Discovery Space

I had specific requirements from this second placement session: to cement in my head the activities of the Young People’s (YP) Librarian during school holiday times, to ask about the place of Information Literacy in the YP Librarian’s role; to investigate Acquisitions further and to book times in June to talk to people responsible for the digital and management of the ‘big picture’ stuff.

holiday fun …

This time I discovered how enjoyable the YP Librarian’s job can be. To be able to create, set up and deliver holiday activities is fun. I worked on helping set up holiday activities – sticking clues for a treasure map around the Library and tying fishing rods with magnet ‘hooks’ for a craft activity. I also had a go at being creative and made bookmarks for the June holiday – magnetic bookmarks using a potential monster theme. By the time I am here again, these ‘design’ activities will be complete for the next holiday.

I am glad my placement is split over both holiday and other times. While there are regular competitions and story and rhyme times, so much of the Librarian’s work is put ‘on hold’ for holiday times. The Young People’s Enquiry desk is staffed all day regularly during holidays, unlike in a normal week, where it is only staffed from 11-12 pm and 3-5pm. It is a busy place with many queries at the YP desk to do with the holiday activities as well as helping with location and reservation queries. The queries were varied: locating Western DVDs, doll house stories, specific author queries and finding pictures of waterfalls. I found it interesting how, when asked a similar query at school, I use it as a teaching moment to show the student how to access the catalogue and guide them through their query. I never thought to ask if this is something done during regular times and it is only as the desk is so busy that the teaching about the catalogue isn’t an option during holidays. I’ll have to see during my next placement block. I must admit that I love our iPads and the touchscreen catalogue we’ve set up for these teaching moments at school.

going digital …

I gained some insight into the digital presence of the Library. The Young People’s team has recently moved from an individual page blog to becoming part of the Council page. I’d like to investigate further the decision making surrounding the move and the issues regarding catering to a niche market vs being part of the Council’s umbrella page. I found it interesting that, while all departments are responsible for contributions, the Young People’s team are most active in updating the page.

investigating acquisitions …

I have reconsidered how much input the YP Librarian has regarding selections. She is active in recommending titles and making selections from review magazines and visiting booksellers. At first I thought selections was one person’s responsiblity but I have since discovered that the Collection Development Policy is team written and that all Librarian’s have selection responsiblities. Divisions include Adult Fiction, Learning to Read and Languages other than English, Junior and Adult DVDs and Young People’s. The Selections Librarian deals with the visiting booksellers and catalogues, sourcing for replacements and gaps in the collection as well as reviewing the withdrawn items against the collection policy. There is a Purchasing team who look at procuring and processing items and then sending them to the Librarian responsible for cataloguing. At this stage there have been a number of staff changes so I await June to investigate these areas further.  

The CBCA notables and shortlisted books were announced during my placement. I spent time locating the Shortlisted books on the shelves and checking the numbers of notables held across the regional Libraries. The YP Librarian will begin developing the activities for Book Week as soon as holidays finish. As a former judge, my supervisor’s advice regarding my own ordering for school is invaluable. She had me thinking about volunteering to be a reviewer once my study is finished. I never thought to use my background in Children’s Literature in this way before.

library users ….

The greater part of my observation time during this placement was spent investigating the variety of ‘users’ and the responsiveness of Library staff to meeting client needs. You certainly get a huge range of people through the door and the manner of Librarians and assistants is impressive. The best way to describe it would be ‘empathetic professionalism’. I fear I’m far too impatient for this job sometimes. The Librarians plan yearly to meet client needs through activities that are both ongoing or planned events. The list of targeted ‘audiences’ is huge: indigenous, multicultural community, young mums, dads & male carers, young adults, business professionals, council staff, children and parents, Library users, time-poor, electronic readers, Library website users, children in care, adults learning to read, newcomers, and community organisations. Some activities are tied in with awareness raising scheduled for certain times such as the Indigenous Literacy Day in September or Seniors Week in August, others are all year activities such as ‘Our favourite reads’, promoting reading to regular users, and monthly author events. I’d like to investigate how the planning developed and how it is updated by the Librarians during my next placement. I’d also like to discuss what ‘service’ ethos the Library uses to train staff.

I am looking forward to June and am mindful that I must balance my investigations into how the Library works with assistance that is valued. Thinking ahead, my July placement may involve getting ready for Book Week and I hope I can be of real help then.

Reading 1 Barrett (2008) Electronic portfolios as digital stories of deep learning

Interesting
Foregrounding an article that begins with negative views of portfolios as tools for assessment as opposed to assessment for learning eg p.2 institution-centered, summaries assessment that equates to ‘hoop jumping’
Portfolio as story of knowing p.5 reminds me of the knowledge creation environment – the idea that the meaning we construct as we ‘story’ our experience share and builds knowledge
Constructivist philosophies still in favor – an area of comfort!
P. 9 stories as products of reflection but not usually held onto to make them objects of reflection – this portfolio process means that stories I have recorded in my blog over the past few years will become objects of reflection as I story.
Very familiar with Moon’s Map of Learning and recognize the theory of storytelling making connections from my work in English teaching – I subtitled my blog learning, memories, connections partly for the new knowledge I construct through the connections made as I process my and others’ stories from the forums and readings
Part of me worried that my blog only recorded my thoughts about my course learning rather than my work as well – knowing how much they work together in my develop,open as a TL. It is interesting that Saffer values the analysis of blogging the coursework alone.
We do digital storytelling with our Year 8s, i have seen some conference presentations on this as a conduit for learning and I look forward to creating my own.

New
View of portfolio as assessment for learning – similar to my reading response journals in literature studies. With the journal, the end product did not matter, only the learning journey as we uncovered how we read.
Being emotionally connected to my assessment – compelling reason to participate boots and all in assessment piece

Vital
Digital story uses our own voice – why I need to ‘get over’ not liking my own voice; voki comes immediately to mind as a way to convey authentic voice
Purpose of portfolio in the attributes of deep learning p.7-8 – relating ideas to previous knowledge and experience; looking for patterns and unrelated principles; checking evidence and relating it to conclusions; examining logic and argument cautiously and critically; being aware of the understanding that develops while learning; reigniting interest in course content
Leaning towards the constructivist storying approach as underlying learning philosophy for the portfolio as it values selecting artifacts that reflect my learning

I need to prepare an overview of the library, discussing four aspects. I am leaning towards focusing on the users and services offered, both far broader in a regional library than in my school library. So far I have only briefly touched on the services offered in the mobile, home bound and smaller libraries that come under the city umbrella and would like to investigate them further. Use of technology is another aspect that is looming large for he library as they wrap up the free lessons on Internet and prepare for digital hub installation grant. While the hierarchical structure, rosters and staffing fascinate me as I couldn’t imagine the management demands involved, I am interested in the collections they offer too.

Questions:
Meeting users’ needs
How does the library work to plan for serving their broad clientele?
How do they gather feedback and respond?

I am a little overwhelmed by my reading, which I have yet to blog about. I wonder what themes to select and encapsulate my learning through this TL course. It is appropriate that I write yet again about the connections I make between my learnings and my memories.

I began the M.Ed (TL) while on maternity leave. The impetus was a placement, heavily pregnant, in the Library at the beginning of semester 2, 2008. The Deputy Principal, wisely, was not going to give a full timetable of classes to someone who would abandon them to maternity leave after only two weeks. I diligently took on the role of TL and, in casting my gaze around the Library realized two things: the incumbent TL, for personal reasons, was not coming back and that I,  remembering my Year 9 work experience, wanted to work in a Library. If I study, could I get the job? I knew that I’d proved myself as a diligent Senior Teacher and past acting HOD. The powers-that-be took me seriously. It helped that we’d just picked up two gun 1st year English teachers. The number crunching reality of sliding me across to ‘library’ so they could keep these two was not lost!

I paced myself in my study. It took me 7 years to complete my first Masters and that was without the distractions of a babe, 4 year old and teacher/Rugby-coaching husband. One subject a semester has proved a wise course. My husband did resign from 1st XV coach to spend more time with his family and concentrate on his actual job of teacher. An interesting aside is that the person who replaced my husband as 1st XV coach was given the job full-time, with a house. Why did we feel stressed when L was trying to do that on top of teaching every day? We have since moved back into boarding, with L responsible for 58+ teenage boys, so we are suckers for punishment!!

Of course, I returned to work part-time after a year with babe to jump straight in to the management of the Library refurbishment with a $750k ‘ish’ budget thanks to a State Schools of Tomorrow bucket of money. The individuals  who originally applied for the money moved quickly up to Principal and Deputy at other school, deservedly. After a year of that, and while the project was in full throttle, the wise timetabling Deputy stopped me one day and suggested that I increase my workload and pay from 3 to 4 days/week instead of wheeling a pram around the building site on my days off.

During this time my learning on the role of the TL and leadership (courtesy of mainly ETL401 and ETL504) helped inform my role of our school’s Library 21 project planning committee. I was an equal committee member in decisions. I am grateful for that responsibility after hearing stories from my colleagues whose ideas weren’t valued. I’d like to think our shaping of the Library spaces – both the physical and the fledgling virtual – have been successful. TL Role and Library spaces could become two of my themes I think. I’ve done so much extra work that has complemented, informed and shaped how I have grown as a TL.

The collection was brutally weeded, due to the reality of boxing, storing and operating a skeleton collection. ETL503, ETL501 and ETL505 have really helped inform and confirm my choices regarding the access the Library provides to reading and information resources. Budget constraints mean that the actual is nowhere near my plans and dreams but Collection is why the Library exists.

I can’t separate out the digital – it is there in all three of the themes I’ve mentioned. I shape my student orientation to the Library that way. I talk about the virtual space as one of the spaces they access. I can’t escape the desire I have to grow the ‘e’ part of the collection and much of my work as TL is on the computer. I was presented with an ICT certificate and was given administration rights on the website, enabling me to upload and tinker with the website as I see fit. The digital is an integral part of my work – not more important, just inescapable. It’ll be interesting to see if my thinking changes as I continue with my placement, reading and study visit but I needed to put down my thoughts now, just in case.

I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.  Roald Dahl (found on the wall in the Young People’s team office)

Duties – enjoyable and busy!

While on my first two days of placement I observed, assisted and participated in the following

• observation only
• Enquiries Desk (ED) – Young People’s and Main counters
• Staff meeting – digital hubs
• assisted as needed
• Toddler Time/ Story Time/ Holiday Activities – rhymes, stories, making things – 3 different sessions where I sat on the floor singing and helped young people with their craft
• Registration desk – enquiries, registrations, covering books, photocopy money - I located and shelved books placed on reserve, assisted with enquiries (though not much due to
• participated by doing:
• Returns – fast paced returning and sorting of all resources
• Shelf Check – a regular half hour checking of book placement by all assistants
• Orientation tour – for trainees and new staff
• Book Searches – to locate books to put aside for reservations and weeding review by Young People’s Librarian

Observations – PMI

Prior to beginning my placement, I was focused on my school library – an undersized but beautifully renovated building and fledgling virtual space serving 1400 students plus staff.  With this first Professional Placement, I am beginning the journey to view a variety of libraries with far different organisational structures, and a greater variety of services that still tap into the service of feeding the lifelong learning appetites of their clientele. While I have gasped at the budget of my placement library, I know the budget is never enough. I am grateful to have weeded 9000+ titles out of my collection and to be at the endpoint of a renovation, unlike my placement library who are only beginning that journey.I have made a PMI based on my preliminary observations.  Please remember these are my reactions and not based on comments by staff at my placement.

Pluses

• large library organisation – living, vibrant, positive workplace
• dedicated and enthusiastic staff – helpful, loving their work
• sharing and shouldering of responsibilites
• service mission
• budget allocations (compared to the school library) reflect a valuing of the services and resources offered
• working hours are fair, controlled; lunch and breaks are timed and considered essential
• clearly delineated structure of organisation
• eb & flow of working outside a school institution a welcome change; feeling like a ‘real’ worker

Minuses

• cross-over responsibility reduced in large organisation; everyone has designated roles and though they support/offer guidance outside of their own responsibilities it seems you are employed to do just certain jobs and it is not necessary/encouraged to take responsibility outside that area ( I have yet to get my head around the number of Library Assistants and Librarians – who is who and who is meant to do what)
• a feeling that the job is ‘too big’ – focus by Librarians and Assistants on ‘here in front of me’/ specific allocated duties rather than working on bigger picture – Head Librarian’s responsibility? I would like to investigate how the big picture policy and direction is developed and adhered to during future days.
• acquisitions – YPL input isn’t always sought- perhaps not completely in control of area vs. feeling that it is too big a job anyway so good to not have purchasing responsibilities. This is an area I’d like to investigate further, to uncover the collection development policy in action and look at how the job can be divided.

Interestings

• hugeness of Library – yet knowing that it is large by this regional town’s standards only; can’t wait to tour State Libary
• digital hub an exciting concept
• the growth of eresources and eservices – how are they managed; what proportion of time/money spent on digitising the collection
• the breadth of services – to homes, to underprivileged, etc
• questions for next time – acquisitions process, mission statement, e-presence – vision, overseer and nitty gritty, marketing budget, place within corporation (City Council), daily routines and rosters, how broad is their service charter????