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.

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.

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)

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

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!

Many things have been happening as of late. Some of them are culminations of projects I’ve been working on for a long time, some of them are new discoveries, and the worst of them is my annual reappointment process which is a major time-suck. Here are some of the fun ones:

On October 23rd I’ll be part of a panel addressing “Issues in Next Generation Librarianship” along with Jason Kucsma and Emily Drabinski. If you’re in the area, please come out to support us and join the discussion regarding inter-generational workforces, among other things. Our panel is going to be moderated by Dr. Marie L. Radford from Rutgers University and the Institute will also feature keynote speaker Stanley Wilder. I feel honored to have been selected for the panel and am looking forward to my trip to NYC, which includes a weekend with the one and only Miss Ashley Rath who will be in town working on The Apprentice. Holla!

I don’t know how I found out about this blog, but I sure am glad it happened. Swissmiss is a design blog and studio run by Tina Roth Eisenberg out of NYC. Charming design. Fun and inspiring posts. People, this is the blog I purposely mark as unread in my Google Reader so that I have something to look forward to during those random rough spots throughout the day. You really need to check it out.

During the 2009 Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA) Annual Conference I’ll be participating in two panel discussions. You can see me on Tuesday, October 20th for “Emerging Leaders Showcase: Pennsylvania Librarians Leading the Profession” with Jennifer Jarson (Muhlenberg College) and Rebecca Metzger (Lafayette College) and on Wednesday, October 21st for “Got Game? Bring it! Gaming in Libraries” with Greg Szczyrbak (Millersville University & my mentor!), Curtis Datko & Miroslaw Liwosz (Alvernia University), and in a last minute lineup change,  Ryan Sittler (California University). Let me know if you’re going to be at the conference, and we can meet up or share a meal! And as always, I appreciate your support at the sessions There are a lot of interesting sessions scheduled, and in particular, I’d like to point out “PALS: PaLA Academy of Leadership Studies” on Monday (The exceptional inaugural class of PALS talking about their experiences and projects), and “When Students Go Mobile: The Effects of Smartphones on Information Literacy and Academic Library Service” on Tuesday (which I’m moderating and sounds awesome).

So what have you all been up to lately? Anything fun and exciting?

This fall I’m taking a poetry workshop at West Chester University. It is the second course for my English MA degree and boy am I excited. My Cultural Studies course last semester was superb – it made me look at everything from a different angle. And after my first creative writing class last week, I’m sure this one is going to be just as good.

I briefly talked with one of my librarian colleagues at Millersville about feeling nervous regarding the transition back to creative writing. I am worried that because much of what I write (outside of this blog) is very academic-y/report-y/blah-y. I am used to writing a certain way for work – in a more professional tone, etc. and I haven’t done much personal writing since college. She recommended reading more fiction (to “get me in the mood” haha), and when I tried to complain that I don’t have much time for any reading outside of professional development she slapped me in the face with the future: downloadable audio books for the drive to and from class. Genius! The Lancaster Public Library has a wide array of books available, and I will be downloading at least one of them to my iPod for the drive on Thursday night. Hopefully that will get me back in the swing of things.

In the meantime, I am posting something I wrote during a freewriting exercise last week. I volunteered to read out loud on the first night of class to set a personal tone for myself. I want to learn from this class and become a better writer, and in a workshop setting I can’t afford to be timid. The exercise can be found here but basically it was to take a “voice of authority” from your life and write in that voice. I chose to write in my father’s voice based on some “parental guidelines” for my brothers and myself. Some of this has been fictionalized and it is by no means a finished product.

Parental Guidelines

We do not watch television during the week,
we spend summers borrowing books from the library
and if you steal from a store you will write them an apology letter
and they will hang it above the register
so that everyone knows
you’re a thief.

We do not read at the table,
we eat together every night
and I will check your math homework
but you’re on your own for writing.

We don’t go on vacations,
we do not spank people
and if  you throw a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup on your brother,
the babysitter will quit,
causing me to stay home
and watch you.

I will not yell at you,
but you will disappoint me
with your choices, words and actions.

I will teach all of you how to drive,
we will not listen to the radio while doing so
and after you fail your first driving test
we will go get ice cream together.

We don’t explode fireworks in the backyard during graduation parties,
we take bike rides together to the beach
and if you were meant to have holes punched in your earlobes,
you would have been born with them.

Image by m-c and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic License.

I have been thinking about social networking websites lately. I think it’s because things are becoming increasingly integrated/cross-platformy. I wouldn’t say that this is a “manifesto” per say, but I’d like to talk a little bit about my philosophy on said sites.

I try my best to be an active yet responsible user. Let’s break that down into two parts, shall we?

Active.
I think it’s pretty important for me to have a profile on some of these sites. The age demographic I encounter most at work is the “millennial” generation, amongst faculty members, staff and adult learners. Even if the students never know I have a profile on Facebook or another site, I feel like it brings me closer to seeing their way of life. Which in turn makes me a better librarian because I can gauge their wants and needs more effectively. I can catch a glimpse of what issues are riling up the campus (based on student-created groups, pages and posts) and use this information in a number of ways. As the outreach librarian, I coordinate some of the library  events and exhibits – if a group of students create a Facebook page protesting/welcoming a particular guest lecturer, I can design something based on that interest. Heck, maybe we even have some of the visitor’s books to display, or could invite him/her to host a post-event debate in the library.  As a subject liaison, I teach some library instruction sessions – if I notice lots of students tweeting or commenting about a certain news story, I can pull that into my search strategy to try and keep their attention. It gives me a way to create connections between the library and student interests.

In addition to working with millennials, I am a millennial. I have already had three cell phone numbers in my lifetime and more ridiculous screen names than I care to share (Starbeam3? What was I thinking…). I would be on some of these sites regardless of my career because technology is something that is tightly integrated with the way I live my life. I use social networking to keep in touch with friends from high school, college and grad school as well as professional contacts, co-workers, and people I respect. I find support and knowledge in these connections each time I log in.

Responsible.
When doing anything on the Internet, we should try to be responsible. That can range from locking down certain profiles to protect your (and others’) privacy to limiting the frequency of your updates. I have recently found myself un-following Twitter accounts that were posting too many messages because I was missing posts from everyone else. It’s nothing personal and it’s not because the tweets were uninteresting or bad. I simply look forward to seeing a variety of information when I log in to Twitter – posts from my friends, recording artists, organizations and professional contacts all jumbled into one stream of consciousness. I guess this might stem from one of the traits of my generation – many of us enjoy multitasking and jumping from one thought to a completely unrelated topic. It’s exactly this reason that I don’t have separate Facebook or Twitter accounts (one for work and one for personal). It is an idea that seems foreign to me because my online identity is so closely tied to the one I display walking around every day.

Another aspect of responsibility that I am referring to here is the strength to know when enough is enough. A few years ago I deleted my Facebook account for approximately 6 months. I needed a rest because things were getting too intense with a relationship breakup and transitioning from college to something more closely related to real life. And there are still days when I go into work and have to say “Today I will not get on Twitter”. You could engage in endless conversation and having the power to control yourself is very important. If you say something in haste, it might stick around on the Interwebs forever to haunt you.

I try not to post tons of updates so that I don’t tip the scales of my readers. When I do, I send both personal and professional updates because I am both of those things online and in real life. I advocate for being an active, responsible user of social networks. How about you?

One of my favorite things about being a new librarian is that I now have a little bit of experience to offer to others. I am in constant communication with people across the country who are considering becoming  librarians or who are going through library school. These people find me a number of ways, including:

• My listing as a 2008 Syracuse University Alumni Class Leader
• My listing in the St. John Fisher College Career Services Community Alumni Resource Database
• My profile on Mentor @ SU

Other potential librarians find me through mutual acquaintances, Facebook, internet searches that turn up my blog, or Twitter. I have even had faculty members encourage their students to talk to me about my recent experience in library school. These communications are fascinating to me! Sometimes they consist of a phone call, sometimes in person, sometimes off the cuff, via email and even through Facebook messages and chat. I truly enjoy this aspect of now being an “MLIS-toting” librarian – I hope that my honesty can assist these interested parties in making a decision on whether this is the right career choice for them.

I think that this is certainly another area where librarians can utilize their networking skills. Not only do both parties benefit (you get connected to library newbs and get to share your passion while they gain insider information about the field from someone with experience), but you never know when relationships will develop. You might just kindle a friendship or professional working relationship that can last years. It’s also another way to get your name out there and encourage new and innovative people to join the field. Librarianship as a profession is not uber-complicated, but I think the misunderstanding of who we are and what we do encourages a certain level of secrecy that potential newcomers may be intimidated by. When I talk to someone, I try to be as open as possible, sharing  both my positive and negative experiences.

Recently, I was contacted by a student at my undergraduate alma mater, St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. She found my name through the CARD database mentioned above and asked me a few questions about my job. Below are her questions along with my responses. Do you have anything to add? I encourage all librarians to get involved in mentoring newcomers… most colleges and universities already have systems in place where you can enter your information in order to be connected to current students and recent graduates. Not only is it good for networking and information sharing, but the PR effect of having librarians listed in these types of directories can do a lot for the changing image of our profession!

What is the level of schooling needed for your career?
In order to be a librarian, you need to attend graduate school. A list of programs accredited by the American Library Association can be found here: http://www.ala.org/ala/educationcareers/education/accreditedprograms/directory/index.cfm It’s important to go to an ALA-accredited school.

Are there any specific courses or classes you would recommend I take?
All of the library programs are basically the same. You will learn stuff like customer service, cataloging, reference and research assistance, collection development, how to use databases, etc. Most programs have a management class as well, and sometimes a marketing class. I would recommend technology-related courses, anything with digital libraries, web design and development, and marketing.

Are there internships or shadow days that I can take advantage of?
It is almost imperative. Many students graduate from their library program with no experience in an actual library. It is very difficult to find an entry-level position with no experience. If you can’t find a position as a staff member (technician, part time, etc) while you are in school, interning somewhere or volunteering is a great way to gain that experience. I worked at Lavery Library while I was an undergraduate, then I worked as a clerk in a public library for a few months and then as an interlibrary loan technician at RIT while I was getting my master’s degree. That experience allowed me to secure a permanent position in an academic library before I even graduated. Most libraries are very willing to accept interns and volunteers, especially future librarians.

Is it important to make the patrons feel comfortable? How do you go about doing so? (I volunteer in a library occasionally, and that always plays a big role in to who visits, and when.)
It is very important. For me, it’s a little easier to do in an academic library setting – the students are close to my age, so I think they feel more comfortable asking me for assistance than the older, more experienced librarians. They won’t ask for help if the perceive you to be busy or unwilling to offer guidance. So it’s important to look approachable. I try to make eye-contact with people as they walk by and ask if they need anything. I think making sure that your lines of verbal and non-verbal communication is beneficial. I’m sure you know this from volunteering, but once people establish a repport with you, they will come back time and time again. This leads to mutually beneficial relationships because the patron feels more and more comfortable asking you for assistance and feedback.

What is the end that makes all the means necessary? Do you want to sell a product or endorse something or do you want to improve someone else’s quality of life?
I think I’ve chosen the perfect profession. I get to go into work every day and help people with whatever they need. Every day is different. In an academic library I get to be surrounded by a culture of learning. I love the fact that I don’t have to work for some evil corporation and especially that I don’t have to meet sales quotas, lie during pitches, or reprimand people. I simply help them have a better experience in the library and hopefully find the information their looking for.

Do you create your own schedule or do the people around you do that?
I have to say, I have a sweet job at the moment. I am at an academic university where the librarians are considered faculty members (people refer to me as Professor, which is a mind-trip!). As such, all library decisions are made at the departmental level, which means 12 librarians. We don’t have direct supervisors and I don’t report up. I simply work for the best interest of the library and the students. I get to set my own schedule, which is amazing. I have never had such freedom and flexibility in a job before. Along with that comes a high level of responsibility, but I think it’s totally worth it!

Do you mentor other people or do you emulate others?
I do both. I mentor lots of people who are considering entering the library profession, including former classmates, student workers and people who ask me for help (such as yourself). Lots of people find me through my blog, Facebook, Twitter, or the Syracuse University website where I am listed as an alumni class leader. So I help a lot of people by just sharing my experiences with them. I try to emulate the librarians and library professionals who I look up to. I read a lot of blogs, participate in conferences and presentation, networking, etc. I think we can all learn a lot from each other.

Is your field growing or staying the same? What are potential opportunities arising in your field? Do you think that, when I graduate in two years, your career will still be open?
There will be lots of people retiring from the library field in coming years. Sometimes that is referred to as “greying of the profession.” At the same time, libraries are changing dramatically. Positions that have been filled in the past are being revamped, updated, and eliminated. New and less traditional positions are appearing. Lots of them are technology related, some are like mine, dealing with public relations and marketing (I am the Outreach Librarian), some are customer service oriented like User Experience Librarian. There are tons of opportunities for newcomers. Everyone I have encountered so far has been helpful and appreciative of new blood entering the field. There are places and people where that is not the case (librarians who dislike the change that is accompanying the generational shift), but for the most part, people are open. I think if you keep your goal in mind throughout school, and participate in activities that bring you closer to that goal, you should be fine. Just realize that the old days of the card catalog and shushing librarian are (for the most part) already far gone.

How do you see your place in the world? Is there anything specific you hope to achieve? (Monetary amount, personal goals)
I see my place as helping students on their educational journey. I want to help them become better, more educated and experiences citizens who can achieve their goals. I want their experience with the library to be a positive and beneficial one so that they will become library champions, utilizing their public libraries in the future and with their children, appreciating literature and reading, using technology to interact with the global community and being knowledgeable about the viewpoints of humanity. These are some of the things I hope to achieve.

Who do you rely on? A personal coach? Friends? Family? Assistants?
I have a huge network of people I rely on daily. I have many professional contacts including librarians from around the country. I have close friends who I attended graduate school with, and friends from every stage of life. Their constant support is imperative to my mental state of mind. They present opportunities for me, help me to make decisions, and support my personal and professional journey. I hope that I offer the same to them.

Monday morning started bright and early with an 8AM meeting of the ACRL 
2011 
National 
Conference 
Component Committee. We hashed out a bunch ‘o stuff, including some basic track/theme thoughts and the possibility of some kind of unconference/lightning talk/lightning question/battle deck type activity at ACRL 2011. Then I worked with my co-chair for a little bit on some of the basics we need to work on over the next few months.

Following the meeting I took the bus back to the conference center and met up with the rest of my EL team. We did a brief presentation on our millennial survey to the ALA Chapter Relations Committee. I think it went over very well, and the audience asked lots of great questions. I am really hoping that we can answer some of them when the team puts together a white paper regarding the survey outcomes. I think the results will be useful to ALA, state library associations and probably even any professional association that is dealing with the influx of “millennials” into their organization.

Then I had the opportunity to staff the New Members Roundtable booth in the exhibit hall. It was a different experience to be on the “exhibitor” position in the exhibit hall, instead of walking around talking to vendors. I liked explaining NMRT to the people who stopped by the booth, and met a lot of library school students who were interested in joining up (it’s only $10!).  Then it was back to the hotel and off to dinner. We went to Joe’s Seafood and Steak House. It was pretty fancy! I tried Joe’s Famous Scallops with a side of asparagus and Melissa let me try some of her stone crabs. They were pretty good. I would have to say that this was one of the disappointing dinners we had – it just didn’t live up to my expectations. Maybe I ordered that wrong thing. The food was just too heavy for me.

Tuesday was our last day in Chicago, but it was one of the best! I got to sleep in, volunteered at the NMRT booth again for another hour, and walked through the exhibit hall to see all of the attendees scrambling for the best book deals. Melissa met me at the conference center and we walked to a place nearby and had some Chicago deep dish pizza! I honestly don’t remember what else we did during the day…  until we hit up the Chicago Diner (do you see a pattern here? Food, food, food! But lots of walking, too!). It’s vegetarian and mostly vegan. I had a peak organic pomegranate wheat ale and the asian sesame salad with marinated tofu. It was superb! Melissa had the avacado tostadas and a slice of the chocolate chip cookie dough cake/pie. She kindly shared lots of tasty bites!

After dinner we walked over to Metro to see Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band. It was such a great show! Last time I saw Oberst he was playing acoustic in Rochester, and this show schooled that. So much jamming and singing! A most excellent way to end my first trip to Chicago. I got a poster and lugged it all the way back on the plane with me. It’s sitting in the corner waiting to be framed

The flight home was fine and then I spent  four days camping to detox from all of the library-ness. This is why I am just catching up on email and blog posts now – these were the boring ALA ones. I plan at least one more going more in depth about my overall thoughts/experiences at my first ALA Annual. So keep a lookout!