One Semester Down

And just like that, I've submitted two final exams this evening, marking the end of my first semester of library school. Time to grab a beer and watch some LOST all by myself.

My Summer I class starts...in a few weeks, I guess? It's called Information Sources and Services.

Bitch to the Last

So, remember how I'd been complaining about how rude and mean my bosses at the library were? Sure enough, the Senior Librarian was mean 'til the last minute. My last day there was last Friday and my wonderful significant other stopped by to see me. It was 10 minutes until we closed and there was absolutely nothing to do. I shelved ALL of my books, plus most of the books belonging to the other pages. 10 minutes left, in walks my lovely fiancee so I stop and chat with her for a minute. The Senior walks by and had to make a snide comment - "I can still fire you, you know." She might have meant it sarcastically but the way she says things, it's with such conviction.

I had no choice but to smirk and ask, "Would you like to meet my fiancee?" I hope that embarrassed her some and made her feel like an ass. Any doubts I was having about leaving the library to accept a full time job were gone in that instant. No way do I want to work for a boss like that ever again.

In other news - only two weeks left to go in my first semester! w00t!

Leaving the Library

I've given my notice at the library and tomorrow is my last day there. Surprisingly, the Senior Librarian was supportive of my decision. Most everyone at my branch has been understanding and supportive, but a few people have had weird reactions. While I think it would definitely help to be working in a library environment while going to library school, it just is not financially feasible for my future. I e-mailed two of the people that put on the workshop I attended, and they were understanding as well, which was nice to hear.

It was kind of a hard decision but ultimately, I know it's the right one in order to get through the next two years of life and school. I'll just have to go harass my local library for information and interviews which works out, because their Senior Librarian is a friend of mine. :)

Onward and upward.

The school semester wraps up April 30 - w00t!

Banned

One of my upcoming assignments is to read a banned book. I related this to my fiancee and she was like, "So...how are you supposed to read it?" I got a laugh out of it, but it's a fair question, I suppose. A book can be recommended to be banned but it's up to each library or library system whether or not to remove it. Typically speaking, public libraries are big supporters of free speech. I can't think of or recall hearing any stories about books being removed from public libraries.

If you're interested in a list of the most frequently challenged books, you can find it here.

For the record, I chose to read The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, because it is one of the most frequently challenged books.

Midterm

So, I had to take an open book midterm for one of my classes yesterday. We had 1 hour, 30 minutes in which to complete it. I finished in 1 hour, 29 minutes and clicked 'submit.' Then Safari crashed on me.

Safari FAIL.

Luckily, the professor let me re-take it this morning and I finished in 1 hour, 10 minutes. Booyah! Let's go streaking through the quad to celebrate!

Joke?

I've gotten the impression from a few librarians that Library School is something of a joke. That it's a formality to becoming an librarian but little in the school actually prepares you for being one. It's a lot of reading, theories and essays that play little to no role in your actual duties as a librarian. If I'm hearing this from librarians that have been out of school for 10-15 years, I'm wondering why school hasn't evolved along the way.

One college I considered had a lot of coursework involving building databases and learning XHTML, which does not appeal to me. I asked a current librarian about that and she was like, "Yeah, that seems unnecessary."

Even now, I'm feeling some of the coursework we're doing is nice and all, but it seems like so much more is learned on the job.

I'm starting to wonder about my classes, too. In one class, we're supposed to do some readings and then make posts on the discussion board. Let's say this one post is worth 30 points. Some people's posts are like 4-5 paragraphs with anywhere from 1-7 quotes / sources cited. My posts are 3 paragraphs with no sources cited, and I get a 28/30 (which is a 90%). So is it really worth the effort to research 7 sources to get an extra two points? Not when you've got Star Wars: Battlefront 2 calling your name.

International

One of the interesting things I learned from the library workshop was the degree I'm getting, which is accredited by the American Library Association, is recognized internationally by libraries in the UK and Australia. So that means I can take my degree and get a job in the UK or Australia. Pretty sweet!

Sparking Pot

Parking is at a premium at the library I work at, all because a bunch of hippies wanted to save the trees in the parking lot when the branch was remodeled. I think they fit in 2 more spots when it was remodeled but parking still sucks there. A lot. I'd say half of the time I end up parking on the street and having to move my car 2 hours into my shift to avoid a ticket.

Anyway, the head librarian ran out to pick up lunch the other day, and I getting book donations from an old lady in the parking lot. I looked over at her "usual" parking spot and saw she'd placed a cone in front of her spot to save it. Um, one of the foundations of being a public library is that everyone has free and easy access to the library and its materials. This includes your parking spot.

Can I you tell I haven't been a fan of my job or my supervisors lately? :)

Not That

One of my other supervisors at the library was telling a story about why the library had to close late one night. This was in the old days before sophisticated computers with barcodes and such. She said an entire family of two parents and five kids applied for library cards 5 minutes before closing. And then she added, "And this family was black - not that that has anything to do with the story."

Really? Then why did you even mention it? It just seemed so random and bizarre to purposely slip that information in there and then deny it a moment later. So lame.

Young Again

The head librarian at my branch refers to everyone as "young man" or "young lady." Everyone. It doesn't matter if it's a 36-year old dude, an 82-year old grandmother or a 6-year old doing a book report. I'm sure she thinks it's cute or flattering but it's not. Stop, please.