New Year (In June)

In many academic libraries, the new fiscal year starts in June.  I have spent much of this week planning  for the next stage or our new library.  All of a sudden, it struck me how strange it felt to think of a "new year" in June. I felt out of time, like I had just missed Christmas and January 1.  Or perhaps it felt like I had just lost half a year.  I am living in two times, and right now I am feeling a bit of dissonance.  It is almost like waking up from a vivid dream only to find that the week that you dreamed about did not happen.

Still, I am excited about the coming year.  We will have some new firsts: new students; new resources; new challenges and new spaces.  In the (paraphrases) words of the professor from Back to the Future, the future is not written yet, it can be anything that we want it to be.  Happy New ( Fiscal) Year to all of you academics!

Why I keep doing it

I have been doing a log of cataloging lately. I am now a solo librarian at a graduate school.  As a solo librarian, I have to be able to do everything. We have been fortunate to receive hundreds of great books in donations.  I am anxious to get as many of these as possible on the shelves as quickly as possible.  Cataloging is not my favorite part of library work.  I know of many people who love cataloging.  I tend to lean more towards public services. In my last post, I mentioned that I once was given a button that said, "Cataloging is a public service."  I continue to spend time every day cataloging because, as I read through all that code, I have the end users in mind.  I am thinking of the students who will be doing important projects and may need the book that I am cataloging at that time.  This keeps me going.

A Short Praise for Catalogers

When I was in Library School, I was given a lapel pin that said, “Cataloging is a public service.” Having worked for several years in public service, I can attest to the benefit of good cataloging. All of those little details that catalogers love to fuss over do make items more retrievable. I have also experienced the frustration of items that seemed to have disappeared because they were mis-cataloged. In my library, I try to make sure that our catalogers know how important they are. They are not just the bodies hovering over computers in a back room: they are my partners in getting the right information to the right people. I couldn’t do what I do without them.

Are The Contestants Ready?

Have you ever watched a hot dog eating contest? I have seen a couple on TV. Competitors line up with plates piled high with hot dogs and buns. There is no mustard or relish on these dogs. They are not meant for enjoyment. The competitors have just a few minutes, or seconds, to eat as many as they can. Most can barely hold them down, and occasionally, one sees one of the eaters grab a bucket.

For many librarians, it is hard work to gain access to one of our classes. Instructors are busy trying to fit in their required plans. They may not see the need to make room in their syllabus for quality library instruction. It often takes a good deal of time to build the relationships with the instructors which allows us to demonstrate how we can help them. As a result, we often feel that we have to cram everything that we want them to know into thirty or so minutes. The result is an information hot dog-eating contest. We stuff them with fact after fact as fast as we can. In the end, few can swallow or hold down all that we have fed them.

In a couple of days, I will be teaching a 30 minute segment on APA style. I know that I cannot cover everything in that short of a time. There is a reason that the APA style manual is so large. What I can do is teach them how to look at citation references and introduce them to a few. I can show them the basic building blocks of a citation which will better help them understand the style manual.

It is important to be realistic with ourselves, our students and our faculty partners. We need to have a clear vision for what we can do and what is beyond the scope of our allotted time or environment. This means working from clear learning objectives. Sometimes we need not ask “What is everything that they will need to finish the race?” It is often better to ask, “What will they need to get to the next leg of the race.” We can always end our session by introducing them to other things that we can teach them. If we are lucky, instead of leaving them feeling overstuffed, we can wet their appetites for further feasts.