Tag: reflections

A Day In The Life: Library School Student

Photo of Kiyomi a Japanese American Woman with light skin, long dark hair, side bangs, wearing a gold lock and dark brown Victorian style overcoat.

8:15 AM Log-on to computer. Check Twitter feed for any relevant library news or job postings, read those.

8:32 AM Move on the school E-mail, decide RSS feeds can wait till later. Most of my e-mail was ACRL: Residency Interest Group related, offered to hook up applicant with current resident to help review their material before submission.

8:48 AM Login to Blackboard and catch up on message board posts for 3 classes and Graduate Student community. Only light posting, not unexpected for the beginning of the week, decide to see if I can’t finish listening to and reading my Social Science Resources Lecture for the week (Drexel Weeks run Monday Sunday).

9:15 AM Not quite done with lecture, but will have to save the rest for later, time to go be a volunteer intern at RSABG.

9:45 AM Arrive at RSABG’s research library. Sign-in and catch-up, it’s my first day back after a 3 week break due to the start of classes coinciding with ALA MidWinter. Start researching the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for a possible grant proposal and open access repository models.

10:30 AM Get handed a Japanese serial publication for original cataloging, plus 3 other Chinese titles. Look up Jim Breen’s WWWJDIC and start looking up characters by radicals. Realize how long it’s been since I’ve studied kanji. Eventually get all the publication data in Japanese input correctly in Connexion.

1:30 PM Take a lunch break. Finish Social Sciences Resources Readings and posting for the day.

2:30 PM? Back to cataloging the Japanese serial publication. Now that I have the correct characters it’s time to start putting the information in the correct fields.? As I start inputting the item description I realize that the book contains articles which are given in both Japanese and English, with some Latin descriptions, look up Latin language code, it’s LAT. Start checking fields for all necessary foreign language additions, measure size of book.

4:00 PM Decide to call it a day since it takes a while to work my way through the CONSER website to check my serials cataloging. Get gas and groceries on the way home.

5:30 PM Log-on to computer, check school e-mail and discussion boards while eating dinner.

6:05 PM Decide to start writing my 3-4 page Learning Context Paper for Information Literacy Instruction Class. It feels overwhelming, but I’ll just start and follow the directions and then it’ll stop being so intimidating.

6:45 PM? Finished a little over a page of my paper. Must stop for now, time to go be Assistant Director for the play Self Help.

10:52 PM Back from rehearsal, time to check the Drexel message boards and then work on that paper again.

11:39 PM A little over 2 pages are written, with a little light editing. Fading fast, time to call it a day after a quick look at my RSS Feed, mainly library related.

5 Days in Library Land: Day Five, Reflections

A year ago I was the quality control manager at an environmental testing laboratory, and I had just received my acceptance letter for Drexel’s MLIS program. I’d always known that I wanted to earn at least one advanced degree, and my goal to begin working on one by the end of 2009 was achieved. (Take that the you’ll never go back if you don’t do a second degree right away line of thinking!)

Starting classes in March felt a bit like being on the spinning teacups ride at Disneyland, but I found my balance. I started interning at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden’s research library, attended my first library conference, became a 2009-1011 ARL Diversity Scholar.’ To a little more detail you can read my post Catching Up. In November I submitted my first job application with editorial help from Megan Perez and Missy Harvey. I was unfamiliar with this some of this quarter’s topics of study: collection development, and foundations of information systems. So, I did what I always do when stressed, researched and read until comfort was achieved. There was a lot of reading going on. On November 30th I was honored to be named the ACRL member of the week.

Three quarters down, two to go! Next quarter I’ll be studying Resources in Social Science, Instructional Role Information Specialist, and Academic Library Service. Drexel’s quarter begins January 4th, 2010 and I’ll be at ALA Midwinter January 14th-19th. If anyone is interested in meeting up I have time the 17th after about 4pm until I leave on the 19th. Several of my instructors kindly provided me with the readings from the beginning of the quarter so I can get ahead before things get crazy, thank you.

A year ago I was a chemist, today I am librarian, a young librarian, but a librarian nonetheless. Everything I’ve learned about writing, dealing with the public, organization, being in charge, and performing research, is built upon my experiences as a student at a liberal arts institution, a laboratory instructor, a chemist, a quality control manager, a library school student, and as a volunteer intern at a research library, have shaped who I am today. I’ve been fortunate to find several librarians who are both willing, and capable, mentors. I have several people I can contact with questions, or for help proof reading. I have people who will not only tell me what not to do, but why. Much of my transformation from chemist to librarian is due to these individuals, and any success I achieve is due in large part to their generous advice and encouragement.

In the future I plan to pursue my interests in promoting literacy, science, and preservation. So the question is, what will I be doing in 10 years? My goal is to study and become fluent in Japanese, teach literacy and library science classes, continue studying preservation, cataloging, science (broad term), and e-resources, and do original research on the user group(s) who frequent my library.

My questions for anyone reading are:

How have you changed in the last year? How would you like to change in the future?

May you all have a peaceful and relaxing rest of the year, catch you in 2010!