Two down three to go

Two semesters down, three to go and then I'll be done. Well technically this semester isn't done until next week but I needed a break from doing final exams/papers so I thought I would write this a little early. All I really have left is about 2/3 of a take home final exam and then I will be done.

This semester was a bit more tolerable than the previous because I finally got to take a class that was not required by the program. In general I have come to the conclusion that I just need to get through most of the classes and that although there may be some interesting moments or topics for the most part it feels like busywork full of theory without any practical use to offset the information I am getting from a book.

I realize it is a little silly for a future librarian to be complaining about the information found in books but when one is learning to be a librarian there is a lot that can only be learned by doing. Working at the special library has really been the practical experience that I needed. One of my latest finds has been a copy of Faust translated into Hebrew from the 1860s. There is something very odd about such a Catholic text being translated into Hebrew. It must have been odd for the person first reading it, almost like a book of witchcraft - deals with the devil and all that.

This summer will be a busy time. I will be taking two classes and probably starting a new internship in addition to continuing to work at the special library and with the wee redhead. Somehow I will fit this all into four months (since according to the university the summer begins in May).

I will be going to a student archivist meeting in a few weeks, I am excited about that. The university I am attending seems to ignore the needs of students interested in archives and offers all the archivist classes in the same semester. Hopefully we can organize a way to bring this to the attention of the school.

This brings me to the realization that I had about my dream job. When I was in my Early Books and Manuscript class I realized that as much as I would love to work with such texts the probability of doing so is pretty slim. I would most likely need a second Masters degree probably in history or even linguistics and I would need to learn more languages and probably Latin. At this point I realized that I am more interested more modern materials that need archiving. When working at the film center library I loved finding artifacts of film history and when I visited the local GLBT library I loved that they had an archive of GLBT history. It is this type of thing I would rather care for, things that could easily be overlooked because they are relatively new but in time will be a part of history. I would like to preserve these things before they are lost and before they begin to fall apart.

First Week

I have officially finished my first week of library school and I feel I am off to a good start. I have to say after doing my undergrad work this actually seems kind of easy. In my Intro to Library Science class we are assigned an 8 page final paper. My professor called it a "big paper" and I couldn't help but laugh. My first history term paper four years ago was 20 pages, and the semester after that I had three 10 page papers all due within days of each other. Eight pages for this paper and 6 for my other class is really easy.

I was nervous before I started but now I can say with relative confidence that I will do just fine. Also I may be getting an internship/volunteer position soon, more on that when I know more.

Visit to Special Library

Today I visited a special library. These tend to fall into two categories small and organized or completely disorganized and scary, sadly this was the latter.

I had high hopes for this library, I had wanted to volunteer there since it's interests and mine match well and they run on an entirely volunteer staff. I figured this would be a good way for me to get some additional experience in a library without the hassle of having "experience". So I decided to check it out and see if it would fit my needs.

I am very glad I did this instead of immediately deciding to volunteer without checking it out. Here is what I observed:

• the smell, there was a distinct odor of rotting books and a need to clean
• the man eating behind the desk, this could have contributed to the smell
• clutter and disorganization, there were piles of books everywhere and the ones on the shelves were difficult to get to, also many computers that had no purpose
  
• volunteers were not properly identified as staff
• book sale being organized while open, random books that were not for public use and not properly labeled
• scary and outdated displays
  
• expensive benefit tickets starting at $250
  

All of this contributed to my not wanting to volunteer there. In reality they could benefit from my help but I feel that they would not be receptive to it.

If I were running the library this is what I would do

• get dehumidifier and cleaning crew in to fix smell problem
• no eating at the desk, that is what a break room is for
• reorganize material so it is accessible, also get rid of multiple copies of books, no need to have three copies of same text
• volunteers should have name tags or buttons saying "I work here" or something like that
• organize book sale after hours so that patrons are not confused
• displays must be reorganized to promote community in a positive and up to date way, posters from the 1980's while having a historical value should be put into perspective of the current issues
• library benefit tickets should be affordable for all those in the community and should have a starting donation of $50 or $100 instead of $250 and up

I believe I will write to this library and let them know how I feel. I think they need to be awakened to the possibility that even though they have been around for 20 years they need to update.

Library Internship

I applied for a library internship at a suburban library. The position was for a children's literacy aid, developing programs and storytimes for children. Realistically I knew that I didn't have time for it but thought I should at least apply and maybe interview.

Sadly I was informed by this library that as a Certified Professional Governess and as a library school student I did not have enough experience for the internship. There were other applicants that had more experience in libraries and with groups of children. The funny part is that if I need experience to get the internship how am I supposed to get the experience. That is the whole point of internships.

I am not entirely bothered by this, there is a volunteer based library in the city that I am going to try to work at in my spare time. I have a feeling they will be more receptive.