MSLIS News

I attended the NY Library Association conference in Saratoga Springs a couple of weeks ago. It was my first-ever library conference, and it was a total blast! As a distance student, the opportunity to connect with some of my fellow students face-to-face and to meet some of my professors in person was really valuable. I have been to other science-type conferences before in my current field, but it was also the first BIG conference I had ever attended. You know, the first time I had one of those cool badge thingys with the ribbons and the first time where I got one of those sweet free big bags for collecting vendor swag! I learned a lot, not only at the three excellent sessions I attended (which will be discussed in future blog entries), but also just some general conference-going tips. 

1.    Leave your coat in the car. I forgot to do this, and lugging my coat, my purse, and the big bag ‘O  swag around became very cumbersome.
2.    Bring business cards. Even if you don’t have official business cards, make some on your computer. Not only does this save time in filling out raffle forms at vendor booths, you should also have them available for potential employers or other contacts.
3.    Collect ribbons. I’m sure this is less important to experienced conference-goers, but if you’re a newbie student like me, you can pick them up at your alma mater booth, your library section booth, or wherever, and they attach to your badge thingy. They are intended to be conversation-starters I think, and besides, they’re pretty.
4.    Talk to people. Don’t be shy, introduce yourself! You never know, that person waiting in line for coffee in front of you could be a potential employer, or a contact for a future collaboration. Or, you could just get some great ideas based on projects other people are working on.
5.    Meet the vendors. A librarian mentor gave me this advice. As a student, you may soon be in charge of a libraries of your own, and having a good relationship with the vendors may mean good deals on future purchases.
6.    Be polite about vendor swag. Don’t be pushy, and don’t take more than your share. Yes, some of it is really cool, and yes, many of the vendors are looking to unload as much as possible so they have less to carry home. But they are also there to do their job, so be polite and chat a little. You might just learn something! 

I’m sure many of you have other tips and advice, so feel free to comment either here or on our SU MLIS facebook page.

Okay, so the title isn’t that creative. I once had a stuffed animal; he was a big bear. His name was Big Bear. What you see is what you get, and what follows are a bunch of interesting articles and blogs that I enjoyed.As an educator, I continuously hear that the generation of students that I teach (and that I am a part of) are lacking crucial skills. We can’t read and we don’t follow the conventions of writing. We can’t focus on tasks because we multitask ourselves into stupidity. While there is some credence to these claims, specifically that too much multitasking can lead to superficial insights rather than deep ones, it is nice to hear some of the truly positive qualities that our generation is going to bring to the world. Find a good story on this topic at NPR’s  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96503209&ft=1&f=1057 Next I have recently been interested in the concept of information overload. Processing too much information until it is just a stream of nonsense, or until you just turn it off and move to the mountains. The following article calls this a myth. There is as much information out there as there has always been; it is just so accessible now. The problem is not the quantity of information, the article posits, but the filtering. Further, the reference librarian’s job has changed from finder of information to filterer of information. An interesting idea. Find it here: http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2008/10/information-overload-the-tooth-fairy-of-the-internet.html Finally, I am a language nerd, so I find the different modalities of use and its evolution interesting. This article discusses the authentic factor. Have you ever tuned out somebody who speaks rigid academics instead of vernacular or scoffed at your mom sending you grammatically correct IMs? Loosen up people… I won’t judge you. That’s the idea behind using texting as a reference service. Sounds cool, the only thing is that there are people who care a great deal about the “proper use” of language. Find info here: http://www.walkingpaper.org/805 n e way. gtg… l8

Come join the new MSLIS students at Syracuse University for their poster session on Ethical Issues in Librarianship! IST 511 students will be presenting their work from 5-7pm in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons on the first floor of Bird Library on Wednesday, November 19th. All are welcome to meet the new students and talk with them about their work.

Most MLIS students are required to conduct interviews with librarians as class assignments periodically during our course of study. I have done several of these so far and I have found them to be extremely useful assignments. Not only do we gain practical insights into the real world of librarianship, we also make contacts with possible mentors and colleagues. However, I have noticed that although most librarians take these interviews seriously, a certain amount of venting goes on. On the one hand, it is constructive to let the library student know about the pitfalls of our future profession, especially when recommendations are given as to how to avoid them. On the other hand, is the library student interview really the appropriate time to gripe about how your library gets the worst resources in the district?

I came up with a few recommendations for librarians to consider the next time you are approached by a student interviewer. I hope I remember them when I am in the librarian’s shoes someday.

1. Brag about the great programs going on at your library. This is the time to show off your hard work and give the student great ideas for future programs at their own library.
2. Keep in mind that this student may someday be your colleague. View the interview as a networking opportunity; I can assure you that the student sees it that way.
3. Remember that what you say in the interview may be made public. If the interview is for an assignment, at the very least the professor will be grading the interview and in all likelihood the student’s classmates will read postings about the interview or hear it discussed in class. While most students are judicious in what they post, it is better to put your best face forward and save the venting for more appropriate audiences.
4. Aim to inspire your interviewer. One of your professional goals is surely to inspire and educate your patrons every day – extend this philosophy to the student interviewer. No pressure.
5. Learn something! Library students are learning about the very latest technologies, theories, and practice. Ask questions about what they are working on and you will get as much out of the interview as the student does.

To see a video of an excellent student library interview, check out this one. A team of students from Syracuse iSchool Professor Ken Lavendar’s IST605 reference library course (Alice Bangs, Tasha Beers, Allison Byers, Jo Clark, and Corey Condello,) interviewed Sam Stormont, Head Librarian at Penn State, Abington, regarding his library’s virtual reference services (September 15, 2008).

There are all sorts of ways to keep up with what is going on at the Syracuse iSchool and LIS program. If you haven’t already found us, check out the LIS Program at Syracuse on facebook. I’m looking for feedback on a recently posted discussion thread about the upcoming NYLA conference in Saratoga Springs. Does anyone have advice for a grad student NYLA first-timer? Please feel free to post in the discussion thread on the facebook page!

Other facebook pages of note include the iSchool’s page and the SU LIS Social Club. And, if you aren’t already here, you can subscribe to the SyracuseLISFeeds mashup. The mashup includes blogs by students, faculty, and alumni.

I’ve now provided you with plenty of good new-fashioned procrastination tools. Like you needed more. Enjoy, go on, you deserve it!