Monday 7/14/2008

• Got up and got ready for work.
• Checked work, Twitter and personal email accounts on my Trio.
• Marked email that needed attention.
• 15 minute drive to work.
• Got the deposit ready to go to the bank.
• Worked on the list of customer holds that needed to be pulled.
• Opened the branch.
• Answered a customer email.
• Sent out a message to staff about the importance of collecting accurate statistics.
• Sent out self-evaluation questions to staff person to complete for upcoming evaluation.
• Investigated an online book club management system and created an account, inviting a few of the current book club participants to join.
• Worked on a staff evaluation.
  
• Called downtown to get clarification on new statistics gathering system.
• Worked the customer service desk for about an hour where I got to answer a Reader's Advisory question (yippy!) I also checked in and out books, answered a couple of basic reference questions.
• Dealt with a customer disturbance issue and filed an incident report.
• Worked on Notable Award list.
• Ate a rather boring but nutritious lunch…hummus, carrots, peach…awhile skimming KC blogs, library and book blogs for interesting tidbits..
• Worked on finding a second leader for the newly expanded Jewish Literature program, found and invited second book discussion leader.
  
• Talked with staff about the proper way to structure an incident report.
  
• Talked to an upset customer about overdue fines.
• Had a staff "birthday cupcake" and a little social time.
• Cleaned up a portion of the “Missing Book” printout.
  
• Worked the customer service desk.
• Wrote a blog post about the Jewish American Literature program.
• Talked with Public Affairs about various promotional details for the program.
• Dealt with three bike theft issues and wrote another incident report
  
• Stopped at the grocery store, ran home and then headed downtown for a library program.
• Listened to my smart librarian friend do a presentation and cheered wildly.
  
• Got home at 9'ish, read a bit of a notable read and then went to bed.
  

I took these notes last Monday as part of The Day in the Life project first seen on the Librarian By Day blog.

Food For Fines

For those of you who may have incurred a library fine or two this year (and you know who you are), you will be happy to know that our semi-annual Food For Fines program will start on Monday, August 18th and run through Sunday the 24th. Each can of food reduces your fine by $1 and all of the food goes to Harvesters. I thought I would give you a little extra advance warning this year since a few of you complained that I didn't give you enough time last year.

Saying No

I am working at my part-time university reference librarian job tonight and am finding it very depressing everytime an international student comes up to the desk. Every one of them asks me the same question "Do you have _____(fill in the blank) textbook."

In India and China (from what I have been told), academic libraries carry enough copies of textbooks so the entire class can check them out to use for the semester, unlike the U.S., where we make everyone buy copies of textbooks that cost hundreds of dollars and then can't be sold back at the end of the semester because a newer version is coming out.

So every time someone comes up to the information desk my heart sinks because I get to say to each of them, "No, the library doesn't usually carry textbooks." Oh, I do a search to make sure that one lone copy hasn't been donated by the professor but usually I have to say no. Believe it or not, I didn't become a librarian so that I could NOT help people find the information/book they need.

I hate this time of year:(

Missouri Library News

News from Joplin, MO - Staff have been called terrorists, murderers and anit-Americans and to top things off one patron actually gave the circ staff the Nazi salute.

Newspaper link:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/archivesearch/local_story_353195708.html

To see pictures of the display:
http://www.joplinpubliclibrary.org/on_display_large.shtml

Being A Librarian

The library profession is such an interesting field to get into. In the past week I have gone to a hip/hop gathering, a neighborhood business association meeting, a rotary club meeting and a young friends of the library (20 - 40) book discussion group. I have talked about graffiti and hip/hop artists, literary fiction, local politics and international service projects. Where else can you get that variety of experience and such a wealth of potential new friends?

Interesting articles

I was going to post my newly updated list today but didn't quite get to it. Instead I thought I would link you to some interesting (at least to me) library related articles. #1 and #2 shows how much the Brits love their libraries:) You may notice that article #4 and #5 pulled one of the graphic novels that is on my "notable reading list".

"Thousands Blog for British Library." American Library Association. 2006.http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2006abc/october2006a/britishblog.htm (Accessed 23 Oct, 2006)

"A Naked Display of Emotion over Library Closings." American Library Association. 2006.http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2006abc/october2006a/kingsteignton.htm (Accessed 23 Oct, 2006)

"EPA Allegedly Plans to Reduce Access to Online Publications." American Library Association. 2006.http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2006abc/october2006a/epasubs.htm (Accessed 23 Oct, 2006)

"Missouri Trustees Pull Graphic Novels, for Now." American Library Association. 2006.http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2006abc/october2006a/marshallmo.htm (Accessed 23 Oct, 2006)

"Graphic Novels Draw Challenge in Missouri." American Library Association. 2006.http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2006abc/october2006a/graphicnovels.htm (Accessed 23 Oct, 2006)