CLA Weblog Submissions
To navigate our archives, please click on a category to the left. Do you have information that would be of interest to the library community? Please send your weblog submissions to the CLA office at rberta@cla-net.org.
Student Interest Group
January 21, 2010
Dropping in at the Library - The New Community
The other day, while working at my West Los Angeles area library, I noticed an unattended backpack on a table. Given that unattended bags are a no-no under most circumstances, and in this era of watchful terrorist activities in particular, I summoned one of the library's security guards, who took the bag away and stored it righteously in the Lost & Found room downstairs. It was only a few moments later when the owner of the bag, a seemingly unbalanced gentleman, in stained blue jeans, a torn hoody, and sunglasses, returned to his former table and started roaring that we had stolen his bag.
I attempted to approach the gentleman to mollify him, and to tell him that his bag was safely stowed in the Lost and Found, but he went right off on me, yelling and howling and calling me a variety of vituperative names that would shame my mother. I backed up on my heels, never turning my back on the patron, and attempted to inch my way to my desk, where the library's security guard panic button was kept.
The gentleman advanced upon me, blood and vengeance in his eyes and intentions - but then another patron rushed forward and tackled the first man. This second man was not dissimilar from the first: He was balding, with dirty blue jeans and a torn denim jacket. The two men rolled around on the floor, punching and hitting and biting. They picked themselves up and flung themselves at each other again, rolling onto a computer table and hitting the terminal, which fell over sideways with a crunch. Patron sitting at the Public Access Stations nearby leapt out of the way to preserve their skins.
Finally, the library's security guards showed up, pulled the men apart and dragged them off and away. Alas, it turned out subsequently that no charges could be pressed against neither man, as both of them were drunk and were in no condition to testify against each other. They were escorted to separate doors of the library, sent off, and ordered not to return - for 24 hours, which is the library's maximum banishment punishment (without a court order).
Now, I must confess in the spirit of disclosure that I am not actually a librarian - at the moment, I'm just one of the legions of paraprofessionals who work part time in a library, supporting the facility and the staff. And I am more than willing to entertain the notion that many other ways probably exist of defusing what was essentially an escalating situation than running for the panic button and pressing it.
However, I'm also actively obtaining my MLS at the new cohort programs offered by the University of North Texas on the campus of Cal State University Northridge. And, in none of my classes, can I recall being offered courses on how to deal with the predations and dangers of that comparatively small area of the general public that is utterly unhinged. This is not meant to be a criticism of my school in particular - I would venture to say that I am getting a fine education in library studies as part of my program. Yet, one can't help but notice that, as many of the definitions of what the place we call a library means to the public changes, many of the attempts to keep us relevant need to change as well.
Keeping relevant in terms of technology is not the question: I have seen much commendable analysis about how libraries to be atop the technological curve in order to survive. But there are other ways that the library has to remain relevant, as well
The other day, I was riding the Santa Monica Blvd bus in Los Angeles, and I found myself seated across from several itinerant teenage travelers - Street Kids, we would have called them back in the day. Caparisoned in Mohawks of many gaily decorated colors, with enough nose rings and eyebrow studs to cause an airport security detector to melt down in alarms and cries, the young hoboes were on their way to Hollywood to Hang Out. Even if one doesn't desire such a thing, it is impossible not to eavesdrop on a private conversation that takes place no more than six inches in front of your nose, and so I found myself accidentally treated to a run down of the daily life of the group of Street Kids, as they bivouacked their way from Portland to San Diego, with stops for booze and weed at all the various high spots up and down the coast.
"So, that place is great," one of the kids gushed, his tongue ring clanking noisily against his chipped front teeth. "They have comfortable chairs and a lot of computers, so you can go there and hang out and play whatever music you want to put on the Internet and whatever. They even show a movie once a day, for free, and you can just go there and watch it and take a nap! There's stuff to read and advice on where to get free food and condoms and stuff. It's great!"
Now, forgive me, but I totally figured that the kids were talking about my own library, which has many of those same services - the movies and the free Internet, anyway, though the naps and condoms are generally forbidden. But, it turns out that the kids were actually talking about a "drop in" center somewhere in Hollywood which catered to the needs of the homeless and the transient. Here's the thing, though. The kids might just as easily have been talking about my library - and yours as well, I venture.
You see, we are watching as libraries shift from being repositories of books to being community centers. And, we are witnessing an era in which that there is becoming a synthesis, not just of technology, with librarians being able to check out E-books and patrons discovering they can download audiobooks to their Iphones, but also of purpose. The line between the library facility being a book repository to being a Drop In Center is becoming thinner and thinner. And one can't help but think that it would behoove our training to reflect that. Not only should we learn how to perform an adequate Reference Interview, we also need to intern at a suicide hotline or work for a week or two behind the counter of a homeless shelter.
This next generation of librarian really needs to be far more than an expert in using Ebsco and Proquest and the Directory of Directories - we need to know how to forward someone to the nearest homeless shelter, or how to recognize schizophrenia, or how to exercise reflective listening for the troubled. Perhaps, in addition to courses in the high tech innovations in the world of Metadata Harvesting, we also need classes in how to deal specifically with the homeless or with the mentally ill or with the congenitally enraged because that is one of the library's purposes, too, as it turns out.
Submitted to California Libraries by:
Paul Birchall
CLA Student Member
Cal State Northridge SLIS '11
Posted by claadmin at 9:45 AM
Why I'm A Librarian
I was asked why I want to become a librarian. After considerable thought, here is my response:
My father, who is now 93 years old, was and still is an avid reader. We did not agree on almost everything throughout my life-however there is a prevalent commonality between us. I spent many a day walking to the public library with him to pick out books (it was around the corner from our home) when I was a child. Everything could be discovered there-all the answers to my questions, all the information I wanted to know, all the fantasies that I could experience though my mind, all the places I wanted to visit were in books-and they all could be found in the library. I even bought a house across from this same library and live in it today. Upon sincere reflection I can honestly say that the library was one of the most honest, comfortable and sincere shared experiences I have ever had with my father.
I still do not see eye to eye with my father but we both still love the public library and its books. I hope to help others find the joy of the library experience by becoming a librarian and opening the world of information and books available to all - to expand their knowledge and hence their world as was done in my own life. Hopefully by taking this action I will also learn and grow and perhaps be as astute as my own father when I get to 93 years old.
Submitted to California Libraries by:
Colette Chaffee
MLIS Student
Posted by claadmin at 8:37 AM
December 10, 2009
2009 Edna Yelland Scholarship Winners
The California Library Association provides three scholarships annually in the memory of Edna Yelland, Executive Secretary of CLA from 1947-63, to students enrolled in ALA accredited graduate programs in library or information science in California. The purpose of these scholarships is to encourage and support ethnic minority students in the attainment of a graduate degree in library or information science and to encourage commitment to the improvement of library services to ethnic minority communities.
This year's winners were announced at the Awards Ceremony during the 111th Annual CLA Conference & Exhibition in Pasadena, CA.
More about this year's Scholarship Winners:
Jeannie Chen is in her second year of the MLIS program at UCLA. She graduated from UC-Berkeley with a B.A. in English Literature. Her recent studies have focused on digital technology and the development of web-based cultural resources in children's services. She recently worked at the National Archives Office of the Presidential Libraries as a Web Developer Intern last summer. Jeannie was awarded the 2008 ALA Spectrum Scholarship, and has been selected as an ALA Emerging Leader for 2010. Currently, she is active on the ALSC Children and Technology Committee, and the APALA Family Literacy Focus Taskforce. She looks forward to translating her education into services and skills that serve today's wide range of information users.
Sondhaya "Sunny" Sritongsook is currently attending San Jose State University and is entering her second year. She is the first Thai in her family to complete college. She graduated from UC- Irvine in 2004 with a B.A. in Anthropology. She has worked for the San Diego County Library as a library technician substitute for over 3 years. She has also worked as a medical library technician for over a year at the McGuire Health Sciences Library. Sondhaya's passion is to serve her community by promoting healthy behaviors through research and literature.
Carlene Chiu is in her second year at San Jose State University. She has worked for the Altadena Library District for two years. She has an interest in information seeking behaviors of unique groups to identify the best marketing/ outreach methods, and provide better services and programs. She is committed to working with multicultural communities and developing services, programs and collections that reflect their needs as well as becoming a role model for Asians to enter librarianship.
Posted by claadmin at 10:53 AM
2009 Begun Scholarship Winner
The Begun Scholarship, named in memory of former librarian Betty Begun, supports continuing library school students who have demonstrated a commitment to becoming children's or young adult librarians in a California public library. This year's winner, Alexandria Godina, was presented at the Awards Ceremony during the 111th Annual CLA Conference & Exhibition in Pasadena, CA.
Alexandria is a graduate student in Library and Information Studies at University of California, Los Angeles. Her commitment to youth services is rooted in a deep belief that education truly is the key to change and that children are our future. She believes that being a youth librarian will allow her to partner in the education process and help to meet the needs of our young patrons and their community. She knows that public libraries are vital to their communities as they serve a variety of scholastic and artistic needs. In other words, libraries are critical in supporting children and young people in their education and creative ventures outside of school.
After graduation, Alexandria aspires to be a youth librarian. She hopes to be a positive influence in the lives of children and young people by providing excellent, interactive and equitable
service in a public library.
Posted by claadmin at 10:43 AM
2009 CLA Reference Services Press Fellowship Winner
The CLA Reference Service Press Fellowship encourages college seniors, college graduates and beginning library school students to prepare for a career in reference/ information service librarianship. One fellowship of $3,000 is awarded annually. This year's winner, Nick Velkavrh, was presented at the Awards Ceremony during the 111th Annual CLA Conference & Exhibition in Pasadena, CA.
Nick Velkavrh is a first-year graduate student in San Jose State University's Master of Library and Information Science program. He has four years of experience in libraries, including work as a reference assistant and involvement in special library projects undertaken as part of an intern program at the Mary Norton Clapp Library at Occidental College. Nick states, "Because of my library experiences, I have discovered my passions: I love connecting people to information."
It was a highly competitive process among several students, but the RSPF Committee members all agreed that Nick should receive the award because of his stellar academic achievement, and the relevant work experience he has had to date. His essay revealed not only a love of libraries but also a clear commitment to our profession, and reference work in particular, which is a critical criterion for the Fellowship Award. Nick was very highly praised by those who provided recommendations for him.
Posted by claadmin at 10:32 AM
November 25, 2009
Librarians are Information Specialists
Librarians are information specialists, gatherers and keepers of knowledge. They help us hunt the information we need using their experience in a wide variety of ways and means. They understand the organization of information and are here to help you locate just what you need.
But not all librarians are in the local library you normally think of. Librarian means so much more today and the job of librarian is varied and sometimes extremely specialized.
Medical or Hospital Librarian - When your doctor needs information on a new technique or drug he uses specialized medical librarians that do the research for him or her. These librarians spend a lot of time reading medical journals and getting the information for the doctor to make an informed decision.
Corporate Librarian - These librarians keep all documentation and information organized for employees to access. When Disney's Imagineers need information on roller coasters or older Disney films for reference they go to their in house library and archives. Companies that use catalogues need them organized and data entered so products and information can be found when requested.
Specialized Librarian - Many animation facilities keep a library of art, scripts and drawings. These librarians need skills in the handling and storage of valuable and fragile artwork. Most have a background in film studies with emphasis on animation. Since many images are captured electronically experience with Photoshop is sometimes required.
The Getty and many museums use photo librarians to organize and identify photos of art in their collection. In a natural history museum there are collections of study bones, skins and artifacts that need cataloguing and organization. Archiving is another facet of being a librarian that is needed in museums and companies. Magazines like "People" have thousands of celebrity photos archived and must have them available when needed.
Film and Tape libraries are housed in broadcast facilities that need to be handled by people trained to handle film and deal with tape and its many formats.
Find what you love and do what you love is a saying I like to use. I think as a new Library Science student I will love being a librarian and I will love doing a librarians work at a facility in a field I love. Sometimes we need a little nudge to see the possibilities and the different opportunities to use a library degree for a career in a field you enjoy.
Submitted to California Libraries by:
Lisa Reinert
MLIS Student & CLA Member
Posted by claadmin at 9:15 AM
November 23, 2009
CLA-Drexel Online Partnership Benefits CLA Members
Members receive a 20% tuition reduction on top-ranked information science programs
Drexel University Online recently formed a new educational partnership with the California Library Association. Through this partnership, CLA members are entitled to receive a 20% tuition reduction on online programs offered through The iSchool at Drexel (College of Information Science and Technology). Drexel Online is pleased to offer CLA members the opportunity to advance their education in a convenient online format at reduced tuition rates.
Drexel's MS in Library and Information Science is ranked among the top 10 library science programs in the nation by U.S.News & World Report. This ALA-accredited program is available to CLA members online as well as face-to-face at Drexel University's Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento. With access to classes online 24/7, CLA members can earn a distinguished degree without career interruption.
"We are thrilled to partner with such a forward-thinking organization and we look forward to supporting CLA's commitment to improve library service and education throughout California," said Dr. Kenneth Hartman, Academic Director of Drexel University Online. "This non-exclusive partnership offers CLA members a convenient and affordable way to advance their education and develop the skills necessary to move up in the field of library science and information systems."
David E. Fenske, Dean of the iSchool, adds, "We value our relationship with the California Library Association, and are pleased to be in the state offering another educational choice to California residents. The iSchool maintains a physical presence in California through the Drexel University Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento, as well as the online program, providing students with both online and on-campus course options."
For more information about Drexel University Online and to apply online at no cost, visit www.drexel.com/cla. CLA members, be sure to enter "CLA" as your partner affiliation code on your application to receive your reduced tuition rates.
Please contact your partnership liaison with any questions:
Valerie Malinowski
CLA-Drexel Online Partnership Liaison
(215) 895-0915
www.drexel.com/cla
Posted by claadmin at 3:49 PM
September 16, 2009
UCLA MLIS Information Session in San Francisco
An informational meeting for the UCLA MLIS program will take place in San Francisco on Sunday, November 8th from 2-4 pm in the 3rd Floor Conference Room of the main San Francisco Public Library at 100 Larkin Street.
The UCLA Department of Information Studies encourages applicants and prospective MLIS applicants to attend Group Information Meetings. At each meeting, the IS Student Affairs Officer will present an overview of the program and then respond to questions regarding MLIS degree requirements, program structure, the library/information science profession, and the admissions process.
Please contact the Student Affairs Officer to indicate which information session you plan on attending by phone (310) 825-5269 or by e-mail Susan Abler at abler@gseis.ucla.edu if interested in attending this meeting.
More information about this session and others at UCLA is available by clicking here.
UCLA Department of Information Studies is a CLA Institutional Member. For more information on Institutional Membership, please click here.
Posted by claadmin at 12:41 PM
August 24, 2009
San Jose SLIS Accepting Applications for Spring 2010
Applications are still being accepted for the Spring 2010 semester for the Master of Library and Information Science degree program at the San Jose School of Library and Information Science. The deadline to apply for the Spring 2010 semester is September 15, 2009.
In addition, SJSU will start accepting applications for Fall 2010 on October 1, 2009. The school encourages early applications to its program, as admissions are made on a first come, first served basis for qualified applicants. SJSU SLIS will continue to offer more than 200 course sections each semester, and admits hundreds of students each term to its ALA-accredited MLIS program.
For more information see:
http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/admissions/admissions.htm
Posted by claadmin at 10:21 AM
July 24, 2009
San Jose SLIS Accepting Applications for 2010
There has been much media coverage of the California budget crisis and the implications for the state university system. For 2010, the San Jose School of Library and Information Science will be stabilizing numbers through two means:
1.) SLIS will not be able to admit any students through the "regular session" (state supported) door while the school reduces numbers commensurate with state funding,
but
2.) the School has been authorized to increase student intake through the "special session" (self-supporting, no state funding) program. This means that all applicants, regardless of residence, will be allowed to apply through special session in 2010. All residents of California and those beyond the state will be treated in the same manner. This does not apply to continuing students.
SLIS is pleased that to have been authorized to expand its special session program during these challenging financial times. For further information, see: http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/admissions/admissions.htm
Posted by claadmin at 8:02 AM
May 5, 2009
ALA Millennial Survey
The American Library Association's Emerging Leaders Program is asking CLA members born after 1978 to participate in an online survey. The findings of this survey will help CLA and other library professional associations understand the needs and wants of the "millennial generation" and better serve its members. The results of the survey will be presented at the 2009 ALA Annual Conference.
This survey will take about 15-20 minutes, and is available at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=l2y9vQxaMRF6OSNMyjdJTQ_3d_3d
For additional information about the Emerging Leaders Program, please visit http://wikis.ala.org/emergingleaders/index.php/Main_Page.
Thank you in advance for your participation!
Posted by claadmin at 3:01 PM
January 27, 2009
Student Round Table Weblog
Welcome to the new Student Round Table weblog! If you have suggestions or announcements important to students, please send your submissions to Tracie Carignan, Student Round Table Chair, at tracie_gav@riverside.lib.ca.us.
Posted by claadmin at 7:38 AM