The Millions : Again, I Ask: Are Picture Books Leading Our Children Astray?.
Truly insightful literary analysis, and a message that I hope parents everywhere will heed.
The Millions : Again, I Ask: Are Picture Books Leading Our Children Astray?.
Truly insightful literary analysis, and a message that I hope parents everywhere will heed.
I’m no adrenaline junkie, but I’ve done a few exciting things. I’ve spent some time on the trapeze. I’ve bounced through white water on a flimsy rubber raft. One time I went skydiving (I had to take a nap afterwords, all the fear** drained the life out of me).
Libraries and Librarians are often viewed as safe and quiet. No matter how many crazy ideas are contained therein, or how many banned books weeks are run, or how many times the federal government gives us the hairy eyeball (check out this article on libraries and the supreme court, it opens as word doc, don’t be alarmed), the stereotype of the kindly old lady reading stories to contented children will never die.
So I found something I didn’t expect from reference librarianship, it’s kind of a rush.
There is a certain kind of sheer terror which comes out of being asked to be an expert in something about which you have absolutely no clue. Librarians know that we are there to help find answers, not to give them, but patrons don’t know that. There must be a similar sort of fear if you are a spy in disguise, or commit identity fraud. And then when you get away with it! You pull it off! You say, yes let me help you, with a certain brash confidence in your own ability, and manage to find the answer, or the resource, or to say “this requires more research, would you like me to email you with my findings?” Or you turn it into a teaching moment and say “let’s look into this together, shall we?” And they go away happy. Because you know EVERYTHING and you’ve helped them.
Phew! What an awesome job.
**For those of you who don’t know this feeling, take a look at my face below. That sums it up.
Wow. Just wow. Simple and elegant, like all great notions.
PS The secret is to caramelize the cornflakes.
There are a number of codes and manifestos in the library world, some of them quite good. The ALA in particular has two I really like, their Code of Ethics and their Library Bill of Rights.
I started library school fairly ignorant of the ins and outs of librarianship, but I’ve been delighted to find that as a librarian, I get to support basic principles that I really, truly believe in. That I believe in so much sometimes I get a little choked up thinking about it. So I’ve developed my own code, my list of library principles that I really get behind.
Wouldn’t this be an amazing job?
Imagine working as an Archivist for the New York City Ballet, cataloging sweaty toe shoes. They must have some fascinating materials; the website lists a bibliography, videography, discography, and mentions costumes. They also have an online exhibition with tons of great pictures.
Have you seen this?
The Yahoo Style Guide. For writing and editing on the web.
What I really wish is that someone would write a style guide to discussion board posting. In my online course, I have seen a range of styles. A few of my favorites:
I have used every one of the above styles during my time at SLIS. In an online environment, discussion boards act to emulate the in-class student-to-student exchange of ideas. But without the mitigation of body language, writing tone takes on a whole new level of significance. I’ve agonized over phrasing, and then over compensated by dashing the next post off cavalierly. If there was a formula, a set number of lines, a glossary for word choice, a prescription for headings, a style guide to posting, things would be so much simpler.
But part of learning is learning how to communicate within a context. Each professor is different, and each student is different. Responding and participating within the course is a process of feeling things out. When learning gets serious, we forget that school is a place to make mistakes. It is a place to discover how to speak and be understood, as much as it is a place for theory and concepts.
I’m really pleased to be a peer mentor for 203, the introductory course for new students here at SLIS.
I started the program in Spring 2009, and I’ve really had a lot of great experiences.
I like how the program creates a balance between teaching professional skills and teaching academic theory. I also really appreciate being able to go to class in my pajamas; I’ve enjoyed it so much that I’ve put “working remotely” on my list of pluses for potential work sites.
But the best thing about the program is the people. Both faculty and students are a diverse bunch, with variation in age, location, tech/computer skills, library background, and academic focus. SLIS puts a lot of emphasis on teamwork (which can make a lot of new students anxious). This emphasis supports a sense of collaboration at multiple levels, between teachers, students, and staff, in both formal and informal ways. And this emphasis is deliberate, which means SLIS provides and encourages training, thought, and analysis of the process, allowing people to stay on the same page. Ultimately this is the most rewarding aspect of the program, keeping learning at a personal level.
So welcome, new students. I’m excited to learn more about you, and to hear what you have to say.
SJSU SLIS has official opportunities for networking (a Facebook group even), but it also has several unofficial student groups. Conveniently, these have been gathered on a Wiki for your perusal. Some things I think about when participating in student groups or professional listservs