A Day (er, make that 3 months) in the life of a librarian

Earlier this summer a meme made the rounds of the biblioblogosphere asking librarians to answer the question, "What is a librarian's day like" by posting about a normal day in their life. At the time the meme was going around I left the following comment over at Strange Librarian, "I feel like I’d have to do 3 mos. in the life of a librarian to give any kind of real picture of my job since every day and every week and every month is so dern’d differn’t."

Well, here it is three months later. So true to my word, here's what I've been up to for the past 90 days or so. But first a few comments.

When we library gardeners first started this blog, part of our vision was that we would each post from our unique perspectives in librarianship. On our original roster of authors we had a little bit of everything: school media specialists, academics and public librarians, LIS instructors. The mix has changed a bit, but we still tend to blog from our own unique perspectives. My posts are supposed to be from the angle of a regional consortium (and I'm sure they are informed by job), but I don't think I generally blog from that perspective, per se. This post, however, is more directly tied to my perspective as a "nontraditional librarian" working at SJRLC, a multitype library cooperative serving over 600 libraries in South Jersey.

One of my goals in writing this longish "look-at-everything-I-do" post is to offer myself as a resource and promote future connections between you, gentle reader, and me. One of the things I enjoy most is helping others network and connect with each other. But sometimes it seems as if even my closest professional colleagues don't really know what I do--my job doesn't lend itself easily to an elevator speech ("shared services for you from 600+ libraries" is what I told 'em at the Chamber of Commerce meeting this morning.) So by revealing what I do in (I hope not too painful) detail, my hope is that you might find something of interest -- some connection-- between what you do, or ever may want to do, and what I do. May any of my experiences be of value to you.

SO WHAT THE HECK DO YOU DO ALREADY?
When I was first hired at SJRLC as the Program Coordinator my job was largely about providing continuing education (CE) opportunities to our 630 member libraries. Historically, CE accounted for about 90% of the job duties for the position. Now it accounts for about 10%. I still do all the CE I used to do but now I also do a lot more. It's fun. It's engaging. It's sometimes exhausting. But it's always interesting, and it's always different. There is no such thing as an average day in my work life. So this summer, on any given day, I was working on ...

• Continuing Education: Scheduling workshops for library staff in over 630 libraries in the southern seven counties of New Jersey. This includes doing needs assessment, reviewing evaluations, reviewing class requests, developing new class ideas, developing and/or finding speakers, arranging dates, booking rooms, being present on day of the workshop (sometimes) for tech support, etc. I try and schedule classes two months out, and I try to batch my CE scheduling activities as much as possible. Classes this summer included:
  
  
• Book Repair workshops (basic and advanced)
• Reference Interview Skills for Paraprofessionals
• Serving Customer With Mental Health Issues
• Access Classes (Beginner and Intermediate)
• Customer Service Fundamentals
• EbscoHost Bootcamp
• Great Readers Advisory with Novelist Plus
• Using Facebook to Connect With Customers
• Open Source for Libraries
• Web 2.0 Synergy: Putting the Pieces Together
  
  Classes that I worked on this summer that will take place in the Fall:
  
  
• Change Management
• Creating and Managing Budgets with Excel
• Working with the Gale Virtual Reference Library
• Gaming and Libraries
• There Oughta Be A Law: Basic Legal Reference
• Publisher (Intro and Intermediate)
• XHMTL Refresher

My other big CE goal this summer was to implement integrated online registration and calendar. I spent time evaluating different products, chose one (Evanced), and then planned a smooth implementation which included working with the vendor to tweak the look and functionality, creating in-house training materials, and training in-house staff, and developing a communication plan and trial period to ensure a smooth roll-out to our customers. We went live on October 6th and everything is going very smoothly. Yay!

• QandANJ.org: Beth Cackowski is the Project Coordinator for QandANJ and (like her predecessor Marianne Sweet) does an amazing bangup job of running this fairly large, high-profile, complex project that has many stakeholders. My current role in the project is as a laissez faire supervisor to Beth. Along with Karen Hyman (my supervisor), I work with Beth on some of the bigger picture issues including marketing. This summer we worked together to once again create and run a commercial for QandANJ. The commercial premiered during the MTV Video Music Awards and has been running during a number of shows including "Adult Swim" and "Project Runway". The commercial run will conclude with the Project Runway finale this week.
  
  I plan on addressing the process (and cost--cheaper than you think) of creating a commercial in another post. For now, here's the finished product:
  
  
  "The Knowledge Guru"
  
  
  Additionally, I wrote a short article on QandANJ for an NJLA newsletter, revised and ordered new marketing materials (PSPrint.com--check it out), exhibited at the South Jersey Teacher's Expo, and generally filled in for Beth answering questions and providing a little tech support here and there when she was unavailable. We also worked together to code and recode the QandANJ website and Facebook page to integrate all the commercial goodies
  

• Development of "Demonstration Projects" Going back to the our 2003 "Trading Spaces" project (using retails merchandising principles to reinvent the library environment; see Kathy Schalk-Greene's guest post on LG), SJRLC has taken a new approach to continuing education by partnering and investing in "demonstration" projects. In granting a demonstration project, we offer matching dollars to a library (or libraries), to offer a new cutting edge service. In return, the library agrees to share their experiences widely (through tours, speaking engagements, website, listerv, etc.) The Trading Spaces website, and the fact that Mount Laurel Diretor Joan Bernstein and Assistant Director Kathy Schalk-Greene continue to travel the country talking about the project, has really allowed this project to be the gift that keeps on giving. It could have been a one-off workshop, but instead we've found a way to greatly extend the learning, and get the most value for our time and dollar. We currently have two demonstration projects in the works:
  
  
• "Books By Mail": SJRLC has partnered with the Burlington County Library and the Gloucester County Library to offer "Netflix style" service. Customers can request that any circulating materials be mailed directly to their homes, free of charge. The services are proving to be very popular. The libraries have different ILS systems and have taken slightly different approaches to setting up and managing their respective services. At the end of the grant period, each library will report on their experiences and act as resources to other libraries that are interested in adding this highly-valued and convenient service to their customers. I'm very excited about this project because I believe that offering such convenient service greatly enhances our relevance to customers--and that's the name of the game for libraries if we're going to survive and thrive.
  
  
• Teen Spaces: The RFP just went out for this one on Friday... We're looking to partner with a library to develop a teen space modeled on the wonderful teen Library Loft at the Imaginon facility at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (PLCMC). Stay tuned...
  
  
• A+ Partnership: One goal of our A+ Partnership, (kicked off last summer with an all day event) is to enhance collaboration between school and public librarians who serve teens. Another goal is to highlight the great work that libraries do with teen volunteers to enhance advocacy for libraries and teen services. To support that goal we celebrated Teen Volunteers of the Year, and honored a number of teens at our Spring membership meeting, with families and local officials in attendance. We worked with the State Legislature to give the teens official Resolutions, and also partnered with a vendor to give them cash awards. The press was on hand, and we received some great coverage. The teens and their families had a wonderful time, the great work that libraries do with teen volunteers received wonderful exposure. Everybody wins! Needless to say, lots of time went into making all this happen.
  

• Exhibiting: SJRLC has been exhibiting at the local business expo for a few years now. When we first started we had no idea whether or not any of the attendees would be interested in stopping at a booth devoted to library services. What we found was an incredible interest, and almost non-stop foot traffic all day long. Members of SJRLC's Advocacy team sign up to staff the booth in shifts. I set up the night before, staff most of the day (with some time off to make the rounds of other booths) and then do break down at the end of the day. We coordinate with our member libraries to have their brochures, event calendars and promotional items on hand to distribute to their customers. This summer I also exhibited for along with Beth Cackowski at the South Jersey Teacher's Expo to promote QandANJ.org. If you're not exhibiting (at your local expo, farmers market, etc.) think about it. We've found exhibiting to be a cost-effective way to connect with customers and potential customers. And it's good to get out and flex those marketing muscles!
  
  
• Audiobooks Consortium: Three years ago SJRLC put together a consortium of libraries to share an Overdrive audiobook content. I oversee the budget and the collection (we've hired a part-time collection development person to put together monthly purchase recommendations), recruit new libraries, oversee marketing, provide first-line tech support, and maintain the website. This summer was spent working with the consortium to evaluate the addition of video content, planning a smooth transition while adding new Ipod compatible mp3 formats and working with Overdrive (and on my own) to design new bookmarks, posters and web-banner ads.
  
  
• Toastmasters: Another unique continuing education/advocacy offering. SJRLC started our own Toastmasters chapter a few years ago to help librarians improve their public speaking skills. If we want librarians to go out and advocate for libraries, it makes sense to invest in developing our presentation skills. Another off-the-beaten-path idea that is inexpensive, fun and effective. Think about starting a library chapter in your area.
  
  
• Marketing/Design/Communication/Web/Blog: On any given day it seems I'm designing a bookmark, a banner, a website graphic... I don't think I have any particular skill in this area and I make do with what I've taught myself on an old version of Fireworks (one of these days I'm going to learn Photoshop.) I also maintain the SJRLC website and blog, and try very hard to keep everyone in the loop through one of our listservs, blog posts or rss feeds. I spend a lot of time making sure my communications, in whatever format, are clear, well-organized and effective.
  

That pretty much wraps up how I spent my work time over the past three months. Additionally though (like many of you) I have quasi-work related responsibilities. The reality is (again like many of you) these responsibilities are often addressed outside of work hours. I usually do pretty well managing work/life balance (my wife may disagree), but I have to admit that this summer a number of commitments ganged up on me and it seemed like August was one big converging deadline. Goodbye August, I hardly knew you. Here are some of the professional commitments that I spent time on this summer.

• ALA Involvement
• CLENE R0und Table: I've been involved with the CLENE Round Table (Continuing Education Network and Exchange) for more than seven years. CLENE is all about staff development and continuing education. As Membership Chair I say to you: Go join. Thank you. As CLENE web and wiki master I say: Boy, I'm tired... This summer was particularly busy because ALA was busy transitioning to the new website. In preparation for the launch I spent many nights (and some days) getting the new website, re-coded, re-organized, etc. etc. It was a challenge, made bearable by the good people at ALA ITTS. I feel compelled to acknowledge the wonderful Louise Gruenberg without whose help I couldn't of made it. Thank you Louise! Oh, and go check out our "unofficial" CLENE blog at http://cebuzz.wordpress.com. It's not just about CLENE, it's about all things trainy and staff developy. If you'd like to write for us, either as a regular author or as a guest poster, drop me a line.
  
  
• Emerging Leaders: I had a number of duties this summer vis-a-vis my position on the Emerging Leaders Task Force. I developed a project proposal, recruited a mentor, evaluated applicants, edited the wiki, and revised and managed the project selection process. Lots of time invested, but this program has such a huge impact it's time well spent.
  
  
• Statewide participation: I was involved in a number of statewide initiatives this summer.
  
• Portal Advisory: I worked with the State Library and members of Committee to craft a portal RFP, evaluate proposals, and recommend action on the future of our statewide federated search service and the creation of a statewide portal.
  
• NJLA Future Tech Symposium: Pecha Kucha: Presented as "skeptic" at NJLA Future Tech Symposium. Some day after a few stiff drinks I may post the video. BTW, Steven Bell keynoted and moderated a discussion and, simply put, he rocked.
  
• Super Library Supervisor: Worked with Karen Avenick to rewrite and present a full-day workshop, "Working Together Effectively", as part of New Jersey Regional Library Cooperatives "Super Library Supervisor" program.
  
  
• Coaching: Last year I was selected to take part in a Coaching program co-sponsored by the Central Jersey Regional Library Cooperative and the New Jersey State Library. Through the program I've received training and direct coaching from Sandy Newman, owner of Life Enhancement Coaches, and past president of the NJ Professional Coaches Association. In return, I've agreed to provide some gratis coaching services to librarians. I had been doing some coaching prior to receiving this training, but the training gave me a good, solid and practical foundation, as well as giving me the opportunity to practice and receive feedback from other coaches. In addition to formally coaching one client, I have been doing more and more "just in time" coaching through phone/IM/email.
  

Well, that about wraps up the main points. I guess the only thing I left out is the continual phone/email/IM contact I have with SJRLC members every day. That part of my job may not be sexy, but it's the meat and potatoes of what I do (and greatly enjoy doing); providing fast, accurate, and caring customer service directly to the library staff of hundreds of libraries, so that they in turn can provide great service to the library customers of South Jersey.

Tags: librarydayinthelife, libraries

Passion Quilt Meme: Perspective, Perspective, Perspective

Michael Stephens tagged me for the "Passion Quilt" Meme. (Post a picture from a source like FlickrCC or Flickr Creative Commons or make/take your own that captures what YOU are most passionate about for kids to learn about…and give your picture a short title.)

Original Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/2222523486/

I found it difficult to narrow this down... (I guess that's the fun of the meme). In the end I cheated and chose two quotes that, taken together, get the heart of what I'm passionate about; taking responsibility for our perceptions, thoughts, feelings and actions. We look out at the world through our eyes and think that we are seeing reality with a capital "R". Uh-uh. Nope.

Everything outside of us is just data, and there's a whole lot of it. Our perceptions are therefore highly selective. First we choose which data to focus on. Then we process that data through filters such as our past experiences, our preconceptions, our expectations, our wishes, our fears, our needs, our desires, etc., etc. Then we generate a thought/judgment/evaluation about the filtered, selective data. Then we may have an emotion or feeling in response to the thought about the filtered, selective data. Then maybe we move into action.

This all usually happens with very little awareness, and it is empowering to bring these processes to a more conscious level. In fact, choosing what to look at and how to look at it can be not only empowering but transformational. Limitations start to seem less solid. As we make more choices, it becomes harder to operate out of a consciousness of victimhood and we see new paths and new options opening up before us.

Becoming aware of our own filters also creates space for us to be present with conflicting viewpoints and disagreements. If I can acknowledge that I do not see things as they are, but as they appear to me after being filtered through my own unique perspective (colored by factors including: cultural, religious, political, gender and age to name a few) I become less vigilant about protecting my version of reality. I may not understand why others see things differently, but I can accept that my perceptions are not necessarily THE TRUTH.

Simple things that we usually take for granted as "true" can reveal themselves to be simple convention. You may have noticed that the picture of the Earth (above) is upside down. We all know that the North Pole is the top and the South Pole is the bottom, right? That's reality. But that's no more true than saying Bermuda is the top and Perth Australia is the bottom. It's a matter of perspective. So it is my passionate wish that we learn see more deeply, more broadly and

But hey, enough of my yakkin'. Let's hear from some others. I tag the bloggers of CEBuzz:

• Max Anderson
• Steve Garwood
• Betha Gutsche
• Jay Turner
• Paul Cignorelli
  

Amy's 8 Things

(Hmmm I kinda like the sound of that)!

So I have been tagged here and on the PML blog - do I have to come up with 16 things or should I just refer you there!? ;-) EDIT: Okay I managed to come up with 8 more - if you're really bored or interested check them out! ;-)

Well, I'll do 8 here and then see what happens:

1. I like to keep my fingernails really short because I can't stand typing on the keyboard with long ones. I spend so much time typing that it really is an issue for me and I can now hardly stand for them to be much longer than the very end of the tips of my fingers. This is okay though because I also pretty much prefer them this way and like the way they look. I also like to paint them dark red.

2. When I was little we had a tire swing in the backyard, hanging from a very large, old tree. I used to play outside on that tire swing all by myself for hours! One thing I would do was to "broadcast" my own radio show while I swung around (weird).

3. I have worked in the following places: a 5 & 10 store; CVS; a Mail Boxes, Etc. (no, it wasn't a UPS Store back then); a Manhattan publishing company; the Clifton (NJ) Public Library; and now at the Paterson (NJ) Free Public Library. It NEVER occurred to me to become a librarian, not even once, for one second, even though I went there ALL THE TIME, until about the year 2001.

4. I used to have a really weird habit of washing my feet before I went to bed. I just hated the idea of putting dirty feet into my bed. I don't know why I used to do that, and I don't really know exactly when or why I stopped doing that.

5. I don't really like to cook. My husband doesn't really like this fact about me.

6. I have never, ever, ever smoked a cigarette. Not even one puff once to try it. Never.

7. The first car I ever owned, which I bought myself, was a used Nissan Sentra. Stick shift. I didn't know how to drive stick. I couldn't even drive the car home myself. While learning to drive it, I once drove it right through the garage door! The only person who finally succeeded in teaching me how to drive that thing was a friend of my mom's. She was also my brother's Pre-K teacher and also then became a librarian!

8. I used to be a soccer superstar!

And, I'm not tagging anyone else. I hope that won't bring me 8 million years of bad luck or something...!!??!?

8 Things (Janie)

Since our entire blog has been tagged (and since I have been too overwhelmed lately to post), this is a good reason to play along with the 8 random things meme. Posts of substance are in the works, I just need a few more hours in my days.

1. In 7th grade I wanted to be a cruise director like Julie on The Love Boat. The funny thing is that being the program coordinator at a public library is very similar in many ways, so I guess I achieved this aspiration.

2. My first childhood pet was a goldfish named Goldie. Apparently I was not terribly original when it came to names as a child because I also had a teddy bear named Bear-Bear and a doll named Dollie.

3. I am terrified of bats. This fear is not without reason, but the story is too complex for this post.

4. I used to be able to sing along to the entire soundtrack of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and can still make it through all of the Time Warp without prompts.

5. I have read every single book by Margaret Atwood, some more than once.

6. I am happiest when I am at the family cottage in the Kawartha Region of Ontario. I could happily spend my entire summer on the lake with nothing but a pile of books, jigsaw puzzles and a canoe or kayak.

7. My family is planning a trip to Disney World this September. The last time I was there was in 1975, the year that Space Mountain opened and it was a really big deal. My husband has not been there since 1977 and this will be Alex's first trip. I hope it is not 30+ years before we go again.

8. I think Parker Posey is absolutely brilliant and many of her films are among my all time favorites. Party Girl should be required viewing in library school. In fact, when it first came out I was in library school and about 40 of us went to theatre to see it together -- including the dean of the school and several professors.

Now my turn to tag. I think this meme requires 8 people to tag, so I am going to tag Pop Goes the Library and all of their blogging team (that takes care of 5 with one) as well as Helene Blowers, Karen Schneider, and Christopher Harris (who was an undergrad at HWS when I worked there as a Reference Librarian... makes me feel old).

8 Things Meme (Tyler)

I've been tagged for the 8 Things meme by my Teacozy "real life" buddy. The rules are as follows:

Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. I've been working on a book for about 2 years now. Since I am anal retentive, the plotline is written out and yet I am only on the second chapter of the book.

2. I'm a guitarist who is unable to tune the note B. I have a gap in my hearing pattern that makes me tonedeaf to the frequency which is known as B, and the higher the frequency of B the worse my tuning ear gets.

3. I have a bad habit of leaving closet doors, silverware drawers and kitchen cabinet doors open. I claim it is to test whether we have ghostly spirits in the house (if the doors slam shut by themselves, that's a hint)... it's a total lie. I'm just lazy and forgetful. What's strange is that:

4. Oddly enough, I am fanatical about making sure the doors and windows are locked and closed when I go to bed.

5. I almost became a received a degree in Organismal Biology and Evolutionary Science. I decided to go with an Science and Education degree instead. If you ask me now, I wish I went with OB instead.

6. I still love going to zoos.

7. I have one major goal in life... I need to visit Australia at some point in this lifetime (see the connection in the last 3 things).

8. My dream job would be a golfer. I don't need fame and fortune, just enough to play golf and raise a family. There is not enough time in the day for me and golf.

The people I tag are, and I apologize if any have already done so:
Amy and Mary of Pimp My Library
Tracy
Crazy Roommate
Sara

And since the rest of my buddies have all already been tagged... I'll leave the list as is.

Five Blog Meme

Nancy Dowd tagged me for the five-non-library-blogs-that-I-read-meme.

I'm going to skip a few favorites since they've gotten a lot of mentions already. (If you're not already reading Creating Passionate Users, do yourself a favor and start.) So here are the non-library blogs that I read that I haven't seen mentioned too often:

1. Work Matters, by Bob Sutton. I came for the Weird Ideas That Work, I stayed for the No Asshole Rule. You may have heard of Bob Sutton recently as the author of the #14 Amazon ranked book,"The No Asshole Rule". It's unbeleviable to me that the New York Times won't print the title of this book. (I mean, hey, they had no trouble printing the word scrotum again, and again, and again...)
   
   
2. Horse Pig Cow: A marketing blog from Tara Hunt. Oink. Moo. Yup.
   
   
3. Presentation Zen: Garr Reynolds on presentation design. I'll take all the help I can get :-) Check out Ira Glass' Tips on Storytelling. Good stuff!
   
   
4. How To Change the World by Guy Kawasaki. I love the ideas, the interviews, and Guy's playful, generous spirit that shines through all his posts.
   
   
5. Service Untitled by... hmmmm, I have no idea who writes it. No matter! I love this blog for it's very practical writing on customer service, like this article on what to do when a customer is cursing at you. (Funny, they forgot to mention the never-fail strategy, "I'm the rubber you're the glue..."
   

There are my five. And I tag: Joyce Valenza, Jennifer Macaulay, Iris Jastram, Sophie Brookover.

Meme Mashup

Back in the early days of 2007 when the “5 things you probably don’t know about me” meme was circulating I got tagged 3+ times and intended to play along. I actually composed most of the post, but then lost it when my laptop froze and never found time to write it again. Now I have been tagged by Meredith for the new meme about 5 non-library blogs we read, so I am mashing the memes together into one big post. How efficient is that?

First, 5 things that you may or may not know about me:

Even though I have lived stateside for over 10 years now, I remain a Canadian citizen. My first 7 years of working in the States was accomplished via a series of TN NAFTA visas, but I now have a green card and will likely get American citizenship eventually (when I find some spare time, so maybe not too soon).

I have lived above the Arctic Circle and also in Bermuda and have moved 27 times in my life. My stint at PPL (close to 9 years and counting) is the longest time I have ever worked in a single place. It really feels weird to me that I will have soon lived in my current home 5 years as I have never called an apartment or house “home” for longer than 2 years since I started college. Needless to say, I am an expert at packing and moving.

It shocks people when they visit as I own relatively few books, especially for a librarian -- partly due to the 27 moves and partly due to the fact that I am a minimalist. My son, however, has overflowing bookshelves. I love children’s literature and especially picture books. One of my cooperative work terms while at library school was working in the Children’s Literature Service of the National Library of Canada (a truly wonderful experience).

Downhill skiing is one of the few athletic pursuits that I have ever achieved any sort of higher level abilities (other than highland dancing). I met my husband in a ski club and, when given my choice of things to do on vacation, I will choose a ski trip almost every time.

My musical tastes are eclectic (pop to hard rock to opera) and I have a special fondness for world music and in particular Celtic music, which stems from my undergraduate days of as a dancer in the Queen’s Bands.

Now, for the five non library blogs ( the first 3 directly related to the 5 things above)

CBC Radio 3: Helps me to stay current with Canadian culture and news. I also love Rick Mercer’s blog (but wish he would post more frequently) and frequently read Political Notebook as well as a few other Canadian blogs that help me stay connected to all things “north of the border”.

Book Buds: Even though one might argue that a site reviewing picture books is not really a non-library blog, I am including it since it is not related to my job duties and I read it more for the love of pictures books than anything else. In a similar category is Reading Moms, a blog that meets both my personal and parenting reading needs.

The Echoes Blog: The companion blog to Echoes.org where there is lots of musical goodness to discover – including Celtic and other world music.

Kevin’s Blog on Training: Good training tips and advice from Kevin Eikenberry. In fact, I have several of his blogs in my aggregator.

Gizmodo: The Gadget Guide: The tag line says it all "... So much in love with shiny new toys, it's unnatural."

I am tagging Nancy Dowd, Elizabeth Burns, Stephen Abram, and Darlene Fichter (I want to see what other Canadian and NJ librarians are reading in their feeds) and anyone else who wants to play along.