UNT LISSA

Interview with Michael Sauers

2011-06-21T05:46:00.000-07:00

This week’s interview is with Michael Sauers, the Technology Innovation Librarian for the Nebraska Library Commission in Lincoln, Nebraska. He trains librarians in technology throughout Nebraska and is an active presenter, blogger, and writer. He has published ten books, the most recent being Blogging & RSS: A Librarian’s Guide, Second Edition, and has three more that will be published next year. You can check out Michael’s blog at travelinlibrarian.info. Let's get started with the interview!

What is your educational/professional background?

My undergraduate degree is a BS in American Studies with a minor in Criminal Justice from SUNY Brockport (1992). I earned my MLS from the University at Albany’s School of Information Science and Policy in 1995. Prior to earning my MLS I mostly worked in bookstores (from bookseller to management) and spent my final semester as an undergraduate as an intern in the New York State Assembly. While at Albany I worked at the New York State Library on a serials verification project and then moved at the University library where I was on the team that wrote the first Web site for the library. Post MLS, I’ve (luckily) held only a few positions. For the first two years I ran my own Internet consulting business in Las Vegas, NV. I then moved to Denver, CO and spent nearly ten years as the Internet Trainer for the now defunct, Bibliographical Center for Research (BCR). Since 2007, I’ve been the Technology Innovation Librarian at the Nebraska Library Commission (the state agency for libraries) in Lincoln, NE.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?

When I entered the Albany MLS program I fully expected to become a reference librarian. At the time--this was 1994--the cataloging class still spent a half-semester talking about how to catalog on cards. When I entered the program I was allowed to have an e-mail address since I was a grad student. While I was there the Web came into existence and I latched onto the technological aspects of the library world instantly. At the time I took so many technology related classes that for the time, my own personal library school program was hardly considered standard. Compared to programs these days, the classes I took (think FTP and Gopher on dumb terminals connected to a VAX mini computer) seem almost quaint. By the time I’d finished the program, MLS students were required to have an e-mail address and so was pretty much every other student throughout the campus. So, I’d say that my goals have stayed pretty much consistent since library school but they changed radically while I was there.

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?

It sounds cliche but I ended up becoming a librarian because I love books. Most of my jobs as during high school and college were at bookstores and I have an extensive book collection as a result. I love books but to be honest, very little of my library-related work has ever had much to do with books. That is, until the whole eBook revolution finally kicked into high gear.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

Whenever I’m asked this question I always have a hard time answering it because there isn’t really a “typical day” for me. However, I suppose I can describe two different types of days which don’t necessarily keep themselves separate from each other.

The first, are my training days. Part of my duties is to provide training to librarians across the state. Typically one of my workshops is either a half-day (3 hours) or a full day (6 hours). Typically, half-day workshops are paired up to fill out a whole day. Topics range from searching to Web design to eBooks. Just this week I gave a full-day workshop in Kearney, NE on WordPress for librarians joining out Nebraska Libraries on the Web project. (http://libraries.ne.gov) Those days I’m teaching the topics at hand from 9am to 4pm with an hour lunch in the middle. Depending on the distance from Lincoln, these workshops also necessitate travel either on the same day or on the days before and after. However we’re moving to a lot more online training so scratch the travel in those instances.

If I’m not training anything else I might do that day can be broken into one of three categories: constant, regular, and as-needed.

The constant could be easily described as general research in order to see what’s going on in the library and technology worlds. Via Google Reader I follow over 500 blogs and other resources mostly in the library and tech realms and watch/listen to about a dozen podcasts weekly. I’m constantly on the lookout for what’s next and how that will or can affect libraries and librarians. To a certain extent you could also view this a constant preparation for training but at this stage it’s mostly just information gathering and trend watching.

The constant category includes meetings (there’s always a committee or two going on at the Commission), technical support for the libraries in the Nebraska Libraries on the Web project, updating the computers in our training lab at least monthly, hosting a Tech Talk show as part of the Commission’s weekly webinar “NCompass Live” and producing the Commission’s NCompass Podcast. There’s also our Nebraska Learns 2.0 program (http://nelearns.blogspot.com/) which I help to run. Since there’s several of us involved typically I only need to come up with new material for that every three or four months. I’m sure there’s more than that but that’s what I can come up with off the top of my head.

As needed includes short-term projects and working with other staff members on implementing their ideas. For example I’m on the committee that’s putting together our state library conference this year. Come late October, that project will be over. The other major example is training prep. Whenever a new class is being developed or I’m scheduled to teach an existing class, there’s always time spent for a week or two in advance of the classes preparing the materials and making sure everything is up-to-date.

Then there’s all the things that you could consider librarianship-related that I don’t get to do in the office. For example, I’m currently in the middle of three active book contracts with two different publishers. (Semi-professional drive on a closed course. Always wear your safety belt. Do not try this at home.) I’m also preparing for upcoming speaking gigs in Colorado and Wyoming. As a state employee I can’t work on any of this while on state time as it would be inappropriate for me to use state time, funds and equipment for paid, non-state work.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?

In my previous position at BCR I traveled more than 50% of the time. After nearly 10 years of doing that I was starting to wear on me and that was one of the main reasons I took the job in Nebraska was to cut down on the travel a bit. However, due to the economy and the current state budget that travel has now been reduced to minimal levels. (Hence the push for more online training.) So now my biggest complaint is that I don’t get to travel as much as I’d like to.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?

My gut response to this questions is “it didn’t” but that seems a bit harsh and most will not take that as I intend them to. The reason is that jobs like mine, mostly technology and Internet centered, just didn’t exist when I went to library school. As I mentioned earlier, the program changed while I was in it and some programs today look almost nothing like what they did back then. However, what I did get out of library school was the underlying understanding of what libraries are and how they work. Despite the changes the central mission of the library hasn’t changed. And, since now I work with librarians of all types and in all positions, because of that grounding I got from library school I can talk to any of them; cataloger, reference librarian, or systems administrator. Sometimes I get the impression that some programs have so focused on the future that they’re failing to teach some of the basics.

What is your salary range/what can students interested in working in your type of LIS profession look to make as far as salary (both starting out and over time)?

Well, after nearly ten years at BCR I was making a little more than $60,000 a year. I took a 20% pay cut to come to Nebraska but the cost of living was about 20% lower in Lincoln than in Denver so I pretty much broke even. As to what someone else can expect starting out in such a position as mine, that’s about as much detail as I can give you.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?

Be flexible. You may intend to do a specific type of job when you get out of school but as I can attest, what you plan to do and what you end up doing can be two completely different things. Also be flexible in that the only constant is change. I’ve seen so many librarians that were well established and then everything began to change with the Internet and that sort of attitude only harms the patrons and their view of the profession. Expect and embrace change and you’ll be better off for it in the long run.

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?

I’ve never been able to answer this question with any accuracy and could speak in generalities like “mobile access going to be big” but that’s hardly a surprise to anyone paying attention. Considering almost nothing I deal with in my job on a day to day basis (RSS, Podcasts, eBooks, and tables just to name a few) existed when I graduated I know better than to try to guess what we’ll be dealing with just a few years from now.

Interview with Stephanie Kerns

2011-04-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Stephanie Kerns is the Outreach/Curriculum Librarian at Galter Health Sciences Library, of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Illinois, and the subject of this week's interview! She works with her department to plan educational activities for the library, such as orientations, integrated curriculum, and information management training.

What is your educational/professional background?

I went Indiana University, where my majors were English and Women’s Studies. My MLS is also from IU. I ended up getting a job at the Georgetown University Medical Library when I graduated because at the time I wanted a job anywhere but in the Midwest! I have mainly been a medical librarian since then, though I have had two jobs where I was a science librarian. I’ve been at Northwestern University for the past 10 years, in the health sciences library, but with evolving positions.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?

I had planned on becoming an academic librarian, doing research and instruction and focusing on either humanities or social sciences of some sort. The last thing I ever imagined I’d be doing was anything in the sciences. When I graduated the job market was quite bad, so I looked at any reference positions, including the one in the medical library. While I was in grad school, I had a job in the Oral History Research Center where I worked on a project transcribing interviews about the history of Indiana medicine. Because of that I learned a lot of medical terminology--that helped me get the job at Georgetown. It was the best thing that ever happened to my career. I love working in medicine.

The first job I took was the reference position, but my career has shifted more into teaching and management. That wasn’t anything that was a goal change, though—more of a natural progression.

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?

I decided when I was still in college. While I was in high school I had a part time job in the public library, working in the genealogy department. I was around a lot of researchers there. This was before anything was on the Internet, so people had to come into the library to research their family history. I really enjoyed helping people find the elusive relative from way back, and I loved seeing how excited they got when they found the records for that person. In college I worked in the libraries at IU, so by the time I was getting closer to graduation and really having to decide what I wanted to do, it wasn’t a stretch for me to realize I liked working in a library. Plus the librarians with whom I worked had mentored me, so I understood what a career in librarianship was all about.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

There isn’t really a typical day. Because I work in academia, my job is in large part dependent on the academic calendar. Because the workings of the med school happen year-round, we don’t have a summer like undergraduate campuses.

As part of my liaison responsibilities, I support medical education (the MD program), orthotics and prosthetics program, the physician assistant (PA) masters program, and the MPH and MSEB programs. The first year students in the MD program start up in August. I teach medical information literacy skills in a course for them called Medical Decision Making. I also teach more clinical information management topics in a course called Introduction to Clinical Clerkships in the third year. I teach similar skills in the PA program, though in different courses. The MD curriculum is undergoing a complete renewal, and I’m on the steering committee and other task forces for that. For the past year and for the upcoming few years this will take up a significant amount of my time. I also do a lot of faculty development for information management skills in these curricula.

Things like managing my department, providing support to my clinical liaison departments, teaching library classes, writing reports, answering emails, and covering the reference desk take up the rest of my time. I also have quite a few meetings—sometimes with library-related groups, sometimes with university-related groups.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?

My favorite part of my job is working with the faculty and students in the medical school, and my colleagues at the library. I’ve built some great relationships over the years, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. I also love the teaching in the curriculum. When I started this career, that wasn’t even on the radar.

My least favorite part of the job is probably all the report-writing and meetings. They are very necessary parts of the job, but sometimes the “documenting” feels like it keeps me from “doing”.

What is your salary range/What can students interested in working in your type of LIS profession look to make as far as salary (both starting out and over time)?

There is such a large range for salaries, depending on what you are going into. The advice I can give for anyone applying for a job is to always negotiate professionally when you are offered a position. Do your research so you know what a reasonable salary is for the type of position, the area of the country, and the level of experience. Also, do your research about the institution—do they have a ranking system? If so, what is it, and how does it affect salaries? When the offer is made, you can always negotiate. The institution may not have much room to move, but you can always try to get a higher salary than the one initially offered or to get something like moving expenses or other benefits.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?

My education gave me a good foundation for being a librarian, but what I learned then bears little resemblance to what I do now. I think a lot of this is because libraries have changed and are changing so much. Library school was a good overview, but I since didn’t really know what I was going to eventually do, so I took a variety of classes. I’m glad I did that. Much of what I use in my job I learned after school, both on the job and in classes after I started working.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?

Know that what you are learning right now is a good foundation, but always be ready and accepting of change.

Always be ready to learn. Continuing education and professional development are important for our field.

Actively seek a mentor. In any profession, you will want to grow. In many library organizations there are official ways to link up with mentors. In the Medical Library Association, there is a mentor network link on their homepage.

Start building networks with your fellow students now. You’ll always be in touch with them throughout your career, as friends and as colleagues.

Take advantage of student memberships for professional organizations now so you can see what they can offer you and how they are different.

If you are exploring different career options, I encourage you to go on informational interviews. I never hesitate to talk to a library student who is interested in medical libraries.

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?

In health care, teamwork is essential. Collaboration will continue to be an important part of education in general as more disciplines do their work in teams. Providing facilities and technology to support this environment will be crucial. In academic libraries, I think our collections and presence will continue to shift to an online environment, so our efforts have to shift there as well. They have been moving there, but they will continue in that direction.

For my specific field, liaison and education, we are already shifting support to our website for users who prefer to find and learn things through video and live chat. Also, more of our students are going to be distance learners, so we have to support them remotely. But I think the personal relationship is still important, so we have to maintain that--whether it’s face-to-face or facilitated by technology. Like the rest of academia, we will continue to face budget issues, so we will have to be strategic with our spending and our allocations, aligning what we do to the institution’s goals.

Interview with Lisa Huang

2011-04-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

This week we’re talking with Lisa Huang, who is the Health Sciences Reference Librarian at Central Park Campus Library, of the Collin County Community College District in McKinney. Lisa is the liaison to all health science programs, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Psychology. Her professional interests include health literacy, uses of technology in the classroom, distance learning, medical applications (apps), library outreach, and health promotion. Let’s get to the interview!

What is your educational/professional background?
BA in English and History from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, AR
MLS and MS in Health Studies from TWU (Denton)
I've worked and/or interned at a children's library, academic health sciences center, dual academic/public library, and academic libraries.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?
When I graduated from college, I was undecided and burned out so I took a year off and worked. I thought about everything -- law school, business school, Peace Corps, etc.. -- but my positive experience as a student assistant in an academic library turned me towards librarianship. I enjoyed the librarians that I worked with; the things or themes (i.e., digitalization, technological changes, access to information, providing information solutions to users) they were working on resonated with me.

Plus, I've always had a special fondness for libraries. As a first generation immigrant, the concept of going to a place and being able to check out all these books and videos for free was certainly a revelation for me. I think most people take libraries for granted.

What does a typical work day look like for you?
Our community college library serves our students and the county residents (i.e., the public) so a typical work day is hard to define. Just earlier today, I had questions about how to find peer reviewed research articles for a sociology paper to where's the closest Immigration Office and the processing fee for naturalization papers.

I can say that I do staff our Information Desk every day and providing information solutions to faculty (i.e., literature searches) every day as well as answering lots of emails. (Email will be the death of me!!!) Some days it's putting out the little fires, instruction sessions, department meetings, one-on-one meetings, staffing the desk, collection development, etc.. it varies based on the staffing and requests.

Any interesting anecdotes you care to tell?
Hmm... This gave us a chuckle. One of our staff members found a set of handcuffs left behind in the medical journals.

What is your favorite thing about your job?
The A to Z aspect of the questions. I like the fact that I am helping someone accomplish something, whether it’s helping a student find resources for their research paper or finding information for a dental hygiene student on how to communicate with her deaf patient.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?
My education provided me with a solid foundation for my career; however, I think all those library experiences were extremely beneficial in terms of networking and experience.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?
Be flexible. Life's an adventure! Be open to different fields of librarianship and employers. In today's world, it's unlikely that you will be doing the same type/field of work or be at the same position for the rest of your life. In every library that I've worked, I've acquired new skills that I use today.

As a student, get some library experience so you can get your foot in the door and network. If you can't get a library job, consider volunteering to build your resume. You can volunteer for public libraries or digital libraries.

Be informed of library trends and technological changes.

Be sure to thoroughly research the employer before your interview. Find out the role of the library within the institution.

Be active in student and professional organizations. They're extremely resourceful and offer scholarships.

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?
1) Major technological changes. What are the roles/implications for apps in libraries? Will academic libraries move to only e-books? How will libraries harness all their electronic resources to their users in various formats?

2) Budget
For those in Texas, we're waiting for the Texas Legislature results so we'll more about our funding. I think most libraries will have to reallocate priorities with scarce resources.

And finally, what are you reading right now (what would an interview be without this question!)?
I'm reading "The Heretic's Daughter" by Kathleen Kent. It's the "Read Across McKinney" book selection. I think it's important to support library events and promote the value of libraries if at all possible. : )

I also enjoy reading the newspaper daily and Esquire. ; )

Interview with Lauren Pressley

2011-03-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

This week's post features Lauren Pressley, the Instructional Design Librarian at Wake Forest University, whose library
just won the ACRL Academic Library of Excellence award this year. Lauren is an active writer and presenter who was recognized in 2008 as an ALA Emerging Leader, and in 2009 as a Library Journal Mover & Shaker. Her publications include So You Want To Be a Librarian and Wikis for Libraries, in addition to her library blog, which can be found here. Photo credit: Ken Bennett, Wake Forest University.

What is your educational/professional background?

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do when I was in college, so I got degrees that were interesting to me: philosophy and communication. Once I graduated, I knew I had good general skills and knowledge but nothing specific. I was looking for work that did more good than evil, and eventually fell into a paraprofessional position. Once I did, though, it was obvious I was in the right place: I had volunteered in libraries for much of my life. After a few months in the position I knew I'd need the MLS to do the type of work I wanted to do, so I went to library school while I continued my library job full time.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?

My immediate goal was go get a job. I knew I'd find something I enjoyed, so the next variable I focused on was in a location I'd be happy in for a little while. I was fortunate that Wake Forest University, where I worked through library school, was able to offer me a job doing really interesting work. Since then my goals have evolved to be about more than just the job. I still want to do meaningful and interesting work at my library, but I also hope to make an impact at the institutional level and for the field of librarianship. I'm working on both those goals through various committee appointments, and I try to contribute to librarianship through writing and presenting as well.

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?

I knew it once I was in a paraprofessional position. But if I had been honest with myself, I would have known it since I learned to read. (I outlined my path in detail for the Library Routes Project.) My school librarians played a big role in my childhood, and I loved working with the local public librarians, too. Ironically, when I became a Resident Advisor in college I was told that I had to quit any jobs I held that were not directly tied to my career aspirations. I ended up quitting the student position I held in the library and kept the journalism job with the student paper.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

There is no typical day. Whenever I participate in Library Day in the Life I typically chronicle an entire week to get to some of the diversity of my position. In general I do a lot of communicating, so I have a lot of email, meetings, and face-to-face conversations. I serve on a number of committees ranging from focusing on the library website to academic technology for the entire university to serving on the Teaching and Learning Center advisory board. Most of my tasks are related to the work we do in these groups. I also am the liaison for Philosophy, Women's and Gender Studies, and the Teaching and Learning Center. I teach one-shot classes for these disciplines and collect materials for them as well. I also do a number of technology workshops for our staff and the general campus community.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?

I am most passionate about helping our users think about the changing information environment and what it means for them as users and producers of information. I love any work that touches on that, whether it's teaching the one-credit information literacy course that I teach or helping faculty think about digital scholarship. Some of the mundane tasks are less fun, and at times it's hard to get everything done, but none of that is worth complaining about because the job is generally intellectually interesting, satisfying, and I work with fantastic colleagues (both in the library and in the academic faculty).

What is your salary range/What can students interested in working in your type of LIS profession look to make as far as salary (both starting out and over time)?

It's hard to nail down specific salaries. The ALA-APA puts out a survey of salaries every few years, which is a really useful resource if you're looking for a point to begin negotiating with. Many institutions have a career ladder in which you might earn more as you move up in rank. For example, at WFU librarians have faculty status without tenure, so there is a ranking from Assistant to Associate to Full to Senior. To move up a level an individual has to have served a specified number of years and to have performed at increasing levels.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?

My graduate program gave me a solid understanding of issues that are important to librarians and the values of the profession. I also felt I got a really good grounding in the broad spectrum of the field, which is nice as I'm in a more specialized area where I don't do cataloging, access, or special collections. As anyone will tell you, classroom knowledge is different from working knowledge, and I learn a lot every day on the job. That tends to be more about specific duties, institutional culture, and the politics of an organization. I also learn a lot about trends and technology from Twitter and blogs.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?

I always advise current and graduating students to just go ahead and get involved! Most of the opportunities I've had have been indirectly and directly tied to my blogging through library school. Twitter can be a great gateway to professional networking. Some ALA and state association committees look for library school students to get a more diverse perspective. Just saying, "I'm a student," can get people to share with you about their professional path, which can help you think about what other experiences you might like to get. Go ahead and think of yourself as a member of the profession (you are!) and begin getting your feet wet and making connections!

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?

One of the most exciting things about our field is that we're changing a lot right now, and you can contribute to the discussion of what we should be doing and who we should be. I believe libraries are about information. Books were just the most convenient location for a long time. If we think of ourselves as information experts we can contribute to conversations in our community about new information formats and services, we can offer agile and adaptive services based on current user needs, and we can help our users think about how they want to be involved in their information environment.... in addition to getting materials (be they digital or physical). It's an exciting time to be in libraries, and I'm glad you're here with us!

Interview with Jon Haupt

2011-03-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

This week's interview is with Jon Haupt, who is the interim director of the Hamon Arts Library at SMU in Dallas (which is a fantastic visual and performing arts library, by the way). In addition to this, he is currently serving as the music librarian, so as you can imagine, these two jobs keep him very busy! Without further ado, let's get started!

What is your educational/professional background?

In addition to the MLIS degree from the University of Washington, I also have bachelor's and master's degrees in music (piano performance and musicology, respectively) from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. After finishing the MLIS, I took a job as Fine & Performing Arts Librarian at Iowa State University, where I worked for about four years before coming to SMU as Music Librarian at the Hamon Arts Library. In October 2010, I was named interim Director of the Hamon.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?

I was originally pretty focused on being a music librarian in an academic library. One of the reasons why I moved to SMU was to focus more heavily on music. I've always felt at home around other music librarians. I've always tried to combine various things that I enjoy, and music, technology, research, and helping other people are all intertwined. I don't know if I'll always be focused on academic libraries, but you can be sure that I am going to stick with some combination of those four things.

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?

I thought I would major in computer science until my senior year in high school... when I suddenly decided I wanted to be a music major. After my undergrad, however, I decided I didn't want to have to pay the bills with the piano; my music history master's degree was excellent, but I knew I didn't want to pursue the Ph.D. and contend for faculty positions in that, either. I started thinking about it even before I started that musicology program, but it wasn't until after talking it over with other music librarians that I knew that is what I wanted to do.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

Haha. Well, the most typical thing is that my day is completely different from any other day... but basically you can mix and match and plug in things to do across my week until there is no time left. These days, since I am doing two jobs (my old job and the interim job) every day can be very hectic and busy. When I arrive at work, I have to deal with some bizarre thing, like, say, a mysteriously locked door, or a problem with a student worker, or keys dropped down an elevator shaft. I then spend the next 30 minutes trying to figure all that out. As soon as I can sort things out, unless I have to run across campus for a meeting or something, I sit down and sort through my day a little. I use Hiveminder (http://hiveminder.com) to keep track of to-dos and a paper planner to keep track of phone calls and meeting notes. I try to organize myself on Sunday a little bit so that I know what the most important thing(s) I need to finish by the end of the week, and then I use Hiveminder to show me only the to-dos that I need to do on a particular day. At some point, I dive into voicemails and e-mail. Some days there are many, many meetings and I feel like I can't get anything done. Other days, the patrons all seem to need assistance or want to make a complaint or something. I'm usually able to find a day here or there where I can focus and finish a lot of to-dos all at once. So... my days are a mixture of administrative tasks, meetings, helping other people with problems, and typical public services librarian work--collection development, reference shifts, and instruction sessions.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?

My favorite thing is the sense that all of us in the library are helping to make the library a better place. I get a lot of satisfaction out of students leaving the library with new knowledge of useful research tools and/or how to use them, or getting excited about the new scanner or our new digital music library system and what these tools can do for them. I love working with the other librarians and the rest of the staff to figure out how to improve. We're very lucky that our staff gets along very well right now and is able to maintain a singular focus pretty easily.

My least favorite thing is what happens on the other end of the spectrum—not every interaction can be good. That said, I really don't mind dealing with direct complaints or difficult patrons; passive aggression, deceit, and unexplained opposition by others are more draining. It's hard to keep looking forward sometimes, but our approach is to continue treating others the way we would like to be treated—with respect, honesty, and authenticity.

What is your salary range/What can students interested in working in your type of LIS profession look to make as far as salary (both starting out and over time)?

Academic librarians seem to be typically starting around $35K and going up slowly, possibly to around $100K annually and occasionally beyond—all depending on experience and various aspects of the particular position they hold. I would expect library deans would be paid the highest. Pay differs a lot based on location and other factors.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?

When I was in library school, there was a lot of talk about practice vs. theory and a lot of people thought we spent too much time on theory. Really, though, I think the mixture was about right. I took two different terms of directed fieldwork and those were obviously pretty practical. I also worked as a student assistant and circ supervisor in the library while doing library school. Anyhow, the coursework that was highly theoretical in nature (information behavior, information in society, general classification, etc.) has also been really useful—just more over time and not so much at the very beginning. The more you get into library work, the more you realize that what you are doing is grounded in theory and that your understanding of the theory is important to understanding why it occurs to you to do something one way or another. That all sounds highly esoteric, I'm sure... but I think about it a lot when doing a card sort to figure out the best way to organize web pages or am trying to explain why browsing subject headings in our catalog is useful and actually matters.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?

First off, when looking for a job, you really have to either choose a narrow field (based on subject knowledge or some sort of job niche) or narrow location (you want to live in X city) but generally not both. The more broad you are with where you're willing to live, the more likely you'll find a job in the particular area of expertise you want. Of course, some people just get lucky and the job is available when they want it.

I'd also suggest that you look beyond traditional jobs. Many people who graduated with me are working at pretty neat private companies, doing related work (using the same theory!) and probably getting paid pretty well. Many different career paths are rewarding and you can use what you have learned in this program on many, many things. What company doesn't need someone with a really good understanding of categorization or indexing?

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?

Not only did a lot of people graduate from my program and go work at all kinds of different types of places, they planned to all along—it seemed like about half of the students were not really comfortable with the whole "librarian" concept, but loved the program anyway and happily found work doing things they liked. I think the most successful schools right now are doing a brilliant job of balancing theory and practice as well as balancing librarianship with information science. All of the concepts mesh very well together—but it does take some work to organize everything so that it makes sense. Right now, people graduating from different types of schools sometimes don't feel they have a lot in common, but I think more and more you'll see that is not the case. We really all are studying the same thing—schools are just tipping one way or the other on those scales.

Special thanks to Jon for taking time out of his busy schedule to participate in the interview! If you have any questions for him, he can be reached at jhaupt@smu.edu.

Interview with Emily Dust Nimsakont

2011-03-11T16:58:00.000-08:00

Today we're talking with Emily Dust Nimsakont, who is the Cataloging Librarian at the Nebraska Library Commission. She also provides cataloging training to librarians throughout Nebraska and recently spoke at the online conference, RDA @ Your Library, presented by Amigos Library Services. Let's get started with the interview!

What is your educational/professional background?

I have a bachelor’s degree in history and psychology from Knox College in Galesburg, IL, a master’s degree in museum studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a master’s degree in library science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Before working in the library world, I worked for museums and nonprofit organizations. My first library job was as a reference assistant at an academic library. I finished library school in May of 2008, and since October of that year, I have been working as the Cataloging Librarian at the Nebraska Library Commission in Lincoln, Nebraska.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?

When I finished my undergraduate degree, I wanted to work in a history museum, preferably as a museum educator. When I finished my library science degree, my goal was to find a job as a cataloger, and I have succeeded at that goal. See my answer to the next question for more detail on how my goals changed.

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?

For a long time, I’ve been interested in informal learning environments, places outside of the classroom where learning takes place. My first career path was in the museum field, and about a year and a half after I finished graduate school for the first time, I was feeling pretty frustrated with the job prospects in the field. At around the same time, I was discovering that while a lot of my colleagues were about preserving the stuff in our collections, I was interested in connecting people with the information about the items in our collections (writing up exhibit text, doing research in our collections for museum visitors, etc.). I started to think that maybe librarianship was the career for me. I started library school without any experience working in libraries, but luckily, I quickly discovered that working in libraries was indeed a good fit for me.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

There really is no typical day, since I have a variety of tasks that are part of my job. Here at the Nebraska Library Commission, we are a depository for state government documents, so most of my cataloging work is original cataloging of these items. We also have a collection of library-related materials that we lend to library workers and library students across the state, so I catalog these items, too (this is usually copy cataloging). I also am responsible for assigning metadata to the digitized historical photographs in our Nebraska Memories collection. In addition to functioning as the Commission’s cataloger, I am also responsible for providing training on cataloging-related topics to librarians in the state.

I do spend at least a little time cataloging just about every day. However, I usually try to balance the near-constant flow of items that need to be cataloged with the need to work on other, more short-term projects, such as preparing for an upcoming training session.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?

My favorite thing is probably the fact that my job duties include a variety of tasks, as I mentioned in the previous question. No two days are alike, and I very rarely get bored.

It’s harder to say what my least favorite thing is. I suppose it’s the fact that sometimes, working in a government agency can be a little restrictive. For example, sometimes there can be a decent amount of red tape involved with getting permission to start a new project. However, most of the time, my enjoyment of my job outweighs these frustrations.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?

I definitely don’t think that library school fully prepared me for my career, but I don’t think that it’s necessarily supposed to. I actually don’t think it’s possible for library school to perfectly prepare anyone for working in a real-world library job. The school that I went to didn’t really have tracks or specializations, so I definitely came out of library school a generalist, which I don’t think is necessarily a bad thing. Although figured out halfway through library school that I wanted to be a cataloger, and I tailored my practicum and volunteer work to get some experience in that area, I feel that my coursework gave me a base of knowledge that would have helped me in many areas of librarianship, if I had ended up getting a job as another type of librarian, rather than as a cataloger. I feel like I learned the very basics of the profession in library school and have supplemented those basics with a lot of on-the-job learning in my first professional position, and I don’t really see how it could happen any other way.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?

If a class sounds interesting to you, take it, regardless of whether it relates to what you think your chosen path in librarianship is. Though I knew about halfway through library school that I wanted to be a cataloger, I took classes on a variety of subjects, including readers’ advisory, library materials for children, and library use instruction. That library use instruction course has ended up being very valuable to me, since my current job involves not only cataloging but also training people on how to catalog, and I’ve applied many of the instructional techniques I learned in that class. You never know what type of position you’ll end up in or which classes will end up being useful in ways that you didn’t expect, so I would recommend exploring a variety of areas, if your program allows it.

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?

I think that there will be a lot of changes in the coming years. To focus on my area of expertise, I think that cataloging has been changing a lot and will continue to do so. Resource Description and Access (RDA), the new cataloging rules that are currently being evaluated by the national libraries, will certainly change things if they are implemented. There will most definitely be short-term effects, as libraries adjust their workflows and budgets to the new rules. However, I also think there is the potential for great long-term effects on the cataloging world if the full potential of RDA is realized.

Even without the new rules, catalogers’ work is changing. We work with digital objects more than ever before. We work with batches of items, rather than creating a record for one book at a time. I really think the whole concept of what a cataloger does will change greatly in the next five to ten years.

Special thanks to Emily for participating in our blog. If you would like to know more about Emily, or have any questions, she can be reached at emily.dust.nimsakont@nebraska.gov.

Interview with Sian Brannon

2011-03-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

Hello, everyone! This post's interview is with Sian Brannon, who works here at UNT in the library annex as Assistant Dean of Collection Management. She is a UNT College of Information graduate and is currently finishing her PhD at TWU. She has also worked at both the Dallas and Denton public libraries and has experience in almost every area of the library. Enjoy the interview!

What is your educational/professional background?
I graduated from UNT in 1999 with my Masters. My degree says Master of Science. Nowhere does it indicate Library or Information Science. Sometimes I pretend it’s a Masters of Chemistry or Fine Arts.

My first job was as a children’s librarian at the Dallas Public Library. I was terrible. Luckily my boss didn’t know better. I moved to Colorado and managed the library in one of those technical schools that advertises on daytime TV. Not thrilling. The library didn’t even have a door. My total collection numbered around 250 items. A lot of science and computer stuff.

When I moved back to Texas (Yeehaw!), I started working at the Denton Public Library (ironically, with the same boss I had at the Dallas Public Library), but not as a children’s librarian this time. I worked my way up from entry-level reference and programming to systems administration and branch management. An opening came in Technical Services/Collection Development and I hopped on it. I controlled the statistics, materials budget, and whatever else I could get my hands on. It was during this time that I realized that I am a much better worker AWAY from the public.

After working there for 8 ½ years, I was as far as I could go. I applied for the Assistant Dean of Collection Management position at UNT during the summer, and was surprised when they called me for an interview. Many grueling conversations later (12 hour interview!!!), I was offered the job. Lucky me! Now I have been here for about 3 months. Here’s looking to at least another 3. (Just kidding-I hope to be here a LONG time.)

Somewhere during my stint at Denton Public, I applied to the PhD program at TWU. I started in Fall of 2009, and am finishing my coursework this semester. I will be taking my qualifying exams this semester, and hope to start formally on my dissertation this fall.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?
In college I studied Spanish and Mathematics. I cannot do math in Spanish. With a Spanish degree, I taught kindergarten for two years, back when Texas was lax with the requirement for education degrees. This was not part of my career plan, mostly because I didn’t know what my career plan was. So, I went to library school. In that program, I studied academic libraries, archives, and preservation. I thought I would hole up somewhere and keep the past alive. That didn’t work out, as I grabbed the first job offered-children’s librarian in a public library.

Since then, I have been involved in many aspects of libraries, and am hoping to translate that into a long practitioner career, and then become some type of professor (hence the PhD).

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?
After the whole Spanish/Math thing didn’t really go anywhere, and after years of having friends comment (not always nicely) on my anal-retentive neat-nik organizing, I thought back to once when I was the substitute teacher in a library. It all seemed to fit.

What does a typical work day look like for you?
I have two types of workdays. One is super-meeting day. Dean’s Council, special projects, vendors, conference calls, etc. The other is catch-up/investigation day. Emails, looking into new products, professional journals, one-on-ones, budget talks, etc. Sometimes they blur, but I try to plan them out where it’s one or the other. Easier to organize, easier to do.

Any interesting anecdotes you care to tell?
I got lost in the Annex twice my first week. It’s spooky in places. I have heard talk of snakes in the basement. Not checking that out.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?
Hey, now, I’ve only been here 3 months, so I don’t have a lot to judge thus far. My favorite thing, I reckon, is the people in my department, and I don’t mean that in a hokey-kind-of-way. There are a variety of personality types in Collection Management, and I hope I fit in. (I also like making my own schedule…but not as much as the people). Least favorite thing…um…the location of my workspace (the Annex out by the Peterbilt factory) is not the most desirable for me. I am used to being able to pop over to Walgreen’s or 7-11 for candy, cokes, and medicine. Now I have to be more prepared.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?
My education gave me a perfectly adequate theoretical and somewhat practical preparation for my current career. I took courses in cataloging, management, collection development, and preservation. That all ties in to my current job. The LIS degree is short, and there is no way they can teach you everything you are going to need to know. There’s no nitty-gritty. In that way, though, it never lets you get bored.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?
Get a veteran librarian to read your resume and share interview questions. Gather references all the time, and make them of varying types (positions, types of libraries, etc.). Volunteer. Get experience any way you can.

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?
Digital! Books won’t go away (during my career, at least), but there needs to be an effort to tailor some LIS courses to digital content collection development and mechanisms for gathering it. Another Assistant Dean here at UNT advocates for librarians learning to program so that we can create our own databases and content discovery systems. That’s not a bad idea.

And finally, what are you reading right now (what would an interview be without this question!)?
I am not reading anything fun. I am neck-deep in the literature review part of my dissertation preparation which means I am reading journal article after journal article after book after journal article. Any free time I have is spent playing Tetris on my Nintendo DS.

Interview With Scott Douglas

2010-10-29T11:43:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! This post's interview is with author Scott Douglas. Scott works at a public library in Anaheim, California and has written a books about his experiences: Quiet, Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian. Scott also writes through several blogs and maintains other numerous writing projects (all of which can be found here. Scott's interview is funny and enlightening and enough to give any LIS student food for thought. Enjoy!

What is your educational/professional background?

Education: English Lit (AA, Fullerton College), Comparative Religions & English Lit (BA, Cal Sate University of Fullerton), Library & Information Science (MLIS, San Jose State University

Current Position: Anaheim Public Library (current role librarian)

Publications: Going Mobile: Developing iPhone and Mobile Apps for Libraries (ALA Editions, 2011), Quiet, Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian (Da Capo Press, 2008)

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?

When I graduated graduate school, I was hopeful! Now I just want to retire. Seriously! I like what I do, but not always the environment I do it--patrons seem to be getting more hostile, teens seem to be getting more violent, and parents seem to be getting more demanding. I find myself clinging more and more to library jobs behind the scenes. In all honesty, I’d like to go back to being a page--you get the library setting without any responsibility.

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?

Working at a public library paid my way through college, and I enjoyed it. I was offered a state grant out of college, so I figured if I didn’t like it at least I didn’t owe any money. As it turns out, I did like it (libraries, not school--school I hated and it was a complete waste of time and resources), so I stayed.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

Depends on the day. I’m a public librarian, which means I’m tossed into doing whatever is needed and my responsibility changes on a daily bases. For the most part, I work in adult services. I am in charge of coordinating and teaching all the free computer classes (usually 4 or 5 a month) and doing collection management for CDs and technology book. I’m also on most committees that include any kind of technology--most recently that means mobile apps. 80 or 90% of my time, however, is spend manning the reference desk--which means on most days I give people more computer time and pass out the restroom key...once or twice a day someone also wants a book.

Any interesting anecdotes you care to tell?

A whole books worth! I guess the oddest thing that’s happen recently is a little 10 year old who kind of reminds me of satan--at least the satan I was taught in Sunday school; he’s a borderline homeless kid, being raised by his borderline mentally challenged mom (and that’s not an exaggeration of her, unfortunately). He used to have screaming fits when he didn’t get his way, but most recently he’s also having hitting fits. The first time this happened, the police actually had to be called because his mother could not be reached; when the police officer arrived, he high fived the kid, told him to go home, and then said something along the lines of we were bullying him. A week later, it happened again, but this time he actually knocked over a video rack and tossed his bike helmet at the stomach of a pregnant mother; luckily, female cops came this time around, and female cops in Anaheim don’t mess around with high fives--they actually try to fix things. So now he is officially banned, until social services can talk to the mother and try and figure out what’s going on.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?

Favorite thing: helping down and out patrons, who need the library to improve the quality of their life.

Least favorite thing: helping unappreciative patrons who think that just because they pay taxes (in California this means a little less than $1 a year from your taxes goes to libraries) they somehow own you.

Do you feel that you incorporate your personal interests or passions into your work as a librarian and is that something you recommend doing?

I love computers/gadgets, and I teach all the computer classes, so I suppose so. I think a lot of people make the mistake of believing just because they like reading, they’ll make great librarians--obviously they haven’t been to a library in quite sometime, because often more space is devoted to computers than books. The modern library is more a community center than place of books.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?

I learned absolutely nothing from library school; everything I learned came from reading and actually working in a library. I recommend library school only because it is required to get a librarian job; it is in need of a complete overhaul--at least where I went (hopefully it’s better elsewhere). When your thesis paper is on terrorism in the South Pacific, you know there is something wrong with the system...

How do you think people generally perceive librarians and do you think you fit into that perception? Why or why not?

Most people still believe in the stereotypical librarian of the 50s. I’m sure you’ve seen the Nancy Pearl librarian doll--that’s how people see librarians...but that’s not how most librarians look. And if they are seriously still shushing people, then they should be ashamed--that little finger to the lips should be reserved for pre-school, unless your a passive librarian too afraid to actually communicate words with a a person. So no, I don’t fit the typical perception of librarians.

What is your salary range/what can students interested in working in your type of LIS profession look to make as far as salary (both starting out and over time)?

In Orange County, librarians usually make around $22 to $29 dollars a hour P/T or $40,000 to $50,000 a year F/T.

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?

I suspect the next five or ten years will be devoted to trying to catch up with the rest of the world. Libraries used to be cutting edge--they had the Internet before most people even knew what that was. Lately, shrinking budgets have forced too many to taking a “wait and see” approach to most technology trends. Libraries will have to learn more and more how to work more with less. It’s unfortunate, but libraries just aren’t getting the same funding that they used to get, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon--in tough times, people would rather have police/fire protection, then knowledge. Librarians need to fight to stay relevant, and prove that they are still needed. If they aren’t on top of technology, then they simply won’t survive--cities will outsource work to staffing firms, and save a bundle doing so.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?

I don’t mean to seem bleak, but a lot of outgoing students believe that cities will be running to hire them. They won’t. Libraries can do without you, unless you can prove otherwise. My advice is to find your talents, and sale this talent to the library--prove that not hiring you will be the biggest mistake they ever make. You have to do more than just your job--you have to be proactive and actively show how valuable what you do is.

And finally, what are you reading right now (what would an interview be without this question!)?

Gillermo Del Toro's "Strain" series.

Interview with MK Eagle

2010-10-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone! This post's featured interview is with MK Eagle--a public high school librarian working outside of Boston. MK Eagle also manages the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) blog at: http://yalsa.ala.org/blog
MK's personal blog, The Sagittarian Librarian can be found at http://saggitarianlibrarian.wordpress.com/

What is your educational/professional background?

I have degrees from Harvard and Simmons. I worked for three years in Special Collections at the Harvard Law School Library, then as an intern for a year at Fenway High School and Boston Arts Academy (the two schools share one library). I’m now in my second year as librarian at Holliston High School.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?

I can’t really say that I had any career goals when I graduated from college, but by the time I was in my practicum at Simmons I knew I wanted to be a teen librarian.

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?

Honestly, it was sort of an arbitrary decision. I’d been working in my college library for a few years and was vaguely interested in either education or libraries when I discovered that Simmons had the School Library Teacher Program, which seemed like a great mix of the two fields.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

There’s no such thing as a typical work day. I might have eight classes booked to use the library, or none. I might be doing formal, direct instruction on database searching or website evaluation, or I might only be interacting informally with students and teachers. On any given day I might weed, reshelve, catalog, update the library website, create a class resource page for a particular assignment, help another teacher use a Flip camera or create a Wordpress blog, recommend a book, go to a meeting, work with the yearbook or the GSA.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?

The teens I work with are my favorite part of this job. Classroom management is probably my least favorite—I don’t particularly like discipline.

Do you feel that you incorporate your personal interests or passions into your work as a librarian and is that something you recommend doing?
Yes, and yes.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?

The practical aspects of graduate work (practicum hours and field work) were the best preparation for this job. All the education in the world can’t replace experience in this line of work.

How do you think people generally perceive librarians and do you think you fit into that perception? Why or why not?

I think there have been so many trend pieces lately on “young, hip” librarians—reacting against the supposed stereotype of an older, quiet woman with glasses and a bun in her hair—that most people’s perception of librarians has less to do with stereotypes and more to do with their own experience with librarians.

What is your salary range/what can students interested in working in your type of LIS profession look to make as far as salary (both starting out and over time)?
If you plan to be a public school librarian, you can generally find salary scales for a given district. Your starting salary will depend on things like how long you’ve been teaching and how much education you have, and will most likely increase as both your experience and education increase (barring factors like salary freezes or contract negotiations).

What changes do you forsee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?

Technology, particularly mobile technology and cloud computing, will continue to play a much larger role in the field.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?

Apply to every open position you find. Job descriptions can be deceptive; interviews elucidate much that may not be evident from a simple posting. Until I got to the first interview, I had no idea that the job I’m in now would involve the chance to build a brand new program with a great deal of autonomy.

And finally, what are you reading right now (what would an interview be without this question!)?

I’m usually reading several things at once, which is true at the moment—I just finished the first volume of 20^th Century Boys, and I’m also working on Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead and the Pretty Little Liars series.

Interview With Hannah Guthrie

2010-10-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hello to all my faithful readers out there. This week I have a very special treat for all of you. We have a UNT College of Information graduate and current PhD student!!! Hannah Guthrie is currently employed by the Children's Hospital in Dallas, Texas and she has a very interesting educational background to match. If you would like to know more after reading this interview I suggest you come to this year's All School Day on November 6th, @9am @Discovery Park, because we will have a whole panel of non-traditional librarians speaking about their current professions. Our theme for this semester's All School Day is: "What Else Can I Do With My Degree? Non Traditional Paths In Librarianship" This event is free and open to the public but you must register by emailing unt.asd@gmail.com. Once you send an email you will be automatically emailed the registration page where you can choose your lunch option. We look forward to a big turnout this year so register early and tell your friends! Anyway lets get to the interview!

What is your educational/professional background?

I received my BA in Forensic Anthropology from Millsaps College in 2005. I received my MLS from UNT in December 2008. I work at Children’s Medical Center at Dallas as a Medical Librarian and am a PhD student in the College of Information at UNT.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?

When I received my Master’s degree, my first goal was to find a job in Dallas and apply to the PhD program. Ever since I met those two goals, my long term career goals are changing every day. I feel like a kid who wants to be a firefighter one day and a lawyer the next. I’m contemplating being a professor eventually. Or a director of an academic library. Or maybe even a researcher in a medical library. Perhaps the Smithsonian could use a librarian. I’m still young – 27 years old – and I have no clue what I want to be when I grow up. I’m keeping an open mind about career opportunities and just taking things one day at a time. I love my job at Children’s Medical Center and am enjoying the PhD program immensely. For now, I only have one concrete goal: to finish my PhD. Other than that, I’m just having fun thinking of the possibilities.

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?

The summer after college graduation I had an internship at a human identification lab at the University of Florida. It was very interesting and I came away with great stories and experiences, but I didn’t feel a true passion for the work. So I moved to Denver and worked as a manager of a bookstore for a couple of years while trying to figure out my next step. I had worked in bookstores since I was 14 and I realized that I love books and I love helping people, but I didn’t like the retail environment. That left libraries. I applied to UNT and moved to Texas in the Fall of 2007 to start my Master’s degree.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

No two days are alike. We have 5 libraries at Children’s and 4 librarians; so we are each in charge of our own library. My library – the Krissi Holman Library – was the first of the libraries. It opened in January 2005 and is named after a cancer patient who wanted a place where patients could get books. Our libraries are a hybrid, per se. We have a leisure collection for children of all ages as well as adults, of which all the books are donated. We have a medical reference section and a consumer health section. We have computers with full internet access for patients and their families to use. We have magazines and a book mobile that goes to all the rooms. The libraries are built for the patients and patient families. I like to think of our libraries as a safe haven, a utopia away from white coats and needles, a quiet escape from the hospital room.

We librarians do a lot of research for patient families, such as information about their child’s diagnosis or a procedure, medication their doctor recommended. In a world where nearly everyone turns to Google, we are here to help them find information through reliable and unbiased health websites and other sources. A lot of the time parents just want to come in to pay their bills, update family and friends via Facebook or Caring Bridge, or just checkout a good book to read to their child.

We also do research for medical staff, everyone from nurses to the transport team, from surgeons to clinical dieticians. Such research is often for evidence-based practice, presentations or lectures, or research papers or publications.

A typical day can encompass: conducting story times, coloring or reading with a little patient while the parent is looking for information, troubleshooting computer problems, taking out the book mobile around the hospital, doing research for medical staff, organizing donations of hundreds of books, or just letting a parent vent about the stress and emotions of their child’s condition.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?

In regards to tasks, I love it that my day includes such a variety of responsibilities. It keeps me on my toes.

In regards to working in a hospital library, the setting itself has helped me stay grounded. I tend to worry and stress easily, but when I come to work I am constantly reminded about how miniscule my worries are compared to those of my library’s visitors. Such a reminder not only helps me stay sane, it also keeps my heart soft and empathetic. The libraries and librarians are here to make life as easy as possible for our patients and patient families. I truly enjoy striving towards that every day.

What is your salary range/What can students interested in working in your type of LIS profession look to make as far as salary (both starting out and over time)?

The salary range for this position is $37k-$55k, depending on experience and education. This is my first library job, not counting the experience as a library assistant at my middle school during my 6th – 8th grade years. Although the job description required 2 years of experience, my boss took a chance and hired me with only 3 months experience I gained from my practicum while in the Master’s program. And so, as my entry level job, this salary is completely in line with the other entry level jobs across the state of Texas.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?

My education gave me enough knowledge to feel comfortable taking a job where I was in charge of my own library. I felt I had enough of cataloging, library management, and collection development to get started. Of course, I still had lots to learn, but I had enough under my belt to give it a good start.

There are things you just don’t learn in the classroom. I quickly discovered the chain of command and the hierarchical structure of the organization – who I can and who I cannot contact directly. I learned to look as myself as a professional, working on the same level as others who have much more experience. Although some people didn’t take me seriously because they thought I was too young, I learned to develop the confidence and professionalism needed to do my job and do it well.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?

Keep an open mind to the type of library or information setting you want to work in. I was set on working in an academic library, even after my practicum in a medical library. But I turned down such a job offer to take this job at Children’s. I love the job and can honestly say I love going to work every day. Go ahead and apply for jobs even if you don’t have all the required experience. In my interview, I pointed out to the director that I did not have the required experience but I was completely confident that I can accomplish all responsibilities and duties outlined in the job description.

My advice really boils down to three things: be confident of yourself, follow your passion, and stay open minded.

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?

I believe the stereotypical expectation of librarians as stuffy old women with long skinny fingers telling you to “shhhhh!” is going to go away (think of the librarian in the movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s) – but not easily. The technological advances are forcing librarians to not only redefine their job descriptions but also to convince the greater society that librarians are not a thing of a past as many perceive print books to be. Librarians and the MLS degree is needed more than ever. We are becoming more of a bridge to information than ever before and we are going to have to continuously convince people of that. The title of “librarian” is not the only title that defines what we do. People with MLS degrees are also called Knowledge Managers, Research Analysts, Systems Analysts, Information Architects, Digital Knowledge Managers, Public Health Informationist, among many others. The resources and mediums used by our society are constantly changing and advancing and thus so are our responsibilities and skills. We can’t let our field be left behind, we have to keep on the edge of technology and keep proving that we are relevant and necessary in our society.

Interview With Linda Absher

2010-09-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hello to all of my loyal readers. This week I have Linda Absher, a librarian who currently works in Portland, Oregon at the Portland State University Library. She pretty much has my dream job by the way. However, she has worked in a variety of library environments, not to mention she has her own website entitled "The Lipstick Librarian." Where she discusses the "prettier" side of librarianship. It's nice to see we still have fashionistas in our profession (besides me of course). Well I know I am excited so lets get to the interview.

What is your educational/professional background?

I have an AB in English Literature (what else) from the University of California, Davis. I received my MLIS from the University of California, Berkeley. At the time it was the School of Library & Information Studies; it’s been revamped and is now the School of Information Management, a program that does not have (and did not seek) ALA accreditation.

Since library school, I have worked in academic, special and public libraries, including IBM and Multnomah County Library. I am currently a reference librarian for the humanities for Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?

Career Goals: the first goal was employment. The fact that I am an academic librarian surprises me since at the time, everyone in my program wanted to be one. I figured my best chance in getting a job was becoming a special librarian, unaware that at the time many corporations were downsizing and closing libraries. But I accepted a complex project as an internship with Golden Gate University, which led to a position with them after graduation.

As for changing goals, I’d say the bibliographic sparkle that made the profession so enticing has worn off for me. Not sure why, other than I’m at a mid-career stage. Currently I am one of a very rare breed: a tenured librarian. I would like to become a full professor, which would entail more service and publishing, two things I enjoy doing. I would also like to write a book that has nothing to do with the profession, but I do have one obstacle: I’m lazy.

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?

I was working as an office drone right out of college; one of my workers was leaving because she was accepted into the librarian program at Berkeley. I was shocked because, quite frankly at the time I had no idea one needed a graduate degree to become a librarian. It stuck in my mind, though for a variety of reasons mostly boiling down to the fact that I was terrified, I didn’t apply to the program until almost ten years later. In the interim I worked at a slew of subsistence jobs, which included shoveling popcorn at a movie house, receptionist, and record store clerk. Ultimately weariness and poverty won out over fear.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

Is there a typical work day for librarians anymore? I do work reference hours; I provide collection development services, including managing a budget. Since our library has a subject specialty model, I am the subject specialist and liaison for the World Languages, Applied Linguistics and Communication Studies departments for Portland State. I also provide bibliographic instruction as well as develop research guides and learning objects for the campus and community.
Because I’m tenured, I also do research on librarianship; right now my interests are diversity and vernacular materials. I try squeezing that in between questions from students as to why they shouldn’t cite Wikipedia in their papers.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?

It’s probably the same thing, I love being a librarian. If I could no longer refer to myself as a librarian, I would feel a sense of loss. I enjoy trying to come up with solutions or (believe it or not) answers on the spot. I’m also extremely nosy, which means I get paid to listen to people trying to explain what they’re doing or what they’re preoccupied with—it’s intellectual eavesdropping.
But sometimes the whole aura of being a librarian becomes a bit tiresome. I have made somewhat of a name for myself by writing about the professional stereotype, but there are times when it is an obstacle, in expected and unexpected ways. I do believe once people find out I’m a librarian, I’m placed in this nice little mental box, unable to see the value of what I do beyond being something quaint and or quirky. And I don’t think my experience is unique.

What is your salary range/What can students interested in working in your type of LIS profession look to make as far as salary (both starting out and over time)?

I will say I make over $50K/year—average to high for a front-line academic librarian with over five years experience. My salary went up after being granted promotion and tenure, a process that took approximately six years. As for salaries today: I’m not too familiar with starting salaries, but they seem to have gone up somewhat since I started in the mid-1990s.
I’m hesitant to speculate about salaries in this day and age. That being said, I think salaries are higher in that many positions require a fair amount of tech savvy, even for positions that may not seem at first glance to need it (e.g., YA librarian, et al).

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?

I was lucky in that I attended library school right before the World Wide Web was introduced. Berkeley at the time was incredibly forward thinking in terms of computer skills and training. As part of my course work, I completed C and database programming classes. In addition, I learned to work in a command-based, UNIX environment. These skills were what got me interviews. I also have to give a shout-out to Marcella Genz, who was my reference instructor: she was the person who made me truly think and develop a reference philosophy. There’s not a work day where I don’t base my reference interview on something I learned from Marcella.
Surprises: The biggest surprise was how much public speaking/interaction I’ve had in my career—that wasn’t brought up in library school. I do think many people still choose librarianship because it seems like a secular nunnery: it’s a profession where one can cloister themselves with as little interaction with others as possible. Alas, it is a myth: I have done more public speaking as a librarian than in any other position. We teach; we present; we give tours, story times—in short, we do a lot of very loud talking. All in the name of information literacy.

What changes do you forsee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?

I think librarianship will continue being more and more technologically sophisticated. Even with the background I came out with from Berkeley, there are very few positions now for which I would be qualified—I don’t see that changing. In fact, the only change would be the speed at which technology is morphing.
The biggest challenge for us as a profession is convincing those around us that they truly do need us, even with these big, sophisticated tools--*because* of these tools. The technology is so powerful it deludes folks into thinking they’re expert information researchers, when all they’re doing is pulling so much dreck that they’re unable to filter or assess what they find. I’m hoping there comes a breaking point where people are so overwhelmed with what they find they realize they need some sort of expert to deal with all this content, but at this point, most people are perfectly content with the first 3-4 hits in Google.
But I am a patient librarian. And a proactive one to boot. You should be one too.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?

Don’t become discouraged by the job market. Despite what you may have heard, it’s always been tough to find librarian position, a fact that was presented to me during my library program orientation in the early nineties. Try to be as technologically sophisticated as possible, even if you’re looking into positions that seem to have little to do with technology. You’d be surprised at how many library positions have been completely transformed over the last ten years.

And though it may sound like heresy, you may want to think about positions outside librarianship. The skills we learn in school aren’t just applicable to librarianship—I know of one graduate who works with an insurance company handling complex disability claims; she’s very highly regarded (and financially rewarded) due in no small part to her ability to ferret out information from a variety of resources.

Carolyn Sosnowski

2010-09-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hello to all of my faithful blog readers out there. This week I have a new interview with an employee of SLA or the Special Libraries Association. Carolyn manages SLA's Information Center and is also the association's e-learning manager. She has fourteen years' experience in libraries, including seven years at SLA. In addition to her research and professional development duties, she writes the Info Sites column in SLA's Information Outlook magazine, in which she recommends sites of interest to information professionals. I know you are all excited after reading that bio so lets get to the interview!

What is your educational/professional background?

I received a BA in History from the University of Virginia and then my MLIS from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I've been a librarian in special libraries and information centers for fourteen years. I have worked for large companies and small ones, in for-profit companies and non-profit organizations.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?

My main goal was to work in special libraries. In school, I was mostly interested in film and the arts, but that focus changed as I realized there weren't that many librarian jobs in that area! My main areas of interest now are research, coordinating information services, and applying technology applications (including social networking tools) to the work of information seeking and sharing.

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?

When I was growing up, I worked in a couple of the libraries in the schools I attended, then took a bookshelving job in a public library when I was in college. I liked the atmosphere and the people, and saw first-hand the types of career opportunities that were available. I enjoyed working with books and information and could see myself doing that for the longterm.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

Currently, I manage the information center at the Special Libraries Association and also work in Click University, our professional development area. I conduct research for staff, help association members and even non-members find the information they need (resources, statistics, etc.), and help plan and present continuing education offerings. Some days I work on just one or two things, and other days I have a long list of tasks to accomplish, such as writing a blog post, organizing content for a program, answering member questions, helping staff find information. It does vary quite a bit, and being organized and having the ability to prioritize is crucial.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?

I like working with our members and helping them succeed in their jobs and careers. On the flip side of that, it is difficult to hear from librarians about how their jobs are in jeopardy or that their library is closing.

What is your salary range/What can students interested in working in your type of LIS profession look to make as far as salary (both starting out and over time)?

I work in a special library, and salaries in special libraries are generally higher than those in public, school, and academic libraries. Specific career paths will definitely affect salary potential. Do your research about salaries before accepting an employment offer. SLA (as do other library/information associations) publishes a survey that can offer guidance about salary depending on job responsibilities, geographic area, and years of experience, among many other factors.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?

I think my education was a good foundation for the work that I do, but working in the tech lab in the library at Greensboro while I was earning my MLIS offered a different, practical training that was helpful as well. The classroom is very different than the workplace, so getting that hands-on experience even before graduating is a necessity in order to hit the ground running. Beyond giving you practical skills, internships and library jobs help you make professional connections, which can lead to career opportunities.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?

Visit libraries to see information services in action, and ask questions. Join and be active in an association that will help you along the career path through continuing education opportunities, networking with colleagues, and leadership training. Education does not end with the diploma! And, be flexible. The economy can be challenging to deal with, and that first job may not be ideal but it will be a good start if you make the most of it.

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?

A continuing emphasis on technology, especially mobile applications and social networking, in all types of libraries. More of a focus on analysis for those who are doing research. Hopefully, barriers to information sharing being removed and a recognition that librarians are not just people that deal with books, but strategic professionals who track, organize and manage information in its many formats!

Special thanks to Carolyn for participating in our blog. Stay tuned for our next fun filled interview and as always if you have any special requests for interviews please email untlissa@gmail.com and we can get that arranged.

Interview with Blane K. Dessy

2010-08-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful summer. I know you all have been patiently waiting for my next posting! This weeks interview is with a federal librarian by the name of Blane K. Dessy. He is currently the Executive Director of the Federal Library and Information Center Committee which is a consortium of the many Federal libraries in the U.S. government. Prior to this, he was the library director at the Department of Justice and the Department of Education. In addition, he has also worked as a state librarian, a consultant, and a public library director as well. In addition to his position as Executive Director, he currently teaches Management as an adjunct at the Catholic University School of Library and Information Science. So as you can see he is a very busy man and I was very lucky to get this interview!

What is your educational/professional background?

I have a Bachelor's degree in English literature and Master of Library Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh (1976). However, I have always engaged in continuing education so that I stay current and learn new things. After graduating from Pitt, I attended library management training seminars at Miami University in Ohio, took graduate classes in the field of education, and have regularly attended conferences, workshops, etc. As part of my various jobs, I have also been trained to be a group facilitator, a Government contracting officer and a grants manager among other things. My personal interests in training go beyond library issues to things such as budgeting, planning, marketing, etc. I think that librarians need to obtain a broad education in order to be effective. Think outside of library and information science education.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?

To be honest, when I graduated from library school, my career goal was to find a job…any job that would give me professional experience and, of course, some money. While in graduate library school, I had concentrated in Communications, so I took courses like Group Dynamics, Organizational Analysis and Design, Counseling, etc. I even did an independent study in Bibliotherapy. Needless to say, this was not the most traditional library science education and I couldn't have described what job I wanted. So, I applied for a lot of entry level jobs and actually got a job as a library director right out of school. I had taken Management in grad school, but I had never managed anything or anyone except myself, so I had a lot to learn. However, I did learn that I really liked management and policy, so I began to build a career in which I could learn more about this and get positions of greater responsibility. Once I solidified my career goals two or three years after graduation, I looked for opportunities to advance. I've never regretted my choices, but I have had friends tell me I'm not a real librarian since my interests are in management. I really love marketing and public relations.

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?

I had always loved going to the library as a child, but it wasn't until undergraduate school that I realized I could be a librarian. I had a part time job in the university library in technical services and I found that I really liked the work, the people, and the environment. I had that job because my older brother (also a librarian) told me to work there because it was pretty easy work and it was air conditioned. Sorry, that's the truth…but I fell in love with the profession as a result. After getting my Bachelor's, I did some graduate work in English Lit., worked for a short time, and then returned to graduate school to get my MLS. I have never regretted this decision.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

I am in an administrative position, so a lot of my time is spent communicating. I go to a lot of meetings, some that I call and some that I am invited to. I spend a lot of time communicating via email and I am on the phone a lot. My daughter teases me by saying that my job consists of going to meetings and drinking bad coffee. As a manager, the work involves dealing with issues on a more conceptual level (policy) and dealing with people. As a person rises in his/her career, the technical skills become less important and the human and conceptual skills become more important. I spend a lot of my time thinking about the future, thinking about the next year or the years after that so that my organization stays viable. I also spend a lot of time writing and speaking, so remember that your communication skills are extremely important.

I don't spend that much time on technology at all, except in the planning and evaluation sense. I use technology, but my more important skills are effective communication and conceptualization skills.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?

I know that this sounds strange, but I really don't have a least favorite thing. A lot of librarians might think that I have a terrible job--budgeting, personnel, planning, evaluating, communicating, but to me, it's always interesting and always challenging. No two days are alike because the situations are always changing.

What is your salary range/What can students interested in working in your type of LIS profession look to make as far as salary (both starting out and over time)?

Salary ranges for Federal librarians are generally pretty good. Federal librarians also receive wonderful fringe benefits and have a great retirement plan. There is no hard and fast rule, but most beginning librarians start as a GS9 which is about 50K a year plus benefits. Many librarians in the Federal government advance to the GS12 level which begins at 75K. Of course, some librarians earn more than that. Before anyone gets too excited, just remember that DC, where most Federal librarians are, is a very, very expensive city, so the cost of living has to be factored in.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?

In retrospect, my education prepared me very well for my career. I came out of graduate school with a lot of knowledge about how organizations function, how people work and communicate, and how to listen and resolve problems. This has helped me far more than the technical skills that I acquired at the time. In my career, I have not had to use the bibliographic and resource skills that I had acquired. By the time that technology was becoming prominent, I was already in management positions where the issues were more policy-oriented. As you advance in your careers, you will find that the technical skills begin to fall away and the management and conceptual skills become more important. I was lucky to leave graduate school with a grounding in those topics.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?

I have several pieces of advice for graduating students.

1. Don't stereotype yourself as a librarian. You have acquired great skills in a lot of areas and you have more career options that you may think. During my career, I have been in charge of HR Offices, EEO Offices, and even Facilities Offices. This is because I have the management and organizational skills to do these things. You also have those skills, so don't think too narrowly when you describe yourself. The famous cultural historian Jacques Barzun once wrote that we should never confuse our profession with our function. Our profession is librarianship as it's now defined, but our function is bringing people and information together.

2. Be as flexible as you can; don't lock yourself into one type of thing…I knew people in graduate school who only wanted to be catalogers or reference librarians or children's librarians. It's a big world out there, don't limit yourself. Also, if you can be geographically flexible, that's a big help. There are good jobs out there, but you may have to move to get one.

3. Your degree may get you in the door, but it's you that will be evaluated. Sharpen your communications skills; stay current with the literature; be a good colleague; dress for success, etc. Librarianship is a very tolerant profession that gives its members a lot of personal latitude. Don't abuse the privilege. Having the degree is important; having a great work ethic and being nice is more important for your success.

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?

I think that the changes will be much the same as they are now--rapidly changing technologies, changing audiences and demographics, financial limitations, etc. How we do things is changing rapidly; why we do these things remains pretty much the same. What I would hope to see is that librarians see themselves differently--not as custodians of collections and not as technology trapeze artists, but as people who are committed to the expansion of knowledge and the betterment of their communities.

Thanks again to Mr. Dessy for taking time out of his busy schedule to be interviewed! Stay tuned as we have many great interviews to come in the upcoming year. Also, if you have individuals that you would like us to interview or specific professions you want to know more about please email us we love feedback!

Interview with Ruth Kneale

2010-07-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hey guys we've got another new interview for you (I know you have all been patiently waiting!). This weeks interviewee is Ruth Kneale the author of the widely popular book You Don't Look Like a Librarian. For those of you who have yet to read it its pretty awesome especially for a librarian like me with tats and piercings! Needless to say, shes anything but the stereotypical librarian. But, enough jabbering from me lets get to the interview!

What is your educational/professional background?

I have a Bachelor's of Science in astronomy, and a Master's in Information Resources and Library Science. My professional background is all astronomical - I've been working in one way or another for observatories since I was an undergrad. My first real job was with the Steward Observatory's Mirror Laboratory; I changed jobs to the Gemini 8m Telescopes Project in late 1991 and worked for them for over ten years. My first post-grad job was for the new Gemini Observatory (which is what Projects become when they grow up, in astronomy), setting up a research library in Hawaii. After a couple of years I jumped ship for the daytime side of astronomy and came to work as a systems librarian for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope project of the National Solar Observatory, where I still work.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?

One of the benefits for me of going to grad school while working full time is that I had a very definite idea in mind - I knew exactly what I wanted to do. It was great to be able to immediately apply something I learned at school to my work situation. My goals haven't changed much since then - I still want to make sure that information is sorted, organized, findable and available to folks.

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?

During my time with the Gemini Project, I was put in charge of organizing and managing all the technical documentation for the project; that task really brought home to me how much I enjoyed organizing information and making it available and easily findable by the staff. That, in conjunction with my home experiences, led me down the street to the library school. (My mother was a librarian as well and I learned about librarianship from behind the desk at an early age.)

What does a typical work day look like for you?

That's a tough one - every day is different! Typically, I'll wake up the computer (while making coffee) and then check and answer email on several accounts. I deal with any requests that have come in, then touch base with my boss to see if he's had anything come up that needs attention. I then turn to my never-ending to-do list; some of the items on it right now include combining three separate documents on a similar topic into one, and annotate; finish migrating some software to a new server; process some released technical documents; add new items to our staff publication web page; cross-check two mailing lists for commonalities; update some instrumentation work areas with new information; and write a newsletter article. So I work on any one of those items, keep up with my email, and deal with any issues that pop up over the day (ranging from helping someone fix a template issue with Word to configuring a new computer). Near the end of the day I skim my list of library blogs and/or my library magazine pile; I may not work in a typical library but what happens in public and academic libraries does have an impact on my job, so I keep up as best I can.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?

The favorite thing is easy: the people I work with. I've got a great staff who not only understands the skill-set I bring to the party, but actually uses it. That rocks! The least favorite thing is probably the never-ending software issues I have to handle, across the board - users, servers, visitors, anyone who's having problems with their software brings their computers to me to fix.

What is your salary range/What can students interested in working in your type of LIS profession look to make as far as salary (both starting out and over time)?

This is a tough question to answer. I do make a very decent living, eleven years after graduation. Starting salaries for systems librarians can vary widely based on location and the skill set you bring to the table; in general, though, systems librarians rank slightly higher on pay scales.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?

The school I attended focused primarily on the theory of things; I took all my practical classes as electives outside the core class requirements. I also had the benefit, as I mentioned earlier, of working full time at the same time, so I was also able to get on-the-job training, so to speak. So, for the philosophical take on things, I was pretty well covered; for the hands-on, day-to-day "get it done" part, there was a lot less coverage.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?

Be persistent. Be open to the possibilities. Most importantly, think (and look) outside the box! Librarians can and do work anywhere - if there's a particular type of work you want to do, you will lose absolutely nothing by approaching organizations and companies and asking them about it. You might be surprised at the responses. Never stop learning, either - and be open to all kinds of learning, including learning by playing. In my opinion, it's the best way to learn how to use a new tool, whether it's a smartboard or a social network.

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?

I can't predict any specific changes - so much has changed in the last ten years! - but I do believe that libraries and librarians will continue to be critical for communities, knowledge distribution and sharing, and information management. I also believe that more organizations and institutions will begin to use the embedded librarian model (that of a librarian working within and as a part of a particular project team, not as a central shared resource). I firmly believe that it is and will be a good career to be in!

Special thanks to Ruth for participating in our blog. For those of you interesting in learning more about Ruth please check out her website http://www.librarian-image.net/book/author.html or email her at ruth.kneale@gmail.com

Interview with Debbie Cox

2010-07-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

I recently spoke with UNT graduate Debbie Cox, a full time reference librarian at Lone Star College - Montgomery. In a personal interview, we sat down together in her office and had a very interesting and informative conversation.

Debbie Cox has been a Reference Librarian with LSC-Montgomery for the past 14 years. Debbie’s previous career was as a college English teacher. She has two master’s degrees - one in Library and Information Science from the University of North Texas, and one in British and American Literature from Southwest Missouri State University. Debbie is passionate about her profession, and she serves as the library liaison for English, Art, Speech, Communication, Drama, Education, Human Development, Human Services, Psychology, Sociology, and Religion. You’ll see her running around the library and hear her cheerful laughter in every corner!

What is your educational/professional background?
Before I became a reference librarian, I taught English at a private college for several years. After that, I taught English at Austin Community College. In 1994, I earned my MLIS from University of North Texas, and became a full time librarian at Lone Star College – Montgomery, where I have also served as an Adjunct Instructor of English. In 2009, I won the Faculty Excellence Award at our college - the first time a librarian at our campus had won it! I was very excited! It was quite an honor.

When you graduated college/graduate school, what were your career goals? Have they changed?
I wanted to be a full time community college teacher by the time I was 30. I had earned my first MA, been a full-time faculty member, published a novel, and owned/operated my own small bookstore. With all of that behind me, I needed a new goal. I decided I wanted to be a reference librarian.

When and how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?
In 1989, while I was running a small bookstore, I decided to shift gears toward an LIS career. I truly enjoyed my small bookstore, and I loved providing books and information to my customers. My reluctance to charge customers for the information they sought, however, inspired me to begin a career where I could give people information instead of charging them for it!

What does a typical work day look like for you?
My days are varied, and I would like to lay to rest the rumor that librarians do the same thing every day. I spend the first hour or so of my day answering emails and voicemails from students and faculty. A two-hour shift on the Reference Desk has me answering questions from students and faculty in person, on the phone, or through the college’s instant online messaging system (PhP). The next hour includes lunch and office time, which I often spend catching up with emails/voicemails and serving as faculty liaison. Another hour and a half at the Reference Desk has me focusing on patron questions, with the down time between questions spent on continuing library projects. The last few hours of my day are split between communication updates, more faculty liaison, collection development, and cooperative projects with my fellow librarians. I also teach an average of three Bibliographic Instruction classes per week in any subject discipline that comes my way.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?
While my favorite aspect of the job is collection development (I could happily do this all day!), my least favorite activity is trouble-shooting copier/printer problems.

What can students interested in working in your type of LIS profession look to make as far as salary (starting out or over time)?
A low starting salary could begin around 29K (it shouldn't be any lower!), and established academic librarians who pursue all available venues may reach into the area of 80K.

How did you think your education prepared you/didn’t prepare you for your current career?
I definitely wished that technology had been more of a focus when I went through the program. It also concerned me that no courses during my educational career taught the Library of Congress or Dewey Decimal system; librarians were “expected” to learn those on their own.

Additionally, my graduate degree in literature has been as helpful in serving students as my MLIS.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?
Don't settle in a job that you don't want. While your first job may not be your ideal, continue to work toward your dream. Don’t give up!

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?
A heavy emphasis on technology will continue to dominate our field, with an increased dependence on library databases rather than physical books. New MLIS graduates will have an edge in the field as they bring energy and advanced technology skills to the profession. The future is bright for all of us in this career field! I actually envy new graduates. The future of our field is going to be exciting!

Interviewed by Angela Colmenares

AALL Update

2010-07-16T06:49:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone!

Sorry I did not update yesterday as I was busy running around. So let's get to the update!

Sunday (Day 2) was the first official full day of the conference. While many of the special interests groups had board meetings on Saturday, this was the big opening event. The morning started off with the general session, welcoming all the attendees to the conference. Following the welcome, key note speaker Dr. David Lankes, Director of the iSchool at Syracuse gave a tremendous speech on the state of libraries and librarians; stating that the best days of librarianship is still ahead of us. He directed our attention towards the future, and to an almost radical idea that the function and purpose of the libraries is not specifically to exist as an entity standing alone. Libraries have to be molded to fit their communities, and strive to fit what their communities stand for. With this being said, he also pushed the audience to push for their own self value, rather than the value of collections. Collections are great, but they exist only to be used because over centuries we have learned how to utilize collections. Needless to say, it was truly an uplifting presentation.

I had the liberty of attending many great panel discussions as well as presentations on a wide variety of topics. Some of the big more popular topics revolved around digital preservation of digital born objects (such as blogs, websites, etc) as well as how the digital age has provided a new set of obstacles for legal research. These are very real concerns, as more and more people turn to the internet to find and use evidence (social media has been used in court cases as well as competitive intelligence). How do we preserve digital epherma and WHAT do we preserve?

Now, I think one of the coolest things that I encountered at AALL was the exhibit hall, where all the legal vendors showed off their wares, both print and electronic. This was very cool and a unique experience that librarians can use and test drive new technology, as well as talk to executives of the vendor companies about problems and give them suggestions.

All in all, This was a fabulous experience that I suggest anyone attend. It not only helps people keep up with the current trends and topics in librarianship, but also brings together the field; where life long connections and friendships can be made.

AALL 2010 Updates

2010-07-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

This is your LISSA Vice President, Jaeger Wells, reporting in from Denver where the annual American Association of Law Librarians (affectionately known from here on out as AALL) is taking place. This is my first time at a professional conference and so far it has been a blast. I just came back from the opening reception (where they feed you) and have already done some great networking! It is definitely worth going to professional conferences like this, ALA, SLA, and others because you never know who you could meet (and who potentially could help you get a job).

I will be doing daily updates of the conference just to give you all a sneak peek of what goes on at these conferences, so stay tuned!

Sincerely,

Jaeger Wells

Interview with Jessamyn West

2010-06-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

Interview with Jessamyn West

Alright ladies and gentleman here is the first official LISSA Denton Blog Interview. For those of you who didn't read my previous posting I will be interviewing people in the upcoming year several times a month currently employed in the LIS field. These individuals will come from both traditional and nontraditional settings. I will be asking every person the same set of questions, for the most part, to give all of you a better understanding of what life as a LIS professional is really like and the wide variety of settings and environments these individuals are employed in. If you have any requests for types of LIS fields you would like me to post just shoot me an email or post a comment on the blog. If you would like to submit an interview or suggest someone you would like me to interview please also email me or post on the blog.

Our first interviewee is Jessamyn West.

For those of you who don't know who she is I have included her brief bio from her website below:

Jessamyn West is a community technology librarian and a moderator of the massive group blog MetaFilter.com. She lives in a rural area of Central Vermont where she teaches basic computer skills. She assists tiny libraries with technology planning and implementation, helping them with wifi and websites and making sense of their systems. She maintains an online presence at jessamyn.com and librarian.net and has had her address and phone number on the Internet for a decade. Her favorite color is orange.

Other bullet-point type information that may or may not be helpful.

-former ALA Councilor
-co-editor Revolting Librarians Redux
-librarian.net was one of the first librarian weblogs
-runs metafilter.com especially the question asking/answering part of the site Ask Metafilter.
-official blogger at the Democratic National Convention 2004
-"the FBI has not been here" signs
-Wikipedia article en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessamyn_Charity_West

So as you can see she's kind of a library celeb of sorts. Needless to say I couldn't wait to ask her a couple questions about her LIS career. Now lets get to the part you've all been waiting for the interview questions!

What is your educational/professional background?

I have an undergraduate degree in linguistics from Hampshire College
and a MLib from the University of Washington.

When you graduated college/graduate school what were your career goals/have they changed since?

I wanted to be a rural librarian and now I live in a rural area mostly
doing technology work but sometimes working as a rural librarian. I
like rural library work, but I think wanting to run my own library was
a goal that wasn't as attainable as I thought. Actually what i wanted
to do was LIVE IN the library I worked at, and while I tried hard to
do that, I haven't managed it yet.

When/how did you decide the LIS career path was for you?

When I got out of college and I thought about what I really had
enjoyed doing most when I was in college. The answer was looking
things up and doing research at the library. I have always loved to
read, and to help people, and there was a great library school just up
the road. It worked out perfectly.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

I have a lot of small jobs so there is really no typical day. Today I
got up around 10, had coffee, checked the website, MetaFilter.com
where I work as a community manager. Then I went to the vocational
high school in town that I work at, did IT stuff for a few hours
[helping people with software installations and getting their email
working] and then I did "drop-in time" for two and a half hours.
Anyone in the community can come by the computer lab and I will help
them with their computer issues. I had someone who came in to do
email, someone who had laptop questions, a whole family who had a new
laptop and wanted help setting it up and two young adults from the
evening degree program who wanted to catch up on facebook before
class. Then I went and had dinner with a friend and now I'm writing
this and will probably work some more on my book about teaching
technology to novice computer users before a nighttime scrabble game
and then bed.

What is your favorite/least favorite thing about your job?

Every day is different. I like that I've managed to achieve some sort
of status and reputation and someone who knows what she is talking
about but at the same time not get up to an alarm clock every day. I
love helping people and I love living in a rural community and I'm
happy I can make a living at it.

What is your salary range/What can students interested in working in your type of LIS profession
look to make as far as salary (both starting out and over time)?

It really varies. I make an annual salary in the mid five figures with
my community management job. The local high school pays me between
$20-50/hour for the work I do there. When I work at the local public
library I make $8/hour. Writing the book is going to pay very little.
When I go places to give speeches, I get paid in the
high-three-low-four figures depending on what I do and how long I'm
there. It's a weird way to make a living but it works well for me.

How do you think your education prepared you/didn't prepare you for your current career?

I didn't learn as much about the business side as I could have used. I
feel that I don't know as much about working with vendors and budgets.
I feel that I learned a good amount about computers, considering that
it was 1993-1996 at the time. I feel that I learned a lot about
working with lots of different sorts of people, in ways that are
helpful to me. I feel that UW gave me a good ethical foundation of
what it really means to be a librarian and that's been helpful to me
all the way along.

What advice do you have for current/graduating library and information science students?

DO NOT GO INTO SERIOUS DEBT FOR LIBRARY SCHOOL. Seriously. Get
practical experience with technology and in libraries before you
graduate. Realize that many great jobs don't happen in a library
setting and think about other places you could use your brain to be
useful. Get involved in professional organizations like ALA or TXLA
[which is really one of the best state library associations in the
country, seriously] and take advantage of some of their mentoring
programs and learn to do public speaking and interact with other
professionals maybe outside of your specialty or geographic area.
Interact with other librarians online and enjoy the social scene in
addition to the professional scene. There are a lot of great people
doing great things lately and there's always room for more.

What changes do you foresee for the field of Library and Information Science in the next five to ten years?

I'm a very poor futurist, so I always answer "More of the same, even
if you think otherwise"

Well there you have it folks. I hope I provided you all with some useful information and special thanks to Jessamyn for being so helpful. If you would like to know more about Jessamyn or you have some questions for her please visit her at her website librarian.net

New Year, New Blog

2010-06-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

Hello all my name is Angel and I am the new secretary/treasurer of LISSA Denton for the upcoming school year. I will be changing the format of this blog. From now on it will be a post for interviews with individuals currently employed in the LIS field. Every two weeks there will be a new interview for LIS students to checkout. I will try to find individuals from both traditional and non traditional library settings so that people about to enter the work world get a true sense of what it is to be a "librarian" in todays work world. Stay tuned for more information. I will post links to the facebook and twitter when I have posted a new interview.

LISSA Elections

2010-04-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

It is time for LISSA elections. This year, voting will be done through the SLIS Village. If you want to vote, but are not yet a member of the Village, email Jennifer.LaFleur@unt.edu to sign up.

To vote for the next President and Vice President, send the name of the candidates you would like to vote for to Jennifer LaFleur in an email within the SLIS Village. Please submit your votes by 5 pm on Monday, May 3rd. Here are the candidates:

President

Staci Young - I would like to serve as LISSA President, because I believe in the potential of the LISSA organization. I would like to develop programs to give us all more opportunities for professional development, professional networking, leadership, service and fundraising, all of which are facets of Librarianship that are imperative for careers as information professionals. I believe with the best resources, which UNT offers, the LIS student body will become the information leaders of Texas and potentially the US. I am the best candidate to lead LIS students in this direction.

Will Senn - I am a PhD student in the Information Science program. I earned my Masters in Library and Information Science at UNT in 2009. I have previously served as the SLIS SGA Senator and I am currently the College of Information's Alumni representative on the University Library committee. I would like to have the honor and opportunity to lead this successful organization in the coming year.

Vice President

Jaeger Wells - Hello, I am Jaeger Wells and I am currently in my first semester here at UNT in the SLIS program. I am running for the position of Vice President because I am a firm believer that at the heart of an academic department, there needs to be a strong student organization supporting the students interests. I believe that I could help make LISSA an even better organization than it is by doing more marketing as well as making students more aware of the resources available from LISSA. I am qualified for the position of Vice President because I have many years experience promoting and bringing people together as well as leading organizations. During my undergraduate career I was on the Executive board for the University of Southern Maine's chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma; running business meetings, setting up fundraising, as well as setting up philanthropic outings. As a small business owner, I ran On The Rocks Productions based out of Portland, Maine, organizing, promoting, and booking local all ages rock shows around the Southern Maine area. One of my biggest accomplishments was putting together a 2 day music festival featuring local, regional, and national acts; drawing a ground of over 200 people each day. I am able to communicate quite effectively with a variety of different people. I think my diverse background would help serve the LISSA community in fresh new ways.

Amber Bookman – I am a first year graduate student in the SLIS program and pursuing the school librarianship track. I received my B.A. in Literary Studies from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2003. Following graduation I worked at several law firms in the Houston area with the intent of attending law school and pursuing a legal career. A couple of years after working in the field, I determined that my true interest was in teaching. I relocated back to the DFW area in Fall 2009 and began my MLS in the Spring. I begin the alternative teaching certification program this summer with the hope of securing a K-6 teaching position in the Fall. I currently volunteer at the Lewisville Public Library and am an Administrative Consultant to Angela Fraser Realty. For fun I enjoy reading, cooking, watching HGTV or the Travel Network, spending time outdoors, visiting with my husband, our pets, friends and family and meeting new and interesting people. I am excited about the strength and diversity of the individuals I have met thus far in the LIS program. LISSA is an opportunity for fellowship among all LIS students since we all share the same goal, to go forth and manage the information frontier! I hope to become an active contributor to the organization and encourage others to do the same.

And congratulations to our new Secretary/Treasurer and Members at Large, who are running unopposed:

Secretary/Treasurer

Angel Durr - My name is Angel Durr and I have been to most of the LISSA events throughout the year. I have experience being a treasurer as I was treasurer of the Texas State University College Democrats for a year. I really want to get more involved on campus and I think becoming an officer in LISSA would be the perfect way to do that. This is my second semester in the SLIS program and my field of study is law librarianship. I plan on graduating next May (if all goes well!). I am 22 and I am from Austin, Texas. I am very responsible and I was very involved in my undergraduate career with such activites as student government, student organizations, and an internship. Therefore, time management is no issue for me. I really hope next year we can plan some great events to draw some of our fellow LISSA students out of the woodwork, which I know can be somewhat difficult because of the nature of our program. However, I am up for the challenge!

Members at Large

Howard Marks - As an active member of both ALA and TLA, I would very much like to serve as a LISSA officer. I am a dedicated, passionate library and information science graduate student at the University of North Texas who strongly feels libraries are the key to learning both on a local and global basis for people of all ages. My recent work experience was serving two months at the Fort Worth Public Library as a temp reference librarian helping patrons. After ten plus years as a professional advertising and marketing copywriter crafting words to reshape the present, my dream is to enable others to learn from words of the past to become part of a promising future. I plan on graduating in December 2010. I have been active as a volunteer in organizations in the past, including Newsletter Chairperson of the Gulfport-Biloxi Advertising Club and as a Big Brother for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of North Texas. I currently help out to serve meals for the homeless at the Bridge in downtown Dallas on occasion.

Stephanie Boring - I am originally from Houston and attended Stephen F. Austin State University in East Texas for my undergraduate degree (Child Development and Family Studies - nothing like Library and Information Science!). I worked in the private sector for about 7 years and realized my passion for library science quite recently. I have now completed 18 hours of my masters and desire to pursue a career in preservation upon graduation. In my college sorority I was an officer and truly enjoyed the experience and the first-hand understanding of the group which accompanies these positions. I would love to serve in a similar capacity with LISSA.

LISSA Officer Elections - Call for Nominations

2010-04-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

LISSA officer elections are coming up. Five positions are available: President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer, and 2 Member-at-Large positions. This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to develop leadership skills, become more involved in UNT's Library and Information Science program, and network with students, faculty, and professionals in the field. If you are interested in running, please e-mail the following information to untlissa@gmail.com by noon on Friday, April 23rd: name, position for which you are running, and a paragraph about yourself.

Here is a description of each position and its responsibilities:

President:
The President of the Association shall preside over the meetings of the Association, both general assemblies and the meetings of the Executive Committee. The President shall be responsible for all communications to officers, the general membership, the Dean, the faculty, and the staff regarding Association meetings, assemblies, activities, and other pertinent information regarding the Association. The President shall act as the official liaison between the Association and the Dean, faculty, and staff of the School of Library and Information Sciences, the University of North Texas (UNT) Student Association, and the UNT campus and administration. The President shall appoint chairs for Association committees. The President shall also attend Faculty/Student Council or will designate a representative to serve in his/her place.

Vice-President:
The Vice-President shall assist the President in the performance of that position and shall serve in that position in the event that the President is absent. The Vice-President shall have primary responsibility for programming Association functions. The Vice-President shall also be responsible for the upkeep of the Association bulletin board.

Secretary/Treasurer:
The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for the recording of minutes at all meetings of the Association. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for the distribution of the minutes to all members of the Association. Financial responsibilities include the conducting of any financial transaction and accounting which is conducted by the Association and the reporting of such activity.

Member-at-Large:
Members-at-Large shall be responsible for chairing committees as appointed by the President. The Members-at-Large shall also be responsible for assisting the Vice-President with the programming for Association functions. In addition, one Member-at-Large will be responsible for the distribution of information regarding the American Library Association (ALA) (convention information, scholarships, etc.) and one Member-at-Large will be responsible for the distribution of information regarding the Texas Library Association (TLA)(convention information, scholarships, etc.)

Tour the Exhibits at Dallas Public Library

2010-03-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

Join us on Friday, April 9th for a tour of the Dallas Public Library exhibits and a discussion of cultural heritage objects and libraries. The tour is at the J. Erik Jonsson library (1515 Young St, Dallas, TX) and starts at 3:00 pm. After the tour, everyone is welcome to join us at Iron Cactus to wait out the rush hour traffic.

If you would like to attend, email untlissa@gmail.com. We will let you know where you can park for free. If you are interested in carpooling from Denton, please mention in the email whether you have space for additional riders or if you need a ride.

Free Webinar - Getting Involved in TLA

2010-03-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

Getting Involved in TLA • Tuesday, March 30, 10 - 11 am

NEW free TLA Webinar just in time for Conference! Join former TLA President Gretchen McCord Hoffman for a 1-hour discussion on opportunities in the nation's largest state library association. Learn how TLA resources can help you improve your library, your career, and your profession.
Just go to http://tinyurl.com/tlareg to register!*

The webinar is completely free and requires no downloads. Participants will need Internet access and a nearby telephone. Instructions for logging into the web site (www.readytalk.com) will be sent prior to the event, along with instructions for dialing into the toll free conference call.

Check out other great webinars coming your way from TLA at www.txla.org/ce, including the Strategic Initiatives series on leadership. Speakers will be Maureen Sullivan, ACRL Academic Librarian of the Year, and Molly Raphael, former director of the award-winning Multnomah County Library, as well Joel Garza, principal of East Early College High School in Houston.

*Full address is https://secure.txla.org/secure/forms/mtgLogin.asp.

Finding a Job in a Federal Library

2010-03-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

The Virginia/West Virginia LISSA branch has organized a find-a-job-in-federal-libraries chat with panelists from a variety of federal/military libraries--they'll be discussing the job market for 2010/2011, tips for interviewing, resumes, etc. Since this group has had such a great response in offers to be panelists (and since the information to be covered would be useful to everyone, not just Virginia residents), they are opening this up to the whole UNT LIS community. The chat will take place in the SLIS Village Wimba classroom on April 7th from 6-8pm CST.

Electronic Portfolios, Pizza, and Wii

2010-03-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

The Discovery Park Library is holding an Electronic Portfolio workshop on Thursday, March 4th at 4 pm. To learn more about what an electronic portfolio is and what it can do for you, click here.

Then, at 5 pm, join LISSA right across the hall at the Discovery Park coffee shop to eat some free pizza and play Nintendo Wii.

Feed North Texas

2010-02-26T16:53:00.000-08:00

One of our LISSA members is hosting a virtual food drive. Here is the information:

"Please consider making a small donation to support the North Texas Food Bank and help feed the hungry close to home. You can donate to this virtual Food Drive by selecting a designated item from the grocery list or by typing in your own monetary denomination amount. Also, anyone interested in donating a couple hours of time in April is encouraged to contact albookman@ymail.com to join a team to volunteer at NTFB.

To Donate Today, Please Visit:
http://vad.aidmatrix.org/vadxml.cfm?driveid=4148

Thank you for your generosity and dedication to serving those in need in North Texas."

LISSA Social... Free Pizza! Games! Fun!

2010-02-23T20:42:00.001-08:00

Join LISSA for games, pizza, and fun on Thursday, March 4th from 5pm to 7pm at the Discovery Park coffee shop!

Barbeque, Blues, and Beer... LISSA Social

2010-01-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

Join us at 6pm on Friday, February 5th for the first LISSA social of the semester at be Dat's Good Que in Lewisville. Library and Information Science students, faculty, staff, and their guests are welcome. Please RSVP to untlissa@gmail.com by Thursday, February 4th at 6pm. If anyone in Denton is interesting in carpooling, please also mention whether you would like a ride or have space in your vehicle.

LISSA Christmas Party

2009-11-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

Join us on Saturday, December 5th at 6 pm for the LISSA Christmas party at The Greenhouse Restaurant ( 600 N Locust St, Denton, TX). This is not a LISSA sponsored event, just a chance for library and information science students, faculty, and staff to get together socially. Dinner and margaritas not provided by LISSA. Guests are welcome. Please email untlissa@gmail.com by Friday, December 4th at 5 PM to RSVP and let us now if you plan to bring a guest.

Dinner and Margaritas at Mazatlan

2009-10-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

Join us on Thursday, November 5th at 6 pm for dinner and margaritas at Mazatlan (1928 N Ruddell St, Denton, TX). This is not a LISSA sponsored event, just a chance for library and information science students to get together socially. Dinner and margaritas not provided by LISSA. Guests are welcome. Please email untlissa@gmail.com by Thursday, November 5th at 5 PM to RSVP and let us now if you plan to bring a guest.

Margaritas and Desserts

2009-10-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

Join us this Friday, October 9th from 7 to 9 PM at El Guapo's in Denton for Desserts and Margaritas. This is not a LISSA sponsored event, just a chance for library and information science students to get together socially. Desserts and margaritas not provided by LISSA. Guests are welcome. Please email untlissa@gmail.com by Friday at 5 PM to RSVP and let us now if you plan to bring a guest.

Map to El Guapo's

All School Day

2009-10-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars. This semester's All School Day will be held Saturday, October 24th at Discovery Park, Rm B-185, 9am - 2:30pm. The topic is library advocacy. Speakers will cover areas such as library outreach, marketing and influencing policy - all helpful topics in these days of budget cuts, layoffs, and reduced hours. Breakfast and lunch will be provided and prizes will be given away throughout the day. Please RSVP by October 22nd by email to untlissa@gmail.com.

Congratulations to our new officers!

2009-10-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

The nominees for both available positions are unopposed. So, congratulations to our new Secretary/Treasurer Sharon Lee and our new Member-at-Large Rachel Hall!

LISSA Officer and Election News

2009-09-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

Two LISSA officers have resigned, leaving the Vice President and one Member-at-Large position open. Current Secretary/Treasurer Carrie Gassett will fill the Vice President role. A new election will be held to fill the Secretary/Treasurer and Member-at-Large positions. Anyone interested in running should email their name, name of the position desired and a short bio to untlissa@gmail.com. The deadline for nomination is Friday, October 2nd at 5pm.

Back to School Bash

2009-09-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Meet LIS students and faculty and enjoy free ice cream at the LISSA Back to School Bash, Thursday, Sept 17 - 5-7pm @ Discovery Park, main 1st floor hallway by entrance to B1 classrooms.

LISSA Library Tour

2009-09-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

If you want to know about a career in rare books or special collections, join LISSA for a tour of the Rare Book and Texana Collections at Willis on Friday, September 25th at 2 PM. You will get the chance to tour the area, see what kind of items are in the collection, and talk with the curator of the Rare Books and Texana Collections about what a career in special collections is like and how to get started. If you would like to attend, please RSVP by email to untlissa@gmail.com by Thursday, September 24th at noon.

Mark your calendars - Tour of the Rare Book and Texna Collections at Willis coming up

2009-09-08T09:16:00.001-07:00

If you are interested in a career in special collections, be sure to make it to the library tour of the Rare Book and Texana Collections on September 25th at 2 PM. Tour the library and hear more about careers in special collections.

2009-08-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Children and Youth Conference for North Texas Libraries will be held tomorrow, Thursday, August 13 at the Lockheed Martin Recreation Area in southwest Fort Worth. Cost is $20 at the door, or you can register online here.

Carrie Gassett

LISSA Election Winner

2009-07-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the new LISSA Secretary/Treasurer, Carrie Gassett.

SCC/MLA Student Award Opportunity

2009-07-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

Travel award opportunity for library students to attend and participate in outreach activities at the South Central Chapter (SCC) of the Medical Library Association’s Annual Meeting in Tulsa, OK, October 17 – 21, 2009. Great networking opportunity for students interested in health librarianship. Visit link for application.
http://nnlm.gov/scr/funding/lso.html

Deadline for Applications: August 3, 2009, 5:00 pm.

Jani Okai

Election Update

2009-07-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

The election is currently tied, so voting has been extended. If you haven't already voted, email your choice for Secretary/Treasurer to untlissa@gmail.com by Friday, July 24th at 11:59 PM.

Secretary/Treasurer Elections

2009-07-14T16:57:00.000-07:00

Elections for LISSA Secretary/Treasurer for the 2009/2010 school year start today. Please send an email with your vote to untlissa@gmail.com by Wednesday, July 22nd at 11:59 PM. Here are the candidates:

Carrie Gassett: My name is Carrie Gassett and I would like to be considered for 2009-2010 LISSA Secretary/Treasurer. I am a first-year graduate student earning my Master’s with a concentration in youth librarianship. Before leaving Houston for Denton in June of 2009, I worked as a leader in theatre arts administration for three years, and earned my undergraduate degree in English from the University of Houston in 2007. In the Houston theatre community, I had the opportunity to work on arts development projects for children, serve as a social and event coordinator, and volunteer for community events such as fundraising galas and the Houston Shakespeare Festival. I currently work under Dr. Ana Cleveland as a teaching assistant and member of the Houston Program team. I am eager to get involved with LISSA and hope to make a difference in the organization!

Melody McCotter: I am interested in running for the LISSA treasurer/secretary position. I am a doctoral student in the LIS department, and received my master's in information science from UNT in August, 2008. I work as a research assistant in the LIS department and TxCDK, so I'm familiar with the faculty and staff, and I'm on campus quite a bit. I have good organization and mathematics skills, so I think I'd be a good fit for this position.

Thanks,
Megan Rush
LISSA President

Special Election

2009-07-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

Since the Secretary/Treasurer position was not filled during the spring elections, a special election is being held over the summer for the position. Anyone interested in running should submit a paragraph about themselves to untlissa@gmail.com by Monday, July 13th at 11:59 PM.

Thanks,
Megan Rush
LISSA President

2009-05-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
I just wanted to let you all know about the ALA-TLA Joint Student Membership. I hope everyone had a great and successful semester!
Pau Andersen

http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/cro/studentchapters/jointmembership/Texas_ALA Joint Student Form.pdf

New President Elected

2009-05-12T13:50:00.001-07:00

The newly elected UNT LISSA President for 2009-2010 is Megan Rush. Congratulations to Megan and a big thank you to all who participated in the election.

Paul Andersen

LISSA Election Update

2009-05-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

LISSA Voting-New Officers

Voting for the new LISSA officers for 2009-2010 begins today and will close at noon on May12th. Please submit your vote to untlissa@gmail.com to determine who will be next year’s president, Megan Rush or Will Senn. I would like to congratulate our unopposed candidates Jani Okai (Vice-President), Sarah Eulert (Member at Large), and Andrea Mott (Member at Large) on becoming officers for the 2009-2010 UNT LISSA student group! LISSA is very fortunate to have such an impressive group of candidates run for office. The naming of the new Treasurer/Secretary position will be determined at a later date.

Sincerely,
Paul Andersen

Presidential Candidates: Megan Rush and Will Senn

My name is Megan Rush and I decided to run for President.
I received my Bachelor's degree in Business Management from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I started the Library and Information Science program in August 2008 and was immediately interested in the information systems program of study. I currently work as a library assistant at the UNT Dallas Campus where I get to experience all aspects of library operation.

Name: Will Senn
Position running for: President
Bio:
Will is currently serving as an executive committee member of the UNT Staff Council, board member of the Higher Education Data Warehouse Forum (HEDW), and as a Justice on the UNT SGA Supreme Court. He has previously served as the SGA Senator for the College of Information, Library Science, and Technology and as Financial Officer on Graduate Student Council. Will is also the Director of Decision Support at the University of North Texas. He is working on finishing his Masters in Information Science, and hopes this fall, to begin working on a PhD, also in Information Science.

New Vice-President Jani Okai
I would like to be considered as a candidate for the 2009-2010 LISSA Vice-President. I'm a first year masters level student in SLIS and seeking a student leadership opportunity. My professional areas of interests are in health informatics and information systems. I'm originally from Austin, Texas and have lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for nearly two years. I earned my undergraduate degree in Public Health from Stephen F. Austin State University. After reviewing the responsibilities and qualifications for the LISSA Vice-President position, I feel my education and over four years' experience in various administrative roles makes me a strong candidate for Vice-President.

In these positions I have coordinated the logistics of departmental events, provided customer service and marketing support for various programs, performed research and analysis support functions, maintained departmental calendars and records, and assisted with database maintenance. During my service in the U.S. Navy, I developed the necessary leadership skills and work ethic required for this position. These experiences have also afforded me the opportunity to develop strong oral and written communication skills, effective time management practices, and a teamwork oriented management style.

New Member at Large Sarah Eulert

My name is Sarah Eulert and I am running for one of the two Member-at-large positions for UNT’s 2009-10 LISSA officer positions. I am in my second semester in the Master’s degree General Program of Study. I have worked as a Graduate Library Assistant (GLA) since January 2009 in both Sci/Tech and Willis Libraries. I am also a student member of both ALA and TLA. I received my bachelor’s degree, Cum Laude, from UNT in August 2007. I would like the chance to become involved in this wonderful student organization!

New Member at Large Andrea Mott

My name is Andrea Mott and I am just finishing up my second semester in the LIS program. I completed my first semester online while living in Denver and working full time at RE/MAX International in the corporate headquarters. I worked as a receptionist and assisted the records department whenever possible. I am from Montana and attended school at the University of Montana, Missoula. I studied anthropology and Native American Studies and graduated in May 2007. I have enjoyed moving around the country and have loved every new place I get to experience. While I am still open to what my "first job" will be and where exactly my library science degree will take me, I am loving school and am very happy to be here. I hope to move to Seattle, WA when I am done next spring in the general program to be closer to family and friends.

Register for North Texas 23 Things Learning 2.0 Experience

2009-05-07T13:44:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to pass this great opportunity along!
Paul Andersen

North Texas 23 Things is an online Learning 2.0 experience for library staff in North Texas. North Texas 23 is a great opportunity to play with all kinds of new Web 2.0 tools. North Texas 23 begins May 7, 2009, and ends in August.

Response has already been tremendous for the North Texas 23 Things experience! North Texas 23 is an online, hands-on learning experience focusing on Web 2.0 technology. Please go to our blog at http://northtexas23.blogspot.com for more information.

Registration begins:
Registration is now officially open for North Texas 23! To register, visit the blog at http://northtexas23.blogspot.com. Complete "Thing 1" by starting your blog, and then send an email with the following information to northtexas23@yahoogroups.com:
1) Your name
2) Your library or institution affiliation
3) Your blog's URL.
You will not get a confirmation email, but the URL of your blog will appear on the blog. If it does not appear after one week, please resend. You must be registered by June 1 to be eligible for the prize drawing.

Expanded eligibility:
North Texas 23 Things is open to several groups, not just library staff. If you meet any of these qualifications, you are eligible:

* All library staff and library staff retirees, from all libraries of all types (academic, public, school, special) in the 20-county area served by NTLP, also known as Texas Library Association District 7
* Members of advisory boards, governing boards, foundation boards, and Friends boards, from libraries in the same area (District 7)
* Current library school students and faculty from Texas Woman's University and the University of North Texas
* All persons in attendance at the TechNet Conference in May, or the Children's and Youth Librarians Conference (CYC Conference) in August. CYC attendees outside of District 7 must be registered for CYC and fully paid by June 1 to be eligible for North Texas 23.

Prizes:
All persons who complete the 23 Things by September 1 will get a certificate of accomplishment. All who complete by August 15 will be entered into a drawing for the following prizes!
* iPod Shuffle, provided by North Texas Library Partners;
* Motorola Hands-free headset (for a mobile phone), provided by North Texas Library Partners;
* 3 software games, provided by http://www.nothingbutsoftware.com/.

Leadership Team:
We have a great group of persons leading this project. You can see their names on the 23 Things blog. We are also looking for a few more people to join the leadership team. If you are interested, please let me know.

North Texas 23 is presented by North Texas Library Partners, home of the North Texas Regional Library System.

Please direct all questions to northtexas23@yahoogroups.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Jeff Bond
Science Reference Librarian
Texas Christian University

New Officers Nominations

2009-04-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

LISSA is needing interested SLIS students to run for the 2009-10 LISSA officer postions. The positions are: President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer, and 2 Member-at-Large positions (for a total of 5 positions). Please e-mail the following information to untlissa@gmail.com by noon on May 7th.. name, position running for, and a short bio about yourself.

Below is a description of the positions and its responsiblities.

A. President.
The President of the Association shall preside over the meetings of the Association, both general assemblies and the meetings of the Executive Committee. The President shall be responsible for all communications to officers, the general membership, the Dean, the faculty, and the staff regarding Association meetings, assemblies, activities, and other pertinent information regarding the Association. The President shall act as the official liaison between the Association and the Dean, faculty, and staff of the School of Library and Information Sciences, the University of North Texas (UNT) Student Association, and the UNT campus and administration. The President shall appoint chairs for Association committees. The President shall also attend Faculty/Student Council or will designate a representative to serve in his/her place.

B. Vice-President.
The Vice-President shall assist the President in the performance of that position and shall serve in that position in the event that the President is absent. The Vice-President shall have primary responsibility for programming Association functions. The Vice-President shall also be responsible for the upkeep of the Association bulletin board.

C. Secretary/Treasurer.
The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for the recording of minutes at all meetings of the Association. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for the distribution of the minutes to all members of the Association. Financial responsibilities include the conducting of any financial transaction and accounting which is conducted by the Association and the reporting of such activity.

D. Member-at-Large.
Members-at-Large shall be responsible for chairing committees as appointed by the President. The Members-at-Large shall also be responsible for assisting the Vice-President with the programming for Association functions. In addition, one Member-at-Large will be responsible for the distribution of information regarding the American Library Association (ALA) (convention information, scholarships, etc.) and one Member-at-Large will be responsible for the distribution of information regarding the Texas Library Association (TLA)(convention information, scholarships, etc.)

Chat Tonight

2009-04-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight there will be a chat with Shawne Miksa at 8 p.m., and she will discuss the changes in RDA (Resource Description and Access), which is the new form of AACR2. http://www.rdaonline.org/

TLA President's Party needs volunteers‏

2009-03-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

I have a volunteer opportunity for TLA – The hosts of the President’s Party needs volunteers to help people with the games. Even if students are not registered for the conference they can volunteer and go to the President's Party.

The President's Party is on Wednesday, April 1st from 8 p.m. to 10:30 pm. at the Hilton Americas Grand Ballroom.

The last e-mail was sent with incorrect contact information. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Michelle Morris, UNT LISSA (DFW) President, at mym040@hotmail.com.

Next LISSA meeting

2009-02-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

Our next online meeting will take place Thursday, February 19th at 8pm in the SLIS Village. Looking forward to chatting!

LISSA Guest Lecture this Wednesday!

2009-02-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

Hope to "see" everyone there!

Who?

Lisa Huang is the Health Sciences Librarian for Collin College's Central Park Campus (McKinney, TX). She is also an adjunct instructor for an elderhostel, Seniors Active in Learning (SAIL) in Plano. Huang has worked for various libraries over the years--a children's library, academic, and community college/public library.
At her current position, Huang provides information solutions to Collin College students, faculty, staff and Collin County community users. Huang is also the consumer health coordinator for the Consumer Health Information Center, a consumer health library. Huang is active in professional organizations from the local to national level.

What?

Chat with her in the SLIS Village about topics such as medical librarianship, providing consumer health information to students and the public, grant writing experience, being a young librarian under 30, professional development, differences between working in a community college vs. academic library or academic library vs. public, etc.

Where?

SLIS Village Chat Room

When?

Wednesday, February 11th at 8 pm

LISSA All-School Day, Fall 2008

2008-11-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

We are very pleased to announce the program for our upcoming All-School Day.

"Beyond the Diploma: Preparing for Real World Employment"

* Improve your Interviewing Skills
* Learn Job Negotiation Skills
* Tips on Professional Dress
* Advice on building a portfolio
* Resume Review

Saturday, November 15, 2008
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Discovery Park, Room B185

Lunch and free gift bag included
Raffle for door prizes

RSVP by November 10, 2008
to Michelle Morris mym040@hotmail.com
or Paul Andersen andersen7279@gmail.com

This is a great opportunity to brush up on skills and learn some new tips to help you land the job you want! Hope to see you all there!

Second Post

2008-09-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the belated post.

On Monday night the UNT LISSA officers had a meeting in the SLIS Village chat room. Amanda Montgomery had accepted a new job and could no longer act as the UNT LISSA president. I, Michelle Morris, became the new president. The blog will now be handled by Anna Perkins the UNT LISSA secretary.

The next face-to-face LISSA meeting will be on September 25, 2008. We hold a LISSA chat in the SLIS Village every other Monday at 8 p.m.; the next chat will be on September 22th. Also, on Wednesday, September 24th there will be a tour of the UNT Rare Books Room. The Rare Books Room is on the 4th Floor of the Willis library on the Main UNT campus. It’s a wonderful special collection that includes Texana and miniature books. It will a busy week for LISSA and we hope you can attend.

First Post of the Semester

2008-09-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

So how has the first week of classes been? Easy? I hope so because around midterm (Oct.14), it gets rough.

Well, as U.N.T. Library and Information Sciences Student Association (LISSA) Co-Vice President, I hope you have a good year. This year LISSA plans to offer tours of libraries, talks with professionals in our field, online chats in SLIS Village, and the usual meetings. I’ll update the blog every Monday and some Wednesday or Thursday s (usually after a LISSA meeting or event).

Things have been a bit hectic this semester because SLIS is combining with Department of Learning Technologies to become College of Information, Library Science and Technologies (http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/localnews/stories/DRC_UNT_0822.1ef0b2e7.html), and then there is the big move! Of course, the “big move” refers to the fact that SLIS has moved out of the ISB building (in the middle of campus) and onto the spacious Research Park campus. Research Park used to be a Texas Instruments manufacturing plant, but now houses UNT’s College of Engineering, Computing and Information Technology Center, a library, a computer lab, the lovely Jazzman Cafe, and tons of parking!

UNT LISSA’s Student lounge is on the second floor, as are the classrooms and faculty offices. LISSA meets on the second Tuesday of every month. Feel free to drop by for a meeting or e-mail the LISSA website.

--Michelle

Election Results

2008-05-08T15:22:00.001-07:00

The ballots are now counted.... THE NEW STUDENT OFFICERS FOR LISSA ARE:

President - Amanda Montgomery
Vice President- Michelle Morris and Veronica Ewing
Secretary- Anna Perkins
Treasurer- Marian Silva
Parliamentarian- Paul Andersen and Matthew Pierce

Congratulations to a terrific group of students!

LISSA Elections for 2008-2009 Officers

2008-04-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

Hello LISSA! These are your candidates...

PRESIDENT: Michelle Morris /Amanda Montgomery

Michelle Morris was born in Fort Worth on Dec. 23, 1980. She graduated from North Side High School in 1999 and attended Agnes Scott College for one year. She then transferred to University of North Texas (U.N.T.) in 2000 and graduated in 2004 with a B.A. in English Language and Composition. She worked for Haynes & Boone, LLP and Fort Worth Library. This is her first semester in the U.N.T. MLIS program. She aspires to become a medical librarian.

Amanda Gail Montgomery

Attended Texas State Technical College from 1999-2001 major in Commercial Art and Advertising .Attended University of North Texas from 2002-2007 major in Art History minor Social Sciences. Attending University of North Texas as a Masters student seeking my MS in Digital Imaging Management. I volunteer at the Digitals Projects Lab in Willis Library. I was a volunteer for the Rare Book and Texana department

VICE-PRESIDENT:

SECRETARY: Anna Perkins

I graduated in 2005 with a B.A. in Music Education from Texas Woman's
University, where I was a leader in choir and the vice-president of the
student chapter of MENC: The National Association for Music Education. This
May I will graduate with a M.M. in Musicology from UNT, and by the end of
summer I will have completed my first twelve hours in the SLIS program. I
am currently a student assistant in the Music Library. I am really looking
to getting more involved in SLIS!

TREASURER: Marian Silva

I am interested in applying for the position of
treasurer and I am currently an undergraduate student pursuing my
bachelor's degree in Library & Information Science. Thank you for your
consideration.

PARLIAMENTARIAN: Matthew Pierce/Paul Andersen

PLEASE SEND YOUR VOTE TO untlissa@gmail.com

Directions to the April 15 event

2008-04-08T13:48:00.001-07:00

Universities Center at Dallas Campus, 1901 Main Street, Dallas, TX

Directions to Universities Center:

From Denton:
South on I- 35 to Dallas. Exit Commerce St. East (Reunion Arena). Go east on Commerce to Ervay (Neiman Marcus). Go left on Ervay one block and right turn on Main St.

From North Dallas:
South on I-75 to I- 30 west to 35E north to Commerce St. Exit (Reunion Arena). Exit left to Commerce St. Go east on Commerce to Ervay (Neiman Marcus). Go left on Ervay one block. Turn right on Main Street to 1901 Main Street (left side).

From North Dallas - Tollway:
South on the North Dallas Tollway to the end. Go through tollgate and stay on left (Hines Blvd.) to Harwood (last street on left). Go left (south) on Harwood to Main St. Turn right on Main Street. Map on Yahoo! Maps (Opens in new window) Top of page

From East Dallas:
West on I-30 to I- 35E north, exit left to Commerce Street (Reunion Arena). Go east on Commerce to Ervay (Neiman Marcus). Go left on Ervay one block and right turn on Main Street.

From South Dallas:
North on I-35E to Commerce exit (Reunion Arena). Go east on Commerce to Ervay (Neiman Marcus). Go left on Ervay one block and right turn on Main Street.

From West Dallas:
East on I- 30 to I- 35E north to Commerce St. exit (Reunion Arena). Go east on Commerce to Ervay (Neiman Marcus). Go left on Ervay one block and right turn on Main Street.

Learning Leadership

2008-03-28T18:13:00.000-07:00

Whether you are planning on attending the TLA Annual Conference in Dallas this month, think about attending this great event:

Two Upcoming SLIS Events... on the same night!

2008-03-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a while. For those of you graduating this May, Capstone is behind you and the results should be out soon. Though I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, while you sweat out the final days before hearing that you will finally be given your well-deserved degree...come to some LIS events this Thursday.

This Thursday, March 27, the UNT Career Center is sponsoring a SLIS networking event from 5-7 pm in Chestnut Hall room 12o. Here students will be able to schmooze with professionals and alumni currently employed in the field of library and information sciences. Students will have a chance to find out how to prepare for and succeed in the jobs they desire!

Following this exciting event, LISSA will be holding its March meeting in ISB 218 at 7pm. We will provide refreshments and talk about what will be going on for the rest of the year.

We hope to see you Thursday!!

All School Day - Final Session

2007-11-05T15:34:00.000-08:00

Albi Assmann, SLIS student, provides us with the following commentary on the presentation of Beth Avery, Head of Research and Instructional Services at UNT:

Beth Avery talked about why assessment is essential to providing good service and gave examples of simple but effective questions when determining whether patrons' needs are being met. She recommended limiting the number of questions being asked and asking patrons contrasting questions about their visits such as, "What did you like best about being in the library today?" and "What did you like least?" Of the many good ideas she offered, I will probably use this series of questions again and again: what did I tell you that I didn't need to tell you; what did I tell you that surprised you; and what do you want to know more about. Beth also talked about the new design and traffic patterns for Willis Library.

Third All School Day Speaker

2007-11-05T15:07:00.000-08:00

The third speaker at All School Day was Daniel Alemneh, Metadata Specialist for the Digital Projects Unit of the UNT Libraries. His topic for the day was "Emerging Trends and Innovative Uses of Digital Technologies. He spoke about how the Web is bringing together "contributions of millions of people and making them matter" and how the trend is not text documents in libraries anymore, digital libraries are now about multimedia content. Users want a "visualization of the information space instead of a ranked list of search results." They want to search systems with their own language and not worry about controlled vocabulary. They also like folksonomy and the ability to index their own content. Librarians should take advantage of users becoming information taggers and study their tags in order to design systems that meet the needs of these users' information behaviors.

Despite the changes that are taking place in the library field, Alemneh explained that Ranganathan's laws and other aspects of libraries remain timeless.

In answer to the changing library field, Almeneh sees the following trends:
1. Most conferences now address Web 2.0
2. Libraries must appeal to users in other ways than simply providing information because people can find so much information on the Web.
3. A new generation of OPAC is developing.
4. More repositories of various sizes and scope are being created.
5. There is a greater push for user-centered design and metadata access.

To finish up his presentation, Almeneh showed us a digital library for which he does work, Portal to Texas History. This UNT digital library provides both search and browsing functionality, with browsing areas in county, subject, collection, and contributor. Users may comment on content and even contribute their own images through this function.

All School Day - Session 2

2007-11-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

Here we continue our report of last weekend's speakers.

Our second speaker was Edward Smith, Director of Member Services Development for Amigos Library Services and UNT alum, with his presentation: "Technology Is the Answer! What was the question again?" Smith attributes the creation of his lecture to the book The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age by Sven Birkerts and to his experience as a boy when a librarian handed him his first non-children's book, Treasure Island.

Smith supplied us with some statistics about librarians:

25% of library professionals decided they wanted to enter the career by age 20.

Most cited reason for people to choose the profession is a love of books and reading.

33% of librarians say it was a K-12 librarian in there schools that affected their decision to become a librarian.

Others chose librarianship because:

The career was a good fit.

The job opportunities available.

The intellectual aspects of the work.

The focus of his talk was about literacy by which he meant not only reading, but also analyzing what one reads. When someone asked a room full of librarians what they do to promote literacy, the surprise was that no one said "I read." Smith argues that technology can not cause nor prevent the death of literacy because literacy can die anytime that people stop reading.

Smith alluded to much literature during his presentation. He spoke of Goethe's Faust and his pact with the devil to exchange his soul for an infinite level of knowledge that could never possibly be obtained. He referenced Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and how you don't have to destroy books to get rid of their content, you just have to get people to stop reading them. He also spoke of Walker Percy's Lost In the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book which asks why does mankind always feel sad in the twentieth century when basic needs are met much better than in earlier times? We are cut off by technology, yet technology is meant only to be a tool to aid us in our endeavors, not the means to an end. Smith made allusions to Shakespeare's Hamlet, Walt Whitman's "I Sing the Body Electric," the plaque at Lincoln's monument, Tennyson's "Lotos-Eaters," and A Good Match: Library Career Opportunities for Graduates of Liberal Arts Colleges by Rebecca A. Watson-Boone.

Smith's presentation put our whole program on technology into perspective: Technology is only a tool. All technologies fade. Literacy is the key to keep libraries alive, so librarians should keep reading and share what they do with their patrons.

All School Day Review (Fall 2007)

2007-11-02T09:27:00.001-07:00

All School Day was this past weekend, and we had a bunch of fun, learned some new things, and went home with too much stuff!
Some students were unable to attend because of distance or prior commitments, so we'll try to give you all an idea of what the speakers had to say.

First up we had Walter Betts, TCU systems librarian and TWU adjunct professor, speaking on the Future of Librarianship. He showed us part of an old video from 1947 called The Librarian that explains the librarian profession to potential new librarians. This film is available in the Prelinger Archives at http://www.archive.org/, and may be viewed below.

Betts recommended we look at the Prelinger Collection, if we had not already, as a source of public domain, goofy educational videos created from (approximately) the 1940s to the 1970s. Betts also showed us the trailer to the recent film The Hollywood Librarian.

Betts went on to speak about an experiment/study he conducted on a class of his where he had his cataloging students participate in a reference interview as the patron. Although many students had rarely or never participated as the patron in a reference interview, they were reluctant to do so because they felt that as library students, they did not need professionals. Results showed that the students greatly benefited by using a librarian for help because doing so led them to useful sources they would not have otherwise know to use. Even librarians should use other librarians for help when they are researching a collection they are unfamiliar with, since the librarian that is familiar with the collection, will almost always be able to share ideas and resources that would otherwise be missed.

Betts believes that librarians remain relevant, but they must serve patron needs and make their resources and core services known. Librarians provide remote access to databases, Interlibrary Loan services, instruction in ESL and GED, supply computers and Internet connections, and provide quiet study areas. There is a great future for librarians.

All School Day - Fall 2007

2007-10-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, here it is again! All School Day will take place Saturday, October 27, 2007 from 9-3 pm at UNT's Research Park. Research Park is four miles from the main campus and is the location to which SLIS will soon be moving, so come to this event and get acquainted with this excellent facility! Click here for directions.

View Larger Map

The theme for the event is Technology in the Modern Library, and with speakers from SLIS, academic and public libraries, and Amigos, there will be something for everyone. Join us to learn something new and network with LIS professionals and students. We will be providing free breakfast and lunch, fun prizes, and an ice cream social to top everything off. Email mandierhodes84@gmail.com with questions.

The following speakers have been confirmed:
Cindy Batman and Will Clark (UNT Dallas Library): virtual reference
Beth Avery (head of UNT reference)
Daniel Alemeneh and Mark Philips: emerging trends
Kerry McGeath (Southlake Public Library): systems
Walter Betts (TCU): collecting user behavior data
Edward Smith (Amigos): Technology is the Answer, What Was the Question?

LISSA Kick-Off Party

2007-09-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

The Kick-Off Party was awesome and so much fun!! We ate a bunch of food from burgers to really plump hot dogs to vegan burgers to some fancy chicken concoction that Shaneka made. Very fancy! We also talked a lot upon such subjects as: Harry Potter, national security at the borders, the effectiveness and morality of vaccinations, the beautiful dogs in attendance, and more I'm sure. What did you talk about at the picnic?

Needing Lazerow Volunteers

2007-09-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
LISSA is assisting with the Lazerow Lecture event being held Thursday evening, October 4 at the UNT Denton campus. Thus, we are seeking volunteers to help. It's a great way to meet people, and the speaker, Dr. Dervin, is well known in the LIS world. Email us at untlissa@gmail.com if yout want to help with the following:

Volunteers needed:
1. pick up of speaker to and from all events October 3 and October 4- Dr. Dervin has difficulty walking and will need assistance. Prefers a car rather than pickup or SUV. She also needs a ride to Denton from the airport on Wednesday afternoon, October 3.

2. assist with set up of reception (nametags, anything Dervin needs) and lecture - I think she is bringing some literature and handouts from 4:00-5:30

3. assist with keeping reception food and drink supplied 5:30-6:30

4. clean up of reception food, dismantle 6:30-7:00

5. assist with afterwards to get everything back to car and to SLIS 9:00

There will be fun and education for all!!

First LISSA meeting--Fall 2007

2007-08-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

Did you miss us at the Sweetwater dinner? If so, not only did you miss the fun of meeting with SLIS students and faculty. You missed our wonderful President Arta challenging a strange multi-layered tortilla chip:

Well, she won, and it was mighty tasty. Anyways...LISSA will be holding its first meeting on Thursday, September 6, 2007 at 7:00pm in ISB 202. We would love to see SLIS students there so we can meet you and eat snacks with you and plan for the semester with you. So please join us next week! If you can't make this meeting, keep checking the blog for future events. Don't forget the semester SLIS Kick-off party will be Saturday, September 15, and we will be barbecuing. We'll let you know the other details very soon!

Dinner with LISSA

2007-08-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

Hello SLIS Students!

We hope you all have had a lovely summer and are ready to get back to school! Well, if you are looking for a way to ease back into the new semester, join us for dinner this Saturday, August 25 at 7pm and talk with LISSA officers, other SLIS students, and faculty. We'll be meeting at the following location for dinner:

Sweetwater Grill and Tavern
115 South Elm Street
Denton, TX 76201

View Larger Map

This is a pay-your-own-way event, so don't forget your wallets. :)
Please join us for this great opportunity for networking and fun with your fellow students!!

Join A LISSA Committee

2007-08-02T17:36:00.001-07:00

SLIS students have the opportunity to participate on LISSA committees this 2007-2008 school year. Email us at untlissa@gmail.com to join!

All School Day Committee
Chair: Arta Kabashi & Melissa Place
Members:

Constitution Committee
Chair: Sean Fitzpatrick
Members:

Events Committee/SLIS/ Lazerow Lecture
Chair: Vanessa Taylir & Lauren Ko
Members:

Fundraising Committee
Chair: Sharon Cardwell
Members:

Let's Talk/Miksa Committee
Chair: Sean Fitzpatrick
Members:

Social Committee/LISSA
Chair: Amanda Rhodes & Emily Billings
Members:

Fall Fun

2007-07-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

LISSA officers have been busy this summer planning events to be held this 2007-2008 school year. First off we are going to celebrate the beginning of the fall semester with a Kickoff Party on September 14. We are planning a fun cookout with lots of food, so we hope you will come, bring your families, and meet other SLIS people! We'll let you know the time and place soon.

LISSA Welcomes New Officers

2007-07-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

Emily Billings and Melissa Place are LISSA's new members-at-large for the 2007-2008 school year. Sean Fitzpatrick has been elected sergeant-at-arms. Meet them at LISSA's Fall Kick-Off Party in September!

Seeking Members-at-Large!!

2007-06-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

The North Texas LISSA in the DFW area is looking for two members-at-large. Members-at-large will chair committees and help plan LISSA events. The North Texas LISSA is a group of dynamic individuals looking to enrich SLIS students' lives through social interaction, informational meetings, and educational events. Please nominate anyone that you think would be suitable for this position by sending an email to untlissa@gmail.com (you may nominate yourself).

Come be an integral part of this exciting group by responding ASAP!!

Hollywood Librarian Premier

2007-06-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

The documentary film The Hollywood Librarian will premier at the upcoming ALA annual conference in Washington DC.

View the ALA Announcement.

View the movie trailer:

Facebook group: http://harvard.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2313596133

LISSA Totebags

2007-05-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

The new LISSA Totebags are now available for purchase! Bags are big, sturdy, and won't show stains! What else could you really want?

Buy one for $12.00 or two for $20.00! Come and get one at our next LISSA meeting or email us at ldk0002@unt.edu to schedule a pickup or shipping!

New Lissa Officers

2007-05-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Denton LISSA officers of 2007-2008!

President: Arta Kabashi

Vice President: Mandie Rhodes

Secretary: Lauren Ko

Treasurer: Vanessa Taylir

Members-at-Large: Jennifer Lafleur and Sharon Cardwell

Be sure to watch for updates on what LISSA will be doing next year, and
thank you for your support!

Sarah Nelson

Spring 2007 All School Day

2007-04-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

We held All School Day last Saturday, April 21!

This All School Day's theme was Playing the Field--Different Kinds of Libraries, and it was organized into different sessions with panel discussions. Session topics included Academic Libraries, School Libraries, Public Libraries, Special Libraries, and Transitioning Between Libraries. The speakers had a lot to tell us about their experiences in libraries and were excited to engage in discussion with interested students. Panelists gave us insight into their specific types of libraries, made suggestions about what to do while still in school, gave us tips for obtaining jobs, answered several of our questions, and even quelled some of our fears.

Thank you to our planners and volunteers: Regina Burgess, Sharon Cardwell, Sean Fitzpatrick, Andrea Gillin, Adrianne Jones, Lauren Ko, Jennifer LaFleur, Sarah Nelson, Elena Vassilieva, Delo White

Additional thanks go to Charlotte Thomas, John Pipes, Jurhee Curtis, and Dr. Yvonne Chandler for making All School Day possible!

We enjoyed the company of the following speakers:

Lea Bailey, Director of Learning Resources for Irving I.S.D. (School Libraries Session)
Gale Harris, Chief Librarian of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Libraries (Special Libraries and Transitioning Between Libraries Sessions)
Norman Howden, Assistant Dean of El Centro College Library (Academic Libraries Session)
Connie Moss , Assistant Library Director of William T. Cozby Public Library, Coppell, TX (Public Libraries Session)
Sue Ridnour, Youth Services Manager of Flower Mound Public Library (Public Libraries Session, and Transitioning Between Libraries Sessions)
Vanessa Perez, Managing Librarian of American Heart Association National Center Library, Dallas, TX (Special Libraries and Transitioning Between Libraries Sessions)
David Schuster, Library Technology Coordinator for Plano I.S.D. (School Libraries Session)
Linda Snow, Head of Reference Services for University of Texas, Dallas (Academic Libraries Session)

Vanessa Perez, librarian for the American Heart Association and speaker at the recent All School Day, has provided us with the bibliography she brought to the event. This bibliography contains resources pertaining to transitioning between different types of libraries and on health/science librarianship. She was an excellent speaker, so check out the list!!

A Brief Bibliography on Select Topics Relating to Librarianship Careers
Compiled April 12, 2007
Vanessa Perez, Librarian
American Heart Association National Center Library

Career Transition

Leaving the Academic Library By Jeff Luzius and Allyson Ard. Journal of Academic Librarianship; Nov 2006, Vol. 32 Issue 6, p593-598.

The Journey from Corporate to Academic Librarian By Susan M. Klopper. Online; Sep/Oct 2006, Vol. 30 Issue 5, p14-20.

From SLA to Parkland PL By Richard Andrew Albanese. Library Journal; November 15, 2004, Vol. 129 Issue 19, p33.

Making It to the Major Leagues: Career Movement between Library and Archival Professions and from Small College to Large University Libraries By Timothy Johnson. Library Trends; Spring 2002, Vol. 50, Issue 4, p614 – 630.

The Competitive Intelligence Opportunity By Norman Oder. Library Journal; March 1, 2001, Vol. 126 Issue 4, p42+.

Moving Up and Out By Leslie J. Zampetti. Information Outlook; Nov 2000, Vol. 4 Issue 11, p24+.

Health/Science Librarianship

I Am Not a Specialist: Why We All Need to be Worrying About Medical Information By Catherine Arnott Smith. Journal of Education for Library & Information Science; Spring 2006, Vol. 47 Issue 2, p96-105.

The increasing globalization of health librarianship: a brief survey of international trends and activities By Bruce Madge and Scott Plutchak. Health Information & Libraries Journal; September 2005 Supplement 1, Vol. 22, p20-30.

Emerging roles of health sciences librarians: academic library centrality By Sarah Barbara Watstein. Reference Services Review; 2004, Vol. 32 Issue 1, p13-15.

Medicine's Library Lifeline By Jean Shipman and Michael Homan. Library Journal; April 1,2003, Vol. 128 Issue 6, p49.

thanks!

All School Day Update

2007-03-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

We've been working hard on All School Day so here's the latest information:

Date: April 21; 9-3:30
Theme: Playing the field - different kinds of libraries
Place: tentatively we're in the business building on the UNT Denton campus, but keep an eye out for updates. Once everything's settled we'll post all the info.

If you can help we still need volunteers to help with registration & set up, which would be on 4-21. We also need someone who could ask around campus (or wherever) for donations of pencils, pens, and a door prize or two. If you're able to help please email Sarah at sen0027@unt.edu

We'll post more updates as we get them, so please keep checking here and in the Village. :)

Welcome!

2007-03-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

We just started this blog!