A Tuesday & Wednesday in my library life.

(Tuesday & Wednesday have been more “big chunk” kind of days where I don’t work on lots of little projects, but a few large-scale things)

Tuesday

9:00 – Woke up & got ready.

10:30 – Arrived at work, caught up on email.

11:00 to 12:00 – Met with the action team for our Spring Scoop event. Basically, we’re planning an event for late April open to all faculty to bring them up to speed on how the upcoming library renovation will impact students. This is in terms of what parts of the physical collection will be available during construction,  what physical items will be in storage, reminders about our many electronic resources, and discussion about ebooks and “Internet sources” as they pertain to student assignments.

1:15 - Left Millersville, drove to West Chester University.

2:30 - Arrived at West Chester and headed to the library to hang around until my class started at 4:15. I wound up on the 5th floor at a study carrel where I used my laptop to answer work emails regarding a number of things (ask a librarian icons set to go on every campus desktop image, finalized a catering order for an internal library event on Friday, chat reference publicity and discussion about the CAE events taking place later this week).

4:15 to 7:00 – Methods of Publishing class. Wow, so this class is amazing. We’re actually composing type (those little metal letter things) and using a printing press! We learned some key terms and then composed our first piece – name and address for a letterhead we will be printing at class next week. It’s completely new to me… but very fun so far. I learned about leads, slugs, points, picas, the case, the composing stick, coppers, ems and ens, etc. I have a lot to catch up on because I missed the first class for ALA Midwinter, but I plan on dedicating a lot of time to our reading this weekend.

7:15 to 10:00 – Masculinity class. This class is also a lot of fun. We’re looking at representations of masculinity in popular culture, gender stereotypes and characteristics, etc. I have to look over my syllabus this weekend and figure out what else we’ll be working on. Very interesting stuff and a very engaged and talkative class (awesome because the time passes quicker)!

11:20 (ish) - Arrived home, ate Cheerio’s, talked to my boyfriend about class and went to bed.

Wednesday

9:00 – Woke up & got ready.

10:30 – Arrived at work, caught up on email including some planning for the 2011 ACRL Virtual Conference Committee.

11:30 to 1:24 - Library Campaign Priority Committee Luncheon Meeting. I’m not sure how much I am supposed to talk about this since the campaign is still in its silent phase. However, suffice to say I am learning a lot about fundraising and politics! We had a great meeting today, we have some new leadership that sparked discussion and even better, action! I would love to learn more about fundraising/development/advancement in the academic realm – does anyone know of conferences/events/books or other resources that would be beneficial? I think it would really make me an even more well-rounded and valuable outreach librarian.

1:30 to 3:00 – Women’s Commission Meeting. This is the Commission I work on V-Day for. We have four meetings per semester where everyone gives updates on the different projects they are working on, so I gave a V-Day update and contributed to a few other discussions.

3:00 to 4:00 - Answered email (so much email!!!), started this blog post.

4:00 to 4:30 – Production Team Meeting for V-Day 2010. As you can see, V-Day is taking up a lot of my time lately. That’s because our performances are in early February and we’re ramping up publicity and final plans. I think this is a really important part of my job – connecting with student organizations (and students) outside of the library realm. It continually informs me about student habits and interests, provides ideas and leads on how the library can be more in-tune with student needs and wants and gives me an outlet to share what the library can do (cast members of The Vagina Monologues have turned to me for assignment advice now that they know a librarian personally). Plus, ending violence against women and girls is a cause we should all be contributing to in some way.

4:30 - Home for dinner, a workout later, and then going through my course syllabi tonight.

A Monday in my library life.

(title setup borrowed from previous posts on Lauren’s Library Blog)

I’m an Outreach Librarian at Millersville University in Pennsylvania. This is a Monday in my library life:

7:45 - Woke up and got ready for the day. Arrived at work around 8:45 to publish blog post, check RSS feeds, Twitter, work and personal email.

A little after 9:00 – A COMM faculty member (& friend) stopped by my office to pick up some things and see if I wanted the article “It Cuts Both Ways: Fight Club, Masculinity, and Abject Hegemony” by Claire Sisco King from Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies. I’m taking two grad classes at West Chester University this semester and one of them is a special topics course  on Masculinity. Our only required book is Fight Club! I said yes (I’ll save it for my paper) and he said he would scan it and bring it to me later. Good stuff.

9:00 to 9:50 – Worked on the event program for Millersville University V-Day 2010 events (two performances of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” in mid-February). I volunteered to run publicity and marketing for V-Day 2009 and this year they created a new position for me on the MU Commission on the Status of Women. I’ve been working with a wonderful group of ladies on posters, tee shirts, programs, soliciting sponsors, and collaborating with our beneficiary, the Lancaster YWCA. It’s going to be a great production!

9:50 to 10:00 – Ate an apple, followed lots of new Twitter followers, checked my West Chester email to see if there were any messages about class tomorrow (none!).

10:00 to 10:30 – Worked on PR for some upcoming faculty information sessions co-sponsored by the Center for Academic Excellence, including bookmarks, handouts, and Facebook events for the library Facebook page.

10:30 – Our Interim Library Director stopped by to talk about some possible chat reference promotion. We’re now offering chat reference at our library and are looking at ways to roll out this new service to our users. Sent an email to the rest of the department about some possible steps to get more ideas/feedback.

11:00 to 12:15 – Attended a departmental meeting with the Provost and President about the future of libraries in the next 10-15 years. Exciting!

12:15 to 12:47 – Accidentally worked through lunch to make a chat reference sign and a graphic for the website. Graphic still needs work, but it’s getting there!

1:00 to 2:00 – First part of my reference desk shift, fairly uneventful. Just a few questions (mostly about textbooks – no, we don’t have them). COMM faculty member dropped off the article.

2:00 to 3:00 – Left the reference desk to be on a conference call for the College & Research Division of the Pennsylvania Library Association. I’m the new Treasurer! We started planning for our spring workshop/event. We are seeking recommendations for speakers about “the Learning Commons” (colleges & universities that created Learning Commons 4-5 years ago – what worked, what didn’t, how are people using the space differently, as well as people who might be planning for an academic Learning Commons now). If you have any names, let me know!

3:00 to 4:00 - Back to the reference desk for the second part of my shift. Again, fairly uneventful except there were a few slight issues with the new HP thin clients (running virtual desktops), but I think I figured it all out.

4:00 to 4:30 - Printed out subject librarian bookmarks for our new science librarian to use in instruction sessions, caught up on email, and made some table tent notifications to put up before an internal library event this Friday (kindly asking students to relocate to another study space for a few hours).

4:45 - Headed home!

Library Day in the Life.

Taken March 2008, the day before my interview at Millersville University. The building I now work in every day is behind me to the left.

Library Day in the Life is a project where library workers from all types of libraries document a day or week of their work life. It was started by Bobbi Newman, and you can check out her original blog post on the event and the official wiki for more information. The fourth round is being held this week (January 25-29).

Some people choose to blog, some use Twitter, some record video or take pictures. This will be my first year participating and it just happens to fall on the first full week of classes at Millersville University where I work as an academic librarian. I’m sure I’ll have a lot to post about, and have not yet decided exactly how many days I might end up discussing. Guess we’ll see!

I think this is a great project because it provides a brief glimpse into the depth and breadth of what librarians do. Just last week at a friend’s birthday party, I swear I must have been asked at least 5-6 times, “So, what does a librarian do?” This is one of many opportunities we can take to share our stories. I can see implications for:

• Library school students looking for direction. If you’re a library school student, browse through the list of past or current participants. Find a position you think you might be interested in once your graduate. See if you can imagine yourself as a consultant, a emerging technologies specialist, a children’s librarian, a youth services librarian, or a reference and access services librarian. Obviously not every day is super exciting, and the description of one day is certainly not enough research to base your career on, but you might find something inspiring to think about as you consider your upcoming job search.

• Library school students who want to share their experiences. I could easily imagine a spin-off of a Library Student Day in the Life. It would be very interesting (particularly to learn about the experiences of online and in-person LIS students) for people who have been out of school for a while to see how things work these days, what students are learning, the generational impact of technology on life and education, etc. If anyone knows of a group who has done this, leave a comment! Hmm… perhaps this is something for the Young Librarian Series…

• Administrators, students, patrons, friends, family, the media and board members who wonder what librarians do in the age of Google. This is an opportunity to share both the exciting and mundane parts of your work life. Many members of the public have no clue what librarians do (probably because many of us still haven’t nailed down elevator speeches for ourselves and our institutions). This is bad for funding, bad for our professional image, and bad for the progress and reform librarianship needs to undergo. How can we expect support without basic understanding? Informing is a key first step, and sharing your impact as a librarian could go a long way.
  

Some suggestions:

• Add your name to the wiki
• Include your job title & type of library in your blog post or video to help readers
• Use the hashtags #libday4 (Twitter) and librarydayinthelife (blogs)
  
• If you don’t have a blog/Twitter/etc, you can just create a new page in the wiki and post your day there
• After your first post, edit your wiki entry to change your blog link to a link to your tagged posts (link directly to your day in the life post(s), not to your blog in general)
• Add your Flickr photos or videos to the Group on Flickr

Happy 101 Award.

Last week, amidst all of the planning and preparation preceding ALA Midwinter, a fellow blogger karen the librarian gave me a Happy 101 Award. Hoorah! Karen was a classmate of mine at our fine undergraduate institution, St. John Fisher College. We also worked in the library together (our first lib gigs!) and then went on to complete the same distance learning program at Syracuse University (although a few years apart). She’s almost done with her program (School Media Specialization) and is already proving to be a great addition to our profession! Make sure you check out her blog and pay close attention during the next few years. I’m certain she’ll be a star. Thanks Karen!

Happy 101 Award!

It’s basically one of those Internet meme dealies – once someone gives it to you, you blog a list of ten things that make you happy. Then you pass the award on to 10 of your favorite bloggers (essentially tagging them to do the same). So here I go!

Ten things that have recently made me happy:

1. Finding good friends here in Lancaster, including Amy, Kate, Bryan, Sheila & Melissa.
2. Coming home every day to an amazing apartment and an even more amazing boyfriend <3.
3. Finding the perfect brown boots (here if you’re searching – I highly recommend them).
4. The consistent support and kindness of mentors like Robert Chandler.
5. Waking up to find my family in my bedroom for a surprise Thanksgiving visit.
6. Booking flights for a trip to Florida to visit my friend Crystal in March.
7. Seeing my college roommate Pam in Boston last week.
8. Being able to make a $1,000.00 payment on my student loans.
9. The means and ability to donate time and money to worthy causes.
10. Hearing Miss Woog’s beautiful voice reading poetry to me via the interwebs.

Ten bloggers I enjoy (there are so many more!):

1. Kate @ Mainly Veggie
2. Ashley
3. Emily @ Eating to Run
4. Melissa
5. Leigh Anne @ Library Alchemy
6. Kiyomi @ The Library Adventures of Kiyomi
7. Everyone @ The Young Librarian Series
8. Everyone @ Library Garden
9. Megan @ Stuck in the Middle
10. Natalija @ Natalija Creates
11. Jen & Jason @ The Dean Files

Okay, so that was 11 but who is counting… Hopefully *someone* keeps the meme going. Thanks for all of the excellent blogging, people. You inspire me and countless others, I am sure of it. Keep up the good work!

Cheers to twenty ten!

While I was home in Rochester, NY over the holidays, one topic of discussion over a family dinner (pizza and beer, I believe) was what people will call 2010. Will they say “two thousand ten”, “two thousand and ten”, “twenty ten”, “ten”, “o-ten”, or something I haven’t even thought of? Even more vexing, how will people eventually refer to the 2000’s? Will we revert back to the 1900’s and say the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, etc?

There’s not really a point to that story, other than to illustrate the random conversations that take place in my parent’s household. However you decide to say it (personally, I think I’ll use “twenty ten”), don’t take 2010 for granted. Appreciate every little second this new year brings, make healthy decisions, be kind to others, and above all, stay true to yourself.  Take a little break from work once in a while, too!

One of the best trips of '09: vacation in Florida with my mom!

Pala 2009 – Tuesday.

11-12 – When Students Go Mobile: The Effects of Smartphones on Information Literacy and Academic Library (Kristen Yarmey-Tylutki, Digital Services Librarian, Weinberg Memorial Library, The University of Scranton)

Smartphone – phone with computing ability

Over 50 thousand apps for iPhone as of last year

In 2008 smartphone sales in North America grew by 63%

Lost of apps are student-designed

Mobile librarians and libraries – Joe Murphy

How do these impact the research process? Information literacy?

It’s hard for students to find big blocks of time for research – mobile helps them break it up into chunks

Looking at 2000 ACRL standards for information literacy – 5 standards

What did mobile phones look like in 2000? Cell phones called people, stored contacts, could text but many people didn’t. A lot has changed since then!

Standard One: “The information literate student defines and articulates the need for information”

• Free apps vs. authoritative, more costly apps (in terms of reference resources)
• Talk to vendors about providing mobile interfaces
• Think about subsidizing cost of authoritative mobile apps
• Devices can be used to both collect and analyze data
• Can confuse students – new set of formats (print, electronic, mobile, website, app, device specific?), third-party developers w/ somewhat sketchy documentation.
• Cost and benefit – students pick free over pay, website over print, w/smartphones, they will probably choose mobile over computer-based.
• It needs to be affordable and accessible to students in order for them to use it

Standard Two: “The information  literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently”

• New ways of searching – the ACRL standards assume word-based searching, but now we have different input types – pictures, barcodes, audio keywords, location
• These options can make searching easier for students, but we need to know how to help them and incorporate this into information literacy
• No extra typing – fewest keystrokes possible = no long search strings, Boolean, etc.
• Mobile raises expectations – traditional services won’t be enough
• On a smartphone, we only see the first 3/4 results in a Google search – will students scroll down or click to the next page?
• Extracting information – lots of note taking tools out there and microphones built in (i.e. Margins, tools to convert spoken notes into written notes)
• iPhone can’t run different applications at once – this is a problem but should be fixed (Palm Pre does it)

Standard Three: “The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.”

• Ebook apps – more time for reading in their lives, but is it “deep reading?”
• All in one devices are fabulous but also distracting
• Students are going to want to use things that are designed well
• Mobile research look at more items but spend less time on/with them
• Discussing research with peers

Standard Four: “The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.”

• Syncing mobile and computer applications
  

Standard Five: “The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally”

• Privacy issues, personal information – outward flow of information, educate students about what they post to the web and how it can impact their future
  
• “Collaboration has become a fact of life” – Kristen YT

Standards hold up well, but there are some new themes relating to smartphones

Is dividing literacy between information and technology helping or harming our students?

Continuous partial attention – we need to be informed – education, psychology, sociology

What’s next? Plans to talk with students about how smartphones are being used by students. Looking for collaborators!

Q: Tools for libraries to mobilize? SMS is first step, in terms of resources, haven’t seen it written about yet

Q: Multi-literacies? Kathleen Tyner

Q: What about faculty using smartphones? Mixed bag, some embrace, some still don’t want to talk about Google. New generation of faculty will help with this transition. We don’t have to push it, but some will be interested.

12:30-2:15 – College & Research Division Luncheon Rethinking the Copyright Wars and the Role of the Academic Library (James Neal, Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian for Columbia University)

Understand trends in context

Changing library roles: consumer, intermediaries, aggregators, publishers, educators, R&D organizations, entrepreneurs, policy advocates

Scholarly communication – why do faculty publish?

“the repository movement”

Broadcast flag – chip embedded in computers to try and catch people breaking copyright laws. ALA filed a lawsuit. The computing industry also fought this.

Copyright in the future, will there be one?

Re: 108 Study Group – “Are we ready for the “hard ball” offensive that will be required to protect and advance our interests?”

Interesting cases: Author’s Guild v. Google, Cambridge University Press v. Georgia State University, Golan v. Gonzales, J.D. Salinger v. John Doe, Warner Publishing v. Spurlock

Google Books – not about public interest, not about copyright. About economics and money. Monopoly?

FRPA – making federally funded research freely available for public access. Right now the publishers have control. Trying to send this through as an Executive Order since it’s already written into federal grant documentation.

PaLA 2009 – Monday.

9-10:15 – Putting the Wow in to Your Library Using Nonverbal and Merchandising Principles (Larry Nesbit, Library Building Consultant, Mansfield University, retired, Joyce Seno, Architect, Larson Design Group Julie Brown, Furniture Representative, Brodart Co.)

Architectural vision vs a library vision

Did a similar presentation 6 years ago at PaLA – not much information has remained the same

A successful library needs to come from the user’s perspective – not the librarians!

A square foot costs about $200.00 when all is said and done, so you need to utilize space wisely

We need to integrate computers into virtually every space in the building

Nonverbal communication is culturally specific

70% of what we communicate is nonverbal

Example: Wegmans ceramic tile  flooring in the produce section – why do they use this particular material? (because the tiles and grouting rattles the carts, causing consumers to slow down and buy more produce)

People want a safe, comfortable environment with social opportunities

Example: Cabela’s has few retail stores, in person it is the “ultimate experience”

Think about how big store entrances are in the mall – more welcoming and inviting

Vestibule – costly from a square footage perspective – try a wall display case or bench

When you walk into a library, you usually see Circulation and that’s it. When you walk into a bookstore, you see books (check out isn’t front and center).

Companies spend lots of money on market research – we don’t have that level of funding but we can use their findings and learn from what they do.

Brodart will be introducing mobile checkout units within the next year

Displays – libraries have a tendency to put too much out which defeats the purpose. People won’t browse if it looks too crowded.

Aisle space – 5 feet – “butt brushing” If a person feels uncomfortable, they will leave the area.

Make a statement, don’t just fill the space – Joyce Seno

Think about privacy for computers, specifically in information commons. Tell your students you want them to stay, not just use the computers and move on. Territory and space. Don’t put computers in an aisle (jostling and no privacy).

Seating – “A chair says we care” quote read by Julie Brown. Put chairs next to windows.

People want to be seen but not disturbed.

Borders recently announced that they are taking shelving out of their stores in order to make room for teen spaces.

Book stacks – “the forgotten zone” – Every 3 foot section of shelving costs $3,600. Use is key. Carve out spaces in stacks for seating areas. Stagger/slant shelves, use browsing units (the more people can touch, the more likely they are to take it with them). Open it up, use shelving of different heights. It’s not just a storage area.

Administrative zone – Internal spaces are important as well. You need to be comfortable in order to do your job well.

10:30-11:45 – PALS: PaLA Academy of Leadership Studies (2009 PALS graduates: Calida Barboza, King’s College, Lisa Galico, Juniata County Library, Sharon Helfrich, Andrew Bayne Memorial Library, Mike Packard, Pottstown Public Library, Paul Proces, Delaware County Community College, Heather Simoneau, Lehigh University, Jennifer Worley, Dauphin County Library System)

Initially planned on doing this every other year, but because of overwhelmingly positive response, will be doing it each year (as long as funding allows).

This was a two way street, PaLA has learned a lot from new professionals regarding the future of the association.

Most of the 2009 PALS participants were nominated and sponsored (cost $500/$600).

Complaints about the program – too busy (nonstop events/sessions), make nomination process easier (are working on this for 2010).

Q: Doing things differently because of PALS? Paul – Before PALS I was a nominal ALA/PaLA member, now I’m involved with up to 6-ish committees. Calida – Afterwords, I felt more comfortable/empowered to bring issues up at my home institution.

2:30-3:30 – iPrimer: Using the iPod Touch and iPhone in Library Reference and Education (Corrine Syster, Instructional & Information Technology Librarian, Central Pennsylvania College, Misti Smith, MLS Technology Literacy Specialist, Mount Aloysius College)

Ages 13 through 24 = half of iphone users

Cost of an 8-gb iPhone w/data plan and fees for the first two years is about $2,000.00 (this is why I don’t have one yet… damn student loans…)

iTouch is more affordable ($199.00 one-time fee for 8-gb)

Academic applications:

* Clicker/student-response systems (i.e. Turning Point ResponseWare)

* Course management systems (i.e. Blackboard Learn, Mobile Moodle)

* E-texts (i.e. Kindle App, CourseSmart)

Abilene Christian University – research showed clear impact on student engagement (w/ iPod Touch or iPhone)

University of Missouri School of Journalism – requires incoming students to have an iPhone

Standford’s free iPhone programming class has been accessed over 1 million times

iTunes U – Libraries can put tutorials here even if they don’t have iPhone/iPods

Apps to help students – iHomework, Evernote, MiGhtyDocs (helps teach time management & organizational skills)

Q: Copyright issues? Most applications handle their own copyright.

Q: App fees – are they one time or subscription? Typically one time fee. If you delete it, you can put it back on for free as long as you have synced it on your computer.

Q: How do I get Camtasia tutorials from the library website to a platform like this? You can just upload it (may have to reformat into Quicktime) to iTunes.

PaLA 2009 Schedule (draft).

Here is a draft of my schedule for PaLA in Harrisburg next week. Hope to see some Pennsylvania colleagues there, let me know if you want to meet up for anything!

Sunday

5:15-6 – New Members Reception (I’ll be staffing the CRD table, so come check out our poster, get some candy and learn more about what you can do as a member of the College & Research Division!)

Monday

8-9 – SCC Hospitality Suite ( I’m staffing the hospitality suite as a member of the South Central Chapter)

9-10:15 – Putting the Wow in to Your Library Using Nonverbal and Merchandising Principles (Larry Nesbit, Library Building Consultant, Mansfield University, retired Joyce Seno, Architect, Larson Design Group Julie Brown, Furniture Representative, Brodart Co.)

10:30-11:45 – PALS: PaLA Academy of Leadership Studies (2009 PALS Graduates)

12-1:30 – CRD Board Meeting

1:30-2:00 – SCC Hospitality Suite

2:30-3:30 – iPrimer: Using the iPod Touch and iPhone in Library Reference and Education (Corrine Syster, Instructional & Information Technology Librarian, Central Pennsylvania College Misti Smith, MLS Technology Literacy Specialist, Mount Aloysius College)

Tuesday

9-10 – Emerging Leaders Showcase: Pennsylvania Librarians Leading the Profession (Come see me present with Jen Jarson and Rebecca Metzger about the ALA Emerging Leaders Program!)

11-12 – When Students Go Mobile: The Effects of Smartphones on Information Literacy and Academic Library (I’m moderating this session featuring Kristen Yarmey-Tylutki, Digital Services Librarian, Weinberg Memorial Library, The University of Scranton)

12:30-2:15 – College & Research Division Luncheon Rethinking the Copyright Wars and the Role of the Academic Library (James Neal, Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian for Columbia University)

4-5:30 – PaLA Annual Business Meeting

Wednesday

9-11:45 – Got Game? BRING IT! : Gaming in Libraries (My second panel, featuring co-panelists Greg Szczyrbak, Learning Technologies Librarian, Millersville University, Curtis Datko, Access Services Librarian, Alvernia University and Ryan Sittler, Assistant Professor / Instructional Technology/Information Literacy Librarian, California University of Pennsylvania. This is an interactive session where you will be able to play games!)

12-1 – Closing Luncheon The Joy of Censorship (Joe Raiola, Senior Editor, MAD Magazine)

Ohio & King Library.

I’ve been in Ohio for the past few days visiting a friend from college who is teaching and working on her MA in English at Miami University (OH, not FL). Fall has struck hard here and the leaves are perfect. Yesterday I had a chance to visit King Library, the main library on campus. Ho-ly-cow. It’s beautiful!! Wonderful facilities, great interior design, and an excellent variety of spaces.

• Clear, clean and creative signage. I was very impressed with their stacks signage, something that I’ve been thinking about lately with our upcoming renovation at Millersville. The large sign above the Circulation desk was also really well done, with all of their major services available at that desk listed (Reserves – Laptops – Study Rooms – Check Outs). I didn’t see any 8.5″ x 11″ pieces of paper stuck up with tape. Most signs were of high quality (engraved/etched) and anything that was printed seemed to be laminated or in a clear plastic holder.
• Natural accents. I also noticed that they used a lot of natural wood, for shelf end-caps, tables, etc. It really does a lot to brighten the place up compared to darker woods. They also utilized natural lighting which makes everything more inviting, and lots of strategically placed plants.
• Functional, appealing furniture. Instead of placing book carts around the stacks for books students are done with, they have small tables. It looks really classy! And it can’t be that much more work, because the staff can just push a cart around and collect the items instead of grabbing all those carts. It looks clean and cute, and you could probably get similar ones from Ikea (and cheap!). I loved all the curvy s-shaped couches – with footstools! The footstools are key, having them makes it soo much more comfy, especially with a computer on your lap. Another great idea was to outfit most of the large walls with an artwork hanging system. You may have seen a system like this in place at art galleries or in museums. It looks like a strip across the wall and then you hang framed artwork on thin wires. It’s great because you can do so much with it without being tied to banging nails into the walls (virtually ruining them and locking you into the same location every time even if you change the pieces). This might not seem clear, but I included a picture below. Great example of flexible design!

So the moral of the story is that even though I don’t go to this university, even though I didn’t even look at their collection of books or online resources, even though I didn’t use any of their services or ask any questions, I had a great experience there.The look and feel alone were enough to make me want to be in that building for coffee, to hang out, and to do my work (I was there for about 4 hours using their guest wireless which had no connectivity issues, was unlimited, didn’t require me to log in, and worked seamlessly with my Mac). Because I felt so comfortable with the surroundings, I would certainly feel confident approaching a service point with questions or if I needed help. Although I could have probably experienced similar spaces on campus with the same look and feel, the library should (and in this case does) have more investment in creating positive spaces. Why? Because if students feel comfortable there, if the space is meeting all of their needs, that confidence will spill over into their interactions with librarians as well as information. Creating a more beneficial experience for everyone, no?

Circulation desk sign (too large the fit the entire sign in the shot!)

S-shaped couches and footstools in beige, blueish green & purple

Close up of the first floor directory

Book return tables - natural wood

Library directory signage - colorful & visible

"How call numbers work" signage - great!

Love that they include the nearest accessible restroom

Second floor directory and emergency plan

Hanging system with art print

Self check out machine with Information desk in the background

Stacks end-cap - natural wood, clear, visible signage & an overview of what's there

C&RL News – Job of a Lifetime – Emerging Technologies Librarianship

My second piece as the editor of the Job of a Lifetime (JOAL) column in College & Research Libraries News became available online yesterday! For my first column back in June, I interviewed Brian Mathews about his job as the User Experience Librarian at Georgia Tech.

This time, I had the chance to interview not one, not two, but three very talented Emerging Technologies Librarians from Towson University. Carrie Bertling Disclafani, David Dahl, and Carissa Tomlinson were all hired at the same time and have been working on some interesting projects, including some new mobile services. Check it out!

Job of a Lifetime – Emerging technologies at Towson University: The hat trick

ACRL Podcast – Job of a Lifetime – Emerging Technologies

Once again, C&RL News Editor David Free kindly edited the podcast for us. A huge thank you goes out to Carrie, David and Carissa for their flexibility and quick turnaround time for the column and podcast! Emerging technologies librarianship is a field/position that varies widely from institution to institution, so it was nice to hear what exactly it means at Towson. I’m adding a link to LibraryTechTalk (the blog that Carrie, David & Carissa coauthor on the use of new technologies in academic librarianship) to my blogroll and you should too!

Do you have the job of a lifetime? I’ll be starting the next interview shortly, so if you think so, contact me. Enjoy & feel free to leave comments!