Library Day in the life 8 - Day 1 - Best laid plans...

OK, its been a while since I've blogged.  It is not that I don't have anything to say but I find that I don't have the time nor the energy to put so many words together in a comprehensive sentence.  In the past, I've reverted to Twitter... I can handle 140 characters, right???  Well not always.


So, in honor of Library Day in the life round 8, I will make an attempt to detail what I do in a week managing a very busy CEGEP Library.  This blog is the chronicle of my journey in a CEGEP Library, right? So here goes.


Day 1 - Monday Jan 30, 2012 - Best laid plans....
Well my great plan today is to work on a grant proposal for year 2 of a amazing literacy project.  Lets see how far I get working on this.
7:15am: Before leaving for work, received call from DH indicating that she would not be in today. "Le Hic", like we say here in French, is that she is also scheduled to give a late afternoon Humanities research orientation session. Hope CP can fill in. This could be interesting if she cannot.  
8:00am: Arrive at work.  Say hello to staff and head for coffee!  Check emails - delete junk mail.
8:15am: Order 2 ebooks.  One on productivity (my need to focus and be more organized prompted this) and the other on the management of ebooks. These are now downloaded on my KOBO eReader and I'm ready to go.
8:30am: CP cannot fill in for DH for Humanities orientation session.  She has another appointment that cannot be cancelled.  Email Faculty that late afternoon Humanities research orientation needs to be postponed to next week.  Cross fingers that he will read email and confirm that all is ok to postpone.  Alternative is that I will have to give the session (YIKES!).  Not impossible but I have never given this session.
8:45am: Start working on grant proposal.  Discovering that figuring which version of the form to use is part of the battle.  Settle on one version and start typing.....
9:00am: Explained to Library clerk how to fill in new absentee report. Tricky but not complicated once you understand the process. (Will need to repeat tomorrow with absent librarian).
9:30am-10:00am : Still working on grant proposal. Still have not heard back from faculty member.  Contact CP for copy of orientation scenario and presentation. Start making myself familiar with the presentation.  
11:30am : CP working on a pilot project with Humanities teacher to build a new Research orientation session that is less lecture and more "hands on" for the students. First session given this morning.  Checked in to see how it went. Some minor changes needed before the next session on Tuesday AM. This is promessing.
12:00 Noon : Lunch - reading new ebook "No shelf required 2: Use and Management of Electronic books" by Sue Polanka 
1 pm: Meet with IT technician to run memory diagnostic on my PC.  It keeps freezing up when I least expect it (Note to shelf - ask for new PC on next capital budget requests in February)
1:30 pm: Email librarian at sister campus information about DVD series their faculty would like to purchase. Looks like pricing she is being quoted is for private use only and not for classroom use.  Price was too good to be true.
2pm: Finally heard from Humanities teacher.  OK to postpone research orientation session to next week.  YES, I can now start breathing.
2:30pm : Received invitation to discuss library services and resources at the next English departmental meeting in 2 weeks.  Will present databases, orientation session and new subject guides.  I have been trying to meet with them for a couple of years. New Department Coordinator = New opportunities.
Set up meeting on Thursday with Graphic Communications students so that they can present new marketing materials.
3pm: Back to grant proposal.  Problems with forms.... Cannot enter more that 4 deliverables!!!  Take a walk to Campus Director's office to discuss. He suggests that I use old form.  Detour to Bookstore on way back to Library to check to see if books students want to borrow from Library are required texts.  This means difference between 2 week and 2hour loan period on these. Assist faculty member to find DVD on Human Trafficking in our collection. Clerk found DVD - subject is actually about organized crime in China.  Talk to Library technician to add Human Trafficking to subject headings as this is how faculty is looking for it. So subject heading a bit off.  The important thing is that we can find item when the teacher needs it!
3:45pm: Impromptu meeting with people from  Building's & Registrar's office to plan the setup for this Thursday's "Mini-Open House/Information Session".  This is when we all put our best face forward to attract new students to our magnificent campus.  Our Library being, by far, the best space, the activity is held here.
4pm: Stand in front of Library classroom to redirect Humanities students back to their regular classroom as their research orientation session is postponed.
5pm: Calling it a day.  Bringing work home.  Maybe when the kids are in bed, I'll get the quiet, uninterrupted time to finish up that grant proposal. One can wish.
Evening: Did not work on grant proposal.... Worked on this blog post instead!  Like I said at the beginning... the best laid plans....

Twitter for PD

For a while now, I've been following many blogs from a wide variety of people associated with librarianship and education.  There are so many interesting people out there that I am now finding it really difficult to keep up. You can spend all day reading.   

Then came Twitter. Many, if not most of the people I am following via my Google Reader, I am also following on Twitter.  It was becoming exhausting to try and keep track of both.  Generally speaking when the trendsetters I follow publish a new blog, they also Tweet about it.  So why read everything twice?  A quick scan of the tweets and I can rapidly focus on what is important to me. So all you amazing trendsetters out there, if your blog stats are decreasing, it is not because you are no longer important.  People have just figured out a new way of keeping track of what you do.   I have learned so much by doing this. 

Initially, I had created a Twitter account at work. I was thinking to use it for communicating with students and faculty. To basically let them know that was going on at the Library. What I have found is that most of the people that follow me are other librarians! So, where are the students???? I guess that I will have to rethink my communication strategy. I also found that I was mixing my Library twitter identity with my own. I was therefore uneasy responding to anybody. So I have recently created a new Twitter account of my own (@cegeplibrarian). This way I hope to be able to engage in discussions in the Twittosphere.

As many educational institutions, funding is tight. So, conference participation is limited to non existent.  Not that I could not go if I really wanted to, it's just that the funds I manage need to go to other more important things, like getting the latest cool criminology book for the History of Crime course.  So, how do I keep up with the trends and what is going on in the Library world... Well via Twitter again of course.  All the amazing trendsetters are at these conferences and tweet what is going on.  It is not quite like being there but close enough. 

So, Twitter as a Professional Development tool.... 140 characters at a time.


How are you using Twitter?

All for now!

My first post

Finally I've done it. I created a blog. I have been thinking about it for a while now. Wondering where to jot down all the ideas running through my mind. So this will be the chronicle of the random thoughts and ideas that I come across as I scan other peoples blogs and twitter feeds. Most of what I will write about will have a link to my work place: a CEGEP library. For those unfamiliar with CEGEPS, I would say that it is equivalent to community colleges for the rest of Canada.

I hope that what I will write will make some sense.