A Librarian's ramblings

Resume for Librarians

2011-09-22T13:54:00.004-06:00

Here are some links that will help with your first resume:
http://www.lisjobs.com/jobseekrs/resume-advice.asp

http://www.resumesguru.com/librarian-resumes

If you are interested in having your resume reviewed for academic positions:
http://www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Resume_Reviewing_Service_for_New_Librarians

General Resume Layout help:
http://www.liscareer.com/allen_resumes.htm

http://www.scribd.com/doc/6907954/Resume-Resources-for-Librarians

Where am I now?

2011-03-31T14:23:00.002-06:00

It has been 8 months since I started in Academia. While I got a handle of my job - my everyday duties fairly quickly - learning the ropes of how academica functions (the formal rules) is still a struggle. But I stumble along and find my way eventually. One surprise was that job descriptions can be changed when you are on the job. Fortunately not much has changed for me. Okay, okay, one of the responsibilities has been taken away from me and I am not sure how I feel about that. My title has changed to indicate that I am a "librarian." It was hard to explain what I did as a "co-ordinator." Now I am going to be a Resources Librarian, which I did as a co-ordinator anyway. I don't remember learning how to deal with academic or any work setting while at library school. There were no lessons on problems solving, conflict resolutions, how to stand your ground, how to negotiate what you want whether it is with your colleagues or vendors, how to put together an argument, hmmmm -----what did I learn? I did learn about libraries and collections. But collections did not stretch far enough to include conversations with vendors. That is something library schools should consider including in their curriculum. Just rambling.....

My Day Today

2011-01-06T12:33:00.004-07:00

8.40 - came to work

8.45 - 9.15 - cleared some emails and responded to some phone calls (there were 40 of them)

9.30 10.15 - walked over to another building for a meeting. Fortunately it is 0 degrees today.

10.30 - 11.15 Another meeting in the same building

11.15 - 11.30 - went to the book store to get some supplies

11.40- 1.40 - answered some more emails, processed 3 invoices and sent them for approval

1.40-2.30 - lunch

2.30 - 3.30 - go through my first license agreement from a vendor

3.30- - 5.00 - keep answering emails - they don't stop coming

Somewhere along the way I cleared some ILL requests. And did some more paperwork for our strategic planning.

Still feeling "NEW" on the job

2010-11-30T13:10:00.003-07:00

The strategic planning session is over. It ran over two days - the first day with all stakeholders present and the second with just our team. We brainstormed our vision & mission statements and nailed our values. SP is a great way to learn more about your organization (both the past and future) especially if you are new to your job.

I have been told it will take me 2 years to comfortably settle into my job - that is how complicated it is :) So it was good to clarify some things in this session and set achievable future goals.

Just when I thought I can relax, Computers in Libraries contacted me to see if I would be interested in writing up my presentation for them. I couldn't say no, could I? Thanks to my co-presenter who agreed to write up his part on such short notice too.

I am still looking for those minority leadership articles.......

Australians, Americans and librarians from UK

2010-10-18T16:22:00.004-06:00

I see hits from these regions so I know someone from these areas is reading. If you are a librarian I would be really interested in a conversation about minority librarians in your country.

Leadership and Minorities

2010-10-18T16:17:00.001-06:00

I am working on this subject right now. There is plenty of information on leadership and there is a lot on minorities - their psychology, behaviour, etc, but not much on the two of them together. This is probably a good thing too. But if you know of any I am all ears.

Strategic Planning for your library

2010-09-02T10:30:00.002-06:00

I am involved in strategic planning for my organization. I haven't sat in any planning committee before. So if you are like me and want to know how to go about strategic planning, there are plethora of books out there in amazon and just about any library. There is also a course on strategic planning offered by Medical Libraries Association. Its focus is for medical librarians, but I am sure anyone can get pointers from this course for any library.

Here is another webpage with many articles on strategic planning for different libraries

If you know of any let me know and I'll post it here.

Governor General

2010-08-24T16:13:00.002-06:00

One perk about being in an academic setting - you get to meet big shots. Our Governor General Michaelle Jean was on a tour of the province and she stopped by for a visit on campus. Of course I had to go even though I had a busy day of meetings. She was on time and from her body language and speech, she seemed like a very warm, friendly person.

One of our colleagues had a chance to talk to her. Her Excellency was talking to a student and my colleague who happens to know this student really well asked her to tell him not to smoke anymore. Her Excellency obliged by expressing shock that he was smoking and asked him to quit asap - very politely of course. I thought that was a nice touch - a motherly side of her.

New Job at University

2010-08-18T15:03:00.002-06:00

It'll be a month (tomorrow) since I started this new job and it is time to write. I love challenges and so I like my new job. It is very, very, very different from anything else I have done in a library but I would like to think I'll do well.

I don't have to sit at the reference desk or answer reference questions onlinephone. I don't teach, at least not yet. I don't have to worry about circulation. I had plenty of that at the public library which kept this blog amusing, at the very least, entertaining. Now I deal with vendors and negotiations. Most of my day is spent talking about access issues (or just questions I have), filing away renewal notices, journal vouchers, bills, receipts, invoices, etc; making sure the right invoices get to the right people, everything on the excel sheet balances and can be accounted for and some more.

Since I have only been here for a month, a lot of my time has been spent meeting people and undergoing training sessions which I hope will wind down soon. Then I get to travel, first within the city and then outside - doing displays and promotions - and in spring I can choose to fly away to a conference some where.

Between these two I will be involved in some strategic planning. I am really looking forward to that too. Got to go find some books on that subject so I don't look too dumb while in action.

Conspiracy Theory

2010-06-26T14:48:00.004-06:00

This was sent to me by a colleague and it happened over the phone:

Patron: Hello
Coll: Hello, how may I help you?
Patron: There was oil spill in the gulf.
Coll: Yes
Patron: Then there was earthquake in Ottawa.
Coll: Yes
Patron: Is there a connection?
Coll: Um...
Patron: Look at a map and you will find a direct line running from Gulf to the East of Canada.
Coll: Okay!?
Patron: There is a connection.
Coll: I don't know.
Patron: Do you have a geologist on board?
Coll: This is a public library.
Patron: And you don't have a geologist on board?
Coll: No.
Patron: Thanks. (Hangs up)

We don't have enough librairans. Whatever makes patrons think we have subject specialists hanging around to help, I will never know.

New Job

2010-06-16T18:24:00.001-06:00

I haven't posted anything recently because I've been busy. I am starting a new job and will be moving into academia next month. Not sure what I'll post since there won't be public patrons.

I hope there is something for me to ramble about.

Mug Shot ID?

2010-05-06T13:28:00.003-06:00

You won't believe what I got for ID today to log a patron on to the computers. His mugshot printed from the City's police website. Ha! Never a dull day.

It has his picture, his build, his eye colour, hair colour....etc. And it is probably as official an ID as far as ID's go.

Can you type?

2010-05-01T10:41:00.001-06:00

Patron: Can you type?
Me: Yes.
Patron: I want a couple of pages typed.
Me: Sorry we don't offer that kind of service.
Patron: Why not?
Me: We are not in that business.
Patron: Well, I need this typed.
Me: I can set you up on a computer and you are welcome to type it. How many pages do you have?
Patron: Two. I am not good at typing.
Me: You will have an hour on the computer. That should be enough to type two pages.
Patron: Book me a computer for tomorrow.
Me: Sure.

Just glad this conversation didn't end up in an argument about what sort of services we should offer.

Cookbooks?

2010-04-23T14:34:00.001-06:00

Patron: Do you know where you keep your cookbooks?
Me: (Of course) I do. And walk to the shelves to show him.

My Email from Your Computer?

2010-04-12T12:29:00.002-06:00

(Over the phone)

Patron: I want to use your computer.
Me: Sure. Do you want me to book a time for you?
Patron: My computer at home is dead and unplugged. Can I get my email from your computer?
Me: You want to use our computer to access your email, right?
Patron: Well, I want to get my email.
Me: Right. You can use our computers to read your email.
Patron: But my computer is dead.
Me: You said you wanted to use OUR computer.
Patron: Yeah, can I compute my email on your computer.
Me: (Trying to clarify again) You want to use one of our computers to read or send an email. Is that what you are asking me?
Patron: Yeah, but my computer is dead. Will my email work on YOUR computer?
Me: Oh yes! You can access your email from any computer (confirmed her email was universally available).
Patron: Okay, so I can read my email on your computer even though my computer at home is dead. right.
Me: Right.
Patron: Thanks. I will come in and use the computer.

Author in the Rye??

2010-04-06T10:55:00.002-06:00

Patron (young female): Do you have Author in the Rye...?
Me: Author in the Rye or Catcher in the Rye?
Patron: Oh, Maybe. It is a famous book.
Me: That would be Catcher in the Rye.
Patron: (shyly) Thanks.

Slow Cooker Recipes

2010-04-03T12:33:00.003-06:00

Patron: (pointing to the public computers) Can I hit this button and get slow cooker recipes?
Me: What are you looking for? Books with recipes or something from the Internet?
Patron: I just want a recipe to take home with me!!
Me: Elaborating on my earlier question - would you like a book to take home or are you looking for something to be printed out.
Patron: Can you just show me how to use this?
Me: (Trying to explain how to use "this") you can check our catalogue (our home page is the catalogue) or you can find something on Google.
Patron: No, no. Just get me something printed.
Me: Do you have a certain recipe in mind or a favourite website for slow cooker recipes?
Patron: No.
Me: Just Google for something and ask him if he wants this printed.
Patron: Yes. Do I have to pay for this?
Me: Yes. 10 cents please.

Patron leaves.
Me: Left wondering about my reference interview skills!!!

Another Step Forward - Or Is It?

2010-03-26T09:43:00.003-06:00

I just watched a video on Augmented Reality on the Common Craft Blog - a blog I follow regularly. This video got me thinking. With Google, people decided they didn't need libraries or librarians. With this, what will they say?

We as librarians know that the general mass doesn't know how to search efficiently or effectively, but.....hmmm.... they think they do.

But, what is the need for so much information anyway. These gadgets take away the decision making ability, the joy of looking up information, the adventure of venturing out, from us. Will the younger generation understand that? Or will they let their gadgets make decisions for them? How long will it be before you can point your glasses at a human being to decide weather he/she is your soul-mate (I hate that word).

I'm just another librarian rambling.

Education or Experience?

2010-03-18T13:18:00.002-06:00

Patron wearing yellow tinted glasses and hooded jacket: When does the University close?
Me (no glasses or hood): For the day, for the semester or the year?
Patron: No, when does one finish University?
Me: Oh, a degree? It depends - could be 4 years or 6 years or longer.
Patron: Oh! (goes away)

3 minutes later:

Same Patron: Is education important?
Me: That is a very broad question and philosophical. Do you have a specific question about education? (remember he is hooded and has tinted glass - so I can't see much of him)
Patron: What about you? Was education important?
Me: Me, personally? Yes it was.
Patron: What about experience?
Me: Education adds more value to your experience and/or vice versa, atleast for me personally.
Patron: Oh, okay! (and walks away)

A few minutes later:

Same patron: I want to write an exam to show I would qualify for a degree.
Me: (not finding anything immediately) I'll give you the University's number and another College's number. Talk to people there.
Patron: (Reading what I wrote). What is this?
Me: That is the name of the University?
Patron: Is it here? In town?
Me: Yes.
Patron: Really?
Me: Really!
Patron: Hmmm... (and walks away)

Me: What was that all about??????? Was he serious? Was he testing me?

An Act or At

2010-03-18T13:12:00.002-06:00

Patron: It won't give me an Act!!
Me: An Act! What Act are you looking for? (as in law)
Patron: It just won't give me an Act!!
Me: Was someone else help you find something? Can you tell me more?
Patron: I am on the computer typing my yahoo email ID. And I can't type the @ sign.
Me: Oh an "at." Let me come and help you.

Do you work here?

2010-02-11T13:36:00.003-07:00

I was sitting behind the desk, reading a work email. A patron comes to the desk and asks:

Patron: Hi, do you work here?
Me: Yes (screaming in my head: Of course! I am sitting behind the desk!)
Patron: Where are the card catalogs?
Me: Uh! We don't use those anymore.
Patron: Where do I search for books then?
Me: I will show you how to use our online catalog.
Patron: Alright! (sigh).

But still a sport and comes with me to the computer and spends 15 minutes finding his way around. I thought that was nice.

Do I need a card?

2010-02-09T15:19:00.002-07:00

Patron: Do I need a library card to take stuff out of the library?

Me: Yes.

Patron: It's probably a dumb question eh?

Me: No. Not at all.

Patron: I can't believe I have to sign up for a card. Can I take it just once without a card?

Me: No. You cannot.

Patron: Urgh....

What more will they ask of us?

2010-01-26T15:43:00.002-07:00

A patron called from home. He is having email issues and wanted a favour. Could I go into his email account from the library and let him know if there are any emails from potential employers? Don't read the mail, just check if there is a mail, he says.

I had to say: NO sorry, we cannot do that. You are welcome to come into any of our branches and use the computers. We are open till 9 p.m.

He hung up on me! He'll probably come marching in later to yell at one of us for not helping him.

Where is Carly?

2010-01-10T13:45:00.003-07:00

It was a steady Saturday and this is the conversation I had with my patron

P: "Where is Carly?"
Me: "I don't know. Who is Carly?"
P: "Your Library."
Me: Carly works here?
P:"No. It is another of your library."
Me: Oh! (still not connecting the dots)
P: "It is a branch."
Me:"You mean Carlyle King, our branch?"
P: "Yes."
Me: "Here is the address and map of how to get there."
P: "Thank you."

Innovative Interfaces Incorporated - Millennium

2009-11-26T08:29:00.002-07:00

Our library is switching to a One Library One Province mode. One of the first things we are doing is switching from dying DRA to Millennium by III. I have used this at BCIT, Burnay and am looking foward to working on it again. It is more intuitive and user-friendly.

We are the first library to go live with this and then the rest of the province will follow. Staff are understandably a bit stressed with the change, scheduling and the unknown, when it goes live on December 15th.

Did you know that computer systems upgrade is one of the top causes of stress at a workplace? No wonder......

I think most of the fear stems from the fact that patrons will not be patient while we learn this system on the job - they will yell, stomp, throw tantrums.... But wait, we have all this already, don't we? Good luck to us!

Conference in Alberta

2009-10-28T15:43:00.004-06:00

I was at Netspeed in Calgary, Alberta last week. This was my first time to Netspeed. Unfortunately I forgot my camera and didn't get any pictures.

The focus was on technology in libraries. I learnt some new lingo like "Vook" which means video book and "digi-novels" which means digitized books. Came back with interesting thoughts and ideas to try and implement here.

In Light of Swine Flu or H1N1

2009-10-19T10:19:00.002-06:00

Everyone here is a bit anxious about this cold season because of this flu. Our City is going to great lenghts to create pandemic alerts, install hand sensitizers in all the popular places, offering advise on washing hands often, creating pamphlets on the subject, etc. They also said there should be a six-feet distance between someone who is sick and coughing and sneezing.

All weekend I worked, we had this guy in the library with a hacking cough, lots of sneezing, sniffling, and was overall unclean as well. Almost all of us had to help him at one time or another and we absolutely had no way of staying six feet away from him. He was using computers and prints which we also had to touch at one point or another. By the end of the weekend there were 3 of us feeling unwell but atleast two of us are here back at work on Monday.

All this rambling has a question. What are other libraries doing in these situations? Has anyone refused service to patrons due to their illness symptoms? I uphold the laws of good customer services at my library but am worried I am going to be sick soon.

Ten Commandments for Librarians - not in any particular order

2009-10-15T10:26:00.007-06:00

I was thinking of listing Ten Commandments for librarians. I had to pause for a while but thanks to comments from friends and fellow bloggers I am upto 10 now.

Acquire: as in collect for your library
Weed: can't stress how important this is if you want to acquire new items
Read: Of course you are supposed to have read every book in the world - but kidding aside read, read, read... it can be anything.
Lead: be a leader and come up with innovative ideas - have a vision
Manage: Know when to pull the reigns - budgeting, staffing, etc
Update or be up to date: in terms of what is happening in the technology world, library world or just world in general
Learn: learn how users learn, learn new technology, so you can be a better teacher
Teach: as in teach computer classes, catalog search, database search, etc
Synthesize: anything you read, learn or update yourself with - use it. Example: if you learn of a new computer program or social networking site, see how you can use it to your library's advantage
Listen: this is a very important skill. Without listening we don't understand the question and we cannot have a reference interview.

More personal favours

2009-10-01T09:23:00.003-06:00

Twice last night I was asked by patrons if I would let them use my computer or my email. There are about 25 computers they can use in the library.

The first case was a lady who wanted to send something to her email from the web and then print it (don't ask me why). Alas, she forgot her mail password. So she wanted me to sit with her, send this stuff to my email and allow her to print it from there. Common! I should mention I printed it off the web for her.

The second case was a young man who couldn't download Skype on our computers. We don't allow downloads. So he wanted me to download it on my computer so he could quickly talk to someone!

Would you walk into an office building (say you are in the building for a reason) and ask the staff there to use their computer? Given we are a public service and not just some office building - still, isn't there a limit as to what can be expected of us.

If you are new here you should read my other entries on what people ask at the library.

Conversations with patrons

2009-09-17T09:03:00.003-06:00

Me: Good Evening. How can I help you?
Patron: Someone I know died and it is in the paper. My friends found out about this on the computer. I want it.
Me: Where did this person die?
Patron: In Calgary or Edmonton (in another province)
Me: Was it an accident? Was it reported in the paper or was it an obituary?
Patron: I don't know! (with lot of attitude). My friends found it on the computer. Look for it.
Me: Where did your friends find it? (I meant where on the computer - a newspaper site, general website, email)
Patron: On the computer!! Geez! Can you find it or not?
Me: I cannot find it if I don't know what I am looking for? And I don't know where your friends found it? Can you be more specific? Was this information in the newspaper?
Patron: Look! This person died in Calgary or Edmonton and my friends read about it on the computer! That's all I know. Can you please look into your computer?
Me: Sure. Do you know the name of the person who died? I can check the obituaries first and go from there.
Patron: Not really!
Me: ????????
Patron: ???????

Crazy afternoon

2009-09-10T15:57:00.002-06:00

It's been a crazy afternoon and I wasn't even on desk serving patrons!! With two copies of daily schedule floating around any changes I made in the schedule didn't show up and I had to do it all over again. This time it wasn't my fault. I'll leave it at that and not point any fingers :))

I had to register for a conference and the fax machine was acting up. It kept saying "there is a problem with your number. Please check your number and dial again." So after faxing, I had to call the place (out of province) and confirm they got my fax. Gosh! All this technology! It can be useful only when it works! When it doesn't, it is a pain in the - you know where!

I hope the rest of the evening is quiet and I don't have those snarky patrons - what a positive attitude eh? But really on the positive side, I have tomorrow off! yay!!

Sweetheart Librarian

2009-09-09T19:20:00.004-06:00

I had a question over the phone today from a patron who explained the contents of a book - Canadian author who wrote about himself and his son; had to do with them watching movies - now she couldn't remember the title.

It didn't take me too long to find the book as I had heard of it. She called me a sweetheart for finding it so quickly and relieving her of her headache.

A few days ago, I helped a patron (she was about 80 years old) find books on dating and relationships by Dr.Phil. This patron has promised to bring me flowers some day for all the help I offered.

I must be having a good month........Hope this luck lasts.......

In case you are wondering about the title in the first case: Film Club: A True Story of a Father and a Son by David Gilmour.

Meebo Me Widget

2009-08-12T10:33:00.001-06:00

I am proposing that we have a chat widget on our library's website. Heck I am the virtual reference librarian aren't I? I wanted to play with it first. I couldn't believe how easy it was to do this on my own blog. Try it and if I am online I will talk to you too.

T as in T and K as in Koffin?

2009-08-06T16:09:00.004-06:00

This was the question I had over the phone: Could I have the address and phone number for TK Mechanics in town? I wanted clarification and asked T as in.....?

Patrons reply: T as in T (probably meant "tea" which was still hard to understand over the phone) and K as in Koffin.

Email us your resume?

2009-08-06T13:08:00.003-06:00

Okay. It must be a full moon or something. Too many wierd questions and this one tops the list for today.

A patron has a friend who typed his (patron's) resume for him. Now this friend has to send this resume to our patron. I didn't want to know where this friend was. Patron calls us to ask if this friend could send this resume to us because he doesn't know how else he could receive it.

After a chit-chat, it was clear our patron didn't know about emails or discs for saving. He concluded that he was going to ask his neice (who apparently has an email id) to receive this resume from his friend and get it printed. He thanked me for explaining this process too!

Whew! I am glad that was solved and I didn't have to receive strangers' resumes.

Reference Interview

2009-07-28T09:43:00.002-06:00

Reference interview is not just an interview to figure out the problem and/or find out the question. Quite often it is also about dealing with people’s emotions. When something doesn’t work, patrons feel helpless, frustrated and angry. They need to print their resume right now as they are off to an interview and our computers don’t cooperate. It is here that an efficient librarian steps in - not only to help with the issue at hand, but also to diffuse anger. Sometimes unfortunately it is a one way communication - I am trying to communicate and patron isn't listening.

On many occasions patrons just tell me it (computer) isn’t working and from their voice and body language it is very possible they are about to explode with anger. When I ask more questions (reference interview) they are really infuriated - don’t I think they know what they are doing? I find ways to explain to them (politely) that I need to know what the problem is. They point aggressively to the screen while talking.

With all this background yelling, and bits & pieces of information they spurt out, I figure out the problem. Next step is to actually solve the problem. It could be a flicker of a switch, checking cable connections, rebooting, a phone call to our IT department, accessing patrons’ information from my computer to print a copy for them or in worst case scenario sending them to the nearest internet café so they can print their information there. The solution of course, depends on the problem. I must add patrons are not always happy with solutions such as running to the internet café. Understandably, the internet is free at the library. If it is a book or article they need and can’t find, then the approach is different.

It doesn’t matter how many computers, databases and books are available at a library. Without librarians to take the brunt and hunt for the right information quickly and efficiently, there will be chaos.

Librarian, information specialist, computer fixer-upper, social worker, baby-sitters, psychologist, security guard, what else??

2009-07-17T16:04:00.000-06:00

At no time in library school did I take classes on human psychology, psychiatry or being social worker. Some days I perhaps should have considered taking some of these classes outside of LIS department.

We had police come in and look for someone we didn’t know. It turns out this person called police from the library's bathroom and threatened to kill herself. They found her of course all in one piece and still breathing. But what a night! Never a dull day at a public library! that is for sure.

Reference Librarian - Me, I am!

2009-07-17T14:46:00.002-06:00

Not too long ago I took Facebooks' What kind of Librarian are you? challenge and was labelled "reference librarian." Though I was first surprised by a machine's ability to tell me exactly what I am, when I thought about it, it wasn't that much of a surprise.

I am curious about things, can be a bit too focussed on projects/questions I get, sceptical, lifelong learner, resilient, love change, have technical aptitude and always interested in learning and trying new technology. If you haven't tried this on Facebook go for it.

Glad to know I am what I am...

Project Management 101 for librarians

2009-07-17T11:49:00.002-06:00

Librarians are constantly working on projects. The nature of the project, depth, limitations, outcome all vary depending on the project itself and where you work. Nevertheless, project management skills are very important. But don’t despair, you already have those skills and you just don’t know it yet.

Take me for example: In a public library setting and as a fairly new librarian (3 years), my projects are simpler than what a librarian for a huge system might have to accomplish. But I still work with people system-wide: define the project, find people to assist or work with me on the project, collect data, evaluate findings and then take it to my supervisor. I am really simplifying it here of course.

Project management involves change, people management skills, multitasking, knowledge of the project and/or where to go for help, dealing with limitations such as time, money, etc. It involves initiation, planning, implementation, reporting, concluding the project by accomplishing all (or most) of the goals set during initiation and planning, then going back to planning and implementation when something fails. Yup, it is a cycle.

This is a very important skill for all librarians regardless of which type of library we work in. It also goes hand-in-hand with time management and people skills. Good luck everyone!

Down Days

2009-07-09T09:36:00.002-06:00

We were switching to a new ISP provider and had no internet for almost two full days at the front desk. What was amazing was that we still had lots of questions and were able to find answers for those questions. This tells me, libraries are still needed and will continue to flourish with our without computers. And we got a chance to brush up on Dewey.

Mashup 101

2009-06-08T12:32:00.002-06:00

I was recently asked about this and although I had some idea what this was about I had never used it. So I did my research.

You know those remix songs you’ve been hearing – older songs with newer tunes, a few songs blended together, etc. That is Mashup. In a library setting, you can mix things together such as databases, websites, catalogs, front covers of books, etc and call it a Library Mash up. In a one-stop shopping world, library patrons seem to want and enjoy this.

It is a technology that allows communication and information exchange between different applications. It requires API (Application Programming Interface). API comes into action when one software has to communicate with another software and request it to perform some action. So for real estate data and map to work together API is needed.

Mashup can be created by inexperienced users with little or no technical college. End users can combine things in different ways. Google Maps – blends information from maps and real estate data. In a library you can have applications on your web page that shows where from most people are logging into your databases while displaying the map of your city and library locations.

Many websites are already Mashup: They have pictures, websites, text, etc all combined on one page. www.google.ca/ig, www.housingmaps.com

Information literacy is important here as well. You need to make sure all the information in your mashed up Website is coming from trusted sources.

For more information listen to this podcast by Darlene Fichter on Mash Ups

Valuable Information

2009-05-12T11:22:00.001-06:00

A friend of mine wanted a recipe for homemade wax for waxing herself. She went on to Google and typed homemade waxing. Of the 500,000 or so results, she clicked on the first one, got her recipe, printed it off and was content.

Google makes searches look easy. But are the searches good? This was the question on my mind. And what about my friend who performed the search? Did she not want to see what else is out there, who put this recipe up, if this recipe is safe, etc?

It reminded me that this is how most patrons are searching and finding and assuming they have got the best information. They might be educated but are unaware of such a thing as information literacy.

With the ubiquitous www, there is a lot of information out there, some of it effectively managed through proper channels, but the rest of it is just data. Data doesn’t provide accurate information. And now I am worried for all those patrons who don’t come to us, who don’t use the library, who haven’t been to school or haven’t learnt information literacy. They are missing out on valuable information that could be out there!

Conference

2009-04-24T09:11:00.003-06:00

We have our provincial library conference coming up soon and I am busy working on my presentation for the conference. Hence all is quiet on the western front.

My paper is going to be about diversity in our province with a focus on multiculturalism. We have always had many international students coming to our University, but now there are more people coming with jobs, opening businesses, etc. While the students usually thought of this place as their temporary aboard, the newer immigrants are actually staying. And, of course, the social make up of immigrants has changed a lot since the early 1900's. As opposed to Europeans, we get more Asians, immigrants from middle east and Africa.

Once I finish the conference, I hope to have more time to write for the blog.

Demand or request?

2009-04-05T14:07:00.002-06:00

I absolutely dislike it when patrons come in or call and tell me how I should search for their information. I have probably mentioned this before.

I had a call today from a patron who started off with: "I want you to go to the Red Book and....." I could feel my blood pressure going up. He continued, I'll narrow down to the years 2000 and 2001 for you so you know which book you need to look at.

Really! Why thank you! What would I do and where would I be without those friendly!! instructions.

Just ask a question and if I need further information I'll ask you. Deal?

Patrons in a hurry!!!

2009-04-01T13:53:00.002-06:00

It amazes and amuses me when a patron comes in with a lengthy question that requires a lengthy answer or some considerable time to search for an answer. But while you start answering or looking for an answer, they remember that their parking meter is running out or they have a bus to catch in 2 minutes.

With computers and online information things are speedy. But not that speedy people. If you have a question and want an answer, consider spending some time finding the answer. When we say answers are at our finger tips (with online sources), don't take it literarlly!

Perhaps they (and us librarians) need iphones........mmmm....how long would I have to wait for that I wonder.

When the computers shut down......

2009-03-18T14:05:00.001-06:00

We, the younger generation of librarians are so comfortable with the internet and especially the idea of Googling that when computers are down we have to stop and think about how to retrieve information.

Our computers have been down all morning and I had a question: The address of our Governor General’s Office. I can’t remember the last time I may have used (or was shown) a print item that would have this information. I had to put the person on phone on hold and think for a minute before I realized Scotts! The government directory in Canada! Whew! One of my colleagues was pleased that she got to use the Short Story Indexes for her reference question.

It is a different feeling while having to use just print materials. You take your time finding answers, patrons seem to wait more patiently, etc. But you also get less done in the same amount of time (simply my opinion!). Nevertheless it felt rewarding. I felt like a librarian. (Oops, can I say that out loud)

Back from my holidays......

2009-03-17T11:29:00.002-06:00

Howdy all,

I was away holidaying in India, the hot, crowded city of Chennai and just got back over the weekend. I got back to the cold snow and zero below weather of Canada. It is a bit of a system shock actually. My plan was to visit some libraries in Chennai while I was there, the ones I visited as a student. But it was hot and I just wanted to be with family and stayed home. So no library pictures from there this time.

Work is busy, I have a paper to finish for my SLA conference in April and there is an indexing job to be completed in the next two weeks.

Hope to post something soon,

Google it Will ya?

2009-01-14T17:25:00.002-07:00

As an internet generation librarian I love Google - no doubt about that. When there is something too foreign to me I use Google as the starting point for my search. But don't you love it (as a librarian) when you pick up the phone and a patron on the other end begins their question with: "Go to google and search for yada yada yada...."

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!!

Federated Search Vs. Metasearch Engines

2008-12-22T13:22:00.004-07:00

A federated search engine enables the user to search through multiple databases put together by the content provider (eg: Ebsco, Proquest or Google Scholar). All information that will be searched is integrated into one repository. Federated search is complex software. All sources added to it should be available at all times and of course users expect it to be fast like Google. Any rotten link is a disappointment for the users.

In a federated search, (like Google Scholar) someone has already put together databases from which you can get a response in unified format. Does this person who puts these databases together know for sure that these are the only databases (or sources) to be searched on this subject? May be the user wants to search across many disciplines to find an answer to his/her query. In this case, the federated search is restrictive. Many have called it a dumbing down search – making it too easy for the user. But still, users would have to be creative with search terms, know their subject headings, know their databases and to a large extent have some computer literacy skills. Database vendors offer federated search that allows users to search across all their databases (subscribed ones).

WorldCat is another example of federated search. A federated search is a way to harness the larger WWW. Google Co-op is also an example of how anyone can create their own limited search with pre-prescribed search engines or websites.

With Metasearch Engine users can submit a question to many information resources simultaneously – not just the chosen ones. Information is not integrated and is processed only when the user types a query. It is also known as cross searching (of databases), integrated searching, multiple database searching, parallel searching, etc. As it contains numerous sources to search from, a broken link will not be too much of a disappointment to the user.

Also, in metasearch search, content is fresh. Sources are added and searched everyday. In a federated search, the content provider has to find sources to add so information may be delayed.

Underestimated Librarians

2008-12-22T12:46:00.003-07:00

I don’t think people in other professions have to explain themselves or their jobs as much as librarians do. First of all I find myself explaining to commoners that I have been to library school and received a special degree to be where I am and that is why I am called a “Librarian.”

When I tell people I am a librarian, they imagine me behind a desk signing out books. Helloooo… how long has it been since you went to a library? Do you see the other things that go on around there – like the library website which usually contains a wealth of information and is kept up-to-date, computer classes that are taught for free, displays that help you find THE book about something you might love but have never heard of before, librarians answering questions that could be from anyone about anything, and so much more? Well, librarians play a big role in all that. It takes time to collect information, to arrange for classes, to teach classes, to select and buy books, to order microfilms, videos, to put up displays, answer questions, evaluate and buy databases, constantly fill in the gaps in the huge collection and all the other things that come our way. We also take care of business side of things – like bargaining for the best databases from vendors. Then there is supervison of staff, administrative duties such as work schedules, payroll, etc and most importantly Outreach and Partnerships with organizations in the community. Now that is not easy work is it?

An acquaintance was chatting with me one evening. She asked me what exactly I do as a librarian & I explained all of the above to her. She was quite shocked and actually said to me: “I thought you just sign out books.” She seemed genuinely shocked that other things happen at a library and she is a well qualified computer professional!!

Europeana

2008-11-24T13:06:00.001-07:00

Only hours within seeing light of day European Online Library crashed due to an overwhelming number of users. Being a virtual librarian I am interested and love all things online. But this is the fear of online life. Crashes!

Apart from fears and the fact that it will be back in December, this is going to be a very popular library – not only because it is European but also because it is online and accessible.

It provides access to some 2 million digital objects selected from Europe’s Museums, libraries, archives and audio-visual collections. They have a multilingual interface and English is one of the languages available.

I am amazed at how so many different entities worked together to bring this project this far. Congratulations Europeana! Hope you come back online soon and have no further hiccups.

It's the season to be sick!

2008-11-18T08:37:00.002-07:00

As far as I know I am not allergic to anything - dust, flowers, cats - none of them. But living in the cold weather where I do, cooped up in heated buildings all day in winter or airconditioned buildings all day in summer I think I am beginning to get some allergies. There is no fresh air unless I make the effort to go for a walk.

I had a flu shot this time and still got sick. Go figure! I had it bad last year and hence the decision to get a shot this year. Not much changed.

It also does't help when patrons with all sorts of smells come in. The other day I walked by our computers and at the end of the walk I was sniffing myself. There was a horrible BO all around. Remember I had cold which also means a stuffy nose. The odour must have been so strong!

I was glad to find out it wasn't me. The whole area was perfumed! by BO. And a few minutes later walks in a lovely lady with heavy fruity perfume. My headache and sneezing just got worse!

Ciao

It is all about me

2008-11-05T08:51:00.006-07:00

I was asked to represent my library at a conference in the city. It was a conference for dealing with sleep disorders and problems associated with it during midlife. I set up a booth (with a colleague) and signed out books related to that topic. It was fun.

Home folks

2008-10-23T15:27:00.004-06:00

I am not originally from Canada and it is obvious to people from my own country that come into the library. They feel at home seeing me ( I guess) and I like to see them too. But it gets a bit uncomfortable sometimes.

The other day there was a lad from the same city that I am from. He asked me if I was from this city and started to chat. Problem is he always wants to speak in our native language. I am working. It doesn't look professional to chat with someone in my own language when I am on desk. So I responded to all his questions in English. I don't think he got it. After a couple of days he still tries to talk to me in our language. I am persistant though!

When I am working I don't want to socialize. Speak to me in the language of the land. At least give it a try! Only exception when I will speak in the other languages known to me is if the patron has difficulty communicating in English (or absolutely cannot speak it).

I am not responsible

2008-10-02T19:30:00.000-06:00

I overheard a conversation my colleague was having with her patron.

The patron wanted to use our computer. In our library patrons require a library card to log into public computers. She didn’t have a card. My colleague asked her to go to the circulation desk (about 5 feet away) to get herself a temporary card. To do this, a patron needs to offer a valid piece of identification which will be held at the circulation desk until the patron returns the card. But this patron wouldn’t budge. She came up with an excellent excuse though: “I am not responsible enough.”

Vow! Since she isn’t responsible enough she won’t take a temporary card from us. We had to set her up with one of our guest cards which we use for emergency purposes. I guess being irresponsible could be considered an emergency. I am glad my 8 year old didn’t overhear this conversation or he would use it too.

What is more amazing is that, when I looked up I noticed she was wearing a nurses’ uniform! God help us!!!

Anything else I can do for you.....?

2008-10-01T14:21:00.002-06:00

Incidents happen when you are on desk. Some are funny, some make you think, some are annoying. This was just funny.

An older lady came to the library. She comes often enough that she knows me and comes directly to me for help. She had a paper (torn off a magazine) which had information on how to enter a contest. She could win a purse and she desperately needed one (she said!)

I logged into the site for her but alas! the site required* an email identification from person. Our lady didn’t have one. So she suggested that I provide my email and then call her if she (I) win(s). How is that for customer service? I had to politely reject that suggestion. Any thing else I can do for you……?

I am ready to index

2008-09-23T14:26:00.003-06:00

Finally! After completing the indexing course through University of Berkeley Extension and setting up my website at Maha's Indexing, I am ready to index and proof-read.

I just need to find some writers and publishing houses to send me their books to index. I have already done a couple - take a look at my samples on the website. If you are reading this and if you have written a book talk to me. I offer great deals for first timers.

http://www.mahasindexing.synthasite.com/

Again, please post your comments. I enjoy them.

Library of Congress and Folger Shakespeare Library in DC

2008-09-15T11:27:00.001-06:00

My son and I had a chance to visit LOC in August. Enjoy the show.

My latest publication

2008-09-08T16:51:00.005-06:00

Check out my latest publication under publications called Decoarting Cents or click on this icon.

Library of Congress

2008-09-02T14:36:00.004-06:00

I was on a holiday on the Eastern part of US and had the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. My 8 year old and I visited the Library of Congress and were given a tour of the building. We were both overwhelmed by the sights - how beautiful the building was, the history of it, the history in it. Due to time constraints I couldn't use their reading rooms but managed to get a card to use later - hopefully on my next trip.... I will post some pictures soon.

Divi-ing Them Up

2008-08-05T12:57:00.006-06:00

Public Library patrons, just like any other patrons, come in all attitudes and moods. I thought I should divide them up. Here are some.

Cyclists: You never know what mood they are in today. They are usually non-expressive, but today they are upset. It could be they had a bad day elsewhere with something else but somehow a library seems like a good place to shake it all away. Have to be very wary of them.

Acrimonious: These patrons are always annoyed. Regardless of how cheerful everything around them is, they tend to show dissatisfaction about everything/everyone. It doesn’t matter how much time you spend with them to find what they need, they are still upset about something: you took too long, your damn computers weren’t fast enough for their research, you don’t have the updated version (which is still not published), the library is closing in 2 minutes and it is so inconvenient (doesn’t matter you have worked the last 7 hours on a Saturday), they don’t want to use databases they just want everything in print, oh! this list can be long.

Cheery: Contrary to the above, there are those who are always cheerful. It doesn’t matter you can’t find anything for them, they are so grateful you just tried. They thank you so profusely and leave.

Naggers: There are those who come in everyday (or call) with a question. One day it is an address, then it is about a product, then it is something else insignificant. Usually they are not looking for an answer. They are evasive about every question they ask and probably just come in to feel important and maybe have some company.

Know-it-alls: Oh these patrons know everything. But they check to see if you do. I added this out of personal experience from my library. They read about something then call the library and check to see if we give them the right answer. God forbid if you give them more than one likely possible answer. They will read the text (proof of their answer) over the phone to you.

Browsers: Then there are browsers – come only to browse the net: Kijiji, Bebo, Wiki – nothing research oriented. They want nothing off you. You might as well be running an Internet café.

Porn-ers: Should I mention the porn viewers here…..We usually give them the pink slip and ask them to leave. Many don’t even flinch while receiving the pink slip.

Demanders: These are patrons who never request. There is an “I pay the taxes and You Owe Me” attitude.

I’ll add more as I meet them.

MySpace and Facebook - Illegal?

2008-06-19T10:09:00.003-06:00

ABC has Aftab talking about keepings kids safe online. I am a mother and I am all for keeping mine safe. I am also all for snooping into my kids life. Hey! my mom did so and I turned out fine. I was mad at the time but now I am thankful she was watching me.

It is only harder for parents these days as there are too many social sites. Finding which one your kid is on is your first challenge, then getting into that site and tracing your child and his/her activities is just too much work for any parent today. In some cases, parents themselves are busy socializing on sites and they themselves don't know any better.

But what got me in this article was the reference to MySpace and Facebook being illegal for kids? Is that advertised somewhere or is the author just guessing this? If it is illegal, public libraries are in trouble. To throw in my 2 cents worth social sites should not be illegal to anyone. Humans should only be taught online socializing skills just as we were taught critical thinking and literacy skills and many others I can't bother to remember now.

Regulars and Irregulars at the Library

2008-06-18T10:30:00.001-06:00

When we open the doors at 10 a.m. they rsuh in to get to the computers. Some yell and fight to get THE computer they want. Once settled they play online games, browse some crappy sites which occasionally includes porn, check their emails, blog, bebo, orkut, chat and after booking a computer for the next day or two, leave. This is the morning routine at our branch. It is the same faces, same issues, and same questions. These are our regulars.

There are other regulars who drop in or call just to chat. They’ll start with a serious question of course – on politics, criminal codes, or any current event that is happening. Then they tell you what they think about those issues, ask you for an opinion. In my case I might have an accent and of course look different so the conversation expands to where I might be from, how long I’ve been here and anything else you can ask an immigrant.

Then there are some who come to flirt with staff. One of our staff members was asked out for coffee by a middle-aged bald guy with an accent. She is a happily married wife and mother of three teenagers and whatever made him think she would be interested in him we would never know. After many appeals to her for a coffee date he suggested that she watch Bridges of Madison County. I guess he doesn’t know that it is also a book. Isn’t there a free club in town where guys like him can hang out?

What about your library? I'm sure you get these fun types visiting you too?

Amazon and Salwar Kameez

2008-06-13T11:41:00.005-06:00

This cloud computing service that Amazon is doing is mostly amazing but…. I have seen some clothes being sold on Amazon but was really surprised to see ethnic clothes being sold too. I found Salwar Kameez. They also have African ruppa, kaftan, Dashiki, among other things. I didn’t’ even consider looking for this on Amazon. Actually I was Googling for Salwar Kameez patterns and Amazon showed up.

To me Amazon used to mean the online book store. Not any more. Actually not for a long time. But why? Why does everyone want to be everything? Why is there no focus? Is it really helping the customer or is it just about marketing and profiting. I am slightly put off by this and don’t know why. I have to think harder. Maybe it is because these major cloud services put small businesses out of business, maybe it is the monopolization, maybe it is because I am mentally prepared only to buy books from this store like I am mentally unable to buy bread from Walmart or just maybe I have had bad patrons today.

Libraries are following this same pattern. We want to be Starbucks, information kiosk, computer café, and whatever else is out there. I guess we are keeping ourselves in business too. We have been asked why we don’t have fax services, postal services, coffee vending machines, diapers for kids, offer free printing services, and a few other things that I can’t think of now. At least no one has suggested we sell clothes or may be they did and I just don’t know it yet.

Don’t get me wrong. I am all for going with the flow and doing whatever a library should do to keep up with our patrons’ needs. I am a virtual reference librarian and am happy to be one. But I really hope we don’t go tooooooo retail oriented – even in appearance.

By the way Amazon, I buy books from you. I will not buy a cotton salwar kameez for $80 from you.

Google Docs

2008-06-11T11:11:00.000-06:00

I know! I know! Some of you librarians do not like Google. I disagree. Unlike our patrons, I use it as one of the sources not as my only source.

I started playing with Google Docs – another of Google’s collaboration tools. I hadn’t seriously used it yet when one of my colleagues also brought it to my attention. That made me think about it seriously and wonder if I should design a class to teach our patrons. Think about it! You don’t need to buy Microsoft Office, can access it from anywhere on a computer and share your documents to be seen, worked on and edited at the same time from anywhere in the world. I recently published a paper on Google Co-op with a friend who lives in a different province. Check under My Publications. If you are co-writing a paper with a friend or colleague like I did, and you and your friend happen to live in two different parts of the world this would be a great way to collaborate. You could work on the same paper at the same time.

Panorama Software has partnered with Google to offer new capabilities to Google docs in terms of analytics, reporting and visualization process. You can analyze your data on spreadsheets using panorama’s pivot table. Click here for more on how to use Panorama Pivot Tables for Google Docs.

The three applications currently available on Google Docs are Documents (similar to Word), Presentations (similar to Powerpoint) and Spreadsheet (similar to Excel). You can share any of these withothers (or not) by inviting them as collaborators or just viewers. One important requirement is that you and your collaborator have a gmail id. Talk about marketing!

Your work can be saved and exported in any of these formats: DOC, XLS, CSV, ODS, ODF, PDF, RTF and HTML. From my previous posts you know I am also an indexer. Indexers are quite often asked to export their material in RTF format. If your old MS Office doesn’t have RTF, Google Docs does.

With my little exposure to this I have found that Documents lacks some of the features that MS Word has such as: a smaller tool bar, fewer font options, grammar check (Not that I use it much). I still haven't figured out how to present parts of the slide in a certain order with thier Presentation. The whole slide shows up at once. I want each sentence to appear one at a time as it can with powerpoint. I'll keep working.

Alright, I am beginning to sound like a free advertisement for Google Docs. So I’ll stop now and let you take a look.

Pearl Growing

2008-06-11T11:01:00.007-06:00

This is another technique that many searchers use sometimes unconsciously.

Start with the original idea and go from there.

Pearl growing involves false drops and precision.

When you send your query to a database you get hundreds and sometimes thousands of results. Not all of them are relevant. The non- relevant ones are called false drops. The relevant ones are precision.

You use the relevant articles (your precision results) to find more articles. This could mean you are using citations from the relevant articles (Citation pearl growing) or you are using more words and concepts, subject headings, descriptors from the relevant articles to grow your search further. Either way your pearl is growing.

“Site-ation pearl growing: methods and librarianship history and theory” by Sheryl L. Ramer is an interesting article on pearl growing search for medical information http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1175807

Truncation, Wildcards, Limits and Stop Words

2008-04-17T10:35:00.006-06:00

TRUNCATION
This is a way to extend your search for a word. For example: eat* will search for eating, eatery, eater, eats, etc. Not all databases use truncated searches. Some may not accept a truncated search. In most cases a * is used for truncation. Occasionally you might come across a database that uses some other symbol (such as ?) for truncation.

Ex: Using Ind* in Google searches for Indianapolis, International, Industries, India, etc. Of course in Google you have about 103,000,000 for Ind*in 0.22 seconds.

WILDCARDS
Wildcard search is used to find words with various spellings: colo?r will search color and colour, wom?n will search for woman and women. This is very helpful when you are not sure if the article was written in British English or American English.

Note: Wildcard and Truncation symbols may be interchanged by some databases. Find out what symbols are used for what under Help.

LIMITS
Users can also limit their searches by date, language, format, full-text or just abstract, etc. Most databases have a drop down menu of Limit options available.

STOP WORDS
This varies from database to database. Most common stop words are a, an, and, by, for, from, of, to, the, with, etc. Check their Help section to find out which are stop words for the given database.

Ph.D in Library Science

2008-04-15T10:57:00.002-06:00

For anyone interested in doing their Ph.D in Library Science off-campus, San Jose State University is offereing a Gateway Ph.D Program in partnership with Queen's Univeristy of Technology. It looks like there are some on-site components to this program but most of it can be done as distance education. If you are ready to commit to six years, this is a program for you.

Proximity Searching

2008-03-11T11:09:00.004-06:00

Some databases allow proximity searching. For example: you can search for the word religion (N) Civil War (N) United States: Here you are looking for all three words to appear NEAR each other in any order.

The user can indicate 5N to indicate that the two words being searched should be within five words of each other in any order.

Another proximity search commonly available is W – for WITHIN. You can search for Library W school.

Proximity searching increases accuracy in searching.

Databases such as Dialog have such refined search functions. When a database consists of millions of entries, this is a better option to search. Databases that have this service will have help information on what proximities searches to use and how.

Field Searching

2008-02-20T09:08:00.002-07:00

This is the ability to limit a search by fields: keyword, author, title, date, subject, etc. This again narrows down results
In most databases, field searching is available as a drop-down menu
If you do not restrict to field searching, the database searches all fields for the word(s) you put in the search box. This would be keyword search.
Other fields that a database may or may not have are (depending on the subject is deals with) : ISBN, ISSN, Journal title, Accession number, Geographic terms or locations, company name, NAICS code, product name, document title, document number, brand name, book review, etc.
Some databases have their own subject terms and you will have no option but to choose only from them. One example that comes to mind is the Greenwood Daily Life Online. You can also do a keyword search here but it is more effective to search using their subjects, timelines and geographic locations. Example from Greenwood:

· SUBJECT (view all)
o Holidays and Festivals
§ Carnival
§ Christmas
§ Easter
§ Festivals
§ Holidays
§ New Year's Celebrations
§ Ramadan
§ Spectacles
· TIME
o Ancient (beginning of time to 4th century CE)
o Medieval (5th century - 14th century)
o Modern (15th century - 19th century)
o Present (20th century -21st century)
· REGION
o Africa
o Asia
o Caribbean
o Europe
o Latin America
o Middle East
o North America
o Oceania

If you are not sure where to start, keyword is a good place. But if you know the title, author or the dates between which the item was published you can narrow your search using one or many different fields.

A title search can also be done using websites. For example in Google, to search for a book with a title Gregg Reference Manual, type intitle:Gregg Reference Manual. Searching this way will reduce the number of hits from 173,000 to about 7000. This is a more effective search if you know what you are looking for. It brings up information on the book titled "Gregg Reference Manual", instead of looking for three different words, Gregg, Reference and Manual.

Controlled Vocabulary

2008-01-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

LC Subject headings, Sears list of subject headings, Canadian Subject Headings, MeSH (Medical subject headings) thesaurus, descriptors, authority control could all be labeled as controlled vocabulary. This eliminates the need for the user to come up with synonyms for search terms

It helps refine ones’ search

Your database may or may not have a controlled vocabulary. But many offer some kind of subject lists to browse or narrow searches. If not, think of other terms you may want to use for an item you are searching: Use 'investment' instead of 'finance', or 'recipe' instead of 'cooking'

It is the lack of controlled vocabulary (selected list of words to search) that casues so much confusion on the web. What you find one day is lost the next.

Stay tuned for more search tools.....

Boolean logic

2008-01-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

Remember your venn diagrams from yesteryears! That is the basis of Boolean logic.

Uses And (+), OR and AND NOT (-)

They are spelled in capitals or symbols are used. OR is spelled out

AND represents intersection of two sets and will produce smaller results (Note that this AND is not additive. It limits the search)

OR represents a combination of two sets and will produce larger results (expands the search)

NOT, as the word means, excludes a term you do not want to see in the search. This also produces smaller results

What Boolean logic one uses depends on the database and what one is searching for. AND could produce too many results and you might have to use a NOT. Or, NOT might produce too few results and you may have to use AND and OR

Example: Typically, Mandoline NOT Slicer should search for items that are catagorized as Mandolin or Mandoline and omit slicer as a search word. Hence there will be fewer results. (143,000 hits in Google not all of them relevant)
Example: Mandolin OR Slicer will evidently have more results than the previous search. (366,000 hits in Google)
How exactly the results are displayed and what information is retrieved for the user will all depend on the level of sophistication of your database.

(BTW: My new love is for Mandolins that chop or grate your vegetables just perfectly)

More search tools to come.....

Know Thy Database

2007-12-05T08:43:00.001-07:00

When I started library school it was all a bit confusing: What is a database, who puts them together, what’s in them, why are there so many different ones, which is the best one, etc. I was so naïve and didn’t think of the money involved in such things.

I like to think of an aggregated database as a big box. It is a place for storing information. Or you can imagine it as a filing cabinet. This cabinet could be Ebsco, Infotrac or Thomson Gale, ProQuest or any of the aggregators available out there.

Inside filing cabinet are folders. Imagine folders as individual databases bought by the aggregators. They could be a database of magazines, academic journals, newspaper articles, collection of online books, etc. These folders contain papers in them. These papers contain the information within the databases - the actual article. Does that make sense?

As a librarian, your job is to know what your filing cabinet contains so you can serve your patrons better. Every drawer in the filing cabinet could be a different aggregator. To makes things more interesting your organization might have various ways in which you can access these cabinets. Choose the best one for the question thrown at you and you will have a good day!

Gum Chewers at the Frontline

2007-12-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

I am not a gum chewer. Even as a teen I don’t remember chewing gum under peer pressure – mostly because it caused me headaches. All that chewing!

I look around me and see that many here like to chew gum, including adults. I am not against that. Who am I tell you not to chew gum? But I do not like it when I have to deal with someone who is talking to me while chewing gum. Should people at the front line be chewing gum? Chew it during your break, lunch time, on your way home, at home….anywhere you like but at work – especially when you are dealing with customers.

I was so intrigued by people chewing gum non-stop that I decided to look for information about it. Just Googling found me a few results.

Here is one that claims gum chewing increases memory. Hmmm…!! Had I known I would have chewed some gum before every exam!

Here is another one: this is my favourite. This is a gum that enhances breasts! Vow ladies! Forget surgery! Just buy some gum!

It is funny, but this is a big industry. Companies are not only coming up with different kinds and flavors of gum, but are also working on gum cleaners – products that use enzymes to break down the chemical structure of chewing gum so they can be removed easily from hair, clothes or anywhere you stick them. Environmental Health Perspectives (Oct 2005): p.A663(1)

There was another article (I forget where), that talked about new moms chewing gums for the first couple of years, so they don’t pass on dental caries to their newborns.

With all this encouraging news (!) and more to come (from the gum industry) I guess no one will stop chewing gum for a while!

Five Reasons Why I Went to Library School

2007-11-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

I have had many other jobs. One of them was at a bank. Believe me, people and money simply don’t go together. It is as if a monster gets a hold of them when they come into the bank. Why? They have been charged a fee. They lost a draft and the bank tells them to try and find it. The bank tells them to use online services if they want free transactions. The list goes on and on.
I was also teaching at a college. I had 120 students in each of my classes. My voice doesn’t carry well in a large room with that many students and there was no microphone. And can you imagine the paper corrections!
I accidentally found a paging position and happened to like not only being in a library but also my co-workers. They were so polite and seemed to know, understand and be curious about people from other cultures, unlike my bank co-workers who thought I was from another planet and had to be dealt with very sensitively or not.
The above accidental job, lead me to other jobs, also in libraries. I realized I liked all the libraries I worked at: public, college and University. This is where I belong.
By now I have had 7-8 years experience of working at libraries. I had been trying to go to library school but we seemed to always move to a state or city that didn’t have library school. Finally it happened. I got into a well-known university after a bit of a fight with them. And here I am - a virtual reference librarian. And to think this happened within two years of my graduation! I will call it luck!

Indexing

2007-11-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

I have joined Sylvia Coates's indexing course. I have wanted to do this for the last 3 years -since I took an indexing class at library school in 2005. I felt that I was a natural at this (not that anyone has confirmed it) and decided then that I should pursue it further. Since our Canadian rates are now higher than U.S. rates I took this opportunity.

I am about halfway through the course and maybe it is too early to say I am doing alright. I am learning along with my other virtual classmates that there is much to it than just being a natural. The business side of it is a bit apprehensive, but hey! everything comes with practice. I just need to remember that when it is business, there are legal issues involved and follow instructions carefully with publishers. If I get stuck there is always the listeserves to go to and find an answer. Let me tell you, indexers are pretty good at helping each other. They help you with software issues, finding proper wording, and finding some work. Hmmmm! I guess I should make some indexing friends.

I think librarians will find it interesting to index a book. We read many books anyway why not make some money out of it. I think I will give it a try!

I am ready for the future library. Are you?

2007-11-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

Thode library at McMaster is renovating. All that is old is being gutted or moved to make room for new.

Personally, I am ready for a library with diner-style booths and oversized ottomans. I am ready to face print vs. electronic challenge. We know that the younger generation is looking for more and more electronic ways of finding information and communicating them. If we don't meet their needs, there will be no point in having a library.

I work at a wonderful library and yet completely understand when patrons get frustrated that we do not fulfill their needs: no downloading previleges, adobe doesn't really work on our old computers and modern saving technology such as USB sticks and even CD's are not an option yet. But we are heading into the future slowy and surely.

What use would we be of, as libraries, if we didn't cope with changes and go into the future with our patrons? What was it S.R. Ranganathan said - Books are for use! Yes. There weren't online resources in his days or he would have said online resources are also for use.

Let's change! Library is indeed a growing organism. Let's grow with it and embrace all that is changing.

Click here for more on H.G. Thode's Library of Science and Engineering at McMasters.

What about my genealogy?

2007-10-18T16:54:00.000-06:00

CBC’s Who Do You Think You Are has brought a lot of attention to genealogy. People in my library and I am sure all over Canada are logging into http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/index-e.html and turning to their local libraries for help to trace their ancestry. VPL has a pamphlet called Explore Your Chinese-Canadian Roots available at http://www.vpl.ca/ccg/ and an information sheet on Indo-Canadian History. Being an Indo-Canadian myself I have always wondered about researching in this area. I know that none of my folks came to Canada but they did go to other places. I am sure it would be thrilling to find out about ones’ forefathers and point ones' place in the family tree.

Are you looking for more information? Your local library should have the databases and print sources necessary. Look for these databases:

1. Ancestry Library Edition

2. Biography and Genealogy Master Index

Other Sources:

• Marriage records
• birth records
• death records (obituary index)
• Census
• Immigration and Citizenship records

A good blog to refer to on genealogy: http://genrootsblog.blogspot.com/

A9.com has revamped its appearance

2007-10-05T14:52:00.000-06:00

Tweaking, tweaking and more tweaking! A9.com, a site produced by Amazon has revamped its appearnce. There are two choices in its search box - the OpenSearch and Product Search. OpenSearch has results from A9.com. According to their website "OpenSearch is a set of simple formats for the sharing of search results" which means OpenSearch is an aggregator that searches many sites at once. I would like to know (I am not a techie) how that is different from other search engines that search many sites at once - such as Google.

Their Product Search searches amazon sites worldwide. Convenient!

Library Science Degree Online

2007-10-04T15:31:00.001-06:00

Recently Dr. Ken Haycock came to Regina to give a presentation on San Jose's fully accredited online MLIS program. Unfortunately I couldn't attend this presentation. Here is the website if you would like to pursue this further: http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/disted.htm

I also did a google search and found this information http://www.worldwidelearn.com/arts-humanities/library-science.htm

Just make sure you find an MLIS program that is fully accredited by ALA if you are going to work in North America.

When I was looking for such help there weren't any schools offering a fully online MLIS. Hybrid classes were available. This will be useful to many living in States and provinces that do not have an MLIS program in their region. Hope we have more librarians in the future! Hurray!

Oh Behave!

2007-09-12T10:09:00.000-06:00

There are certain things to remember when you are in public or are dealing largely with public. Not everyone who comes in is clean.

Kids sneeze on their hands and pick up their library card with the same hand and pass it to you. Understandable! They are just kids! But it is gross when adults do it. They lick their finger so they can manage paper easily and then you get to touch it. They sneeze on their clothes and the books they want to borrow and then you get to handle it. Some don’t even pretend to wipe their hands.

It is really awful when a parent decides he/she cannot possibly take the time to take her child in diapers that absolutely needs a change to the washroom. They are too busy browsing – their life must depend on it. I love working with the public but I do not want to smell dirty diapers – No thank you!

On the other hand you have some with heavy perfumes or body lotions you just want to faint.

Hey public! you wouldn’t like it if a staff looked dirty or smelt strongly of anything. Please be kind to us too. We handle a lot of you in any given day.

Patrons who make your day

2007-09-01T11:02:00.000-06:00

Depending on whether you work in a public library, school library, college or University library your day could be made or ruined by patrons. In an educational setting usually students are well behaved. They don't get annoyed that you don't carry an item they need right now. They just wallow in disappointment and walk away unhappy. But in a public library setting, quite often if not always, patrons demand help. It is their tax money that keeps us running and pays our bills. There is a sense of "You owe me."

Once in a while you are lucky to have a wonderful patron come by just to make your day. I served a patron who was in her late 70s. I wish I could be half as active as her when I am her age. She was in to find about books on water color. She was taking courses on this subject. She also mentioned she has come to the library in her scooter. She just bought one and has learnt how to drive. Is she amazing or what?

I have a lot of ideas as to what I would do when I retire. Will I really be as practical as this lady whom I just met? Or is it just going to be ideas in the back of my mind.

Hats off to you lady and people like you who thrive on being active and learning new things.

Fragrant Flowers

2007-08-16T15:48:00.000-06:00

Of all the flowers I have known, smelt and adorned my hair with I am very partial to Jasmine. I love all kinds of Jasmine. Oh! If you are wondering what a librarian has to do with Jasmine, I am just testing my site to see how I can upload pictures.

Ask’s Unified Search Engine: A Three Pane Approach

2007-06-11T14:29:00.000-06:00

Ask.com’s AskX has a three pane approach. I searched for something simple like “Zebra” and had a three pane result. Unlike Google, which has one search box and multiple results displayed in the result page, AskX which also has a box search displays its results in three different panes.

The right hand pane has the search box along with options to narrow or expand your search term.

The centre pane has your results. The sponsored had a place as well. In fact they are displayed on the top and bottom, just in case you miss it.

The left hand pane has something other than just websites. These include, images, information from Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, etc.

For images, one can also click the left hand pane option, just above the search box. This displays your images in the centre pane.

This is efficient vertical search approach. Users are educated by showing them how else they could search with the narrow and expand options.

Google has been around for a while but I still find myself showing users to use the images option if they want just pictures. Google also has vertical search options available through Google Co-op. Unlike with Google, the user doesn’t have to create an engine with a list of websites to do a vertical search. AskX automatically narrows or expands the search for the user with its three panes.

The three pane approach is simpler and efficient as the user can see all the options at once. The interface looks good and uncluttered despite so much information on the screen.

I haven’t played with My Stuff yet. Registration is required. Maybe that’ll be my next blog.

Try a search at http://www.ask.com/?ax=1

The Flying Librarian

2007-05-27T09:30:00.000-06:00

In December I traveled back to Canada from India. It was a long trip and we had five hops. Somewhere along the way we lost two of our baggage and didn’t know about it until we reached Toronto. And we had one more hop to make. We were flying Air Canada from Frankfurt.

We got home and got one of the baggage sent back to us after almost a week. The second one – no body knew of its whereabouts. All I had was the 1-800 number given to me by Air Canada. Much to my astonishment that number took me back to India. If you didn’t already know, India is now famous for its call centres. Young men and women who can speak English are hired and trained to speak in American accents. These poor souls don’t have a clue where any luggage is. They look at almost the same computer screen that I look at from my computer in Canada and tell me they don’t know where my luggage is. Well, I can tell that myself.

I get in touch with people, people who are important in the airline industry to find my luggage. Lucky for me I knew people who knew people. One of these people from India tells me they found a baggage matching my description and details of contents and that it is at Frankfurt Airport. I had some peculiar things and I knew right away that it was my bag. How many would people carry a gold/black saree and a rice grinder in a black bag? Now I was all excited that something was known of my luggage. But do you think I could get Air Canada to get it over for me?

I called the number in India and explained it to them. I was very patient although it had now been over a month since I last saw my bag. They kept asking me to call them next week. Why? I don’t think even they knew the answer. I tried all the numbers listed on the Air Canada website and couldn’t get through to anyone. When I finally did, he transferred me back to the 1-800 number. He did so even after I asked him not to put me through to that number. I specifically asked to speak to a person to whom I could explain that I have found my bag and all they need to do is just bring it to me.

It was February and I still hadn’t been able to find my luggage that I imagined was sitting in a room crowded with all the other lost bags. It was frustrating that Air Canada didn’t do anything about finding my bag. It was even more frustrating that even after I found it, they wouldn’t do anything to reunite me with my bag. Trust me, those call centre gals and boys were wasting my time. Or they just loved hearing my angry voice week after week.

Remember I said I knew people. I called one of those people who worked for Air Canada itself in Canada and pleaded with him to do something. All he had to do was make one phone call. My bag found its way home in two days. We were happy to find each other. I can grind all the rice I want to make my Dosas and wear my gold/black saree.

Once emotionally stable, I couldn’t stop thinking how chaotic this whole experience was. Being a librarian I am fairly organized. I don’t think anyone in Air Canada or at least in the call centre knew how to handle my request. They were not trained to expect unusual situations - such as what to do when a customer says they have found their own luggage. If Air Canada has a library, I really hope it is not as chaotic as their luggage handling department.

All is fine when your luggage leaves and arrives with you. But if you loose it then I wish you Good Luck. You’ll certainly need it. For, as my friend in Air Canada tells me, luggage gets auctioned off after a while and you will see no trace of it.

Welcome to my Search Box

2007-01-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

I have just come back from a short but wonderful holiday in India. Unfortunately I couldn’t get much done other than visiting family and friends. I would have loved to visit some libraries in Chennai, which is where I was staying most of the time.

I did visit Higginbothams, a well-known Chennai book store. It is one of the oldest bookstores in the city (1844). For information on this please check out this site:

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20051023/spectrum/main2.htm

Being a public librarian, I shopped here for books on Mehndi, embroidery, etc. so I can have some young adult programs at my branch.

On getting back to Canada, I have been trying to survive a snowstorm, get over the fact that my airline has lost a bag and has no knowledge of its whereabouts and find time to write. One of my achievements in January has been trying to find a way to add a search box in my blog. After hours of work (I don’t have html knowledge), I managed to do what I wanted.

Before adding a search box, I created a search roll using Rollyo. I wanted to create a search for librarians who are on the look out for jobs in the library field from all around the world. I added as many Web sites as I could find that have information on library jobs. Remember this is only a trial. Please feel free to use this search box and send me your comments. If you know of any important Web sites that will be useful for this search, do let me know about them.

I am also working on adding another search box using Google co-op in the future. So keep checking this blog.

Reading and Reviewing

2006-11-30T05:47:00.002-07:00

Ask a librarian what they like to do and most often you will hear the word “read.” I cannot imagine a librarian who doesn’t like reading. What they like to read may and will differ. Some like to read fiction and others like non-fiction. Then there are genres or subjects to choose from. Many like me will read from all genres just to keep up-to-date.

I like reading non-fiction and just finished LONDONISTAN by Melanie Phillips. Being a first generation immigrant myself this was a scary book to read. But I am not writing about politics so I won’t go into any details about this book. It is probably this love of reading that helps librarians in their day–to-day job. They know of books, read some of them (of course the perception is that they have read every book in the building), order them for their library and will easily put together a book list for readers. There will be help from Novelist too.

Reviewing a book is a different area altogether. I have, so far, reviewed two good books. The first was a young adult fiction and the second was young adult non-fiction – a biography at that. I am reading the third one right now. In my experience, reviewing a fiction is not as hard as reviewing a non-fiction. One likes the style of fiction or doesn’t, one finds it believable or doesn’t. Characters are real or aren’t. The research that has gone into the book is also something to consider while reviewing books. If the book is set in Victorian Era and the kids are talking about Jimmy Neutron, then something is wrong here.

While reviewing the biography I read the book and then read biographies written by other authors. I will admit I don’t read every book (that I read for reference) cover to cover. I would highlight important dates and events, just to ensure that all stated facts in a biography are correct. But since it is a young adult book the author might have decided to keep it short and sweet. How many young adults want to read a 500 page biography? Besides, if they are doing any homework on this person they would have to read more than one book anyway.

So my point is? Obviously I enjoy reading and reviewing books. If you like reading, why not review a book too? It makes you read the book more thoroughly – concentrating on the plot, character development and in case of a biography historically important events, dates and real-life personalities. And your review helps others decide whether or not they want to read this book. And you have one more thing to add to your resume.

Make reading enjoyable.

The Trust

2006-10-12T09:22:00.000-06:00

It is amazing how much trust is entrusted in one who is a “librarian.” And all this trust, without ever actually testing the person to confirm his/her abilities in performing the given task. For me, all this is working well.

In my library, I have been trusted to teach “advanced level computer classes” on a one-on-one basis. What do I know about programming and hardware technology? Not much. I powerpoint presented to death in library school. I have taken other computer classes before and after library school. Some were self-taught.

But I am not teaching programming. People call us at the branch and ask for help with powerpoint, Excel, using their laptop or anything in Microsoft Office. I can do that. I am the only one at my branch willing to teach at such “high” level. Many of the students are seniors and they are glad that some one will sit with them patiently for an hour and answer their questions. Some are already comfortable using a computer and just want to know how to use a certain program – for their church or community organization. Others want to know how they can communicate with their children in other provinces or countries through email. I find it a delight to teach as I have done this before, long ago in my life. And it is mighty encouraging to receive good evaluation/reviews from your students.

I don’t have a designed lesson plan as the lessons and the knowledge base of students differ from week to week. I go in knowing what I know and adjust my style based on the individual. That is what the students find helpful. I follow the pace of my students.

I would like to know from my blog readers, if there are any other libraries teaching such lessons. What works for you and what doesn’t?

My Latest Job

2006-06-12T13:48:00.000-06:00

To those of you following this blog, I apologize for not updating it. I have an excuse and a good one. I have found a full-time job.

I didn’t think it would happen so soon but I have found a job that is permanent, offers vacation time and pay and other benefits. It also offers me challenges :

 I collect Adult and Young Adult Hardcovers – Fiction and Non-Fiction. Now that is major challenge for one has to follow the collection development guidelines of the institution and watch the huge budget. As I work at one of the seven branches, the collection management is also a team effort.
 I manage 14 pages:
o I do their time sheets every 15 days so they can get paid on time
o I make up their monthly work schedules
o Answer day-to-day question
o Solve everyday issues such as absences, shift-trades, shelving procedures, etc.
 I do displays at the branch. In April I did a gardening display and increased the gardening books circulation. As June has Aboriginal and Multicultural Day in Canada, I have arranged for display of materials in those two areas.
 I plan, organize and conduct programs for young adults
 I go to schools and talk to them about our programs
 I work with the childrens’ librarian and the branch manager in solving staff problems, branch issues and arrange programming schedules
 I am on desk 15 hours a week, helping patrons and keeping in touch with the clientele that comes to this branch

Since there are so many different responsibilities in this position I haven’t fallen into a rut yet. I like being a manager and enjoy working with people. I am creative and love coming up with program ideas for young adults. I have to wait and see if they love them too.

What this job lacks for me is being able to find answers to challenging reference questions raised by patrons. I have not been able to get much of that. Most questions are about fiction authors and books. It is also interesting to note that not many public library patrons are into databases. At least, not in my branch anyway. I know our Main Library is very busy answering reference questions.

Well, I guess I can’t have it all. Or perhaps, not all at once. Patience!!!

Library Corps

2006-04-09T14:06:00.000-06:00

http://cs.ala.org/ra/LCorps/RFP.doc

Now there is an idea. Let’s forget about the younger generation that has finally figured out what they want to do with their lives and decided to go to library school. Let’s forget that they need to find their niche in the field – whether they want to be in public, school, academic or any other kind of library. Let’s forget their talent and bring in people who want to retire. That will certainly boost the economy and boost confidence in those currently in school.

Leslie Burger, the ALA President-elect is worried that the retiring librarians will take away a wealth of knowledge and experience with them. I do understand her concern but that is the way things work in any field. Also, somehow this doesn’t sound like trying to keep the wealth of knowledge, but more like trying to get free workers for libraries. Those librarians who want to continue to work will volunteer themselves. So instead of working on a proposal for trying to get them back, how about recruiting fresh graduates and getting them trained on the job while the older librarians are still working. Wouldn’t that be a better idea? New and old knowledge combined with experience will only enhance librarians’ capabilities and the libraries’ performance levels.

This problem only makes me want to go to the root of the problem. I feel library schools should recruit more carefully and stop churning so many librarians every year. They should screen the students who enter – for their interest and their knowledge in this field. Library schools need to encourage more practicum experience – how about a requirement of working in at least 3 different libraries (for practicum) that the student might be interested in. I am only speaking from my experience here and I would have liked to explore more possibilities and gotten more training from my library school. I know school cannot teach us everything, but it certainly do more than it did for me.

Continuation of the Art of Preparing for an Interview

2006-03-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Is this your first interview at a library? Are you at a loss? Do you have no idea what to prepare for? Here are some questions that you might find helpful to keep in mind while you prepare for your interview. Dress appropariately, be confident and good luck!

1. What motivates you?

2. What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in your career?

3. Think about creativity as a continuum. Do you consider yourself an adaptor or an innovator? Why? Can you give me an example?

4. Are you more comfortable dealing with concrete, tangible or abstract, conceptual issues?

5. How much of a risk-taker are you? Describe a situation where taking a risk paid off, for you or for your employer?

6. How assertive are you?

7. What makes you stand out among your peers?

8. How would your friends describe you?

9. What sorts of organizational changes have you found hardest to accept?

10. How would you balance the expectations that our organization has of you participating in out-of-system committees and organizations and your private life?

11. How do you deal with needy people?

12. Describe the most difficult person you’ve had to work with.

13. Think of a particular instance with that person and tell me how the outcome could have been different.

14. How would you describe your learning ability?

15. How would you describe your teaching or training style? How easily can you adapt to the learner’s style?

16. What experience have you had with facilitating?

17. Describe your experience with strategic planning.

18. Would you use the same approach today?

19. How would you describe your negotiation skills?

20. How do you prefer to organize your time?

21. How do you set priorities? How flexible is your priority list?

22. If, at the end of the day, you had not accomplished all you intended to, what would you say or do?

23. How well do you multi-track?

24. How do you handle interruptions? How easy is it for you to get back into what you were doing?

25. Do long-term projects get boring?

26. Can you thrive in stressful situations? Against tight deadlines? When you have competing priorities or too many balls in the air?

27. How independently can you work?

28. What makes a good team?

29. How easily can you become part of a team? What role do you tend to take on a team?

30. What makes a meeting successful?

31. How would you describe your management philosophy and style?

32. Would previous employers or staff agree with this assessment?

33. How would you describe your decision-making approach? Are you decisive? Quick? Thorough? Intuitive or purely fact-based? Solo?

34. Tell me about a difficult or challenging decision you made recently.

35. How do you approach supervision and coaching of staff? Do you tend to delegate or direct?

36. How would you describe your problem-analysis skills and style?

37. How would you describe the amount of structure, direction and feedback that you need to excel?

38. What is your philosophy about collection management?

39. Summarize your computer/automation skills.

40. Where do you see libraries in 2015?

41. What made you choose librarianship as a career?

42. What do you view as the advantages for you of joining our team? Disadvantages?

43. Where do you see yourself in 2015?

44. What one reason would you give if I said “Tell me why we should hire you”?

45. When could you start, if we offer you the position?

46. Any questions?

These are some sample interview questions most of which came from a friend who was interviewed by a library system in Alberta, Canada. I would like to thank Linda and Karen Labuik for letting me post these questions here.

Learning through vodcasting and podcasting – the good, the bad and the ugly

2006-02-20T08:28:00.001-07:00

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/cnspolitics/story.html?id=c6fcd15e-d1e7-4ec1-a8bc-5b8813ee08e4

This is indeed a great idea. It would stay great if this is also open access – for students I mean. Suppose I live in some far away country and go to a University where the professor is about to retire and does not care much about the subject he is teaching, I can always go online to the big North American universities and quench my thirst for knowledge. It would be ideal if the papers they mention in class are also available via Open Access.

But, what about the professors who teach? Are they okay with their lectures being heard in unknown parts of the world? Will they be comfortable teaching or speaking their mind to students when they know someone is watching? Will the government come down on them for expressing their views on religion, politics and what not, every time there is a national disaster? For we all know how 9/11 affected freedom of personal opinions and thoughts and librarians are still trying to work on a perfect Patriot Act.

If Web masters at Universities have a final say in what is broadcast (outside of the University) and what isn’t, doesn’t that make them too powerful. I realize there will be others who have a say in what is allowed for broadcasting openly. Maybe a committee! How will the committee decide? What should the University be afraid of? And for whom? Will they be worried for the professor, the students who learn things from him or for the reputation of the university? Will they be worried about the funds they get, the grants they might not get and the future enrollment of students? Will something discussed in class affect global relationships and international marketing? If for the above fears, professors are told what to or not to talk about in class, doesn’t that affect freedom of expression?

As wonderful as vodcasting and podcasting l sound, I am also apprehensive about it for the above mentioned reasons.

Until next time...

Got a job! Is it The Job?

2006-02-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

I am happy to say I have got a job. Is it The job? Well, what would make a job “the job?”

• Permanency – this is good for you don’t have to start the applying process all over again at the end of your contract
• Vacation pay – oh fantastic! Who wouldn’t want that!
• Vacation time – and lots of it with pay
• Competitive salaries and benefits – no need to say more

I have to say my job doesn’t have any of the above. But there are other things that constitute to the greatness of a job. Those would be:
• A good challenge – I am the kind of person who loves this. I don’t like to get into a rut and do the same thing over and over again. I love to learn new things everyday. My job has provided me with good challenges and here are a few
o I am the first librarian hired by this institution – that cannot be easy for a new graduate who has never worked as a librarian
o I drafted a collection development policy
o I wrote goals, visions and missions for the library based on the organizations goals and visions.
o My first month was spent on weeding
o The rest of the collection is being divided into broad subject categories (some categories already existed) and is being given call numbers
o These subject categories are also being color coded or given some kind of spine labels to visually differentiate them from the rest
o I am researching automation and circulation software possibilities for such a small collection as ours
o With the automation/circulation software, I am hoping to get barcodes for our collection
o I am trying to get us library cards – make it all official
o I am in the process of redesigning the website in collaboration with a Web designer who works from Ontario
o My users complained that the way items are “annotated” on the Web site doesn’t make much sense to them as to what is in the book. So I have decided to type up the Table of Contents and display them for each item. Some of our collection, as it is produced by provincial or federal agencies, is available on line. The URL for that is being included on the website, so users can access the information with a click from their homes. This will be an informal digital or electronic library in a way. Or call it Open Access.
• Great co-workers – this is really important as it can make or mar your job. I have got them.
• Parent organizations’ support – having support from who ever is above you that has the control buttons to have your library running or not is critical. My organizations’ director is willing to hear me out and learn from me what the library should be like. That doesn’t happen very often. She likes my vision for the library and is willing to do things that she possibly can.
• Future possibilities – As this is a very young library the possibilities are endless. With some funding help this will be a great library – have ILL, form consortia, digitize our information – oh! the possibilities are exciting.

Don’t go away for too long. I will have more to ramble next time.

The Electronic Paper

2006-01-06T10:21:00.001-07:00

Here it is….

http://tinyurl.com/8dvno

Here is the book of the future or at least an initial version of it. The one many kids have been waiting for. It is small, portable and easy to read.

I guess this means no more print! Or does it? For years there has been speculation whether print is permanent and many have cautiously suggested that a “paperless dream” might still turn into reality at some point. But it was all a matter of conjecture until now. As S.D. Neill predicted, if “in 2010 the full-scale colonization of space between the earth and the moon will begin” we cannot be hauling around huge print books and reference material. E-Pubs from Sony and similar devices that are yet to come into the market at a more affordable price are the answer?!

I get headaches if I constantly sit at the computer and read. But it could be the age. Maybe I need glasses. But if we can watch TV on our cell phone and read books and do so any time whether you are on a plane, at home or other places I don’t dare to think of right now, with devices such as E-Pubs, I wonder what optometrists might have to say when we go for the annual check-up! After all E-Pub allows for “immersive reading.”

Until I have something more to ramble about,

Technology - boon or bane?

2005-12-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

Technology! Technology! Technology!

Many librarians have groaned about the encroachment of technology into their lives and I even had classmates asking why on earth we should learn about Access and Power Point in library school. We were told that if we didn’t want to miss the bus we better learn technology – at least some of it.

It is not just the ubiquitous computers that constitute technology in libraries. There are intricate databases, electronic libraries and quite recently RFID tags. Not many patrons know of RFID tags. But in the library community there were questions of privacy. It is not just libraries that use RFID, so does Walmart and the Defense Department of U.S. http://tinyurl.com/d5h5r

RFID is popular in the medical community as well. The medical community claims that RFID chips will help them monitor their patients. Every technology, of course, is introduced to the larger community with a promise that it is going to better their lives. Only time can tell if these claims are true.

While it looks like RFID is being embraced by giants like Walmart, a Japanese library has come up with a plan to make users’ lives easier too. You don’t need to carry a library card, just use your palm. This is of course not a very new idea. It has been suggested before in the name of “Smart Card” by Kenneth Dowlin in his “Libraries and the future.”

Click here for details on Japanese palm-vein security system: http://tinyurl.com/a9mqw

This system offers a higher level security system, claims Fujitsu Ltd. the system vendor. So I guess the choice now for users is whether they want a chip inserted into their fatty tissues below the triceps or to have their palm veins recorded with an infrared light. I understand safety precautions are important especially in the wake of 9/11 and that once you have one kind of technology it is only natural that it will lead to another. Yet all this sounds too high tech. Really! is all this technology boon or bane?

Does Internet make us Illiterates?

2005-12-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting article written by Naomi Baron, a linguistics professor at the University of Washington. http://www.startribune.com/stories/562/5756116.html. I agree that all this internet, digital, online, electronic – whatever one might choose to call the new media –information has made (or at least it seems so) the younger generation lazy. While librarians and to some extent publishers are thinking of making users’ lives easier in their search for information by providing electronic access, the same electronic community is also forgetting that evaluating the information they find is a crucial step. Librarian and teachers have tried to reiterate this in their instruction modules. But it doesn’t seem to spread to all levels of students.

Also with internet users, including myself, browse. Browsing is not the same as reading. Quite often I only read the headlines and don’t go any further. This along with the fact that users are not evaluating their information will no doubt lead to an illiterate society. But, I do not agree with Naomi when she asks “will effortless random access erode our collective respect for writing as a logical, linear process?” There are many cases where the process of writing is being abused through wikis, blogs and personal websites. But this has also given students and the public in general a chance to explore the art of writing. Writing comes with practice and it helps when someone passes along a positive or constructive criticism. I understand that unfortunately not much of that goes around either. Teachers in school can help with this problem. If children learn at a young age about the etiquettes of writing, our future blogs, wikis and many other nameless softwares that are yet to come will be of better quality. As she mentioned Cliff Notes and Reader’s Digest have been around for a while and yet there was a user community that took the time to read the primary texts. Some one encouraged this – a teacher, a parent or a librarian. We have to continue doing this. This is asking too much, but it would be nice if we can forget the economy for a while and concentrate on issues that will really better our lives in future – helping form a truly literate society.

New media always come with new set of problems. It will take some time and effort from all of us to fix these problems.

MK

The Art of Preparing For an Interview

2005-11-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

Having attended a few interviews since I finished library school I thought I would share my experiences by tell you a thing or two to look for when you go to an interview.

First important thing is being called for an interview. If you get a call asking you to come for an interview you have done something right. Keep up the good work on those cover letters.

As part of the preparation for the interview read the job description carefully. Prepare for everything expected in that. Some of it might be in fine print. If the job description needs you to update their religious section, then learn of some important sources you might use to update such a section.

•Think of a few indispensable reference sources in the area.
•Think of a couple of names – famous authors who have published or written about this area.
•Think of publishers whose books you would buy for this area.
•Think of how you would go about collection development and management for this area – look at other libraries that are similar in size.
•Of course if you are preparing for Government Documents librarian position, know what is happening in the local, provincial and federal governments at the given time.

Sources such as IPL, LII, will prove useful. Know something about collection development. If you are expected to catalog some documents, go back to your notes and see what important concepts you need to remember while cataloging – principles, standards.

Keep up on library news from associations such as ALA, YALSA, CLA, MLA --depending on the position you are applying for.

All these are apart from the regular preparation about your strengths, weaknesses, and why you are interested in working for this library. Don’t forget to prepare for situational questions. Also come up with examples of what you did and what you would like to do different in a given situation.

More to come,
MK

What to do after library school?

2005-11-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

I finished library school in July 2005 and since then have moved to a different province. I took my time settling in and it was an adjustment for the family even though we were familiar with this province. (We lived here before). Once we settled I started to look around and apply for jobs. I am, of course, looking for the perfect job and haven’t found one yet.

The perfect job would only require me to work 9 – 5, no evenings and no weekends. Such a job, I have not found yet. It has been four months. I have had three interviews and was encouraged by people high in the hierarchy to apply to their institution again. Good comments were circulated among librarians about me but we are all waiting – me and the librarians – for the best position that would suit me: A position that would require an MLIS degree and no previous librarian experience. Good luck.

I do not like to get bored. So I decided to do other things that would entertain me as well as augment my resume for the next application I send in. I thought I should share this with my readers so you can get some ideas as to what to do while waiting for a job.

Here is what I did:

I wrote two papers – one of which has been accepted for publication and another being read. This was indeed my first attempt at writing for publication. Not only is it good to have published a paper or two to show that you are really interested in this field, it is also enlightening and it helped me catch up on many things I couldn’t possibly read while still at school.

I was fortunate enough to have been offered indexing work by a National Museum in Vancouver. I volunteered to index their newsletters. That occupies most of my time. Find something that is related to the library field, even if it means volunteering.

I also found an interesting online course being offered by ALA/ACRL and decided to join. This is something employers look for. Continuing Education shows them you are committed.

The World Digital Library

2005-11-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

It was clear from the start of the internet era that such a thing as World Digital Library was going to be a possibility. While the idea of a digital library intrigues me, it also pains me to see that this is yet another digitization project. I agree we need information which human minds can process and convert to knowledge and then gain wisdom. But are digitized materials alone enough of information?

In a fast world where everything is electronic, it does make sense for libraries to take this route. After all, the users’ convenience is very important to take into consideration while providing library services: as S.R. Ranganathan said, “Save the time of the Reader.” It would be wonderful to have information at the tip of the fingers, regardless of where one lives assuming one has access to all that is necessary.

Obviously bombarding the entire population of the globe with information alone will not be enough. They need to be educated on what is reliable information – evaluate information for its authority, currency and all those things we learnt in library school. Mary Parker Follet called community a creative process. I tend to think of a library as a community as well as an information house. It is here that people come together. And I am sure, that by ‘creating’ Mary Follet meant more than just digitizing books. She was probably talking about creating an individual, creating a society that will create ideas and creating a generation that can think for itself. In this era of globalization it is important to be aware of such a thing as democracy. I can only hope that the idea of a World Digital Library will accomplish this and not just present us with a load of digitized material.