As children my brother and I made the best of what we had around us. Our small town was split down the middle by the Southern Railway which led to my brother becoming an avid train enthusiast, a hobby he enjoys to this day. I found other opportunities on the train tracks, the local library. My mother never approved of it but we walked those tracks several times per week as it was the shortest, albeit not safest, route to the treasures our library held.
That same love of reading carried over into public school library as well. I did not just read books, I devoured them, so much so that my school media specialist made exceptions for me so that I could check out more than the allotted two books per weekly visit. I carried this zeal to middle
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Fresh out of college I wanted to enjoy myself before embarking on the journey of adult life but quickly realized I had better look for a job to pay some bills while I sought my “dream” career. I stumbled across two listings, a full-time clerical position at the main library and a part-time position at one of the branch locations. So I applied for both, figuring either way it was an income.
From day one of my newly acquired position I was hooked. I had no clue that there was so much involved in the operation of a public library and I simply could not get enough of it. I worked as hard as I could in order to finish my duties so I could venture into other sections and absorb as much as possible.
I spent three years in Collection Development learning the nuances of building and maintaining a collection. My three years as a technician in Reference Services taught me the challenges of public service, the benefit of Interlibrary Loan, and gave me my first real brush with how technology could be utilized at the library in the form of public Internet access.
I fell in love with all aspects of technology from using, building computers and repairing them, to teaching people how to use them. And as luck would have it things were about to change at my library as we had secured funding to establish an Automation Services section to handle the explosion of technology that was well
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And I answer the same way every time, no. Technology is amazing and has become one of the cornerstones of library service but I enjoy reading a book as much as an eBook. I pick up the latest copy of PC World from the periodicals wall as often as I use Zinio. And of course I prefer a great Reference Librarian to Google any day. Technology is vital to libraries but technology alone will not allow libraries to survive. Like people, like me, they need to grow and evolve.
So why pursue my MLS now? I have been with my library system for eighteen years. I have climbed the ladder from entry level clerk to library management. The answer to that is simple. I have worked very hard using the skills and passions I possess to try and make my local library system a better place for our patrons. Along the way I have improved myself and I have been given more opportunities to make a difference. Yet I feel like I still have more I can accomplish.
Simply put, I need to do this, for me and for my library system. I need to keep pushing myself in order to help push my library forward.
I believe the program at East Carolina will allow me to do this. It has a solid foundation but is also designed with convenience in mind for working adults. It is backed by ALA accreditation. And already I have learned from just a few questions and emails, it is guided by knowledgeable and genuinely caring
Librarians are defined as “a person, typically with a degree in library science, who administers or assists in a library.” In truth, they are much more than that. In a recent interview with Traci Glass, the Teen Librarian at the Eugene Public library, we explored her personal story with becoming a librarian, including how it has benefitted and affected her life.
Who can resist a book with a chapter titled, "Labia Lumps, Chunky Discharge, and Other Things They Never Taught Me in Library School"? Released this past summer, Revolting Librarians Redux: Radical Librarians Speak Out takes no prisoners as its contributors ponder everything from the backtracking of '60s values by ALA's baby boomers to librarian imagery in erotica. This edited volume is a sequel to a 1972 self-published book titled Revolting Librarians. The original is worth checking out for its historical value alone. The editors of the 2003 volume, Katia Roberto and Jessamyn West gathered essays from ten of the original writers from the 1972 book for this version and it is interesting to see what thirty years has done to these radical librarians.
I am currently an English 160 student who is hoping to move on to the next course, which is English 161. I understand the requirements for English 161. It require students to explore a topic in some depth and conduct independent research related to that topic. Conducting research allows students to learn what it is like to participate in academic culture, posing questions about important issues and developing an argument in response to what others have said. It expected students to learn the most valuable skill in college, which is critical thinking. Students have to be able to read challenging readings. Although I still have problems with English, I think I’m qualified to move on.
This library system is utilizing all the technologies and materials available to them to serve the community in the best way. Despite certain social indicators and demographic statistics indicating that the library should not be overly utilized, it is thriving and is heavily in use. There are areas that the library can look to improve based on statistical evidence, such as reaching out to the low income population and the over 55 years age group. This library seems to be meeting numerous needs for a wide range of patrons, and doing it well.
I am enrolled as a student at Ashford University in the Bachelor of Arts Program. My major is library science and media. My ultimate goal is not to become a teacher, despite the required education courses required to earn this degree. The library science and media major is relevant to my chosen profession because the role of the library is changing and evolving, much like today’s classrooms, with technology. For almost three years, my job title has been library branch manager/library assistant III. I intend to continue in this field with aspirations of being offered a full-time position and/or better pay. I enjoy working for and getting to know the people in the community, who visit the library. Often times, my patrons make me feel more appreciated than those who I employed by. I enjoy helping my patrons find books and movies and assisting them with the computers as they need me. The library is a safe and welcoming environment for all, and I like being part of that.
When assessing my current writing ability, I recognize my ability to efficiently relay a message; however, I struggle with using strong phrases and advanced writing. When I begin drafting a paper, translating my thoughts and ideas into words comes naturally, and I do not get lost in the process. As mentioned previously, the general areas that need improvement include using strong vocabulary to convey a professional level of writing. Also, I believe that I need to work on transition phrases between ideas.
...of Library and Information Sciences, Third Edition (pp. 1507–1517). Taylor & Francis. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1081/E-ELIS3-120043240
A library or information unit must have a dedicated plan on having an organized Collection Development Policy, represents the guideposts of all types of library institutions. Collection development is the process of planning, selecting, acquiring and evaluating the library collections’ convenience to print and electronic collection developments. Thus, it is essential to have a written collection development policy, a statement of general collection building principles with desalinating the purpose and content of a collection in terms of relevance and internal audiences (Clayton and Gorman 2007). Broadly, the international and local libraries have sketched written collection development policies which they are aware of its uses. Recently, the written policies consistently renewed with the rise of digital collections. However, the value of the written collection development plan shakes with the complexity of managing electronic resources, funding and time considerations, criticism on how it written and also its inflexibility. This essay will examine the arguments for having the advantages of the written collection development policy (CDP) and the issues evolve which against the latter.
I also remember as young girl learning how to read and my favorite book that I could quote word for word was “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr.Suess. I loved that book so much I still have that today. As I got older my love for reading and books started to diminish, I went to a private school for my elementary years and their curriculum was very intense. It was required to read a book from their approved list and complete a book report each summer before the school year began. Not to mention the numerous books reports I would have to complete during the school. At an early age books and reading was something I had to do and not what I wanted to do.
Over the course of the semester, I feel that I have grown as a writer in many ways. When I came into the class, there were skills I had that I already excelled at. During my time in class, I have come to improve on those skills even more. Before I took this class I didn’t even realise what I was good at. This is the first class where I felt I received feedback on my writing that helped me to actually review my work in see what areas I lacked in and where I succeeded. Some of the skills I had shocked me as I didn’t think I had those capabilities in me.
... to the Library and that have generally been underused resources. B. Greater use of the Library's Capitol Hill facilities by scholars for the kind of interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, multimedia, multilingual, and synthetic writing that is important to Congressional deliberation and national policy-making, but inadequately encouraged both by special interest groups and by advocacy-oriented think tanks; and C. Greater use by the general public through programs that stimulate interest, increase knowledge, and encourage more citizens to use the collections on-site and electronically.”The Library employees will add their position as information guides by “helping more people find appropriate materials in a swelling sea of unsorted information” and directing them to services and resources exclusive to the Library of Congress. This requires not only more growth of employees that the Library has formerly had, but also making it easier in new ways more wide-ranging and “systematic use by researchers of the distinctive materials that only the Library of Congress has.” Courses for the common public, such as displays or publications, must display the importance and value of the collections.
My parents instilled a passion for reading in me even as a toddler; years later, an excellent,
I read an average of a book a day. New technology has made it so easy. With my kindle I am able to access thousands of books and able to read them all. I would go as far as to I am addicted to books. It very hard for me to put down a book and do other things. I love reading because you are able to live so many people’s lives. I get lose in a different person’s world. I cry when something sad happens and feel joy when something good happens. In a certain mystery series I was recently reading I got so into the book that reading them gave me really bad anxiety and I couldn’t finish the series because it left me so emotionally drained. It wasn’t a good feeling. Most of the time I enjoy being in the character’s life. I would love to share my love for books and help kids discover theirs by being an elementary librarian. I TA for the elementary library and I love it, but I am a little leary of choosing that field because so many books are online nowadays. I think it would be awesome to get to be with little kids and books all
Much like Benjamin Franklin believed, I feel that a person should take advantage of the time the person has in life with activities a person wants to do or needs to do. A person should not spend much time on activities the person does not want to do. Life is way too short to concern oneself with work or other activities one wants nothing to do with all the time. When possible, I try to forget about my responsibility and just let go of the ‘things’ that do not matter to me. I think a person should try to occupy oneself with something productive, worthwhile, or necessary at all times. Even though a person’s life is left up to a person to live, I cannot imagine thinking that I owe my time to society through working a job that I simply despise. I am a compassionate person, but I do not owe anyone anything regarding my time.
Library managers should organize technology-based training for librarians in order to make them comfortable with new technologies and more aware of their dangers. Since technology skills are important part of most library and information jobs, librarians should make sure they acquire technological skills continuously. University libraries should employed qualified information and technology specialist and troubleshooters to maximize system accessibility and provide a level of comfort to the librarians.