Week 15: An AV End

In this last week I finally got to work in the AV Department. I had hoped to put in more hours here but the overall schedule did not accommodate this. At my former library, I was often stationed in the Media Department, so I am familiar with the kinds of questions people ask about finding DVDs and CDs. 

The first day at the AV desk was spent with a quick overview of the layout, as well as instruction on how to organize carts. The AV Department is the only part of Adult Services that organizes its own materials. Pages still do the shelving though. Another small task AV does throughout the day is keep the display shelves stocked with a constant stream of staff picks. These displays seem to be very popular, as they had to be refilled almost every hour. The rest of the day was pretty quiet, with only a few people asking for help finding materials.

The second day was a Sunday, which is generally a busy day as the library is only open for four hours. This shift did no disappoint. I had one patron call back three times to put various different DVDs and CDs on hold. As a homebound/bookmobile only patron, she said she had to plan in advance to make sure she would have something to be delivered to her each week. One patron asked to see the rap music collection, which Mark, the staff librarian in AV, explained was kept in a back room to prevent theft. It is brought out if a patrons requests it, and then is returned to its secure location. This is a practice that walks the fine line of making materials accessible to the public, while also preserving the collection for the future. Perhaps if music ever goes completely digital, this will no longer be a problem.

I've really enjoyed my time in the Adult and Teen Services at the MCPL. The staff were all friendly and very welcoming. When I had questions, I was always given helpful and thoughtful answers. I feel like my experiences at the reference desks and in programming were truly beneficial to my growth as a a future librarian. When I graduate, I would count myself lucky to find a professional position in this or any similar library.

Tip of the Week: Face out displays are an easy way to increase circulation. The display implies the materials are special in some way, having been chosen by the staff. Showing the covers is also more appealing than seeing a long line of uninterrupted spines.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Donohue, Nanette. "Nurturing Your Media." Library Journal 133.19 (2008): 32-35. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Aug. 2012.

This article discusses the opportunities and challenges of managing the audio-visual collection in a library. Donohue emphasizes the rapidly changing formats of the media environment and how this effects collection development. She also touches on the necessity for increased security on these highly circulated materials.

Week 14: Challenging Interviews

I took some time off for a quick trip, so this post includes the day before I left and the day after. Not a true "week" but the amount of hours is about right for a combined entry.

These shifts both involved a couple of reference interviews that were individually challenging.

A young patron asked if I could help her find a movie she had borrowed before but couldn't remember the title of. At first, she couldn't remember anything about it except that it was animated and had people racing in space. I asked about the main character, and she remembered her name was Molly, and then added that the race was an "intergalactic race." Using these keywords, I was able to do a Google search and find a series called "Ōban Star-Racers," which the patron immediately recognized as the movie she wanted.  

The day I returned I had an interesting reference interview that was made more difficult by being over the phone. A patron called in to ask how to use coupons. I was at first astonished that someone had never used coupons before, but quickly asked for clarification. She wanted to know how to get coupons and how to find coupons and stores that would give her money back. She also wanted to get involved in a local group of couponers. I found some of the stores that accept coupons that give money back to the customer, but I was unable to find an exhaustive list. I told the customer how to access various forums online that were coupon centric, and explained that some coupons could be found online and printed off, while others would be found in newspapers and magazines. This was one reference interview where I felt like I ended it before the patron truly wanted to, she would have liked me to find all of her coupons for her, but I felt this was a misuse of my time as I had answered the basic questions and given a lesson in information literacy so that she could find these coupons herself.

Tip of the Week: If you're not sure how to help a patron or don't understand their request, keep asking questions until you do.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Harmeyer, Dave. "Reviving The Reference Interview: From Desk To Chat To Phone." Reference Librarian 51.2 (2010): 163-166. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Aug. 2012.

This article is a narrative account of one librarian's experience with the changing medium of the reference interview. Harmeyer discusses the how reference desks are being staffed by part-time employees instead of "real librarians" with only the most involved queries being referred to librarians. His story revolves around the transfer of a confused reference chat patron to a satisfied phone transaction.

Week 13: Olympic Explanations and Safety Suggestions

With the Olympics in full swing this week, we had a number of patrons calling about problems in accessing the live feeds online, or just frustrated about the coverage in general. Those having problems with the live feed often didn't realize they had to have a cable or satellite subscription to watch the live stream. I helped them find the replays that anyone can watch. If they were still unsatisfied, I referred them to the NBC Olympics Feedback email address. I also referred those with general complaints about the broadcast to that outlet.

I have been taking care to explain how the Dewey Decimal Classification system works whenever I walk a patron over to the shelves, but this week I had a patron who was especially interested in the organization theory behind DDC and the library's website. I explained it to him as best I could and showed him how to search the site for different information. He did a few searches of his own and came back to tell me that he felt better about using the library's website.

We had an incident this week that I think the library could have handled better. A teen came up to the desk and said he couldn't find his mother. He said she didn't have a cell phone but described her for us. I called security over and they looked around for her, taking the teen with them. Twenty minutes later she was found. While the boy was not a small child, he was clearly anxious. The MCPL has a policy against the use of the PA system, except for closing announcements and in the event of an emergency. This is ostensibly to avoid bothering patrons. Searching a large building with a small group of security staff seems to me to be inefficient. I don't see how a short announcement asking "Jane Doe" to meet her party at the reference desk would unduly bother patrons, and it would be more efficient. At both my former library and at Barnes and Noble the PA system is used sparingly for these sorts of announcements with no apparent effect on patron comfort.

Tip of the Week: The safety of one patron is more important than the comfort of all patrons. Following current policy is important but reviewing policy and asking questions about policy are also important. Don't be afraid to speak up if you have an issue with current policy.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Casey, Michael, and Michael Stephens. "Six Signposts on the Way." Library Journal 15 Nov. 2008: 21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Aug. 2012.

 This article explains how libraries can encourage discourse on improving library transparency and policy. The authors emphasize the importance of hearing the opinions of all types of library stakeholders. All ideas should be given consideration, even those submitted anonymously. Acting on constructive criticism from the community and staff creates a sense of unity and trust that will hopefully carry over into support for the library.

Week 12: Cancellations and Incident Reports

This week started off with yet another program cancellation due to low registration. The other programs only had one teen registered, and consequently cancelled. This time there were three teens registered, so we were hopeful that this program would happen. Unfortunately, one hour before the beginning of the program two of the teens called to cancel. Chris, the teen librarian, called the remaining girl (the same girl who had been the only one to sign up for the other cancelled programs), to see if she wanted to still do the program by herself. I thought this was a nice courtesy to extend, because as it turned out, she didn't want to do the program alone.

The rest of my shifts this week were full of the average computer issues and book questions. But on a day when I wasn't at the library an incident occurred involving three different staff members. Each staff member wrote an incident report of the problem. These reports are automatically sent to department heads and all "Persons-in-Charge," who in turn share them with other staff. Since I didn't know about the incident, a Person-in-Charge showed all three incident reports to me. Incident reports are supposed to be as accurate and unbiased as possible, which I felt these were. But it was interesting to note how they differed in style, one report was written very succinctly, while another went into extensive detail. I think it is important to keep staff updated on daily incidents, in order for them to feel in the loop of communication. I was certainly glad to be kept up-to-date, but I do think there could be a better, more centralized way to keep staff appraised of weekly incidents, than pulling aside people one by one.

Tip of the Week: Small courtesies extended to both staff and patrons can go a long way toward creating an atmosphere of mutual respect.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Gordon, Rachel Singer, and Michael Stephens. "How And Why To Try A Blog For Staff Communication." Computers In Libraries 26.2 (2006): 50-51. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 July 2012.

This article extols the virtues of creating an internal blog, citing increasing staff communication and reducing email clutter as good reasons to begin. Gordon and Stephens go on to explain how to get started with different software options, giving pros and cons for each. They emphasize the importance of delegating responsibility of running the blog to a staff member, while also encouraging other staff to post.

Week 11: All Day Anime ( ^ _ ^ )

The beginning of this week saw me at the All Day Anime program for teens. The first hour I was there, I helped set up the program room into various craft and activity stations. These included painting mugs, creating felt electronic cases, general drawing, and leftover crafts from last year (coloring windsocks and masks). There was also a Wii games area where teens could take turns playing and watching games. Some tables in the back held the "Graphic Novels & Manga" signs for the teens to color in, which when finished would be used as the new signage in the library for this section. Once everything was set up, I was put in charge of explaining the mug painting. Most of the teens just needed basic directions and then were pretty self-sufficient.

Sarah made a point to tell me not to hover too much or try to intrude in their conversations. The whole point of teen only programming was to give them a space to be parent and mostly chaperone free, while still having some sort of loose structure. We had a good turn out of about thirty teens throughout the day. Most stayed for the entirety of the program from 12pm to 8pm. As the day went on, I moved around to the other stations to see how those were going. All the stations were steadily popular except for the leftovers table, but it did get some use. As a reminder that change is a constant in the library, the felt electronic case table transformed into a make-your-own-anime-plushie during the day when a bag of stuffing was discovered.

Sarah and Chris (the teen librarian) had pizza delivered around 5pm for dinner. After dinner there was a bit of a lull, but then a girl asked to set up an "Anime Jeopardy" game she had created, which was a big hit, and carried the program through to the full-length anime movie at the end of the day. This was a great program and I really enjoyed and learned a lot from it.

The rest of the week brought a slew of patrons with computer issues. I helped two older patrons set up email accounts for the first time. One of these patrons needed it to fill out an online job application. He was frustrated with the necessity of creating multiple online accounts for a job that would not require or even involve computer usage. A roof leak took three computers out of commission, so the computer reservation line was busy as well, leading to more impatient patrons than usual.

Tip of the Week: Having a set program is great, but don't be afraid of allowing attendees to add to or change the original plan. Sometimes the best ideas come from the audience.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Paone, Kimberly. "Japan Comes To Elizabeth, New Jersey." Young Adult Library Services 3.4 (2005): 27-29. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 July 2012.

This article is an account of a week of teen programing at the Elizabeth Public Library in New Jersey. Paone gives details on both the planning and presentation of the program. With the increase in popularity in anime and manga, she decided to devote a week to activities based on these and other aspects of Japanese culture. She gives a detailed list of materials needed and their respective costs, as well as a detailed bibliography of the manga included in the festivities.

Week 10: Book Reviews and Blog Posts

This week one of the teen programs I was scheduled to assist with was cancelled due to no one signing up for it. Instead I got acquainted with the library book blog. Sarah, my supervisor, told me they could use a teen book review and set me up with a library blog account. To start, I took a look at what had already been reviewed for teens and read a few to familiarize myself with the style of the reviews. I saw we didn't have many staff picks form general teen fiction, so I chose a book I had recently reread, The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty. Sarah gave me a brief tutorial on how to use the library blog account and reviewed my draft. She asked me to include some additional books that were similar, so I spent some time on NoveList accumulating some similar books that I had also read and could recommend. Then I was able to post my review, which can be seen here.

Otherwise, this was a pretty average week spent helping patrons with computer trouble, printing, finding books, and looking up phone numbers. There was one specific patron, with a more complicated reference question, whom I helped. He needed to find books about crucifixion in the ancient world, but not focusing on Jesus Christ. We didn't have any books on just crucifixion that didn't also focus on Jesus, so I pulled some books that had chapters about crucifixion, and also found some related books in the IU library catalog for him. The reference interview took place over the phone, and he kept losing service and calling back, so I don't know how helpful the books ended up being for him, but I enjoyed the challenge of finding them anyway.

Tip of the Week: You need to be flexible and able to adapt quickly in a library. Things can change without much notice, so you should have other activities planned or duties to fulfill. Creating content for the library's online space, and perusing the content already there are good ways to spend this unexpected free time.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Farkas, Meredith. "The Bloggers Among Us." Library Journal 132.20 (2007): 40-43. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 July 2012.

This article discusses the demographics of the library blogging world. Farkas surveyed more than 800 librarian bloggers over the course of three years and detailed her findings in this article. Among other interesting findings, she found that more librarian bloggers work in public service areas than in any other section of the library. She comments on the increasing popularity of blogging, and its growing acceptance as a scholarly form of communication in library circles.

Week 9: Too Hot to Read

The weather for this entire week was hot and dry, with temperatures consistently in the low hundreds. With the library serving as one of several cooling centers around Bloomington, we were prepared to deal with higher foot traffic this week, serving those who lack any other air-conditioned building. We also seemed to be getting more phone calls, perhaps because people with air-conditioning didn't want to venture out into the heat to visit the library.

A water main break delayed the opening of the library on Saturday and also led to the library drinking water being under a boil alert for the entire day. Many patrons depend on the library as a source of free drinking water, even more so with the hot weather. Consequently we dealt with many unhappy and thirsty patrons. While most patrons were generally understanding of the situation, if disappointed, a few were more outspoken with their displeasure. One patron thought we should have gotten the Red Cross to provide bottled water since the library was a cooling center. I think it would have been a nice gesture for the library to make, but we were really only obligated to provide a cooler environment than outside.

I continue to gain confidence in using library resources in reference interviews and reader's advisory. This week I spoke with a patron who liked the author Sharyn McCrumb and wanted to check out some similar authors. I had never heard of this author, so I found her on NoveList and was able to quickly go to her author read-alikes list. The descriptions of each author helped me find the ones that were both stylistically similar to McCrumb, while also tailored to the particular interests of the patron. Then using the catalog I checked to see if the library owned copies of the other authors works.

Tip of the Week: You can't read every book or be familiar with every subject. So get to know your reader's advisory and research tools. Having first hand knowledge is great, but these tools fill in the gaps in your experience.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Kennedy, Tara D. "Steamy Situation: Water Emergency In Sterling Memorial Library." Public Library Quarterly 25.3/4 (2006): 89-97. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 July 2012.

This article gives a detailed account of the response to a water emergency in Sterling Memorial Library. Kennedy explains how already having an emergency plan in place allowed library staff to respond quickly and efficiently to the sprinkler system going off in the basement of the library. Together with the university contracted water damage specialists, staff were able to save nearly 99% of the affected materials from being permanently damaged.

Week 8: 12 Hour Comics Day!

While most of this week was spent at the reference desk answering questions and helping with computers and printing, the 12 Hour Comics Day on Thursday was a breath of fresh air. The program was a collaboration between the children's and teen departments. It was geared towards an age range of 10-20 year olds. The object of the program was to expose kids and teens to the graphic novel section of the library and to encourage their creativity.

This was the 5th year in a row for the program, so the two librarians had the plan for the day down pretty well. When attendees first walked in, they signed in and were given a quick orientation. Tables to work at had been set up with pencils, markers, blank paper, and comic layout paper. Another table housed selections from the library's graphic novel collection as well as how-to-draw books for inspiration. For every comic finished the child or teen could pick a comic book to take home (provided by the sponsor Vintage Phoenix Comic Books). The finished comics were scanned into the computer and later added to a gallery on the library's website. Buttons of recognition were handed out to attendees for every 3 hours they were present at the program. Lunch and dinner were also provided as part of the program. 

I assisted with orientation, button making, and scanning. Mainly though, I supervised comic creation. I helped some of the younger kids with story ideas and explained how comics needed to have a beginning, middle, and end. Comics and graphic novels are subjects I'm passionate about, so I really enjoyed helping and seeing kids get excited about them too.

Tip of the Week: If you are passionate about something kids and teens can tell. They can also tell if you're not excited about a subject. Both lethargy and excitement are infectious, so try to find something to be excited about even if the overall topic isn't your favorite.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Battle, Paige. "Picturing Teen Read Week The School Library." Young Adult Library Services 9.4 (2011): 4-6. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 June 2012.

This article provides multiple booklists and activities for teens designed to relate to the theme of "Picture it @ Your Library." The booklists range in topic from books that were made into movies, to graphic novels, to art books. While some of the activities are specific to the visual art theme, many are general enough to be used in other programming. Book review podcasts and photo strip bookmarks being examples of the latter.

Week 7: The Dark Side of Collection Development

This week I got to see collection development policies in action. In class we had talked about how necessary weeding or "deselection" is to maintaining a useful collection, especially in a public library. A librarian showed me the weeding policy for the MCPL and explained how it is meant to work in theory and how it actually works in practice. In theory specific sections would be weeded in 3 year rotations to keep it from being an overwhelming task. Librarians were to sign off each section as it got weeded in order. In practice though, weeding didn't happen for some sections as often as they had planned, and not everyone signed off. The librarian said they tended to only weed sections as needed. When they do get around to weeding, they do have guidelines to follow, specifically MUSTIE.

• Misleading and/or factually inaccurate: (this includes items that fail to have the substantial periods of time not represented because of the age of the material)
• Ugly (worn out beyond reasonable mending or having been poorly repaired in the past):
• Superseded by a new edition or a better source; (keep in mind the use of the Web as a better, more up-to-date source in many cases)
• Trivial (of no discernible literary or scientific merit & without sufficient use to justify keeping it);
• Irrelevant to the needs and interests of your community; (not used even though we may find it “interesting”!)
• Elsewhere (the material may be easily borrowed from another source or found on the Web)

I also got to see the importance of having a gifts and donation section in the overall collection development policy. A patron wanted to donate her collection of current Korean magazines to the library. She wanted to be guaranteed that they would be added into the collection and not sold in the Friends of the Library store or just thrown away. I was able to tell her that according to our policy, we could not make any guarantee about where materials will end up but that our selectors regularly review donations for materials to add to the collection. With that information, she decided she was going to think it over a bit longer before donating.

Tip of the Week: Make sure your collection development policy is available online, so you can refer to it quickly and easily if patrons have questions.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area
McEwan, Ian. "Separating The Wheat From The Chaff." Teacher Librarian 39.4 (2012): 33-34. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 June 2012.

This article provides a humorous and detailed look at the criteria for deselecting or "weeding" books from the library collection. McEwan discusses the need for librarians to be ruthless in discarding books that overwhelmingly fulfill the library's deselection standards, regardless of any personal attachment. He emphasizes age, condition, circulation, and relevancy.

Week 6: Balancing Time and Teaching

Last week I recognized that I got caught up helping a couple of specific patrons and spent too long with them, so this week I tried to really focus on time management while still helping patrons with their needs.

One patron needed help selling a car online. He wanted to list it on both Craigslist and eBay. I have never personally sold anything on either site, but have observed the process before. Craigslist wasn't very complicated, it was just a matter of helping him find the photos on his USB device. The process on eBay was a lot more complicated because it was a car. I wasn't sure about some of the details, so I helped him find the eBay "Live Help" chat, where he was able to get his questions answered, and I was able to get back to the desk.

Another patron needed help finding and printing divorce forms. Something we talked about in our reference course was to not give legal advice. So I told him I could show him how to find and print his form, as long as he knew what form he needed. He asked for help filling the form out too, but since that would involve his social security information, I told him I could not do that. After consulting with another librarian, I recommended that he ask any questions he had at the clerk's office before he submitted the papers.

Tip of the Week: There is a fine line between seeing a reference interview through to the end and letting one patron monopolize your time. Do what you can for patrons, but be prepared to get them started with the basics of information literacy, and then allowing them to continue on their own.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Isaacson, David. "Serve Their Needs, Not Their Wants." Library Journal 131.20 (2006): 82. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 June 2012.

 

This article suggests that librarians should be helping patrons with what they really need, which is not necessarily always what they want. Specifically Isaacson emphasizes teaching patrons how to find the answers they are looking for and not just giving the quickest answer possible. He calls for more a return to more in-depth discussion of a patron's query in order find the best possible answer.

Week 5: How Can I Help You?

This week I felt like I was becoming more accustomed to the demands of the reference desk. I was more confident answering questions about library services and using the catalog software to fulfill patron queries. Having been accustomed to different library policies and software, it was interesting to navigate the similarities and differences between the two systems. For example it seems counterproductive to only allow circulation staff to renew materials for patrons. I recognize the need to divide responsibilities between different departments, but when patrons want items put on hold, they also often want to renew items. It seems like poor customer service and needlessly complicated to transfer these patrons to circulation. My former library had no such limits on what staff could or could not do. I think that making the decision to transfer a patron should be left up to staff members, not forced by software limits.

Providing good customer service is an important part of the reference desk experience, and one I'm familiar with from four years working at Barnes & Noble. In this library, the reference desk is the catch-all help desk, assisting with issues that can vary from quickly locating a particular book to doing basic computer trouble shooting for patrons. My reference class adequately prepared me for dealing with the basic reference questions, but I have been relying on my own knowledge and a bit of trial and error to help with technology issues.

For example, a patron needed help transferring photos from her USB device onto her iPad using the library computers. As I own an iPad, I knew that she would not be able to do this directly without syncing her iPad to iTunes, which the library does not allow to be downloaded onto their computers. I told her the simplest way to accomplish this would be to take her iPad home and sync it using her personal computer. I also showed her a way to transfer photos by emailing them to herself and opening the emails on her iPad. She had trouble with this because she couldn't remember her password, so I ended up helping her reset her password too. While this was probably not the best alternative, I was at least able to use what I knew to fulfill her request.

Tip of the Week: When library patrons need help with anything they are going to come to the reference desk and ask for a librarian to help them. While librarians can't be expected to be experts in all areas, they need to be experts at applying problem solving to all patron problems. Sometimes that means helping patrons yourself, sometimes it means finding an expert to help them.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Fry, Amy. "Lessons Of Good Customer Service." Library Journal 134.14 (2009): 33-34. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 June 2012.

This article discusses lessons in customer service learned from working in retail and at public libraries and how to apply them in an academic library. The author suggests training librarians to apply a service-oriented attitude to helping patrons and being personable in order to create a more satisfying library experience. She also relates how the collections of academic and public libraries can work together to meet the needs of all patrons.

Week 4: Security, Please Respond

I was told that closing shifts on Wednesdays had a reputation for being exciting. This Wednesday did not disappoint. First there was a near incident when a patron asked if anyone had turned in her USB drive. I asked security to come up to open the lost and found safe and told her it would be a few minutes. She started to get annoyed about being asked to wait. Her agitation was cut short by a security member coming to escort her. I was later told that she had caused problems before, and reminded that harassment of staff was grounds to ask patrons to leave.

Later a true incident occurred. An agitated patron hit another patron who was sitting at a computer. Friends tried to intervene while asking for security. The librarian in charge radioed for security, who came quickly. The attacker tried to leave and the police were called to take a report from the attacked. The attacker was found by the police nearby.

Tip of the Week: Security is awesome. The value of having some sort of security staff on location cannot be underestimated. This is especially important in more urban libraries. If any issue with a patron escalates to the point where you feel unsafe or you fear for the safety of others, security can and should be called.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Shuman, Bruce A. "Personal Safety In Library Buildings: Levels, Problems, And Solutions." Reference Librarian 36.75/76 (2002): 67. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 June 2012.

The author outlines the challenges libraries face in balancing security with freedom of access. Using a ranking system of seven levels, libraries generally fall in the lowest few levels. The author makes the case that while libraries need to be accessible to the public, they could do so with more emphasis on security than is currently seen. Preparing staff to deal with violent situations with a security plan is essential.

Week 3: Technology Literacy

Printing and making copies continues to create problems for many patrons. However, solutions are easily explained and remembered by patrons. Other technology issues are not so easily fixed.

I had heard stories about patrons who had never used a computer before, but I had never personally encountered someone who was unfamiliar with typing until this week. While I was not surprised to be helping someone set up an email account for the first time, I was caught off guard when the patron kept asking where each letter was to be found. I was briefly worried that the patron might be illiterate, but she spelled her words correctly, she just couldn't keep track of where they were. Her technology illiteracy became worrisome when she told me she needed to verify her email with a correspondent. She thought she needed to send both her email address and her password to this organization. I cautioned her that her email address and a quick note was all anyone should need to verify an email address and told her to never give out her password to others. That sort of naivety is what leads to identity theft.

My English major served me well in two other technology issues this week. Two patrons needed help formatting and proofreading, one with a resume and one with a poem. While both were familiar with Microsoft Word, neither were familiar with MS Word 2010. I was able to help them because I had experience with the 2010 version.

Tip of the Week: Know your software! With technology changing so fast, librarians need to be familiar with older and newer software, and especially whatever software the library has on their computers.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Balas, Janet L. "Information Literacy And Technology--They Work Best When They Work Together." Computers In Libraries 26.5 (2006): 26-29. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 May 2012.

This article discusses how the use of a library requires patrons to be literate in both technology and information. The author proposes that senior citizens may have good research skills, but be unable to apply them on technology they are unfamiliar with. Conversely, students and younger patrons are comfortable with technology, but lack research skills. The author suggests various resources for librarians to refer to in assisting patrons of all ages with their information/technology literacy needs.

Week 2: Learning the Ropes (of Printing)

I began this week shadowing at the reference desk and getting accustomed to helping with common issues. So far, printing from the library computers seems to compete with quick reference queries for the most asked question award. To print a page, a patron must submit the print job, then go over to the printing computers and release the print job. If the patron has a library card, they receive 3 free prints per day, otherwise each page costs $0.10. A lot of people don't realize they pay at the printer, not at their original computer. These problems usually have an easy fix, and can be prevented by walking the patron through each step, so that they can print without help next time.

The quick reference questions that I've been getting asked depend on whether it is a phone call or an in-person questions. Patrons calling in have tended to ask for phone numbers and addresses for businesses. I use a mixture of Reference USA and Google searches to answer these questions. My favorite call was a patron looking for the phone number for Peapod Groceries because he wanted to notify them that one of their drivers was tailgating him. Creative problem solving to call the library.

Patrons in the library generally want to know where to find a certain book or subject. Doing a bibliographic record keyword search in the Polaris catalog is the best way to answer these questions. I'm still learning to look at the entire record before trying to show a patron where the book they are looking for is. Our new arrivals are shelved separately from the rest of our collection. When I went to find a 2012 GRE book for a patron, I didn't see that it was a new arrival, so I couldn't find it to begin with. But luckily one of the librarians was able to help me locate it.

Tip of the Week: To avoid looking like a fool check the status and location of a book before going to look for it. In, out, recently returned, lost, fiction, science-fiction/fantasy, mystery, non-fiction, new arrivals, the list goes on.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Pace, Andrew K. "Printing In The Library." American Libraries 38.9 (2007): 47-48. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 May 2012.

This article discusses some of the problems libraries and their patrons face with printing. In order to serve patron needs, libraries must choose one of the printing systems and equipment to coordinate with the library system. These systems can be complicated, both in integration with the library, as well as in common use by patrons. The author posits that printing will continue to be a common library service, as print-on-demand ebooks are gaining popularity.

Week 1: Ready, Set, Intern!

First the facts: I am interning at the Monroe County Public Library in the Adult and Teen Services Department. I will be mainly splitting my time between the reference desk, the AV desk, and assisting with programming. I will update this blog at least weekly, and perhaps more than that if something noteworthy occurs during a particular shift.

My internship began on May 8th with the first week mainly consisting of training and getting familiarized with the library. Some highlights include learning how to access the library intranet and email, learning how to use Polaris (the staff catalog software), and taking a tour of all the areas in the library. I still love seeing what goes on behind the scenes in libraries, even though I've worked there now, it continues to hold a bit of magic for me. I was especially intrigued by the automatic hold-pulling conveyor belt machine. It was much more high tech than I had been used to. At my former library, I was that machine, checking books in and sorting holds, so it was a bit disconcerting to see a machine doing the same sort of job I used to. I did notice there were still plenty of circulation clerks transporting those holds and sorting newly checked in items, so the machines still have a ways to go before they complete their take over.

Tip of the Week: Check 3 things everyday at the beginning of your shift, your email, the ATS blog, and the library calendar. This makes sure your personal, departmental, and general communication stays up-to-date.

Article Annotation and Abstract Area

Chalmers, Mardi, Theresa Liedtka, and Carol Bednar. "A Library Communication Audit For The Twenty-First Century." Portal: Libraries & The Academy 6.2 (2006): 185-195. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 May 2012.

This study looked at the communication patterns and problems existing in a large academic library.The study was conducted by a staff task force which created an electronic questionnaire for all staff members to fill out. Focus groups addressed the problems discovered during the study and suggested solutions to improve communication channels within the library. These recommendations were approved by the library director and to be implemented within specific time frames over the next two years.