I noticed that our multi-lingual section is a bit unkept and the books are shelved all willy nilly. I asked my supervisor if I had permission to take time out of shelving to go reorganize the shelves. She said yes.
Then I proposed that I create new signs for that area to make it more inviting. So instead of one big sign that says "Oh, Arabic and Chinese are in this alcove" I will have signs that say Chinese /
中文 (zhōngwén) and Arabic / العربية (al arabiya)
I have a feeling I'm getting too excited for this project. I still feel like not too many people care or even want me to do this. Still, I see a place to make a positive change, and I'm gonna go for it!
I have a list of languages at the library. I've asked my friends to take a look at them and tell me if they look okay for displays, or how I should write the language so it's welcoming to library patrons.
This is the list of languages left to verify:
(I get confused when entries like Serbian have two possible words.)
Arabic
العربية (al arabiya)
Filipino
??
Finnish
suomi / suomen kieli
Greek
ελληνικά (ellēniká)
Gujarati
ગુજરાતી (gujarātī)
Hindi
हिन्दी (hindī)
Hungarian
magyar / magyar nyelv
Italian
Italiano
Korean
한국어 [韓國語] (han-guk-eo)
Punjabi
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ / ﺏﺎﺠﻨﭘ (panjābi)
Portuguese
português
Russian
Русский язык (Russkij jazyk)
Serbian
српски (srpski)
српски језик (srpski jezik)
Ukranian
Українська (Ukrajins'ka)
Urdu
اردو (urdū)
Vietnamese
tiếng việt
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Display Success
Well, I put my display together to promote the non-fiction area of the collection. I put up a simple display in the case, but then pulled an unused table out and just stacked tons of interesting-looking non-fiction books on it.
The cool part: My display has since come down (the case is being used for other things) but the table remains!
It's awesome. I set out books, and then I see people going over and looking at the things that are on the table. I even set out a book, then I went back up to circulation and a man came up 10 minutes later with that same book that I'd set out!
I feel so proud, and yet, feel like nobody at work really cares. I don't expect fanfare or anything, but it's like me (and my displays/efforts) are invisible :(
Maybe I care too much...
The cool part: My display has since come down (the case is being used for other things) but the table remains!
It's awesome. I set out books, and then I see people going over and looking at the things that are on the table. I even set out a book, then I went back up to circulation and a man came up 10 minutes later with that same book that I'd set out!
I feel so proud, and yet, feel like nobody at work really cares. I don't expect fanfare or anything, but it's like me (and my displays/efforts) are invisible :(
Maybe I care too much...
Sunday, July 26, 2009
New Display
The only real thing that takes some creativity in my current job is the creation of library displays.
I was just handed my new assignment: non-fiction books that are entertaining to read. (Not the exact words, but essentially what it is.)
I've already got some ideas for how the display will look, and I want to create some sort of bibliography, or at least call number ranges for people to check out. I don't think I can have handouts with this display, though... I'm going to have to talk to my supervisor.
Maybe I could post something on the inside of the glass that talks about the ranges where people can look. (This job would be a lot easier if the biographies were stored together instead of interspersed with the rest of the collection.)
I'll try to take some pictures to share once I've put it together. Due date: July 31
I was just handed my new assignment: non-fiction books that are entertaining to read. (Not the exact words, but essentially what it is.)
I've already got some ideas for how the display will look, and I want to create some sort of bibliography, or at least call number ranges for people to check out. I don't think I can have handouts with this display, though... I'm going to have to talk to my supervisor.
Maybe I could post something on the inside of the glass that talks about the ranges where people can look. (This job would be a lot easier if the biographies were stored together instead of interspersed with the rest of the collection.)
I'll try to take some pictures to share once I've put it together. Due date: July 31
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Intro post
As a recent graduate of Seneca College's Library and Information Technician program, and a rabid internet junkie, I am convinced this blog must exist.
Herein you may find my ramblings of my experiences. Only my experiences will be recorded, no gossip or any such rubbish. I am hoping this blog will serve two purposes:
- serve as a log of things I have done, should I need to refer back to them
- share my experiences with other library techs or librarians. Who knows, maybe what I have to say may be useful to others?
My final time at school was unkindly brutal on me. Not that the program is terrible (quite the contrary) but needless to say I was burnt out and feeling unequipped to face the world of libraries. I love helping people find information, but after the last roes of exams, I felt like crawling into a hole.
Of course, it has taken some months to recover. Now I'm feeling a bit braver and wanted to share my experiences.
I'm currently employed in a medium-sized public library in my hometown. I fill a position called Public Service Assistant which is a mix between circulation staff and receptionist. Apart from the usual duties associated with these two positions, I also:
- mend material
- receive orders
- process in-house publishing requests
- put together a seasonal best seller list
- create library displays
- direct patrons to their desired section in the library
- help patrons get set up on the computer
- etc.
It's a varied position and I'm happy to be involved at this level. I feel very lucky, but I am craving a bit more responsibility.
I may have the opportunity to shift the non-fic collection a bit. We currently inter-file biographies with the remainder of the collection. There is some discussion around separating biographies into their own section. If this occurs, I'm putting my hand up first to volunteer this job. I so badly want to do more.
Well, I will keep this short and end here. There are pictures of the library displays that I have assembled. I would like to share these pictures sometime, as well as possibly compile a resource for library techs to refer to when creating a library display. They are so hard to throw together sometimes. It's often nice to see what others have done for similar topics.
Herein you may find my ramblings of my experiences. Only my experiences will be recorded, no gossip or any such rubbish. I am hoping this blog will serve two purposes:
- serve as a log of things I have done, should I need to refer back to them
- share my experiences with other library techs or librarians. Who knows, maybe what I have to say may be useful to others?
My final time at school was unkindly brutal on me. Not that the program is terrible (quite the contrary) but needless to say I was burnt out and feeling unequipped to face the world of libraries. I love helping people find information, but after the last roes of exams, I felt like crawling into a hole.
Of course, it has taken some months to recover. Now I'm feeling a bit braver and wanted to share my experiences.
I'm currently employed in a medium-sized public library in my hometown. I fill a position called Public Service Assistant which is a mix between circulation staff and receptionist. Apart from the usual duties associated with these two positions, I also:
- mend material
- receive orders
- process in-house publishing requests
- put together a seasonal best seller list
- create library displays
- direct patrons to their desired section in the library
- help patrons get set up on the computer
- etc.
It's a varied position and I'm happy to be involved at this level. I feel very lucky, but I am craving a bit more responsibility.
I may have the opportunity to shift the non-fic collection a bit. We currently inter-file biographies with the remainder of the collection. There is some discussion around separating biographies into their own section. If this occurs, I'm putting my hand up first to volunteer this job. I so badly want to do more.
Well, I will keep this short and end here. There are pictures of the library displays that I have assembled. I would like to share these pictures sometime, as well as possibly compile a resource for library techs to refer to when creating a library display. They are so hard to throw together sometimes. It's often nice to see what others have done for similar topics.
Monday, November 5, 1979
Profile
This library blog is run by a simple grad of Toronto's Seneca College's Library and Information Technician program.
Name: Caro
Education: Library and Information Technician/Techniques/etc.
School: Seneca College, Toronto, Ontario
Graduated: April 2009
Current Employ: Medium-sized public library in a community on the outskirts of Toronto
Personal: I have a lovely fiancee and two beautiful kitties, Lilly and Velvet.
What made me pick this profession: My fiancee is in love with books, and I enjoy writing, so I think I got into the correct profession. I really enjoy helping people find information. I was doing it for my friends for years, and then realized that I could turn that love of information and organization into a profession.
Goal: My goal is to be an eccentric couple with my fiancee and cats, as well as to be one of those eccentric librarians that is a bit weird, but still gets the job done. I always get the job done.
Purpose of this blog: Web 2.0 was my favourite course in school, and I'm very comfortable with computers and its application in libraries as well as connecting people to information. While I work towards finding the perfect library for me (I know its waiting for me! We just have to find each other) I thought I would create a blog specifically for my library experiences.
I have been finding many blog feeds to follow, and as a result, finding many interesting links and articles showing how different libraries do different things. I'd like to share these here, as my central-haunt on the web where library friends/etc. might find me.
I still don't know if this is the proper blogging service I'd like to stick to, but so far it's relatively easy to use. Not as easy as livejournal to do social networking here, so I may move, yet.
Any suggestions for useful locations for a library blog are always welcome ^_^
Name: Caro
Education: Library and Information Technician/Techniques/etc.
School: Seneca College, Toronto, Ontario
Graduated: April 2009
Current Employ: Medium-sized public library in a community on the outskirts of Toronto
Personal: I have a lovely fiancee and two beautiful kitties, Lilly and Velvet.
What made me pick this profession: My fiancee is in love with books, and I enjoy writing, so I think I got into the correct profession. I really enjoy helping people find information. I was doing it for my friends for years, and then realized that I could turn that love of information and organization into a profession.
Goal: My goal is to be an eccentric couple with my fiancee and cats, as well as to be one of those eccentric librarians that is a bit weird, but still gets the job done. I always get the job done.
Purpose of this blog: Web 2.0 was my favourite course in school, and I'm very comfortable with computers and its application in libraries as well as connecting people to information. While I work towards finding the perfect library for me (I know its waiting for me! We just have to find each other) I thought I would create a blog specifically for my library experiences.
I have been finding many blog feeds to follow, and as a result, finding many interesting links and articles showing how different libraries do different things. I'd like to share these here, as my central-haunt on the web where library friends/etc. might find me.
I still don't know if this is the proper blogging service I'd like to stick to, but so far it's relatively easy to use. Not as easy as livejournal to do social networking here, so I may move, yet.
Any suggestions for useful locations for a library blog are always welcome ^_^
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