Get Your Hands on a Good Book!

Voting for MLA's Thumbs Up! Award closed this past Saturday. Since CADL didn't purchase many of the books, there really was no point in keeping the display up.

With the help from a "regular", we created this fun display which features new YA books:

We even got a few staff members and patrons to trace their hands!

Not Available for Check-Out

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.

And a colleague shared this image:

Keep it classy, people.

Printz Award Display

After being up for just over a month, I dismantled the A Game of Thrones Read-Alikes for Teens display (note: clean reads, of course) and replaced it with a Printz Award and Honor Book display. This time around, check-in notes were added to the materials via the ILS so that returning books to the display won't be such a chore.

Being interested in YA lit, I was aware of the Printz Award prior to the start of library school, but was pleased to learn much more about it through my classes with adjunct professor, Suzanne Todd.

In case you're not familiar...

Q: What is the Printz Award?

A: Each year, the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature is awarded to one book for its literary merit. In addition to the award, the Printz committee also selects up to four "honor" books. The award and honors are announced at the American Library Association's mid-winter conference.

Q: Who is Michael L. Printz?

A: Michael Printz, an active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association, was a school media specialist at a high school in Topeka, Kansas. He passed away in 1996.

My favorite Printz books:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, 

Here's a complete list of the award and honor books by year:

2013
Award: In Darkness by Nick Lake
Honor Books: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz; Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein; Dodger by Terry Pratchett; The White Bicycle by Beverley Brenna

2012
Award: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Honor Books: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler (artwork by Maira Kalman); The Returning by Christine Hinwood; Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey; The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

2011
Winner: Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Honor Books: Stolen by Lucy Christopher; Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King; Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick; Nothing by Janne Teller

2010
Award: Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Honor Books: Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman; The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey; Punkzilla by Adam Rapp; Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973 by John Barnes

2009
Award: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Honor Books: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 2: The Kingdom on the Waves by M. T. Anderson; The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart; Nation by Terry Pratchett; Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

2008
Award: The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
Honor Books: Dreamquake: Book Two of the Dreamhunter Duet by Elizabeth Knox;
One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clarke; Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins; Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphill

2007
Award: American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
Honor Books: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation; v. 1: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson; An Abundance of Katherines by John Green; Surrender by Sonya Hartnett; The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

2006
Award: Looking for Alaska by John Green
Honor Books: Black Juice by Margo Lanagan; I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak; John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth, a Photographic Biography by Elizabeth Partridge; A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson

2005
Award: how i live now by Meg Rosoff
Honor Books: Airborn by Kenneth Oppel; Chanda’s Secrets by Allan Stratton; Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt

2004
Award: The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
Honor Books: A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly; Keesha’s House by Helen Frost;
Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going; The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

2003
Award: Postcards from No Man’s Land by Aidan Chambers
Honor Books: The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer; My Heartbeat by Garret Freymann-Weyr; Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos

2002
Award: A Step From Heaven by An Na
Honor Books: The Ropemaker by Peter Dickinson; Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art by Jan Greenberg Abrams; Freewill by Chris Lynch; True Believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff

2001
Award: Kit’s Wilderness by David Almond
Honor Books: Many Stones by Carolyn Coman; The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci; Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison; Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman

2000
Award: Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Honor Books: Skellig by David Almond; Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson; Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger

Judging

My favorite Newbery book

Loads of post ideas floating around in my gourd, but when it comes time to actually write them...I get squeamish. I have lots of drafts saved!

Fact: people judge books by their covers.

Especially children.

If a book is dirty, tattered-looking, visited the bindery for recovering, decked out in a dated-looking cover, and/or sporting tape on its the edges, chances are pretty high that a child isn't going to want anything to do with it. One of my projects at work: reviewing the Newbery Award collection and making recommendations as to which copies should be replaced and with what edition.

While working on this project, I have been disappointed by some of the newer editions with  their supposedly "improved" covers -- many of them are...well...unimproved. I was pleased when I stumbled upon Travis Jonker's blog, 100 Scope Notes -- specifically: Covering the Newbery. He went through and re-designed each Newbery book cover.

Simple. Timeless designs.

Brilliant idea... 

My Library World

At CADL, I've been busy gaining lots of experience by working the desk: circulation, readers' advisory, reference questions, and basic tech support. With the positive comes the negative: I've been lied to about library fines, experienced manipulation firsthand, and witnessed conniption fits (complete with colorful language) over a document not printing. It's all part of working with the public...

I enjoy my time the most when I am on-desk in the children's department! I love seeing the wonder and excitement on their little faces when they walk into the collection. Just hearing adults read to children gives me a bit more faith in humanity...

SRP game day at CADL

I've also been able to try my hand at two YA displays -- A Game of Thrones Read-Alikes for Teens (clean reads, of course) and MLA's Thumbs Up! Award. At the end of this month, I'll be replacing the AGoT display with a Printz Award display.

My weeding projects have also been on-going. Currently, I am working my way through the 747s...

Checking circ stats...

In other library-related news:
The pink Chuckle roses were a huge hit and had lots of patrons asking about them...

I've also been volunteering at a small, rural public library and working at digitizing a scrapbook of obituaries a local genealogist collected over the years. OCR is new to me and I am learning a great deal through this experience!

Experimenting with OCR...

  ...and I love library coffee...

Librarians on Tour

I've been busy...

In mid-June, with my friend and LIS comrade, Jeanette Marks (a SLIS alumna), I toured Cheboygan Area Public Library and Mackinac Island Public Library! We refer to our road trip as: "Librarians on Tour."

Kim Schulz and I

Cheboygan Area Public Library

• Our guide was Kim Schulz, Assistant Library Director and fellow SLIS alumna.
• Quick facts from the 2011 - 2012 Library State Aid Report:
• Class 4 library -- serves populations between 12,000 - 25,999. 
• Population served: 13,993
• Operating expenditures: $484,660 
• Collection size: 64,998
• Separate YA area complete with two restaurant-style booths for group work
• Large basement houses the FoL book store, community rooms, pottery and craft rooms
• Beautifully landscaped outdoor garden with reading area
• Über-talented children's librarian, "Mr. King" created the following video for this year's summer reading program's theme, Dig Into Reading:

• Album of pictures from our visit...

Mackinac Island Public Library

• Our guide was Anne St. Onge, Library Director.
• Quick facts from the 2011 - 2012 Library State Aid Report:
•  Class 1 library -- serves populations 0 - 3,999
• Population served: 492
• Operating expenditures: $63,177
• Collection size: 13,826
• The library is open year-round for the residents whom live on the island
• Lovely teal interior with white trim gives a bright and fresh look
• They've been at their current location since 1992
• Due to lots of questions, the library has set up at FAQ page
• Water-front location complete with a rear deck and adirondack chairs
• Album of pictures from our visit...

Kicked to the Ditch

This morning, I renewed my membership to the American Library Association for the first time as a professional and not as a student. It was certainly a bittersweet moment which left my checking account a bit lighter...

What you are about to read is nothing new in the Michigan LIS-world -- a common complaint, which now I can officially join the ranks. With my ALA membership, two divisions (PLA and YALSA), and round table renewal, my overall cost was less than renewing my entire membership with the Michigan Library Association.

Setting cost aside and just browsing the conference notes from colleagues, I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that the Michigan Library Association is geared more towards larger suburban and urban public libraries than smaller, rural libraries.

Newsflash? No...

Taking a gander at statistics compiled from the public library survey (2012), almost 60% of Michigan's public libraries are on the smaller end of the spectrum: Class 1 - 3. Am I missing something? Or is MLA?

At $170.00 for an unaffiliated individual membership (meaning that my employing institution is not a member and I am not getting a discount), I damn well want my State organization to at least acknowledge the existence of small, rural libraries and subsequently offer workshops/seminars that are relevant.

Kicked to the curb. Hold on...  

It's so rural where I live that we don't even have curbs. 
How about this: kicked to the ditch.

With my savings, I opted to join the Freedom to Read Foundation -- a cause near and dear to my heart -- and will likely attend a few workshops hosted by the Historical Society of Michigan.

I wonder if they will miss me... Doubtful.

Source
Library of Michigan. (2012). Michigan public library survey statistics. Retrieved from
http://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/0,2351,7-160-18668_61707---,00.html


Author's Note: I've considered trying to be part of the solution by collaborating with area libraries in order to develop a conference presentation which will target small, rural libraries; however, it seems that MLA membership is pretty sparse in this region... Thoughts: Lack of interest? Or do they feel as though they haven't been adequately represented?

Certification

Today, I faxed the Library of Michigan my application for Public Librarian certification (level 2). A very proud moment...

Signature Line

On Monday, May 13, I was given access to a workplace email account and my signature line currently reads:

Jill Brown, MLIS

Caro Area District Library

http://www.carolibrary.org

989.673.4329

"...There is something magical about walking the aisles and checking out the stacks of books. Being wedged between stacks and having the smell of books drift into my nose is comforting. If I could live in the library, I would." --Authors for Libraries, a program of United for Libraries

MLIS...wow. *pinches her self*

A sentimental moment: I sent the first email from that account to two colleagues/friends in the LIS field. It read:

To the first two people I met when starting library school...

I wanted the two of you to be first to receive an email from this account with my newly granted professional credential. Thank you for all of your kind words and encouragement!

A Satisfying Day

Today at work, I tapped on the reading I did for my BA in psychology (Oakland University) as well as professional  experience working with clients in the human services field in order to cull through a list of materials for a patron in order to address her information needs on a very specific topic. While assisting the patron, I was pleased that I had read several of the materials on the list -- even personally owned a few -- and was able to provide her with on-the-spot summaries. This moment helped to cement the fact: varied academic and/or professional backgrounds contribute to the LIS-field, specifically in the public libraries arena.

Just a short time later, I was asked to develop a reading list comprised of historical fiction books focusing on two specific time periods. Producing a list of materials in which the library actually owned involved use of Library of Congress Subject Headings in order to generate meaningful search results using the library's OPAC -- not something the average John Doe could do merely using Google or a basic catalog keyword search using "historical fiction." Books and Authors, a database by Gale, provided me with a short list of materials which the patron could borrow via ILL (inter-library loan) if/when the main list gets exhausted. Since the patron had showed an interest in non-fiction materials relevant to these time periods, I supplemented the list with said materials.

And...at the close of my shift, I was down to just 3 shelves left to review for the 745 (Decorative Arts) weeding project. 

It was a very, professionally, satisfying day...

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.

A partial view of the business collection
after reviewing some 430 books...

Culinary collection: four of 15 shelves weeded

A bookplate from when the library used to be
Indianfields Public Library

The renowned Art of Eating which includes How to Cook a Wolf (1942)

Willkommen und Lebewohl

E-portfolio landing page on Blackboard

MLIS in folders...

"Welcome to your last semester!"

Last night at 11:59:59p, my final, final project for graduate school was due: the infamous e-portfolio. Now...I wait, impatiently, for my score which will likely take a few weeks.

I'd like to thank my family, friends, academic advisers (Gonzalez, Mika, and Anghelecu), professors, LIS classmates, and colleagues for the support, encouragement, and the learning experiences gained throughout my journey.

Special and heartfelt thanks (Herzlichen Dank) to Christie Williams, Jaysen Chesko, Janet Curtiss, Melanie Most, Matt Fredericks, Sue Todd, Gail Nartker, Marcia Dievendorf, Kate Van Auken, and Birchfield Studio (Don and Andrea).

I am DONE! Rest assured, Hermionish will continue with my professional experiences and bookish adventures. 

SLIS Ideas Blog

Blurry pic of the CADL Director,
Marcia Dievendorf, and I

Just submitted a blog post for the SLIS Ideas Blog about my practicum experience at Caro Area District Library! When it's published, I'll be sure to share the link here. A big thank you to Janet for acting as my editor!

In the mean time, you can check out an earlier post I did for the blog:
Mein Kampf Case Study

Big Talk From Small Libraries

Attending the Big Talk From Small Libraries webinar hosted by the Nebraska Library Commission! #btsl

Snow Day

Due to the bad road conditions, I stayed home from the library today and made a book loving snowman! 

Note: No books were harmed...

Practicum: Complete

Utterly exhausted...

Yesterday evening, I officially completed LIS 7640 -- my public library practicum: I logged my last few hours at CADL, wrote a blog post about my activities and observations, and published a summary of my overall experience!

I wrote:

My practicum experience mainly focused on surveying both the legal community as well as the library's patrons as to their legal information needs, reviewing and then weeding the library's legal collection, and creating a pathfinder of legal resources. For these projects, I utilized knowledge and skills acquired from LIS 7340 (Collection Development with Dr. Holley).

My secondary projects involved creating three annotated bibliographies for the library's young adult department -- Hunger Games Read-Alikes, Exploring Books Across Genres: A Guide to Teen Lit for Girls, and Exploring Books Across Genres: A Guide to Teen Lit for Guys. For these projects, I utilized knowledge and skills acquired in LIS 6530 (Young Adult Literature with Suzanne Todd) and LIS 7250 (Programming for Children and Young Adults with Suzanne Todd).

I am very satisfied with my experience and I am aware that my site supervisor is satisfied as well: "You give me new faith in the profession and what it is and will be. Thanks for everything you’ve done and especially the joy and enthusiasm you bring." Dievendorf provided me with a copy of my evaluation and it honestly brought tears to my eyes -- it was that touching. While CADL is not currently hiring, I have been asked if I would be interested in working on additional projects for the library. I am honored and have already made arrangements to do so.

As part of our final practicum posting, it was optional to provide a picture. Before leaving, I made a point to take snap a picture (via my webcam) which I've embedded in this post. I would have much rather used this picture (which I snapped on my way to my practicum earlier in the week):

So...now all I have left is finishing up my research proposal for LIS 7996. Currently, I am over halfway done writing the literature review and then I will be onto methodology, analysis of the data, limitations, and possibilities for future research.

In the next day or so, I'll share photos from my practicum experience -- mostly snapshots of various books in which I encountered while working. Only the bibliophiles out there will likely appreciate them.

Proposal Writing

Last night, shortly before calling it a day, I received feedback from Dr. Charbonneau concerning the outline I submitted for my research proposal in LIS 7996 which just happens to be the capstone project. 

With the proposal due in just two weeks (12/9 @ 9p), in the spirit of being proactive, I spent the better part of the day working on the draft -- mostly the introduction which included: statement of the problem (my topic); conceptualization of censorship, intellectual freedom, challenges, expressions of concern, oral complaints, written complaints, public attacks; and the purpose of the study. (Nearly three pages of content.) Tomorrow, I will focus on laying out the research questions and the literature review.

It is my sincere hope to actually conduct the proposed study with my friend and LIS colleague, Janet Curtiss.

Unfortunately, after an unexpected BoS while working on my outline last week, I've been dealing with Office 2007 stability issues on my laptop, Patton, ever since. I haven't been able to successfully format my document without the program locking up. I'm currently downloading Office 2010 from the School of Library and Information Science in hopes of rectifying the issue. I really don't want to work on this project upstairs in my office on the desktop. *fingers crossed* (Thank you, Jaysen, for tech support and listening to me rant earlier.)

Breakfast for the brain: cheese omelet, hash browns, and rye toast

Surreal

As far as library school goes, I am down to a mere three weeks of class left. It's surreal... In some ways, it feels like just yesterday that I started graduate school...yet, when I look at my personal and professional growth, it feels like a decade has passed rather than 2.5 years.

I remember how nerved up I was first visiting campus in December of 2009, as a prospective student, gathering information and vacillating about applying for admission into the program. And now, in just a couple of months, I'll be applying for graduation. I might have mentioned this before, but I've never "walked" for any of my degrees, including high school, and would like to participate in the big Spring graduation with my LIS friends and colleagues. Totally geeked!

Speaking of my LIS friends and colleagues as well as professors, I am ever grateful for them and the experiences in which we've shared together throughout the course of my tenure as a MLIS candidate.

So what have I been up to this semester?

• Trustee: Earlier this week, I was notified by the Sanilac County Board of Canvassers that I received a sufficient number of votes and have been elected to the position of Watertown Township trustee. My term began on Tuesday, November 20 at 12:00p and will run through 2016. 
• I'll be officially sworn in at the next township board meeting on Tuesday, December 4. Look for an update with photos from that experience.
• Practicum (LIS 7640): I've been spending time at Caro Area District Library working on projects for the Tuscola County Law Library which entailed reviewing/weeding the 340s, surveying patrons and the legal profession as to their various information needs, exploring/comparing databases of court forms, and building a comprehensive legal resources pathfinder for the community. (For viewing and/or download: cadl.legalresources.pathfinder)
• In addition to the law library content, I custom tailored two YA bibliographies for CADL in which I developed for LIS 6530 (YA Lit) and LIS 7250 (Programming for Children and YA) -- Hunger Games Read-Alikes and Exploring Books Across Genres: A Guide to Teen Lit for Girls. (For viewing and/or download: cadl.hungergames and cadl.exploring)
• Yesterday, the library director, who has supervised my experience, sent me a copy of the student evaluation she turned into the practicum coordinator -- a glowing review -- which made me quite misty-eyed when I read her comments and the body of the email.
• LIS 7996: I've been working my way through the readings, assignments, and lectures. Last week, I submitted the outline for my research proposal and am currently awaiting feedback. 
• My topic: Since Class 1 - 3-sized libraries make up 60% of Michigan's public libraries, my proposed study aims to explore the presence (or lack thereof) collection development policies and training pertaining to censorship/intellectual freedom in Class 1 – 3 public libraries in Michigan which will help to paint a picture showing the importance of increasing training and the availability of workshops on the issue.
• Earlier this month, I made a post about studying for the midterm. Here's how I did -- cut/paste from an email: "Well done on your LIS 7996 midterm exam. You got a perfect score! The midterm was worth 25 points." Rock on!
• Reading: I haven't had much time for pleasure reading this semester; however, I have managed to squeeze in the Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James, The Kill Order by James Dashner (the newly released prequel to The Maze Runner trilogy), and Shadows by Ilsa J. Bick (sequel to Ashes). Currently, I am reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Next in my queue: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows and A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin (Book 2 in 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series).

A Fair Assessment

From the epigraph in chapter 4 of Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information and Library Science (Wildemuth, 2009): 

"To describe is to draw a picture of what happened, or of how things are proceeding, or of what a situation or a person or an event is like. Description is concerned with making complicated things understandable." --Keith Punch (1998)

This afternoon, I start my practicum at Caro Area District Library under the supervision of Library Director Marcia Dievendorf. To say that I am excited is an understatement and to mention that I am nervous is a fair assessment. For my practicum class, I am required to keep a blog (embedded within Blackboard) to record my candid thoughts, observations, and reflections. I plan on doing a watered-down version here that will just capture my experiences without reporting any sensitive or confidential information.

In other bookish news, yesterday afternoon, I picked up materials from Sandusky District Library for the upcoming book discussion groups that I am leading for The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I've been squeezing in a chapter here and there in between my readings for LIS 7996 so that the story will be fresh in my mind. I should probably record my thoughts and a few of my favorite passages here...

Practicum

My practicum site has been arranged: Caro Area District Library. I start in September.

Very geeked...and yet quite nervous.

In other news, last night I attended a lecture at the Holocaust Memorial Center -- Hate Speech in Cyberspace -- by Dr. Jack Kay, Eastern Michigan University. Tomorrow, I am attending a workshop hosted by the Michigan Historical Society -- Copyright Issues for Historic Collections.