Goodbyes

Well, I had my last shift at the library, and it was kind of fun to see how much I've learned. I was helping people with technology questions like a rock star. I knew where to go to get someone's hold on the shelf before 5:00. I directed a patron to NoveList, and I think she's going to have a good time finding more paranormal romances now that she's read through her favorite author's complete works. I directed patrons to the program room, checked to see where one patron was on the holds list for the newest Grisham, and knew not to run to the recently returned shelf for something that was returned two days ago.

Other things I've learned:

• The majority of the librarians I worked with were lovely, creative, fascinating and helpful people. I loved getting to know them, putting books they recommend on my list, and talking to them about our mixed feelings about Oprah's book club. I hope that in the future I can work in another place with that same sense of camaraderie. 
• I know a lot more about technology and information than I think I do. 
• There are tons of things I don't know. 
• Most of the time, finding the answer is just a matter of figuring out how to search for it, even if I have no idea whether the answer exists. It's okay to ask more experienced librarians when I have questions, but if they're busy, I can find it if I ask the right questions. 
• 90% of the time, it's easier to help someone with a technology question if I just get up and help them. They don't want to inconvenience me, but I can almost always help them better if I can see what they're talking about (especially if they don't know what they're talking about).

Unexpected outcomes:

• My parallel parking skills have greatly improved, thanks to Bloomington downtown parking. 

Goodbye, MCPL. I will miss you greatly.

Dempsey, B. (2009). One Book, One Community, One Great Idea. Library Journal Retrieved from http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/communitypublicservices/855557-276/story.csp, December 7, 2010.

This article in Library Journal caught my attention since we just recently closed our vote for the next "One Book, One Bloomington," book. Since librarians in Seattle started their community read project, the idea has become a phenomenon. The article suggests that the program works so well because it can be geared toward any community, from the programs to the books to the specific groups targeted. In Philadelphia, a group started a "One Book, One Jewish Community," and started a program around Jewish people in the area reading Jewish authors. Librarians can easily adapt the program to the size of their community and the resources available at their library.

The article mentions great online resources for inspiration planning these activities, and indicates that the most important aspect of them is the experiences it gives the members of the community who come together to rediscover or discovery good books together. Different kinds of books can work - classics, slightly obscure titles, but the book should be something the reader can take seriously, and it should be discussable. Once the book has been chosen, it's the library's job to  build enthusiasm and get participation - because without it, the project will flop.

Though the evidence is anecdotal, there is reason to believe that programs like this bring people to the library and help build enthusiasm for it. In a time where we really need to make ourselves relevant, bringing the community together behind you seems like one of the best things you could possibly do.

Martell, C. (2010). Theft and Its Effects on Our Neighborhood Libraries. Public Library Quarterly, 29(1), 30-38. doi:10.1080/01616840903562943.

This was a fascinating article about the books that are most often stolen  in public libraries, which caught my attention after my experiences here with rap music (we keep it in a back room because so much of it has been stolen) and urban fiction. According to Martell, the most commonly stolen books have varied in studies, but include test prep books, the Bible, and books about witchcraft, dreams, and astrology.

The survey focused on the theft of the ASVAB test prep book in the Sacramento area. They found that of the $10,000 or so spent on these prep materials, only about $1,500 of materials remained in the system. Out of curiosity, the librarian also examined the availability of books by the author Zane (another one we can't keep on the shelf), and $6,000 out of $8,000  worth of her materials had also walked off the shelves.

 Martell discusses the frustration about knowing what to do in this case. It seems silly to keep buying materials that can't be kept on the shelf, but at the same time, these items do circulate and people want to have access to them. It's frustrating to our patrons and to us when we can't offer materials like test preparation books to our patrons. She suggests that the best methods for combating this involve informing people quickly about overdue books in high-risk categories and providing other incentives to get the books back. However, this assumes the book has been checked out and then not returned, which certainly isn't always the case with many of our thefts. The most interesting recommendation was to purchase electronic versions of high risk items in order to avoid theft, which seems like it could be the best course of action for some items.

Technology is Not the Enemy

The other day a patron was looking for a book and couldn't find it in the catalog. He told us that we missed the old card catalogs, because "these computers make a lot of mistakes." We nodded politely to him, but secretly I was laughing to myself. Yes, sir, card catalogs were much more accurate than this pesky computers. They never lost records because a card got lost or misplaced or a patron just took it with them. Nope. When you needed to know where a book was, the card catalog knew, by golly.

I understand where these patrons are coming from. I know that computers can be scary, and that it's frustrating when the computer catalog doesn't find what you want. We've had some problems with some of our computers not displaying the call numbers, and that drives the patrons crazy. Card catalogs would never refuse to display call numbers!

But on the other hand . . . most of the inaccuracies are human error, just as they were in the old card catalogs. The difference is that one way or another, eventually you can find the record on a computer - or sometimes, if it's appropriate for the need of the patron, you can find the record at another library, via OCLC and WorldCat. In seconds, I can tell the patron if their rare book is available for Interlibrary Loan, because I can see exactly which libraries have it.

And then there's the part where they can access the OPAC from home. It's not a perfect system - the other day a guy came in and said there were supposed to be two copies of a book available, and we couldn't find either because they were probably out being used by other students who waited to write their report until the last day. But lots of people can browse our catalog before coming in to the library, and they can browse if by whatever keywords they want to use. Try doing that with a card catalog.

O'Gorman, J., & Trott, B. (2009). What Will Become of Reference in Academic and Public Libraries?. Journal of Library Administration, 49(4), 327-339. doi:10.1080/01930820902832421.

O'Gorman and Trott discuss the future of reference in a world where people increasingly rely on the internet to answer their questions. This was especially interesting to me because I know that many of the ready reference questions I get are from people who don't know how to use the internet (generally older people) and it seems like the day could be fast-approaching when most people can find the answers to those questions on their own.

The article suggests that the problem for users who can't find the answers they need is that they aren't focusing their searches, and that the future role for reference librarians will be to teach people how to use their online resources more effectively. This may particularly apply to older patrons who are frustrated with the new, online versions of things. One of the things that the article emphasizes is the need for the library to be flexible - offering the fast, self-service options, but also offering the individualized, in-person attention that some users need. Libraries should promote their services and find ways to let people know what's available to them. The authors suggest that the walk-up reference model may have had its day, and it might be time to offer other services, like reference by appointment. They should be providing a "human context for information."

The article goes on to discuss the future of the reference desk itself, and the changing nature of reference questions: the desk itself could be a barrier, the staffing of the desk is changing, and the questions might be fewer but more in-depth, since ready reference questions can be answered by most with a quick google search. Readers' Advisory is still an important part of library services and is expanding. Reference collections are changing or becoming digitized. The important thing will be for librarians to be willing to change with the times.

Informal Professional Development

I often find that when I'm at the desk and things are slow, there isn't much for me to do except peruse Library Journal or NoveList and try to pick up a few things. However, I find that sometimes my time is better spent when I get the librarians to talk to me.

Some of them recommend books and I get to see their automatic Readers' Advisor kick into action when I ask them for recommendations. I have lists of books that I can't wait to dig up once I graduate. Some of them give me great advice when I ask questions about dealing with specific kinds of questions or specific kinds of patrons. I have so much respect for the librarians I work with. I've been trying all semester to take every opportunity to ask them about things, especially when I don't feel satisfied with the interaction I had with a patron and want to know what I could do better next time. They always direct me to new resources - even if it's just a folder of forms I didn't know about.

I think one of those most valuable things about an experience like this is getting to see how people who have been doing this for a long time do things. True, I may know more about computers than some of them - but I had no idea how to help someone find divorce papers without accidentally giving legal advice. I've loved learning from these people and I'll be sad to leave them when I move after graduation.

Collection Evaluation

For the past few weeks, I've been working on a collection evaluation project for the library's music collection. The project is now drawing to a close, and I'm pretty pleased. MCPL's collection is certainly a good one, but there are also holes according to some of the lists and books I worked with to create my checklist.

I used a combination of three different lists to create my checklist, and I kept track of overlap between the lists. The same artists popped up over and over again, but it wasn't always the same album. I kept track of whether the library had the album, whether we had other albums by the artists, whether I thought we needed to add the album to the collection if we didn't have it, and whether the album was readily available on CD. The final list gives the collection development librarians a place to start that isn't Billboard, so I feel satisfied.

I do wonder what the future of CD collections will be. Several of the albums I found were available as MP3s, but not as CDs. The library books provides audiobooks, but I'm not sure what the best method of sharing MP3 music will be for the library beyond the streaming services I saw at my undergraduate university. It will be interesting to see what becomes of this superb collection when CD players aren't as present as they are now (which is already less than they used to be).

Problem Patrons

The best thing about working in the public library is the patrons. It can also be the worst thing. A couple of weeks ago, a patron was so rude and impatient it was almost unbelievable. The printers wouldn't work, so I offered to print it for her at the desk. It turned out it was part of a larger problem with the network, but I helped her find another way to get it printed by opening the file on my own computer and printing it. Meanwhile, she wanted to know why I wasn't going faster, why we hadn't fixed it yet (it couldn't have been a problem for more than 20 minutes, because I'd helped someone else print just before), why I wasn't handing her the printed pages before giving her the thumb drive she'd asked for before as I was halfway to the printer. After she left, one of the librarians confided that this patron has done this before, and that sometimes she goes off her medications and it's not good. Once, she even threw something across the desk at a librarian who was trying to help her.

Last week, a patron was sitting at the computer while her baby cried. After a few minutes, one of the librarians went to ask her to move, because people were trying to work. She said she couldn't because they were waiting for something and had too much stuff to move on their own, but she also didn't offer to pick up the baby and didn't seem to understand that other people needed quiet to work. The librarian, D, kept her cool completely, and I was impressed while watching her. Some people are unreasonable, but you can always stay professional - and there's always the option of calling security if they continue to be a problem.

Never Assume Anyone Knows Anything

I had a patron today who needed help saving things to a thumb drive. I showed him how to pull up the save as box, pick the right drive, and save his document.

A few minutes later, he asked for help again. I showed him again, but I noticed the document had the same name and thought he was just trying to save changes to the document. I even asked a followup question which seemed to confirm this. I showed him the save button and said, "Once you've saved the document once, you can go ahead and push this button and it will save the changes." The patron was youngish, probably just a few years older than me, and he'd acted like he just needed to refresh his memory about how to use the devices. Case closed.

Except it wasn't. About half an hour later, I was coming back in from moving my car (oh, how I love downtown parking) and J came to ask me about this patron. The tech services guy was helping him because he claimed he had 10 documents saved, and he could only find one.

Well, the reason he could only find one was that once he'd saved a document, he was deleting the one he already had and starting a new one. And then, instead of using the Save As button and renaming it, he was pressing the save button and saving over his changes.

How could I have anticipated this? I'm not even sure. It would never occur to me to create documents that way- in fact, I'd probably keep them all as one document and go down to the next page to make things easier for printing. But surely there's some way I could have helped this man.

Thankfully, he'd only been there for about half an hour, so hopefully recreating his work wouldn't take too long, and we added to his computer time. I learned a lesson though - make sure you talk the patron all the way through the problem. When it comes to computers, don't make assumptions based on what the patron probably should know or what seems like common knowledge. If you're new to computers, none of it is common knowledge.

Displays

Displays are essential for both making the library feel welcoming and accessible, and also helping with browsing. I often go and pick staff picks for displays when the desk is slow, but recently we got a memo reminding us that it's not just important to find books that are good - we also have to find books that look appealing. The librarian in charge of coordinating the displays told me that she will always pull books if they look old and gross or have boring covers. There are so many factors that determine whether someone picks up a book, and we have to consider all of them to create a good display.

All through October and November, we've had this display that says "Fall Into a Good Book," which first had Halloween and fall books and now has a lot recipe books for Thanksgiving. The central part of this display is a stuffed body with a pumpkin head that looks like it's fallen off a hay bale. He's cute, and it's fun to watch the kids come in and look concerned for poor Punkin' Head, patting him on the head, trying to help him sit up. One little girl took the little bandanna out of his back overall pocket and blew his nose with it. Meanwhile, the parents who are monitoring the children see the books and ask if they can take them from the display - the answer to which is, "Of course! Don't you know this is a ploy to up our circulation?" (Okay, maybe minus the last part.)

The really fun thing about displays is that they do help people to have a smaller pool of books to browse, but they also give them something memorable. Having the Punkin' Head display is fun and I think it helps people claim ownership over the library because they feel like it's a more fun and inviting place to be.

Theft

In the AV department, we have a fantastic collection - except when it comes to rap music.

I know they want it to be a good collection. They're tried. Everything is just gone. Theft in the rap section is such a problem that the entire collection (what's left of it) is kept in a back room. If the patrons want it, we go and get it for them and they look at it at our desk.

It's really a shame, because I know that when I'm choosing my library materials, I prefer not answering to anyone about it. I don't want people to see what I'm picking - it's one of my favorite things about the self-service checkout. It's not that I'm checking out things I'm embarrassed about - it's just that I really like having things to myself. The kids that want to listen to rap music don't always want to ask, and I'm sure we're cutting off some of their access, but I don't know how else it could be done. It's a problem. I think the RFID tagging project that's going on could help a little with security, but I'm not sure it will be as much as everyone thinks it will.

Crazy Days, Collection Continued

This weekend, we had an insane Saturday - for about an hour. There was a kid at the desk who needed help finding a copy of Harry Potter and didn't know where the YA section was. The phone was ringing, a man needed help printing in a hurry, and another man needed to know how to fit everything on one page, In the meantime, everyone was away from the desk, and when someone came back and said she wanted to take a break because she needed a snack, I thought the other librarian was going to smack her.

However, after a little while, it calmed down again and was quiet - minus the Adorable Adoptable dogs barking downstairs and one 911 call that we had to make because a patron downstairs was having chest pains.

In other news, I'm enjoying my collection evaluation project. I've made a list from about 3 different sources, and I'm going through the catalog checking to see if we have particular jazz albums, whether we have other albums by the artist, and whether the album is actually available on CD right now. Sometimes we have the item, but it's gone missing - and now it's not available. There are holes in the collection that are starting to make themselves more clear - but we have plenty of Duke Ellington and Miles Davis, so that's a comfort. I look forward to working on it for the next few weeks.

Duncan, R. (2010). EBOOKS AND BEYOND: THE CHALLENGE FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES. APLIS, 23(2), 44-55. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

This article talks about the rapidly increasing popularity of e-books, especially in light of the recent release of the iPad and other e-readers. Since people want to be able to get their books whenever and wherever they want, libraries must consider how to respond to public opinion.


A library in Australia took a survey to see what people's interest level in e-books and e-readers is, especially compared to their interest and usage of physical books. The survey was inconclusive on several points, but the study did indicate that regardless of how e-books affect literacy or purchasing, the number of e-books being published and sold is definitely increasing. It suggests that in order to know how to proceed, libraries should survey their patrons to find out what the interest level in their community could be for e-book access and e-audiobook access in the library. In some areas, iPods and e-reader popularity may still be in the future. Finding out about the age, gender, and technology habits of the respondents can be helpful.

As libraries, we should be considering the possible futures for e-readers and how their popularity could affect our services. The article reminds us that we need to be ready - both to help our communities offer access to those who may not have it, and to meet the demands of our patrons before they lose patience and go elsewhere for our services. It's important not only because it's popular, but because it could be the future, and we could find ourselves becoming irrelevant if we don't step up to the challenge

Kinney B. The Internet, Public Libraries, and the Digital Divide. Public Library Quarterly [serial online]. April 2010;29(2):104-161. Available from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 8, 2010.


This study used census information and and a linear regression model to determine both how libraries are trying to combat the digital divide, and how having internet access effects library usage. The study found that there were no disparities in the number of computers available between lower-income area libraries and their counterparts in higher income areas, but found a large disparity in areas with a higher percentage of non-white and non-English speaking areas. Having computers available to the public increased the libraries' gate counts, but didn't necessarily have an effect on their circulation.


The hope has been that libraries would be able to offer access to information for those who can't afford computers and home internet access. The article points out that students who weren't doing well in school were more likely to be without internet access at home. There are divides along racial lines, religion lines, education levels, and language lines. However, research shows that the benefits of computer usage are huge - for education, for job searching, even for researching hobbies. Those who use the library solely for internet access are far more likely to be digitally disadvantaged, and disadvantaged groups use the library for internet access far more than the national average.


Simply offering internet access isn't always enough. Libraries should be prepared to both offer access and help people who don't know how to use the internet to access the information they need. It isn't the final solution, but libraries certainly help, and they are being used by those who would otherwise have minimal access.

Bourke, C. (2010). LIBRARY YOUTH SPACES VS YOUTH FRIENDLY LIBRARIES: HOW  TO MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT YOU HAVE. APLIS, 23(3), 98-102. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

This article talks about the way that libraries tend to design youth space away from the other physical space of the library. Libraries have had a tendency to marginalize youth, but the ideal situation would be to provide a space where teens can gather, but also where they can be both safe and unsupervised; the most important aspect of this is that it should be a dedicated youth space if at all possible. Most libraries that do have dedicated space for teens and young adults only dedicated about 2.2% of the library space to it, even in larger facilities.

According to Bourke, one of the most important aspects of making young adults feel comfortable in the library can be the attitude of the staff. However, there isn't much in the way of professional development for librarians who wish to make youth feel welcome, and this should include more than just the youth services team. Librarians need to be aware that their attitude can make or break the experience for young adults, an idea that seems especially important to me as we go forward hoping to maintain libraries in our communities. young adults grow up to be the adults who continue using the library, and the parents who will bring their kids to the library.  

Bourke suggests that formal surveys and less formal fly-on-the-wall behavior can give us insight into how we're doing with the youth. We need to look at the services we're providing and see whether our collections meet the needs of our younger patrons - which includes our databases, our music, our movies, and other kinds of materials. If we can create more space for the YA patrons and then make sure we're marketing to them as well, we can let the young adults know they're welcome in the library and we're trying to meet their needs. 

Tech Support

I'm always amazed at how much of my life is basic tech support. I feel like I have a slightly better-than-average grasp on technology, but it never ceases to amaze me that 1) I work somewhere that requires me to constantly show people how to use a computer, and 2) I know how to show them, mostly because their answers are incredibly basic.

Generally, I understand that not everyone gets how our printer works. It's no problem - it's so easy to do, and I love how amazed some patrons look when I show them how to release a print job. However, some tech problems require me to step back and really think about how natural technology has become to me, and how unnatural it is for some people. For example:

1. Twice in the last week, I've helped people who couldn't figure out how to sign into their yahoo.com account. It turned out that it wasn't working because they were trying to sign in on hotmail.com. 
2. I've had at least 2 girls who were within 5 years of my own age who had no idea how to use an external hard drive. One was actually younger than I am. How does one avoid learning how to use a thumb drive until they're 18 these days? 
3. I had to explain to a man the other night that even though you have to use an email account to sign in to amazon.com, your email account is not automatically connected to your hotmail account - i.e. amazon doesn't know what your hotmail password is, so it won't automatically sign you in with that password until you've set up an account with them. He was very confused - as was I after awhile, because I didn't actually know how to explain that your login is individual on every website (unless it's a google-related website, but let's not go there) and you have to set it up for each new site. (This gentleman also told me that the hand-eye coordination of a computer was difficult for him, and he didn't know how to make it all work together. He hasn't had a lot of experience, clearly, but it was jarring all the same.)
4. I was trying to figure out how to help a lady get into her hotmail account, but hotmail didn't recognize her username. At that point, all I could do was explain to her that ther was no way for me to recover her password if I didn't have her username. There is no list of usernames for you to peruse to see what yours is. Because there are millions and millions of usernames.
5. Yesterday, I taught a man how to move something up a line - using the Backspace key. He said, "Ah! I learned something new today!" 

It's fascinating to try to disconnect myself from what I feel is common knowledge and try to approach problems from their perspective. Everything is like a foreign language to them, and they're trying to use a tool they aren't familiar with to do something they don't actually understand the theory behind. It's like helping my parents with my computer, except that from years of living with their kids and from having jobs that involve computers my parents have picked up things like what programs will take them to the internet and what a word processor is. (I tried to explain word to a woman in her 80s the other day. I told her it was like using a typewriter except you could edit your work without retyping everything.)

Public libraries, you are a brave new world. 

Festival of Ghost Stories

Friday night, I went to the library's Festival of Ghost Stories. It was a collaboration event, so the library had teamed with Bloomington City Parks and the Storytellers Guild. The night included creepy tales about ghost-summoning, one great babysitter story (why is babysitting so scary??) and a really crazy story about a childhood cuddle toy that wouldn't go away. It was fun sitting out on the grass drinking cider, and even though the stories weren't terrifying, it was still a lot of fun to watch great programming at work.

One of the things I really like about this program is that it's been a long-established tradition in the community. People expect it to happen. They expect K from AV to get up with his guitar and sing murder ballads. They come ready to accept the silly stories and the occasional creep-fests about rotting corpses. I like the idea of certain programs that make themselves more essential to the community, and I think this is something that at least some families plan around for their Halloween entertainment.

Keep the Customer Satisfied

I've worked a lot in customer service professions, and customer satisfaction is one of my goals as a librarian (even if the terminology becomes something more like "patron" or "client.")
Today a sweet middle-aged lady came in looking for a book called Getting in Touch With Your Inner Bitch. We didn't have it. I offered to put in a request for purchase for her, but after talking to her for a minute, it became apparent that what she wanted was not that particular book so much as something fun to read with her sister, who was coming in from out of town. I did a quick keyword search for "assertiveness" and then scanned the list for other titles that looked fun (discovering quickly that the only ones that sounded like fun had the word "bitch" in the title, and by the way, it's awkward to say that word over and over from the reference desk) and found one that was checked out. I gave her the call number and she headed to check out, but at the last minute I saw another title that was in. I ran over to circulation, told her the title, and took her back to the shelf, telling her that other books near that one might also be fun. About 10 minutes later, I saw her leaving the library with a stack of books she hadn't had before. I hope she and her sister have fun reconnecting.

A few minutes later, a man came in hoping for a complete list of colleges in Indiana - specifically to the person they would contact for a job. "I know that's a big request," he said, "but a good reference librarian can find anything, right?" Right. I did a search for HR Departments at Indiana Universities, and soon I had a list of universities with links to their HR pages. "Oh, you're good," the man said. "How many times a day do people tell you that?"

Well sir, not nearly often enough. Clearly. (Have I mentioned that I love this job?)

Genealogy Class 101

Yesterday, after a couple of busy hours at the desk, I attended C's Genealogy Basics class. I've always been fascinated by the methods here, and by the demographics of the people who get into it. It's something that happens a lot in my home town (where we're 15 minutes from a huge genealogy library), and I figure that if I ever end up near home, I will probably end up needing to know about the resources (most of which also come out of my home state).

Unfortunately, the beautiful fall afternoon and the scarcity of parking cut into our class size. Seven would-be genealogists had signed up, but only one showed up. C gave her a basic overview of the resources, and then we spent some time trying to find her family in the Census. Note to future librarian self: most of the 1890 census is missing because it was destroyed in a fire, so if the information you need is in there, you might be out of luck unless you can find the information in veteran records or in the state census. Tricky.

After our student left, C talked to me about the difficulties of hosting a program, particularly free programs. She said that one program was so time consuming to prepare and so consistently under-attended (despite having full registration) that they started charging for registration and then gave the money back to the patrons if they came. She said most people's theory is that if something is free, it will always be offered again, so it doesn't matter if they skip it without telling anyone.

Another interesting tidbit I picked up while helping C clean up: a county official had been pressuring her for a long time to set up a class about county records. He wanted her to create flyers, advertise in the paper, tell reporters about it. C was frustrated because he could have easily reserved a room himself and held the meeting on his own time, but he didn't seem to want to - then she realized that he had been pressuring her to get it in before November - election day. "It's just so transparent," she said. "And it's not like I can turn him down, because we get funds from that and need to have a good relationship with him. But I just feel so dirty! They don't tell you about this stuff in library school!"

Indeed, they don't. The politics of libraries are complicated, especially in public libraries where we're so dependent on funds from the government. It was certainly an interesting, informative night.

Reader's Advisory: Horror

Today I attended the monthly Reader's Advisory meeting for the library. Each month, they choose a genre and everyone has to read a book in that genre. One librarian presents materials about how to serve the readers of this particular genre and what the librarian should know about the features of the genre, and then everyone gets to talk about their books (which is awesome and makes me feel like I'm an English major again.)

This meeting started with a presentation by P, one of the head tech guys. He had recently reconfigured the library's "Author Alert" system so that most of it is online. Until now, librarians have called people on the author alert list, manually placed holds, and generally had to spend a lot of time. The hope is this new system will be less expensive and more efficient. Patrons can create their own Author Alert list and specify what kinds of materials they want (Large Print, Audiobook, etc.) and then the system searches for new titles every day and sends either an email or a text message to the patron whenever new materials are available from his or her favorite author. It doesn't seem like a perfect system, but it's certainly a step up from they way they have been doing it, with paper Author Alert forms and lots of man-hours. Check it out here (because you  might never find it browsing the website - it's a little buried right now): http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/fiction/author_alert.html.

From there we moved into the discussion of the Horror genre by our resident Horror expert, E. (She also brought Halloween cupcakes, which endeared her to me greatly.) E had a powerpoint and detailed handouts for everyone, with sample authors, notable feature and appeal factors for each subgenre of horror. She told us about everything from haunted houses/ghosts, vampire and werewolf novels, psychological horror, and splatterpunk. (I'll probably be steering clear of splatterpunk.) The most important thing to remember when doing RA for Horror is the level of violence, gore, sex, and general terror in the book. It's also one of the harder things to judge unless you have experience with the novel, because NoveList isn't always very specific about what the novel contains. Some people like a little chill up their spine and some people like something that's a knock-down, drag-out gore fest, and you really don't want to give people from one category something meant for someone in the other. E did mention a few other resources that could be helpful for getting more specific content information about books, some websites and some books.

The best part was just sitting around as librarians and talking about the books we'd read - what we liked about them, what we didn't like, what kind of patron might like them. I love the way this library tries to stay fresh and explore new ways to better serve the patrons.

Moyer, M. (2009). Talking with Gary Giddins. Library Journal, 134(16), 55. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. 

This article from Library Journal was actually an interview with a leading scholar in jazz music. The librarian was discussing what artists are essential for every library to own in their jazz collection, both old and new, and what the place of public libraries is for introducing people to jazz music. I was reading the article to help me as I prepare to start a collection evaluation project at MCPL, but one of the most interesting answers for me was "With libraries, it's great to know the music is there. But how does the library foster it?" Giddens argued that unless the library brought in speakers, made displays, etc., having jazz in the collection is just storage.

The rest of the article was very informative for the project purposes - a great list of essential artists, lesser-known artists, and new artists. Giddens's list will become part of my evaluation list, and includes Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins, Duke Ellington, Lester Young, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and others.

Book List

I've completed by book list for Teen Read Week, and I think it's lovely. Have I read most of the books? No. But NoveList recommends them, and I think they look good, and I slipped on a couple of books I love. It turned out well too, with clip art of musical instruments. I'm excited to see it in the display.

Here's the final list:

Books With Beat: Novels About Music and Musicians

So Punk Rock and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother by Micol Ostow

Four suburban New Jersey students from the Leo R. Gittleman Jewish Day School form a rock band that becomes inexplicably popular, creating exhilaration, friction, confrontation, and soul-searching among its members.

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

While trying to score a date with her cute co-worker at the Scooper Dooper, sixteen-year-old Audrey gains unwanted fame and celebrity status when her ex-boyfriend, a rock musician, records a breakup song about her that soars to the top of the Billboard charts.

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn

High school student Nick O'Leary, member of a rock band, meets college-bound Norah Silverberg and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to avoid his ex-sweetheart. What begins as a spontaneous ploy turns into something surprising and real in the course of one night as Nick and Norah roam Manhattan, listen to bands, confront past hurts, and hurtle toward romance.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Isolated from friends who believe the worst because she has not been truthful with them, sixteen-year-old Annabel finds an ally in classmate Owen, whose honesty and passion for music help her to face and share what really happened at the end-of-the-year party that changed her life.

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley

Scott Pilgrim's fantastic life takes an unforeseen turn when rollerblading delivery girl Ramona Flowers makes her appearance. Told in graphic novel form, this book starts as a story about slackers in a band and becomes a manga-kung fu fantasy adventure that spans five books.

The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

As an ancient evil stirs beneath the streets of New York City, infecting rats and people like a plague, five quirky teens come together to form a "New Sound" band whose music seems to have paranormal power. This creepy novel comes from the best-selling author of Uglies.

Pay the Piper by Jane Yolen

When Callie interviews the band, Brass Rat, for her school newspaper, her feelings are ambivalent, but when all the children of Northampton begin to disappear on Halloween, she knows where the dangerous search must begin

Vandal by Michael Simmons

The love-hate relationship between high school musician Will and his older brother Jason is fueled by the abuse Will suffers at Jason's hands but a devastating accident changes the everything for the boys and their family.

My Fine Lady by Yolanda Joe

Talented young singer Imani is surrounded by men with their own interest in her career--including her father, her boyfriend, and Orenthal Hopson, who believes that he can transform her from a hip-hop diva to a traditional jazz singer.

The Student Conductor by Robert Ford

Returning to the orchestral communities of Germany just as the Berlin Wall falls, Cooper Barrow begins studying under the cruel and capricious maestro and concentration camp survivor Karlheinz Ziegler, an endeavor that is compromised by a psychologically complex relationship with a beautiful fellow musician.

Rock Star, Superstar by Blake Nelson

When Pete, a talented bass player, moves from playing in the high school jazz band to playing in a popular rock group, he finds the experience exhilarating even as his new fame jeopardizes his relationship with girlfriend Margaret.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

When terrorists seize hostages at an embassy party, an unlikely assortment of people is thrown together, including American opera star Roxanne Coss, and Mr. Hosokawa, a Japanese CEO and her biggest fan.

Rock and Roll Love by Misako Rocks

When the daughter of her host family takes her to see a rock band, Japanese exchange student Misako falls in love with the lead singer, Zac, a groupie-magnet and notorious flirt, who gives her mixed signals. Zac and Misako become friends, but Misako wants more, and her romantic feelings threaten to ruin her summer and her friendships back in Missouri, including a possible romance with an attainable boy.

Reconsideration

Today I got to hand out my first reconsideration form to a patron who was unhappy with a book on our shelves. Interestingly, the book was not offensive because of the sex, violence, or language it contained. The patron was incensed because the book was "inaccurate" and had no place on the shelves. This was the book:

The thing that was most interesting about this is that the book had the word "conspiracy" in the title, which would have made me take it with a grain of salt anyway. However, we respectfully gave him a form to fill out, and the book will be submitted for consideration, where a committee will read it and decide whether it will remain on the shelf. It probably will. (I think most books do.)

I also got held up with a patron today who was telling me all about how we are ruining our eyes with the color of lights we have in most places - specifically in the library. Apparently, we should have full-spectrum lights to save ourselves from going blind. She was wearing dark glasses and wanted to know how the lightbulbs around the desk were changed because we needed to get rid of that horrible yellow color, which was nothing like daylight. After I'd been there for a few minutes, one of the other librarians called me over with a phone call. Bless B in circulation for asking me to come and "run an errand" for her by the drive up.

"That patron is difficult to get away from," she said, "so I'd like you to come back to the drive up for a minute."

"Oh, okay," I said, "I'll be right there to help you with that."

When I went back, she introduced herself and then had me wait by the drive up window until the patron left. What a wonderful group of people librarians are.

Other than that, it was a fantastic day. I got to help lots of people with their computers and copiers, placed lots of holds, amazed a few people with my powers of finding things, restocked the staff picks shelf, and started a list for Teen Read Week, "Books With Beat." So far I've found seven novels that center around teens and music. 3-8 to go.

Relevance and Referrals

The library has been slow for the past week. It could be a change in the weather or a change in the seasons, or it could just be a fluke of public service, but I confess it always makes me a little nervous. There are plenty of people using computers and checking things out, but I'm always just a little afraid of becoming irrelevant when there aren't very many people coming to the reference desk. I always make sure that I smile and look available when people come near the desk. I'd hate to have someone think I'm too busy to help them when I'm actually reading my 100th review on NoveList.
On the other hand, there are still satisfying interactions, even on slow days. I love it when I direct someone to a section and see them leaving with a stack of books and a smile. Today I directed a lady to travel books about Maine, and she was thrilled when she left, ready to plan her vacation. That, my friends, is why I love libraries. That stack would have cost $75 at a bookstore, and she's got tons of information to peruse for free. I know that seems obvious, but it still kind of warms my heart. I hope it's a great vacation.

Today we also had a gentleman come in with a law question, which made me a little panicky. After searching for a couple of minutes, I called over one of the other librarians, who suggested that I call the Indiana Room and also referred the patron to the IU Law library. Brilliant, simple, and in my panicked state about my lack of knowledge, I didn't think of it at all. Note to future self: sometimes the best answer is a referral to someone who actually knows what they're doing.

Patrons

I'm fascinated by the patrons we get in the library. Today, a guy came up to the desk who looked like a David Bowie-style glam rocker, complete with velvet jacket, rings, necklaces, and long hair. Right after that I got an elderly British man who had just become a U.S. citizen and wanted to know how to vote in America. We get over-achieving teens who want to know how to get a head's up on their future, and there are the teens who slouch in and ask for a guest pass for the computers every day.
I love seeing the people who come in regularly. Some just seem to have no where else to go, so they come to the library. Others are here because they're looking for jobs and we have the classifieds. Sometimes people ask for help and then immediately launch into stories about their children or their flu shots just because they want to tell someone.
It's one of the things I really love about public libraries - that we serve everyone and get to see people from everywhere. I can help a homeless man sign up for a beginning computer class one minute, and help a student with a paper the next.

I think it's really interesting how many times a day I help someone find a phone number. Typically, this is a transaction that takes me about 30 seconds on the phone, because I just type in a search and give them the number (or address). I always wonder if these people don't know how to use the computer, whether they're just in the habit of asking the library, or whether they have reference in their phone on speed dial for when they're out and about. No matter what it is, I love it - it's just not something I'd ever think to do.

RA

Today I got to do my first Reader's Advisory. It wasn't much - the man had requested help before and wanted more NoveList read-alikes for Lee Child. I found him a few names, printed off a series list so he could find the books he needed in order, and told him that I am reading my first Lee Child book, which made him light up and tell me how wonderful they were and how much I was going to like Jack Reacher. I love being able to talk to patrons about their favorite books.

Bertot, J., McClure, C., & Jaeger, P. (2008). THE IMPACTS OF FREE PUBLIC INTERNET ACCESS ON PUBLIC LIBRARY PATRONS AND COMMUNITIES. Library Quarterly, 78(3), 285-301. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

This article discussed the library's now-ingrained role as an internet provider for the community. Since approximately 99.1% of libraries offered internet access at the time this article was written, and 73.1% reporting that they are the only providers of free internet in the community. While it's sometimes a sore spot with librarians that the library has become more of an internet cafe than a place for people to get books, this article talks about how much people rely on that access.

Job-seekers, students, and travelers all use the library to get general internet access they might not be able to get or afford somewhere else, but the library also provides services that can only be accessed in the library, like library databases, genealogy services, government resources online and sometimes emergency information. The article mentions communities in which the libraries were the only place where individuals could get information during hurricane season during recovery.

In addition to access, libraries provide training and support for internet use. Most libraries provide at least some computer classes and have staff who can help with basic services. The article argues that at some point, libraries will need to increase these services by increasing internet bandwidth, rearranging libraries to better accommodate internet services, hiring staff with internet expertise, and determining how this changes the role of the library.

Basic Computer Class

Tonight I went in to observe a beginning Word class held at the library. It was the first time the class had been taught, and I'm not sure the librarian teaching it knew 1) what her audience was really expecting out of the class or 2) how to best teach them how to do what they wanted to learn to do. I learned a lot by observing and thinking about how I could avoid her problems in the future.

The first problem was that the librarian, D, didn't know at what level her students were approaching the class. All of them were very much beginners, mostly elderly ladies who had never used a computer. D came into the class with the assumption that most of them had already used computers and word-processors, and simply needed to know about the new functions in Word 2007. Instead of showing people how to save a document or how to copy and paste, she showed them where the button was to save a document, and 4 different ways to get to copy and paste functions. She threw out jargon, like 'file extensions,' instead of explaining why someone might want to save a document in compatibility format and what they could do once they did. She fell into many of the pitfalls I've seen in my time as an IA at the Wells Library - showing people where things are, but then not showing them what to do with those buttons once they click on them; telling people what can be done but not explaining how to do any of it because the assumption is they just need to have it pointed out; trying to cram absolutely everything into one session instead of making sure the essential skills are clearly explained and performed by the students.

I think if I were teaching the class, my approach would be different. First, I would want to talk to the students about what they want to get out of the class - maybe even before they come to class. The attendees have to register to take the class, and since it was the first time the class had been offered, I might even ask a few of them what they'd like before they got there.

Next, I would have some kind of standard document for all of the students to work on so they could see whether they were doing things correctly. It would be loaded on the computers so that they could begin the class by retrieving a saved document, and the teaching would begin there with that skill. I'd go through essential skills that everyone has to use - saving, printing, copying, pasting, and I would have the students perform these skills to make sure they understood them. I would go from computer to computer, making sure everyone understood what they were trying to do, and I would keep it basic enough that they could understand enough to ask questions. The biggest problem with this class was that D was going so quickly that most of the students didn't even know what to ask (a situation I know well from a computer class I'm taking this semester that's a little beyond me sometimes).

I talked to the librarian a little after and explained some of the things I'd seen - the fact that when D told them they could ask questions on ehow.com, one girl in the back had no idea how to open an Internet browser. D and I discussed some of the things she had planned to do (and then forgot about because she got nervous) and talked about ways the class could be improved in the future. It was certainly an educational experience for me, even though it wasn't the best example of instruction I've ever seen. I think D will work to make the class more helpful, and I was glad to see some potential pitfalls to avoid if I ever teach a similar class.

Harris, R., Henwood, F., Marshall, A., & Burdett, S. (2010). "I'm Not Sure If That's What Their Job Is" Consumer Health Information and Emerging "Healthwork" Roles in the Public Library. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 49(3), 239-252. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

This article discussed the need for public librarians to understand how to "locate, retrieve, understand, cope with, and use" health related information. While libraries already deal with health related questions frequently, this article suggests that the political state of the medical world may require citizens to become more responsible for their own health. The article seemed especially relevant, since I know MCPL is having an IU science librarian come to speak about health information in November.

The study finds that about 80% of health consumers find health information online, but the internet doesn't have everything they need, or may not meet a quality standard that can provide an unbiased opinion. While librarians can't offer any definitive answers to health-related questions, the hope is that they can direct these information seekers to "trusted sources that will aid them to work with their health care providers." In the U.S., very few libraries have health information centers relative to the popularity of the topic.

The study was conducted in a British library that emphasizes self-service, and was a survey designed to determine what the public believes librarians should do concerning health information. While many respondents admitted that they had searched the internet for answers to their questions first, and while only 27% said they would be "most likely" to turn to the library for answers to health questions, the public library was second only to a person's doctor as the most trusted source of information. Because of the self-service attitude in this library, most of the respondents didn't expect help with their questions, just access to reliable, up-to-date sources. The library was accepted as a safe place to seek information without the fear that accompanies consulting a doctor.

Shadowing, Day 1

Working at the reference desk reminds me of Shakespeare.

Sometimes it's hilarious, like the sweet old man who called and started asking me to spell things for the song he was writing, which sounded a little like a personal add. "I wish - wish, that's w-a-s-h, right? - I wish to find a pretty - how do you spell pretty? - a pretty girl - should that be woman or girl? I guess woman at my age, right? - so I won't be so lonely. How do you spell lonely? Won't? Where would I find one of those? You sound nice . . . but you're probably in college." (Yes sir. In college. Engaged. And, you know, a public service professional. Almost.)

Sometimes it's tragic, like the woman who came in and asked how to find papers to file for separation. We showed her the binder we have with Indiana divorce law, but we tried to convince her to use the resources online. "I've never used a computer in my life," she said. We asked if she had a friend who could come and help her fill it out. "I don't know anyone," was her response. Then, while I was trying to help her make her three free copies (see blog title), she started telling me her story. She came home from church. He was gone. She was shocked. It hurt. She just wanted it to be over. I wonder how often people tell me the personal details of their life because they have no one else to talk to.

Sometimes it's confusing. Sometimes it's boring. Sometimes it flies by and I don't know where four hours went.

Lessons learned today:

1. Never assume that the person on the phone who sounds like the guy who hung up while he was on hold actually is that guy. He will have no idea what you're talking about when you start asking him how to spell the name of that insurance group again if he is, in fact, some other person.  
2. Layer. Sometimes the library is freezing, and then you run around trying to find books and it's hot, and then it's freezing again. No wonder librarians like cardigans. 
3. Picking books for the staff pick shelves is amazing. It's a break from the desk, and it's fun to watch and see if anyone checked out the books I picked. 
4. Smiling and being really pleasant and upbeat goes a long way to making up for your incompetency as a newbie. The Intern badge helps too. Listen, take notes, ask questions, take names. Most people will let you figure things out if you tell them what's going on and don't judge them for wanting a copy of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. 

This is going to be so much fun.