I've been a little lax about updating this blog, so I'm taking the Library Day in the Life project as a good excuse to post more frequently this week.
Today was a pretty typical summer day at the library. Quiet when it comes to reference questions and people walking around, but plenty to keep me busy. I caught up my coworker who'd been out sick and dug through a weekend of email replies confirming info lit session dates. Yes, already by the end of July we're confirming dates for the fall.
The rest of my morning was spent prepping fall instruction. Most of it was for our research class that focuses on a different region of the world each semester. This fall it's Africa. Normally not an issue, but we always provide a current map of the region. You might not be aware of this, but Southern Sudan was officially recognized as an independent nation July 9 of this year. So my map from 4 years ago (and by mine, I mean the previous librarian responsible for the social sciences as 4 years ago I was still in grad school!) will not work. I struggled to find an Africa map that both had Southern Sudan on it, and was readable when placed on a PPT slide. Surprisingly difficult task. Thankfully a Twitter contact I met at at LibTech this spring found one that would work! Yay for crowdsourcing.
The next piece of info I needed were a series of video clips about doable (i.e. researchable for freshman/sophomores with no background in the discipline) research topics. During the class I have the students watch the clips and then develop possible research questions. Because of this I look for topics that lend themselves to multiple disciplines. Normally I spread out this search over a few weeks as most social science topics tend to be pretty depressing, especially in this region. However, thanks to some other complications this summer, I need to get this stuff done now. So I spent an hour and half digging through videos of famine, war, child soldiers, and HIV orphans. It was rough. I've found 2 that will work. At least 4 more to go.
After lunch, we had an epically long planning meeting. Our last of the summer. We use that time to add activities and goals to our annual strategic plan. Sounds boring, but I usually really enjoy the process. It gives everyone a chance to see what the rest of the staff hopes to accomplish for the year. It also helps us all see how what we do helps the library towards the library's overall goals, and the strategic plan of the university. Little picture and big picture, all in one. That was about it today. Tomorrow I had to my college alma mater for a library workshop. Until then.
Today was a pretty typical summer day at the library. Quiet when it comes to reference questions and people walking around, but plenty to keep me busy. I caught up my coworker who'd been out sick and dug through a weekend of email replies confirming info lit session dates. Yes, already by the end of July we're confirming dates for the fall.
The rest of my morning was spent prepping fall instruction. Most of it was for our research class that focuses on a different region of the world each semester. This fall it's Africa. Normally not an issue, but we always provide a current map of the region. You might not be aware of this, but Southern Sudan was officially recognized as an independent nation July 9 of this year. So my map from 4 years ago (and by mine, I mean the previous librarian responsible for the social sciences as 4 years ago I was still in grad school!) will not work. I struggled to find an Africa map that both had Southern Sudan on it, and was readable when placed on a PPT slide. Surprisingly difficult task. Thankfully a Twitter contact I met at at LibTech this spring found one that would work! Yay for crowdsourcing.
The next piece of info I needed were a series of video clips about doable (i.e. researchable for freshman/sophomores with no background in the discipline) research topics. During the class I have the students watch the clips and then develop possible research questions. Because of this I look for topics that lend themselves to multiple disciplines. Normally I spread out this search over a few weeks as most social science topics tend to be pretty depressing, especially in this region. However, thanks to some other complications this summer, I need to get this stuff done now. So I spent an hour and half digging through videos of famine, war, child soldiers, and HIV orphans. It was rough. I've found 2 that will work. At least 4 more to go.
After lunch, we had an epically long planning meeting. Our last of the summer. We use that time to add activities and goals to our annual strategic plan. Sounds boring, but I usually really enjoy the process. It gives everyone a chance to see what the rest of the staff hopes to accomplish for the year. It also helps us all see how what we do helps the library towards the library's overall goals, and the strategic plan of the university. Little picture and big picture, all in one. That was about it today. Tomorrow I had to my college alma mater for a library workshop. Until then.
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