And I think that's very
important to know. It made things feel clear and together. Don't get me
wrong. I know what happened was important. And I need to remember
it....So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe
we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to
choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there.
We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them" (pp 210-211).
Favorite quotes:
"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."
"And I guess I realized at that moment that I really did love her. Because there was nothing to gain, and that didn't matter."
"I think the idea is that every person has to live for his or her own
life and then make the choice to share it with other people. Maybe that
is what makes people 'participate.'"
"I am both happy and sad at the same time, and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."
"I just want you to know that you’re very special… and the only reason
I’m telling you is that I don’t know if anyone else ever has."
"I just hope I remember to tell my kids that they are as happy as I look
in my old photographs. And I hope that they believe me."
"I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the
teachers and wonder why they're here. If they like their jobs. Or us.
And I wonder how smart they were when they were fifteen. Not in a mean
way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and
wondering who's had their heart broken that day, and how they are able
to cope with having three quizzes and a book report due on top of that.
Or wondering who did the heart breaking. And wondering why."
And I leave you with one of my favorite censorship quotes by Lester Asheim:
"Selection seeks to protect the right of the reader to read; censorship seeks to protect—not the right—but the reader from himself from the fancied effects of his reading. The selector has faith in the intelligence of the reader; the censor has faith only in his own."
Here's a playlist of songs I put together from the book -- "Charlie's Mixtape"
On Thursday, I submitted the capstone project for LIS 7996, the research proposal, which just happened to be the very last course assignment I had for library school (outside of the e-portfolio). The feeling I had was indescribable -- bittersweet, only begins to sum it up. I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey and have been reflecting upon my personal as well as professional growth.
With that said, I have started to work on my reflective essay which is a component of the e-portfolio, a requirement for graduation that is due on March 3. Ultimately, I'd like to have the essay in draft form by the first of the year. I am thinking that I'll likely share the content via this blog since it captures my library school journey.
Selecting just three learning outcomes to write about in my reflective essay has been quite challenging thus far -- I have so much to say and very a limited space to do so...
While watching this week's lecture, I felt the need to write a note to my (future) self: When practicing collection development, every book in which you choose to purchase should be able to be defended if a patron so happens to decide to challenge the item. If you can't defend it -- don't purchase it.
Earlier today I read an article published by the Wall Street Journal which got me pretty fired up: Darkness Too Visible by Megan Cox Gurdon. The tagline: "Contemporary fiction for teens is rife with explicit abuse, violence and depravity. Why is this considered a good idea?"
Maybe Amy Freeman lives under a rock and doesn't visit Barnes and Noble all that often, but based on her inept description of the YA area, "it was all vampires and suicide and self-mutilation, this dark, dark stuff," it certainly sounds like she lives under one. Why? As a frequent customer of BN as well as the public library, the YA genre is not all about vampires, suicide, and cutting; however, popular reads right now tend to be a bit more weighty and focus on issues beyond finding the perfect dress for prom. BN typically stocks bestselling fiction and well as those works which have received favorable reviews from trending sources such as Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Another student aptly labeled their post on the discussion board "supply and demand" -- the heavier and deeper types of books are selling and they're selling for a reason.
The library context...
In 1931, Ranganathan created the 5 laws of library science -- two of the laws are pertinent to this situation:
(2) Every reader his (or her) book -- "This law suggests that every member of the community should be able to obtain materials needed. Ranganathan felt that all individuals from all social environments were entitled to library service, and that the basis of library use was education, to which all were entitled. These entitlements were not without some important obligations for both libraries/librarians and library patrons. Librarians should have excellent first-hand knowledge of the people to be served. Collections should meet the special interests of the community, and libraries should promote and advertise their services extensively to attract a wide range of readers" (Wikipedia).
(3) Every book its reader -- "This principle is closely related to the second law but it focuses on the item itself, suggesting that each item in a library has an individual or individuals who would find that item useful" (Wikipedia).
In my personal statement which I included with my application for admission into this program, I cited an overwhelmingly heavy caseload of incest cases which involved teenage girls as victims -- their perpetrators: fathers and brothers. It was absolutely heart-wrenching to see these cases come in -- many of them had withheld their stories for years. As of result of what they were going through, several of these young women had turned to abnormal coping strategies such as substance abuse, cutting, eating disorders, pulling out hair, and promiscuity. In counseling sessions with adult victims of domestic violence, a great many of them cited being sexually abused as children or young adults. And these are just the cases in which the victims have come forward and chosen to speak out -- how many are out there walking around holding onto their nightmare-reality? Chances are that there is an overwhelming number of victims and survivors out there -- their friends and non-offending family members are commonly referred to as secondary victims and they too are affected by the trauma.
We live in a pretty ugly world today. In reality, I think it's been ugly for ages but now people are choosing to break their silence which has likely prompted the changes in today's contemporary realistic fiction which now not only includes stories about sexual abuse, but also the realities of 'coming out', bullying, teen sex / pregnancy, eating disorders, substance abuse, cutting, and suicide.
If Freeman isn't comfortable with her child reading certain materials, than she simply doesn't have to purchase them; however, to complain about the mere availability of such materials smacks of ignorance and only facilitates in thwarting those experiencing certain situations from having access to information which could possibly offer comfort and encouragement. If she's looking for a good, safe, "clean" read for her teen than I would strongly suggest sticking to the Inspirational / Christian Fiction genre. However, chances are pretty high that Freeman's teen knows someone or has personally experienced a situation spelled out in a piece of today's contemporary realistic fiction.
Here are some statistics that pertain only to the dating violence aspect:
About one in three high school students have been or will be involved in an abusive relationship.
Forty percent of teenage girls ages 14 to 17 say they know someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend.
A survey of 500 young women, ages 15 to 24, found that 60 percent were currently involved in an ongoing abusive relationship and all participants had experienced violence in a dating relationship.
One study found that 38 percent of date rape victims were young women from 14 to 17 years of age.
(Source: Alabama Coalition Against Dating Violence)
Vicki Mazure, Director at Harbor Beach Area District Library, shared a link to eBooks for Libraries where there is a currently a petition for supporters and believers in the public library to sign and a chance to speak out against the Naughty Six, as coined by the Librarian in Black!
Just tuning in?
Here's an explanation from the folks at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library + the people at Library Renewal:
"Libraries are having trouble getting ebooks from the largest
publishing companies. These publishers are adding restrictions and price
increases, or simply not selling ebooks to libraries at all:
Penguin recently ended ebook lending to public libraries.
HarperCollins has a 26-checkout limit on each ebook … and then the library has to buy it again.
Random House allows unrestricted access to ebooks, but recently raised prices – in some cases tripling them.
Macmillan, Simon & Schuster and Hachette don’t sell ebooks to libraries at all.
This means that library customers can get a print copy of a book from
a library, but can’t get that same book in an ebook format. But that’s
not what our customers want. Our customers are readers – and our readers
want books, in all formats, from libraries."
We are your customers. We buy your print books, your audiobooks, and your ebooks. We also use libraries. We love our libraries and we trust our librarians to recommend great reads. Libraries are unique places where we discover new authors, explore new genres, and connect with our neighbors over books. In many cases, we use libraries to find more of your books to buy.
However, unlike print books, you have limited our ebook choices at libraries. We don't think this is fair – for us or for libraries. We want the choice to check out your books, in any format, from our local libraries. We want the ability to use libraries digitally just as we have with print.
As book lenders, libraries directly and indirectly encourage us to purchase books. We will still buy your ebooks, but we need libraries to help us discover, explore, and connect. We see libraries as your partners and we respectfully ask that you work with them.
Therefore, we sign this petition to encourage publishers to work with libraries to:
Provide digital content to libraries
Allow libraries to have access to books in all formats
Develop a business model that allows publishers and authors to thrive while ensuring that libraries can continue to serve readers and build collections for our communities
Reading is your business. Reading is our business. Reading is everyone's business.
Want to sign the petition? Here's how: simply visit eBooks for Libraries.
For LIS 7790 - History of Books, Printing, and Publishing, each student was required to complete a case study for the course. Because of my research interest in 'censorship and intellectual freedom during the Third Reich', I chose to study the infamous Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler.
I was invited to contribute to the SLIS Ideas Blog and thought that the Mein Kampf case study would be perfect as the book is quite controversial yet quite a lot of people are not familiar with the work and its inherent creepiness. So with the help of my good friend Christie Williams, I made some minor revisions to the case study by making a more definitive introduction and conclusion. I then recorded the audio, found public domain photos, pieced the whole enchilada together, and published the vlog via YouTube.
Without further ado, you can view my case study in vlog format by visiting "Ideas from the School of Library and Information Science" or more directly via the embedded video below; however, I strongly encourage you to take a moment to please check out the fabulous Ideas Blog and browse the other postings from fellow students and SLIS faculty:
Note: If you hang out until the very end of the vlog, you'll find a list of sources in which consulted for the project -- great reading, if you're interested in the topic! (I highly suggest Hitler's Mein Kampf in Britain and America: A Publishing History 1930-39 by James J. Barnes and P. Barnes)
The past few days have been a whirlwind -- my apologies for not posting a synopsis for Day 3 of the Rural Libraries Conference sooner.
I won one of the fabulous gift baskets: Dream Big -- which contained picnic supplies: decorative paper plates, a pinwheel, a bottle of blueberry wine, dark chocolate, a bubble wand, and a "chillable" gel wrap designed for a wine bottle.
Our morning keynote speaker was the "amazingly informed & therefore properly opinionated" Librarian in Black, Sarah Houghton! *virtual applause*
"Digital content forces us to be ethical people."
There is a significant difference between the lingo salespeople use when talking to libraries about digital resources -- they commonly use terms such as buy, sell, and own. On the flip side, the contract for these services utilizes a whole different lexicon -- license, subscription, and lease.
Houghton referred to the publishers whom are not lending e-books through libraries as the "Naughty Six."
"If you don't play nice with libraries, than you're an evil villain!"
Recently, a new director purchased several Kindles and using a smattering of faux Amazon accounts loaded bestseller content onto the devices which are now being circulated in the library!
After 6-9 months, still no word from Amazon.
Sarah Houghton, who just became director of San Rafael Public Library, plans on following suit.
Digital resources I want to look into: Open Library, Podio, Gluejar, and LibriVox.
Barnes and Noble have remained library-friendly. In fact, they have a loophole in their TOS that allows the purchase of a title and placement onto 6 different devices. Impressive.
If I buy an e-reader, it's definitely going to be a Nook of some variety.
Patrons using Kindles + OverDrive are unknowingly having their personal data collected and stored by Amazon. Creepy!
Houghton cited Doctorow's First Law (Cory Doctorow): "Any time someone puts a lock on something that belongs to you, and
won't give you a key, they're not doing it for your benefit."
After the morning keynote, we split up into various break-out sessions. I attended Non-Fiction Reader Advisory for Everyone which was presented by Holly Hibner, Plymouth District Library, and Mary Kelly, Lyon Township Public Library.
As I stated in my notes from Day 2 (Thingamabobs and Doodads: Tech Support IS Reference), these ladies could easily have their own comedy show. For now, we have their fabulous blog Awful Library Books.
Hibner and Kelly didn't focus on all new books for their presentation -- as it's beneficial to have back-ups when the newer materials are all checked out.
"Eye appeal is appeal." --Mary Kelly
"You need to pair David Sedaris with the right reader." --Holly Hibner, (I think)
Note: I am that reader.
When working with patrons, librarians need to go with the moment, start a relationship, and share the pain of everyday life.
"There is such stereotypes out there. People feel the need to be serious when talking to us. Lighten up!" --Holly Hibner
Think broadly when working with teens -- they read all over the place -- from children's to adult materials.
Keep cool things/objects on your desk -- they're great conversation starters.
Keep creep out things nearby -- teen boys love them.
Stop using the word 'read' and try using 'look at this' instead.
You don't necessarily have to read the book to have it on your go-to list -- patron recommendations work just fine. The key is knowing where the book is located that way you can keep the conversation with the patron flowing.
When constructing your go-to list cover the gamut of the entire Dewey range.
There was some discussion of interfiling / inter-shelving of adult, YA, and children's non-fiction materials. Popular reasons:
Size driven -- frees up much needed space;
Stigma -- people with different reading levels are spared browsing in the juvenile area and vice versa.
Keep a 'cool book cover' pile on your desk -- another great conversation starter with patrons.
Ruth Hughes Memorial District Library in Imlay City had a unique idea 'Blind Date with a Book'
Books are wrapped in brown paper and a bow adorns the cover
Barcodes are placed on the front or back of the brown paper for circulation ease.
Encourages patrons to broaden their reading territory.
Has been received very well by the library's patrons! (Great idea!)
Day 2 of the Rural Libraries Conference is now officially complete and I cannot even begin to adequately explain about how wonderful it was and the fun I had while learning more about the LIS field.
This morning's keynote session, Powerful Interactions: Taking Inspiration from Small and Rural Libraries, was presented by Saroj Ghoting an Early Literacy Consultant -- it was so packed full of interesting and useful that I didn't want it to end. Here are some of the notes I scribbled down in my notebook:
A common theme between small and rural libraries -- besides serving diverse communities -- is the number of partners and collaborative projects within their communities. Ghoting showed a graph that indicated that the small and rural library has almost double the partners/connections with their community than their suburban and urban counterparts.
I need to check out the book Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josee Massee.
Librarians are social entrepreneurs.
A statistic from the Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS): 57% of libraries service a population of 10,000 or less.
In Michigan, that would be a Class 3 agency or smaller.
Class 3 = 7,000 - 11,999
Her presentation touched on two facets to early literacy emergence: learning to decode + reading is understanding the meaning.
Singing text actually slows down the language which helps kids to learn the soft sounds of the words.
The whole room of about 200+ read aloud the text of the Itsy Bitsy Spider. It went relatively fast.
Next, the whole group sang aloud the same text. It went much slower.
It's more important for the interaction around the book to be positive rather than long.
A book is a discussion starter.
Factual books actually tend to produce more interaction and discussion; however, parents/teachers/caregivers need to mix it up.
A toddler at the age of 2 will know 5x's as many words than their counterparts who've been spoken to only a little.
On a budget (aren't we all)? Consider creating your own magnetic literacy toy by using laminated pictures with magnets glued to the back and cookie sheets! (I loved this idea.)
I also loved the idea of hanging different mirrors with an emotion on the endcaps -- kids will love making faces in the mirror!
My break-out sessions were as follows: Digital Resources and the Rural Library: Not as Simple as It Seems presented by Dr. Robert P. Holley, Got GLBT? presented by Melanie Earley, and Thingamabobs and Doodads: Tech Support IS Reference presented by Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly.
Digital Resources and the Rural Library: Not as Simple as It Seems
This session touched on a lot of the concepts and topics that Dr. Holley presented in his Collection Development class.
Having the opportunity to see Dr. Holley actually present really made me wish I would've taken a face-to-face class rather than just online format. (He has a great sense of humor which is difficult to fully appreciate online.)
Many of the databases in which libraries subscribe might contain content that would never be considered for purchase if it was in print format.
Also worth considering: digital resources might consist of content that was previously weeded by the library.
Memorable Dr. Holley quote: "One of the major points -- Amazon wants to take over the world."
Participant point: "Digital resources can provide opportunities to access to information that wasn't previously available in Large Print format."
Got GLBT?
Great presentation! It was mostly a literature survey and review. Free books were available thanks to generous publishers.
I was very disappointed by how few people attended this session. The 'why' questions -- why didn't they attend -- currently bumping around in my head actually make me feel sick and dizzy.
Thingamabobs and Doodads: Tech Support IS Reference
These ladies could have a comedy show. Highly entertaining!
Mary Kelly quotes:
"I do everything at my library including moving the dead deer out of the parking lot before story time."
"We are bartenders with books instead of booze."
Another passion of mine: library architecture. I got a complete charge out of looking through the design books of architect Alyce D. Riemenschneider -- she reworked and refreshed a butchered Carnegie Library and the photos gave me goosebumps. I plan on following her work by touring libraries in which she has redesigned and built. (Note: she's merging with Quinn Evans Architects.)
Day 1 of the Rural Libraries Conference is now complete and I must say: it was an absolute blast. Hopefully there aren't too many typos in this post -- I'm pooped.
It was great seeing a number of familiar faces -- Thumb area directors -- as well as making new acquaintances. I absolutely love hearing the seasoned librarian reflect upon his/her career and the amount of passion and pride in their voice for the field. While I am without a doubt that I have found my calling, it's moments like these that just help to cement the fact and further inspire me.
Nancy Robertson, the State Librarian, presented the LSTA Five-Year Plan Needs Assessment. The 6th priority, which I found particularly intriguing stated,"Targeting library and information services to persons having difficultly using a library and to underserved urban and rural communities, including children (from birth through age 17) from families with incomes below the poverty line..." What I found interesting is the fact that she used the word "underserved" while referring to both urban and rural areas -- a fact in which I feel my library school and much of the student body as the tendency to overlook. (It came as no surprise to me as I am familiar with State and Federal grant data collection from my time in the human services field.)
A memorable quote from Robertson after the microphone was passed around the room allowing librarians to share innovative programs their libraries are offering, "Even while we're drowning, we're doing really good stuff."
Representatives from Gale Cengage Learning gave a presentation titled "How to Tell the Story of Your Library's Impact." While the whole presentation was very informative, a key point I'd like to share touches on the evolution of library marketing: there is a shift from hard information such as citing data and generating reports to utilizing more soft information such as sharing feelings about the library as well as stories. Several examples were shared and I especially liked the notion of utilizing OCLC's Geek the Library as a launchpad or "springboard" (a term they used) as a means of getting patrons to share their experiences and stories.
After the opening luncheon, I headed to Get Anime-ted! Get Graphic! Adding Graphic Novels, Anime, and Manga to Your Collection which was facilitated by Roy Soncrant and Robert Gorney from the Genesee District Library. Not only was it very informative, but also quite entertaining! I learned a great deal more about the history of comic books and some finally tuned methods for purchasing. Here are some facts and points that I found interesting:
Author Jodi Picoult actually did a Wonder Woman comic.
Famous Funnies -- 1st American comic book that featured original content.
The comic book / graphic novel business is a billion dollar industry -- is any more rationale needed for inclusion in your library?
The notion of telling stories via images is ancient -- think: cave paintings.
Many comics from the WWII era are quite rare as they were commonly pulped and the ink squeezed for paint thus making surviving editions very valuable.
When America went to war, comics became much more violent in nature.
After the war, the superhero fad cooled and horror comics became much more popular.
The Comic Code actually had a ban on vampires until 1970.
Chatting with a rural librarian after the session, she mentioned the benefits of having a relationship with an area comic book store -- they really make easy the confusing business of purchasing series and crossovers. What a great idea!
From this session, I headed to Problem Patrons: Addressing and Responding to Patron Behavior which was presented by Anne Seurynck from the law firm of Foster, Swift, Collins, & Smith, P.C. Like the first session, I also found it to be quite interesting -- especially when directors and staff shared their horror stories some of which included patrons spreading feces on bathroom walls and even a potential internet prostitution ring ran out of the library. Trouble happens in Mayberry, too. Naturally Seurynck shared several key cases relevant to libraries: Kreimer vs. Morristown, Armstrong vs. District of Columbia Public Library, Neinast vs. Board of Trustees of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, and Brinkmeier vs. City of Freeport.
In LIS 7250 (Programming for Children and Young Adults), course instructor Sue Todd asked the following question: "How can a librarian make a name for herself/himself professionally?"
My response: "Beyond being creative and innovative, which are quite obvious, I think a librarian needs to be approachable. If someone has great ideas, but they dislike working with people (and/or others find them difficult to be around), than those creative ideas won't go very far. As the Amish say, 'take a lesson from the dog -- wag your tail instead of your tongue.'"
Over the past few days, I've had a number of friends and colleagues inquire as to how I am doing. (Thank you for asking.) Here's the update:
While I seemed to have regained some of my energy and the sinus infection seems to be pretty much cleared up, my lungs are still exhibiting the crackle sensation and sound characteristic of pneumonia...and I'm still coughing...a lot.
My follow-up appointment is on Thursday morning and I was already told that I'll be having another chest x-ray.
Today, I spent the majority of the morning and afternoon working on my term paper for LIS 7790 (the history of books, printing, and publishing). My topic: the history of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I downloaded, via iTunes, The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond and jammed out while writing. Despite still feeling like klunk (a reference to The Maze Runner), I have thoroughly enjoyed this paper and am excited to submit the final product to Dr. Neavill within the next few days. I'll likely share something here, too, as I learned so much about the book!
Here's a fact: In 1967, Ballantine Books published a censored and expurgated
edition of Fahrenheit 451 without Bradbury's knowledge or adding
notation to the copyright page on the verso. From 1973 - 1979, only the
expurgated edition of the book was available until an observant friend
alerted Bradbury. Thankfully, since 1980, only the "pure" unexpurgated
edition of the book has been available (Sova, 2006).
Further thoughts on the SLIS listserv before putting the issue to rest and moving on...
I'll cite it again and again and again.
V. We treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness, and
good faith, and advocate conditions of employment that safeguard the
rights and welfare of all employees of our institutions (ALA Code of Ethics).
Five points to think about before responding:
Is it True?
Is it Helpful?
Is it Inspiring?
Is it Necessary?
Is it Kind?
As I've stated to my classmates, there is already enough negativity in the field at the moment with the economy being what it is and library budgets subsequently being decimated coast to coast. It is one thing to discuss the SLIS program and the direction it should be taking...or the direction students should be taking in order to prepare themselves for successfully entering the field...and something completely different (not to mention off-topic and unethical) to bash students...even the unmotivated.
What I'd, personally, like to hear instead:
...tell me about what inspired you to become a librarian...do you still like your job...what do you wish you knew more about...if money was no object, which workshops or classes would you take...what do you wish you'd done differently, if anything...what's your favorite part of the job...least favorite part of the job...where do you see the field in 10 years...what are your thoughts on OverDrive and the Penguin situation...do you go to conferences...have you ever dealt with a challenge to a book or item before...what's on your professional bookshelf...what is your board like...what review sources do you prefer...what is your professional wardrobe like...what was your first job...did you do a practicum...what was your favorite class...what's your dream job...
I've had a very long day and tomorrow is going to be even longer. Gute Nacht,meine Freunde.
Since this blog started in June of 2010, I've made it a point to try and keep Hermionish positive. Unfortunately, that cannot always happen...
To date I've abstained from responding to an instigative series of emails circulating on the SLIS main listserv -- many of which have been anonymous -- until this afternoon. In a thread posted on Monday, S.B., a director of library services at a for-profit college shared a rather unfortunate and isolated anecdote,
"About two ago I hired a recent Wayne MLIS graduate. This person had taken courses from many of the same instructors I had, so I thought this person had gained the same knowledge I had. Big mistake! This person was a total disaster. The day I was about to give this person his walking papers, he resigned from his post for another job. I was so angry at the time, I came close to writing Dr. Bajjaly a nasty letter, but my husband talked me out of it.
Needless to say, I will think twice about hiring a Wayne LISP grad in future..."
Here's my Gryffindor-esque response (I am loyal. Hear me roar):
S.B. stated, "Needless to say, I will think twice about hiring a Wayne LISP grad in the future..."
If that isn't outright discrimination than it's certainly bordering on it.
What does the ALA Code of Ethics have to say?
V. We treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness, and
good faith, and advocate conditions of employment that safeguard the
rights and welfare of all employees of our institutions.
VI. We distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties
and do not allow our personal beliefs to interfere with fair
representation of the aims of our institutions or the provision of
access to their information resources.
VII. We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing
our own knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional
development of co-workers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential
members of the profession.
While I am not interesting [sic] in
pursuing a career in academic libraries, I can think of a handful of my
fellow classmates that are very much interested -- classmates who have
went above and beyond and are truly passionate as well as dedicated to
the LIS field. I've had the honor of working alongside these students
and have seen much of their work product. In fact, I wouldn't even
hesitate to act as a reference for these classmates. It's a shame...in
fact it's really a crime...that they could be overlooked for a position
just because they graduated from Wayne State University's School of
Library and Information Science.
I am irate and certainly not anonymous.
JC Brown
MLIS Public Libraries Candidate
School of Library and Information Science
Wayne State University
While working on my ePortfolio, a graduation requirement for those enrolled in the School of Library and Information Science, I found an old assignment in which my group, Team Awesome, submitted for LIS 6010 (taught by Dr. Maria Gonzalez) as part of an assignment on library ethics. (Group members: Cecile Bosshard, JC Brown, Janet Curtiss, Brian Cutter, Araceli Mata, Tashia Munson, and Christopher Schimers)
The scenario is as follows:
As a librarian, a friend shows you a finished manuscript of a children's book that takes a realistic look at an adolescent's experience, which includes experimentation with drugs and sex. Your friend wants to know what you, as a librarian thinks, if it's publishable and it's marketable. You know that the book will most likely be considered objectionable in most school libraries and many public libraries unless your friend removes some scenes form his book. Do you recommend that your friend remove the scenes from his book?
On Monday, December 5, I took a road trip down to Eastpointe, also known as East Detroit, and met with Sue Todd, Assistant Director of Eastpointe Memorial Library. I've been asked, "Why Eastpointe?" Well, the answer is simple. Sue Todd is adjunct faculty at Wayne State University and my instructor for LIS 6510 (Children's Literature: Infant - 3rd Grade). I have thoroughly enjoyed her class and wanted to get a chance to chat with her about the LIS field and thank her for a wonderful semester.
Location
I had to laugh when thinking about how to write this section. If you have been following the 30Y.30L posts, you'll notice that I cite mileage and general direction from Purdy-Kresge Library in Detroit. Well...this library is just a hop, skip, and a jump from campus.
Eastpointe Memorial Library is just 10 miles northeast of Purdy-Kresge Library, home of the School of Library and Information Science, on Wayne State University's downtown Detroit campus. For those living in the Thumb area, EML is 75 miles southwest of Sandusky District Library.
Service Area, Size, and Operating Budget
Eastpointe Memorial Library serves primarily the City of Eastpointe, but also the surrounding areas which include Harper Woods, Roseville, and Saint Clair Shores.I was astounded by the population numbers: Eastpointe (32,422), Harper Woods (14,236), Roseville (47,299), and Saint Clair Shores (59,715) -- giving the library's service population a total of: 153,672. Because the library's primary service area is Eastpointe and the population is less than 49,999,the agency falls under a Class 5 designation.
According to the Library of Michigan, a Class 5 library serves a population of 26,000 to 49,999 and needs to:
Be open a minimum of 50 hours per week.
Employ (at least 35 hours per week) a director with a Level 1 certificate. The director will complete the New Director’s workshop within one year of becoming a director and complete the Advanced Director’s workshop within two years of becoming a director.
You may have noticed that the libraries visited thus far have been a Class 1 - 3 agency which requires the director to have a minimal of Level 3 - 4 certification (depending on the class size); however, when a library is designated as a Class 4 or Class 5 agency, the director is required to have a higher certification. Here is the low-down on library staff certification from the Library of Michigan:
Level 1 certification requires:
(a) A master’s degree or its equivalent from a library school accredited by the American Library Association, and
(b) Four years of full-time library employment, or its equivalent, after receiving an MLS.
Level 2 certification requires:
(a) A master’s degree or its equivalent from a library school accredited by the American Library Association.
Level 3 certification requires:
(a) A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, and
(b) Completion of the Beginning Workshop offered by the Library of Michigan.
Level 4 certification requires:
(a) A high school diploma or equivalent, and
(b) One year of full-time library employment after receiving high school diploma or equivalent, and
(c) Completion of the Beginning Workshop offered by the Library of Michigan.
Eastpointe Memorial Library has an operating budget of $708,000. Comparing the budget to just two years ago, EML experienced -33% change!
Other relevant data:
Number of items in collection: 69,320; annual circulation: 158,038.
About the Assistant Director Sue, an alumna of the School of Library and Information Science at Wayne State University, began her career in the LIS field 27 years ago when she first started at Eastpointe Library while working on her MLIS. However, certainly worth noting, she was a library aide during her middle school years and worked, while in undergrad, cataloging dissertations for Michigan State University's library.
According to the library's website, her first professional position was that of Adult Services Librarian. The year 2004 was a big one for Sue! It's when she first started teaching for the SLIS program at WSU and she became the Youth Services Librarian. Almost 5 years later, in spring of 2009, Sue became the Assistant Director of Eastpointe Memorial Library.
Favorite Part of the Job:
"Talking to the patrons. We have a good collection and good people on staff -- it's what keeps them coming back. The two go hand-in-hand: without the collection, we won't exist; without the people, we won't exist." Sue also enjoys when patrons who used the library as children come back with children of their own.
Advice to those entering the profession:
Sue offered tons of advice throughout the interview! "Every job can apply to the LIS field...Know your patron base...If you see a patron coming out of the stacks empty-handed, ask them if they need help finding something...Make yourself available and approachable...You need to adapt to different personalities...Be open-minded. Be flexible. Jobs will be available. You need to make yourself relevant."
Notes and Observations
Due to budget cuts, the library no longer has pages on staff. Everyone pitches in and shelves these days.
EML has a parent-teacher collection in the youth department.
The library has a wonderful courtyard/patio that is used for story time and the summer reading program.
Youth services typically has the most sections to navigate.
Sue finds the collection shelved under J398.2 the most difficult to weed.
