Tales of a New Reference Librarian

I haven't been very good at keeping this blog updated. I bet the three of you who actually read it are upset by that, huh?

I've been at my job four months now. I love it. I haven't been this happy at a job in a very long time. I love what I do, I love my co-workers...ok, I don't love some of our patrons, but they always keep me entertained and full of stories.  Some of the best ones so far:

I sneezed at work last night. My allergies are horrible this year, so I sniffle from time to time. A regular patron hands me a tissue. I stare at it, blankly. "Are you getting a cold?!"  No, I assure her. Just allergies. "There aren't allergies in the Fall!" Um, ok. I didn't know you were medically trained. Maybe I should call her Dr. Patron?

A lot of these: "I'm trying to print and it's not working! It must be broken." I walk over...put the money in...it works! Just call me a miracle worker.

Patron I don't know approaches the desk. Me: May I help you? Patron: No. I like her better. *Points at co-worker*

Patron asks for help with his resume. I explain typing in his past job history. "But I've never had any jobs!"

I think the most common occurrence is patrons who don't have a library card. Not only do they lack a card, but any kind of i.d. It seems strange to go out without any identification on you (I think of it as someone being able to i.d. my body, but you know...other reasons too) but it happens. Every. Day. When I sweetly suggest they sign up for a library card (it's free!) they act as if I'm suggesting they sign up to swim with sharks. Or go cliff diving. Whatever. I can't get over what the fear is.

And so it goes. It's all a learning experience, and I'm grateful I have this job.

My semester started a few weeks ago. I'm taking Materials for Youth, which I love. I'm reading children's books and talking about them with my classmates. How can I not love it?

My other class is Collection Development. It's an interesting class, but the professor has us do most of the work independently. There are no discussion questions. Our project for the class, which we do in a few parts, is to come up with our own collection development plan for a fictional library. I chose to focus on YA graphic novels and manga. Oh, and our professor just left the class. Yup. She got a new job and couldn't continue with the semester. Does that happen often???

The spring semester schedule already came out, and I have to register in a few weeks. I already know what I'm going to take, so it isn't too difficult. It's going by very quickly!

Oh, and this week is one of my favorites of all time-Banned Books Week! Everyone should celebrate by picking up a banned or challenged book. It could be The Lorax or Harry Potter or Catcher in the Rye. Let's celebrate the freedom to read and laugh at the people who embarrass themselves by showing off their close-mindedness.

The Dawn of a New Semester

The Fall semester starts tomorrow, and I am ready to go. I had a nice break in between my summer class, which was a short session and a bit stressful. I took Cataloging, because I do think it's important that librarians know the basics, and it is interesting to know how things get cataloged in a library system. I had worked in a Cataloging department before, but getting into the nitty gritty of it in five weeks proved challenging. I'm happy that I got an A in the class, but I needed help along the way. A lot of it.

However, I am now signed up for Materials for Youth and Acquisitions and Management of Knowledge of Information this Fall. That's a mouthful, eh? I am very excited about the Materials for Youth class, as my goal is to be a children's librarian. It looks like the reading list is fantastic, and I already started pulling my selected books from the library I work in. The second class is one of the required "core" classes, and a big part of it is collection development in the library, which also interests me.
I did, however, get a little concerned when I looked at the course lists for both classes.

I kid, I kid. I'm sure it will be great. This is what I have wanted to do for a long time, and I'm excited to learn.

Everything is great at the library job. I love the people I work with, I love what I do. I was given a few sections in the library that I am responsible for, and I can't wait to start ordering books. Who wouldn't want to order books about cooking and food, or art and museums? Score!

I'm also going to try to write more reviews of the books I read. I sometimes find it difficult to write reviews. I'm thinking I need to write my thoughts down as I'm reading it, instead of waiting until the end and doing it all at once. I did read some interesting books this summer. I've signed up for that stupid Goodreads challenge, and my goal is to read 200 books this year. Hahahaha! Actually, I was right on track until a couple of days ago. I'm not sure if I'll make it, but I'm more than halfway there and that is excellent.

Other than that, how did I spend my summer vacation? I went to Disneyland! I was in Anaheim for a few days to attend the D23 Expo, which was a lot of fun. Think of it as a Comic-Con for hardcore Disney fans. I did get to Disneyland one day, and had a blast.

So, goals in the next coming months...work hard, read a lot, write more book reviews, and keep this blog updated for the one person who might read it. And remember to listen to Palpatine, everyone.

This and That

...and I'm back!

So...what I've been up to lately:

I got an 'A' in my reference class last semester. I was sweating it out a bit, because the professor still hadn't graded a lot of our assignments toward the end. I got about four grades back in a period of two days. That threw me, but I still enjoyed the class and her style of teaching.

I was supposed to have a summer class start a few weeks ago, in library management. I wound up dropping it, because not only was it an upper level graduate course, but the work load was too demanding as a four week class. The class is offered in the regular semester, so I will take it next year. 

I just started my Cataloging class yesterday, which is another 4 week class. And the workload is...even crazier than the library management class. No, really. The reading for this week alone almost made me cry. But seeing how I worked in a cataloging department once upon a time, I'm hoping a lot of it will come back to me. RDA? MARC records? Pfft...child's play. ;)

I am getting into the groove at my new job. I'm working as a reference librarian in my town library, and I LOVE it. I'm never bored, and I adore my co-workers. I've never felt more welcomed at any job. Ever. Everyone gets along, we have fun, and I love spending time with them. I'm learning a lot, and I couldn't be happier. I've learned how to use our 3d printer, I've gotten to know our regular patrons, and I plan on sticking around for awhile at this library.

I attended Book Expo America last month. For those who don't know, Book Expo is a huge trade show for educators, librarians, and publishers. There are many authors who attend and do signings, and the best part? FREE BOOKS.  That's right.

The publishers supply galley copies, which are copies that haven't been finalized, or proofed yet. I don't care-they are free!!! I got a lot of good ones this year, and I learned my lesson from last year-I brought an empty suitcase so I could dump my books in them from time to time and not have to carry twenty tote bags all day. I was lucky enough to meet Stuart Gibbs, one of my favorite juvenile authors. He is the author of the Spy Camp series, as well as Space Case and the Fun Jungle series. I also met Oliver Jeffers, author of The Day the Crayons Quit, and E. Lockhart, and many others. And they signed my books! It was just heaven. Next year it's in Chicago, so I'm not sure if I will make it.

I'm all set for the fall semester. I'm taking two classes. One is Materials for Youth, where I get to read picture books (whee!) and the other is Acquisitions and Management of Knowledge and Information. Yeah...probably not as much fun as reading Caldecott winners, but it needs to get done.

I'm going to try and keep this blog going, for the five people who might actually read it. I find it's good for me to write about school and work...and hopefully more people will catch on to it and like reading it too.  Until the next post...

I Finish My First Semester

That's right-first semester is done and done, baby.

I'm not going to lie-it was stressful in the end. I had to write an annotated bibliography, which I've never done before, then submit a short two-page paper after. I also had a chapter or two of reading to catch up on. I had to register for summer and fall classes, and had no time for recreational reading. Or hanging out. Or doing anything. I also had the Cold and Cough From Hell  that lasted three weeks.  I was starting to feel a bit like this:

Since I had finished my computer class, I had plenty of time to concentrate on the annotated bib for my reference class. However, I found the concept of the annotated bib to be a little confusing. We were told it could be on anything we wanted-so I went with banned and challenged books, which has become a passion of mine since I started working in the library.

What confused me was how anyone beside me would actually want to use this. To my understanding, an annotated bibliography is mostly used for scholarly research-meaning, others might want to use it to get resources on their same topic. Now, I'm not saying there isn't somebody out there in library land who might want to look at it if they are interested in banned books, it just seemed more personal than professional.

I did struggle at times to find quality articles. The databases had endless articles, but I had to learn to define my search terms. I realized quickly that I had to include "censorship" in the search, and sometimes "intellectual freedom."  But in the end, I became so into it that I can't wait to take the intellectual freedom class my school offers. I didn't realize how big the scope of that topic is. It goes beyond just banned or challenged books. It's a fascinating and important topic.

So in the end, yes. I did feel I learned more about the topic, but because it was more personal than scholarly I had problems writing up the annotations. You are supposed to include "why" the article or website or blog is included in the bibliography, and how it is useful, and it was hard figuring out how to write the same thing over and over again without sounding boring. Many of the articles had valuable teaching resources on censorship or banned books-which was what I was looking for. As a professional librarian, I would LOVE to teach about these things-that's why I picked a lot of those articles. Some of the articles showed the flip side of censorship, which was also interesting. I'm hoping for the best with my grade.

I was also a little stressed that our professor (who is wonderful) still hadn't graded assignments we handed in months ago. I am doing very well in the class, but the bibliography is worth a HUGE chunk of our grade. I still have three or four missing grades.

But I digress...

I handed everything in, along with my short final paper (which was a final reflection of the class) and breathed a sigh of relief...until my next class starts in two weeks.

So, what did I learn this semester?

I learned how to take classes entirely online. I admit-it was weird at first. But I've adjusted.

I learned that I wasn't particularly fond of group discussions. A necessary evil when taking online classes. There has to be group participation, I know. But I felt they got out of control with some topics, and it is very hard to get everyone together with the different time zones, work schedules, life, etc...

I "met" a lot of awesome people in my classes. Some of them I'll be taking classes with again. I can't wait. Of course, there were a (blissful) few people who irked me as well. They shall always remain anonymous. ;)

I learned that even though school is online, I can still do the work. I was nervous I would slack off, but I didn't. I looked forward to my assignments-the readings, the papers...and everything was handed in on time. When did I ever do that before?!

I'm taking two classes this summer, both in different sessions. Library Management, and then Cataloging. So, please excuse me while I celebrate over the next two weeks. I'm going to go out, have some drinks, read whatever I want. Let's party!!!

I Pass My First Class

The good news out of library-school land this week is that I passed my first class. It is, funnily enough, the class that required me to create this blog. Unless you get a waiver, everyone enrolled in the MLS program must pass the basic "Computer Based Information Tools" class. I decided to get this done first, as it is a prerequisite for many other classes in the program. It is a pass/fail class, and I found certain parts of it challenging. I was nervous about not passing. So nervous, that this kept on popping in my head:

I wasn't sure what to expect from it at first, but it was an independent class. The students did everything on their own, with guidance from our professor if there were questions. There were tutorials on different "tools" for computer learning. These were accessed through Adobe, right on the campus server. You could take the tutorials as many times as needed to pass, and then at the end there was an exam (4 exams total). They included everything from basic "this is the Internet" chapters to word processing chapters, and then the final chapter dealt with more complex issues, such as creating databases. The tutorials also tied in this computer knowledge with libraries. I was surprised by how much I didn't know! During the chapter for cataloging, which I figured I'd ace, (having worked in a cataloging department before) I was surprised by how many technical terms were unfamiliar to me. It knocked me down quite a few pegs, I'll admit.

In addition to the tutorials and exams, we had four proficiency exams that needed to be submitted. They included everything from creating a blog, liking the school's Facebook page, creating a spreadsheet and doing Internet research, to the last project, which I struggled over for a few weeks: creating a web page from raw html codes. I knew a few html codes (how to bold something, etc) but I had never actually created an entire web page from it. After some cursing and trying-again and again-I finally got it to work. It wasn't anything fancy, and I still had a few problems with some tags, but it was enough. I'm glad I learned how to do the basics, but I'm not sure if I'll ever use it again. But-never say never, right?

I'm going to keep this blog going, as I find it's a good outlet for me to write about my school and work experience. I also created a basic website using Weebly, but I'm not sure if that will be updated. Even though it was a pass/fail class, I'm proud of the work I did. It was my very first class, and taking an online class was a new experience for me. It also helped that I had a great professor who was always available for my questions. Now, I have one class left for this semester, then a quick break until my first summer session starts. Hooray!

Working in a High School

After working several part-time jobs in public libraries, I decided to accept a full-time position as a media assistant in a high school last October. There were several reasons I jumped ship: money was one, of course. the money was double what I was making at any of the public library jobs; location (close to home) and I simply thought it would be good experience. Perhaps it would make me want to become a school media specialist.

The media center is currently housed in a temporary location, as the entire high school is going through renovations. We are located in the former "consumer science" rooms (or Home Economics to you old schoolers like me) and thus cramped for space. Most of our non-fiction is in storage, waiting for the "real" library to open up again. The renovated library, meanwhile, was set to open this spring but will now probably open in September. After school starts. Oy.

The job is pretty tame compared to what I did as a children's assistant and a technical assistant. A lot of my time is spent keeping an eye on the students, making sure the books are nice and neat (it takes about 30 minutes to shelf read the entire library-no joke), and doing various little errands my supervisor gives me, such as putting magazines in the teacher mailboxes or copy cataloging new books. There is a lot of free time and I'm not used to that. I always had ways of keeping busy at the public libraries. Here...not so much.

The library has laptops and Kindles, but it's not as sophisticated as I thought it might be. Again, the permanent library will be different when it finally opens, but my supervisor already told me he doesn't believe in "maker-spaces" or putting a lot of technology in the library. He's a bit traditional, and used to be a teacher for years-he's only been the media specialist for the past five years or so. We tend to butt heads over certain library trends. But in a good way. I like hearing his thoughts and opinions. I just feel sometimes he doesn't have a lot vested in the library. He'd rather be out teaching classes (which he still does frequently) than running the library. One of these days I'll have to ask him why he made the jump from teacher to media specialist.

The biggest challenge I have in working in the high school is the attitude of my fellow employees. There are quite a few teachers who won't even say hello to me. They'll walk in the library and ignore me, even if I say hello. The same happens with certain teachers in the hallway. I always make sure to wear my badge, so people know I'm not a student (I do look young) but I still get ignored. One time a repeat offender came into the library with someone who was student teaching. She introduced the student teacher to another teacher in the library-and ignored me completely. The student teacher actually walked over to me and say, "Hi, and you are?" It made this long-time teacher look like a jackass. And I wasn't sorry about it at all.  I don't even eat lunch in the staff lounge anymore because I can be ignored in the library and not have to listen to the gossip about students.

There are a few teachers who I've become friendly with, and they are warm and welcoming. I was discussing how hard it was to adjust with one and she agreed (she's a part-timer and said it's hard for her too), saying there was a stigma against paraprofessionals (my official title) because they weren't "teachers" and some people wrongly think they aren't educated. There is a lack of respect. I joked, "Maybe I should wear a big sign that says I have a masters degree so they know!" That kind of thinking is hurtful, though. I love and admire teachers, and their job isn't easy. However, it would be nice if they could reciprocate the feeling. Everyone works hard in the high school, and just because someone is "certified" does not mean they are better than anyone else.

After working here I've decided that being a media specialist isn't for me. Too many restrictions, to much red tape. I don't like not being able to put certain books on the shelves because one parent might object and ruin it for everyone. And please, I'm not anti-teacher. I have no idea if this goes on everywhere or nowhere else. This is my personal experience. If you're in a similar situation let me know!

Book Review: Mark of the Thief

Being a huge fan of Jennifer Nielsen's Ascendance Trilogy, I could not wait to get my hands on her new book, Mark of the Thief. Unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations.

Mark of the Thief  had everything I was looking for in a book: ancient Rome, a scrappy hero, magic, and mythical beasts. However, I found the story tedious. Nic, a Roman slave, is forced to work in the mines, while trying to protect his younger sister. One day he is "chosen" by a general named Radulf to go deep in the mines to find a mysterious treasure. Once down there, he finds a griffin guarding a treasure horde, and he steals a "bulla" once belonging to Julius Caesar . A magical symbol appear on his back when the griffin scratches him. He learns that the bulla is guarded by the goddess Diana, which gives him magical powers. After escaping the mines he realizes many people want the bulla he stole, including the emperor and various senators of Rome.  Nic doesn't know who he can trust. He makes bargains with too many people while on the run and they betray him, and he gets captured. Many times. Rinse, lather, repeat.

My eyes actually started to glaze over at one point, and the very end of the story was rushed. A few characters get killed off in about two seconds, and we get a  "family legacy" story in about a page. I felt that some of this could have been explored in the second book (which it might, in more detail. We will find out). I didn't fall in love with Nic the way I did with Jaron in Nielsen's The False Prince, but I'm hoping the second books improves with the characterization and pacing.

Miss Jackie Becomes a Librarian (Or, How I Left Publishing and Learned to Love the Library)

It might seem strange to some people that after having a "career" in publishing for almost ten years I decided to jump ship. I say career in quotations because it wasn't really going anywhere, to be honest.
I knew that working in a library was my first love, but I had a different set of priorities back in the day.

My first library job was at my undergraduate university. I was still working in retail during my first year at school. It didn't help my grades, as the job wasn't exactly sympathetic to studying and exams. I saw in the summer that the library was hiring. I applied, not sure whether I would hear back or not. A few weeks later, I did! I had my interview, and was hired that day. My supervisor was amazing. She taught me everything I needed to know. I was a student worker in Access Services, which included the circulation desk, inter-library loan, and the reserve room. The summers were quiet, but I would shelve books and shelf read. I would listen to music and do my thing. Occasionally I would work the desk and check out materials. I loved it. Best of all, the library understood exam weeks, papers, and everything else associated with school. I made friends, got to know professors who came in-and started to listen to all library-related talk.  I loved the library so much that I worked there four years as an undergraduate (it took me five years to graduate-oops). My final year at school I left the circulation desk for the reserve room. I just needed a change and something a bit quieter while I really hit the books to graduate. But in all that time, I considered the library my second home and my second family. I still talk to some of the people there today!

It was a sad day when I graduated and I couldn't work there anymore. I was intent on getting my Masters in English, then going on to a PhD so I could be a professor. I remember talking to a friend in the English program. She wanted a Masters as well, but was going for Library Science. It mystified me, as she had never worked in a library before-nor had she ever talked about any interest in libraries. She went her way, and I went mine (she is now a very well known librarian in my state. And even though we lost touch after grad school, I wonder if our paths will cross now that I'm in the same field as her again).

I was disappointed in the Masters program I was enrolled in. While I was supposed to be working on my thesis, I was hired back at the academic library-this time not as a student worker, but as a university assistant. I loved working in the technical processing department, doing copy cataloging and checking for book errors in the system. I was six credits shy of my degree when my mother unexpectedly passed away. I lost the will to return to school. Now needing money, I focused on getting a job instead. I found one as a production editor for a very small independent publishing company. I stayed for 9 months. It just wasn't for me. I had ideas and plans, and no one at the company supported me. After that job, I would move on to two other positions in the publishing world, for eight years. I was unhappy, underpaid, and overworked. I needed a change, and left the publishing world behind, never to look back. I decided to focus my time and energy on going back into the library field.

I was lucky to get two part-time jobs right away, both at public libraries. I gained experience in Tech Services, cataloging, working the circulation desk, and children's services. I worked as a clerk, (and still work there one or two days a week now), and then got hired as a children's assistant at yet another library. At this point, it only seemed natural to get my degree in Library Science. I knew I would never truly do what I wanted to do without that education.  The best thing about working in the library, though? I LOVE it. It's fun! I was able to conduct story times and read to children, plan a superhero program, do crafts with the children, and other things. I absolutely love talking to patrons about books. I go home with a smile on my face. It's a rewarding job, and I like helping people. What could be better than that?

I'm now working as an assistant in a high school media center, and while it isn't what I plan to do permanently, I'm gaining experience. I am fortunate that it is a full-time job in a nice school district. However, I do miss the regular patron interaction and planning programs as a children's assistant. But, I am still happy at the end of the day. My tears have stopped, and I can finally be a person who says, "Yes. I love my job."

On Banned and Challenged Books

Recently, a high school in the next town over from me in Connecticut removed the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky from the school curriculum. The book will remain in the library, but after one parent complained about the content, the school board decided to remove it. Cases like this make me angry, as it seems such a senseless and uneducated thing to do. When one parent objects out of an entire class, is it fair to deny the rest of those students that book to read? Why can't the one student read something different?

We are in an age now where teenagers are exposed to everything through TV and social media. Is anything in The Perks of Being a Wallflower any worse than what they might watch on MTV or the news? Is it better to shelter teenagers, or have them read "real life" young adult novels?

I became extremely interested in the act of banning and challenging books is schools and libraries after I started working as a children's assistant. I knew of Banned Book Week, but after putting up a display with commonly challenged books I started following the stories more closely. I was amazed at some of the children's books that are challenged or banned. Books such as Captain Underpants, The Giver, And Tango Makes Three, and almost every Judy Blume book. I believe in the freedom to read, and to expand the minds of young people. That is not to say that familiar and great classics such The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockingbird  should not be taught, but that times are changing, and perhaps the reading lists should reflect that. In the high school I work at, Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, a book about sexual assault and bullying, is required reading by freshmen.

That is not to say our library doesn't have its challenges. We have to tread lightly with certain books, especially manga and comics, for "mature content." The Walking Dead collection was taken off the shelves, and certain manga titles I donated from my own collection were not fit for the shelves. When I questioned my supervisor on this saying, "But we have Gone Girl and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," he understood my confusion. He pointed out that "the parents can't see pictures of what is going on in those books-if they look over their child's shoulder and see a zombie attack or sexual content in The Walking Dead, they will complain." It confused me, all right. Parents will only pay attention to pictures, and not words in some cases?

It bothers me that parents would want to shelter their teenagers from "real world" problems and issues, such as mental health, drugs, or sex. If they can't read about it in a well-written young adult novel, is it better they are exposed to it through MTV or reality TV or movies? The books in the high school aren't exactly Fifty Shades of Grey. They are intense, intelligent, and worth reading.

In conclusion, I was happy to read that people were protesting the removal of the book from the curriculum. Do I believe it will be reinstated? Sadly, no. But it makes me happy that people are taking notice and expressing their disappointment, and fighting for their right to read. Articles are below if you are interested in reading them.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2015/0319/The-Perks-of-Being-a-Wallflower-is-taken-out-of-classrooms-at-a-Connecticut-high-school

http://www.myrecordjournal.com/wallingford/wallingfordnews/7048470-129/groups-protest-wallingfords-decision-to-remove-the-perks-of-being.html

On the Social Media Thing...

My experience using social media goes back to my undergraduate days, when I joined LiveJournal. LiveJournal was just what it implied-an online journal or diary. It could be entirely private, it could be public and shared with friends. I kept up with it for almost five years, when it seemed to drop off the face of social media. When I attended graduate school the first time, back in 2004, everyone was using Friendster. I was entirely confused about the concept-it just seemed like a way to add people to a list and keep in contact with them. You didn't really write journal entries, or post anything fun. It almost like Classmates.com, the website to keep in touch with old friends from school.

After my initial confusion of Friendster, I found out about Myspace. I joined Myspace in 2005 and it seemed like a fun website. I used it mostly to follow my friends, post quizzes and memes, and post videos. It almost seemed like an online journal of sorts. But then...I kept on hearing about my friends and co-workers talk about Facebook. I had resisted Facebook for a long time. I just didn't want to get involved. Most of my friends were on it incessantly, and kept on bugging me to join. Well, I caved. And that was basically the end of my Myspace page!

I still have my Facebook page (along with Twitter, which I talked about in an earlier post) but it is a private page. I only friend people I actually know and am comfortable with. I don't post as much as I do in the early days, but it's still fun to keep up with my friends.

There are two forms of social media I just never caught on to: LinkedIn and Tumblr. I never got the hang of LinkedIn, nor did it ever suit my job searching or networking needs. Tumblr always confused me. Any time I would go on a Tumblr page it would have a bunch of animated gifs. I didn't see the point. Libraries are using it more and more now, so I'm willing to take another look at it.

I think one of the things that annoys me about social media is that it can contain too much information. I do not like the idea of "checking into" places. Nor do I need to know when a friend of mine is visiting every Starbucks on the Eastern sea board. You want to eat at McDonald's? Good for you! But who else cares? Not this person. Twitter has the same kind of drawback, where people will feel the need to "live tweet" events. Some things I understand, like an award show (especially if people can't watch it at the time) or sporting event. But then there are the people who live tweet every step of their day, or every line from a t.v. show. That's when I gently hit the greatest invention Twitter ever came up with: the Mute button. It lets you quiet people without unfollowing them. Genius!

I believe overall the best part of social media is that it really has let me connect with people from my past. I studied in England as an undergraduate, and made friends with a bunch of fantastic people. After we fell out of touch through email, I found them again on Facebook. The same goes for people I went to school with as a child. That being said, I'm still a believer in old-fashioned communication, and I get together with friends as often as I can. Facebook is great for long distance, and Twitter is even better for people you share interests or hobbies with, but might not necessarily have a long last friendship. So far now, I'm one with social media, and curious what the next big thing will be.

MUVE and Gaming

This semester I learned what a MUVE is. Well, technically I kind of knew what a  MUVE (multi-user virtual environment) was, I just didn't know the actual definition. While I don't really engage in them myself, I know of Minecraft, a very popular MUVE. My friend's son is obsessed with the game, and brought it with him when we went out to lunch recently. He showed me his world, how he built it, and what he could do with it. I was impressed because it really gets people involved and is creative. I think they are a great idea for libraries and offer something other than a traditional video game. Any kind of game that gets kids thinking and being creative is always a positive thing.

Even though I don't play Minecraft or traditional MUVEs, I am still a gamer. I've been playing games since my father brought home our first system, when I was around 5 years old: The Intellivision. As the years went on, the consoles got more sophisticated. My father introduced my love of video games, and when he bought a Nintendo, I thought nothing could ever beat that. That was until he came home from working in New York City late one night and had a very special game with him. A game we had seen advertised, and came in a special gold cartridge.

image courtesy of ign.com

No other game franchise would endear itself to me like the Legend of Zelda. I still play all of the games in the series, to this day. Although I would classify myself as a Nintendo super-fan, I do also have an Xbox 360 and a PS3 in my house. I play everything from role playing games to puzzle games to platformers. I tend to stay away from first person shooters, as the genre has never done anything for me. Another favorite series of mine, is Animal Crossing, which could be described as a MUVE-light. In Animal Crossing, you are a human who creates a village occupied by...animals. You can fish, celebrate holidays and birthdays, and build. The game takes place in real-time, so it reflects whatever the date is on your gaming system.

There is a video game club that meets at the high school media center where I work, and the turnout has been great. I love that it is more "mainstream" to see video games in libraries now. One of my goals is to buy a Wii U system for the media center, and have the kids branch out by playing with clubs from other schools in the area, and try to attend meet-ups and conventions. 

If I am so lucky as to become employed as a children's librarian, I would love to start up a video game club if the library doesn't already have one. Games like Mario Kart, Smash Bros., Guitar Hero, and others have a way of bringing teens together and creating a fun environment for them. 

Social Media

Facebook vs. Twitter

I've had a Facebook account and a Twitter account for a good many years now. I enjoy both of them, but I tend to keep my Facebook more private. I have a very small circle of friends on my Facebook account, and use it for posting pictures and the various status updates. My twitter is not a private account, and I follow and am followed by many people I don't know personally. I like that I can write a longer or more updated post on Facebook, but sometimes the 140 character limit on Twitter is just what I need. Both are fun and easy to use, but I definitely spend more time on Twitter and have more fun with it.

I believe both Twitter and Facebook are great for the library industry, as I follow the ALA, Library Journal, individual authors, and many more involved with library science. I always get up to date information on the industry and important news and articles. However, there is also a lot of fun things to do with both Twitter and Facebook, as the IUPUI Twitter account let me know that they would be attending the Indiana Comic-Con.

Since I am a big nerd, this made me extremely happy. When I was at New York Comic Con, I visited the ALA booth and chatted with the representatives there about school and my library career. I love that libraries are branching out and reaching out to "nerds" like myself by visiting Cons and talking to people.

The IUPUI Facebook page has the more "social" feel to it. Right away you see other people's pictures, who comments, etc. I did enjoy the article they linked to about 3-d printing and pancakes. :)

Both have pros and cons, but I've felt that using Twitter has helped me more in my chosen profession. I've met people in the library industry, and just became more aware of what is going on and who the important people are. Twitter is my "fun" medium, where I can express myself more freely and be casual, where I tend to be a little more formal on Facebook. I have toyed with the idea of making separate Twitter accounts (do people really want to hear me talk about books and video games?) but for now I will keep my one account.

Book Review: The Bunker Diary

I just finished reading The Bunker Diary, by Kevin Brooks. The book is a YA thriller/suspense, at around 200 pages. I had read good things about it, and knew that it won the Carnegie Medal. Not that winning awards necessarily means I will enjoy the book, but I usually take it into consideration as a whole. I also read there was some controversy surrounding the book, and that just drew me in even more. I'm a bit of a moth to a flame when controversial YA books get published.

The Bunker Diary is the story of Linus, a 16-year old runaway who lives on the streets of London. Linus is not a typical runaway; his father is a rich and famous cartoonist, and he ran away to leave his father and his world behind him. One day while trying to play good Samaritan, Linus is drugged, locked in the back of a van and deposited in a bunker.  As the days go on, more people are deposited in the bunker with him: Jenny, a 9-year old girl, Fred, a recovering drug addict, and so on.

The story is told from Linus' point of view, and I was engrossed the entire time. I wouldn't say I "enjoyed" the story, as it is hard to like a story of this kind. I was with it until the very end. There are many questions regarding their kidnapper (who is he? What is his motive? Is he even real or a figment of Linus' imagination?) but we never learn anything of him. What frustrated me the most was the absolute savagery of the story. It just seemed to not have a point in the end. Is it a cautionary tale to avoid talking to strangers? For such a short novel, the characters are drawn out and we start to care about them-perhaps too much, as my mouth was left hanging open at the very last page of the book. Take caution: this is not a feel-good read.

Welcome!

Welcome to my first blog post. I'm Jackie, and I'm in my first semester of my MLS program at Indiana University-Purdue. For the past few years I've had a couple of part-time library jobs: working in cataloging and technical services, a clerk, and as a children's assistant. I've always loved working in libraries, and it just seemed to make sense to finally go back to school and get my Masters in Library Science. I'm currently a library assistant in a high school media center, but I hope to become a children's librarian when I am finished with school. This blog is partly for a school assignment, but I think I have a lot of things to talk about.

Besides loving books and reading, I also love comics, anime, cartoons, video games and travel. I have a 12-year old miniature dachshund, Charlie, and I live in Connecticut. I love reading juvenile and YA, but I'm pretty open minded about what I'll read.

My first assignment was to create a nifty little Voki, so please enjoy it below. I also plan on including book reviews, tales from library school, stories about work, and other musings. I am also on Twitter @JacksBee. I don't strictly stick to library talk, though, so be prepared for anything unfiltered.

In the meantime, remember the wise words below: