Reference Librarian Training

So, I've recently begun training to be a student assistant at the reference desk in the USF library. I have always been attracted to library sciences because of the instant gratification I get from finding what I need. I love being about to answer queries and give the right resource to the right patron. I've realized that the vast majority of the information presented to me was based on refining one's searching abilities. There is an element of lateral thinking in searching, particularly in database searches, that is a little bit frightening to me because I doubt I would ever be able to espouse the level of creativity needed to search efficiently. I guess my problem comes from freezing up in the 'brain storming' part of query searching. As a result, I've tried to play little mind games with myself, like word association games or thesaurus (in which I try to come up with as many possible alternatives as possible) but this is still missing the mark. I think the answer to my problem is building some sort of 'idea tree' or developing some kind of 'theory of idea evolution.' I have to laugh a little bit here because whenever I become conscious of my own stream of thoughts, I'm baffled sometimes between the inane connections I make between different concepts. I can't think of an example right off the cuff but there have been times where I've started researching about one topic only to end up on a completely remote site just because of my own thought processes. I feel as though the thought process is intricately linked to one's memories because of this.
Anyway, the most important concept I learned today was to make use of the advanced search options in databases because a basic search can yield such disappointing results. You can take the same terms you used in a basic search and plug them into an advanced search and tinker with the parameters slightly and it will result in a completely different search. This is fascinating to me- it reminds me of a parable or axiom or anecdote (whichever term is correct, if any) about the fly trying to get outside. The fly keeps ramming his head against the glass to reach the outside world that he knows is so close. Seeing that his efforts result in naught, he tries harder, banging his head faster and harder. Still, he is trapped. If only he flew around the room, he would have discovered the open door behind him and would have been happily flying around in the world. In essence, one can keep ramming one's head into the wall, with the same unhelpful results or you can use your head and search smarter.
I have a tendency to over-analyze everything (or so I've been accused) and this simple improvement in search skills makes me look back on previous searches I have done that have been unhelpful or that failed in producing results. I worked from a skill set that I never stopped to question by evaluating their effectiveness. If I had, perhaps I would have invited a little innovation into my searches in order to define a higher quality skill set. And, of course, this make me think about how my search skills are a metaphor for how I live my life. I begin to wonder if there are other aspects of my life that I should stopped ramming my head into a wall over and start looking for the door. It was at that point that I realized that librarianship is about clarity. It hinges upon the belief that the answer is out there and that there is indeed a clear path to it.

And another thing...

While I was updating my website, I decided to use Komposer instead of SeaMonkey and, I have to say, I found it so much easier and quicker. I think it is the ability to edit it like a word document that I found helpful. While I would always rather edit the code directly, I feel that until I'm a proficient enough coder, Komposer is a very good tool for webpage editing. I'm glad I tried a variety of softwares!

And, finally, the dreaded Presentation Project...

Of everything I've had to do for this course, the presentation assignment was the one that made me drag my feet, in part because I've had limited experience with PowerPoint but mostly because of the subject matter on which I decided to base the project. I chose 'Internet Research' as my topic. I did a ton of research for this project and I found that a lot of research instruction for college students is lacking in a lot of basic material. I actually have a story from my own life regarding this lack. I took a German course at Yale one summer and I decided to live on campus- sort of trying to see how the other half lives, I guess. I was the only one on my floor who DIDN'T go to an Ivy League. I actually use the Yale Library Online catalog a lot in my own research and I was very familiar with the website. One day, there was a commotion in our suite because one of the girls was unable to find an article she needed to write a paper. Everyone was involved trying to locate this article...on Google. I stepped in and introduced my suitemates to the Yale online catalog and within moments, I had full text access to the article that she needed. These girls were seniors at Yale and they did not know how to use the library online resources. If Yale doesn't provide the correct instruction, I shudder to think about the rest of us normal colleges! Therefore, I felt that I simply couldn't let this topic go. BUT the information I did find was poorly organized or pre-supposed a lot of researching experience. I wanted to create a tutorial that college students could use that would help them find credible resources for their papers. I dragged my feet in part because I questioned my own ability to be an instructor in such matters. Eventually, I pulled together the information I needed and I laid out my presentation. One of my critiques of Internet Research guides that I found was that they spent too much time on the differences between search engines, databases and meta-databases and not enough time on evaluating results, which I feel is one of the most important aspects of Internet research. I decided to rely on a glossary to delineate and explain the differences and definitions of databases, meta-databases, and search engines. I tried to come up with a step-by-step process to college Internet research. I feel that my presentation is informative but I, myself, am not an authority. I really don't have the right to instruct in these matters because I myself am a student. I based the presentation on issues I've had and that I've known other students to have when conducting research online.
As for using PowerPoint itself, I have to admit it took me a while to re-familiarize myself with the software. I must have spent an entire day trying to get just the buttons to work properly but I was very pleased with the result. I think I went a little crazy with the animation but there were some deliberate choices: I tried to use slower animation for the more important information to force the user to take a longer time on those particular slides. Looking back, I feel a little sad that I didn't use sounds as well but maybe this is a good thing. Silly sounds would have made it seem a little less professional. I ended up downloading a whole bunch of clip art from the Microsoft website and I tried to add graphics to make the tutorial more visually appealing. My first version of this presentation had the same background for every slide, barely any graphics, and an enormous amount of text. I tried to break up the monotony by using different backgrounds and layouts. I tried to get some feedback from other students regarding the tutorial's usefulness but I didn't actually get to see the knowledge in action. I'm hoping it is instructive. I was striving to keep a theme through all of my projects; I wanted everything to be informative and useful to people using the library or conducting research. I feel like I've managed to engender that spirit in everything I've completed. For this project, however, I feel the need for feedback from experts. I wish I had more access to the student body because I would love to post this tutorial in a place for students/faculty to use and leave feedback. Faculty feedback would be particularly helpful regarding what they expect their students to be able to accomplish. When I finally finished this project, I felt it was a pretty decent attempt at such a large and amorphous topic.

Publication Projects Reflection...

So, the publication projects went smoothly. I knew exactly what I wanted to do as soon as I read the assignment description. I felt that having pamphlets with the subject headings for Dewey and LCC would be helpful to everyone. I know I would use the Dewey pamphlet while I'm volunteering in the Temple Terrace Library! There are so many patrons that come up to me while I'm shelving and ask about where they can find book about x. They aren't necessarily looking for a specific book; they simply want guidance to the correct area. I'm not very good with Dewey. I have more experience with LCC, so a little printout with general subjects and their corresponding Dewey numbers would be great! I thought at first that I would be able to fit everything on one pamphlet. Wow, was I wrong. I ended up doing two pamphlets. I have to admit, I've always felt Dewey was the inferior system because there isn't enough variety in the call numbers to accomidate larger collections. My publication project kind of confirmed this short coming. Dewey was easy to fit onto a tri-fold pamplet. I had a whole other section where I wrote some basic instructions on how to use it. LCC was a LOT more difficult. I had to constantly delete subject headings that I thought would be less popular in order to fit everything on the pamphlet and I didn't even have room for any instructions. For both Dewey and LCC, I had to pare down the amount of information I included in order to fit a basic amount of knowledge. As for using Microsoft Publisher itself, I felt it was pretty easy. I used a template and then customized the graphics and titles. I had to futz with some of the text boxes to widen the margins a bit and I'm sure there were better ways to do some of the things I was trying to accomplish but all in all I felt the software was easy to use. I spent much more time researching this project that I did putting the pamphlet together.
There was the issue of deciding what information would stay and what information would go and I tried to be non-biased in my deletions but I'm sure the missing information would have been helpful to someone. I know a poster would have been better but I really wanted to create something that was pocket-sized that someone could carry with them. Having interacted with patrons at TT Library, I have to say the hardest part about helping patrons is actually getting them to come up and ask for help. Sometimes, I'll direct people to the Reference desk and they simply won't go. I think a lot of people are accutely aware of feeling ignorant or stupid and would rather wander around than risk someone judging them. I feel these pamphlets are a way to de-mystify the library. My hope is to get patrons more comfortable with the stacks themselves. I know that I am always initially afraid to wander around the stacks, again, because I don't want to show anyone that I don't know what I'm doing. The Dewey and LCC pamphlets will let anyone anywhere orient themselves in the Library. I feel like this was one of the more successful projects I've done for this class!

Call to Action!

The free flow of information is again being threatened by capitalism. As if librarians don't have enough to worry about from copyright and its ever-expanding legislature, the OCLC (the Online Computer Library Center) is adding to the fire. The OCLC started out as a way for librarians to share information and to ease cataloging woes. Founded by librarians but recently turned over to entrepreneurs, the OCLC is taking advantage of being one of the few companies to provide these services. It boasts a very impressive catalog and has worked to make itself indespensible to libraries all over the country. Now, however, its policy changes are hurting libraries through its ridiculously high search fees and by pressuring libraries into using its services completely. Read more about this at Aaron Swartz' blog at http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/oclcscam and sign the petition if you feel this is wrong. Libraries already work so hard on ever-tightening bugdets to try to provide American citizens the access they deserve to information they need.

Podcast Reflection

I actually finished up my podcast last week but I didn't get around to recording my thoughts about the process. I have to say, I definitely felt empowered when I re-posted my web page with my podcast and it worked- I feel like the techno-savvy queen! So, the first problem that I encountered while trying to get my podcast to work was finding a microphone that functioned. I have a headset of my own with a microphone. It work wonderfully with my original computer- a super-awesome high-performance machine which recently bit the dust thanks to a motherboard failure. I've been meaning to fix it but I haven't had too much time and the little Gateway desktop I have seems to do the job so far as word processing and internet searching goes. So, my headset did not work with the Gateway, a fact that was revealed only after hours of unplugging, re-plugging and failed recordings. I ended up swiping my roommate's USB microphone. Success...sort of.
My next problem was that every recording I did, even when I was practically screaming, was super quiet. It turns out I needed to go into the Control Panel and adjust the output on the microphone. Finally, I was set to go! I recorded my little intro a couple of times before settling on the final one, even though I sound like a dork and the words "Freedom to Read Statement" came out with entirely waaay too much emphasis on the dentals. Sounds like I'm totally angry at the Freedom to Read Statement. Like we're going through couples' counselling together or something. Ah, well.
After this point, everything went well! I picked out some background music that sounds like the beginning of an action sequence in a movie. I did this for a reason. I am trying to engender a more activist feel in my portfolio and I wanted music that was motivating and active but didn't have any vocals. After perusing through freeplaymusic.com's alternative selection, I settled on this one. The first thing I noticed was that the music clip was much louder than my vocal clip. I had to play around with it in Audacity in order to fade it out enough so that it didn't overpower me. My other challenge was moving my vocal clip to the center of the music clip so that there would be a nice musical introduction and end. It took me forever to find the little "move-it" tool but I did. After I played with the crescendo and the decrescendo, I was pretty pleased with the result. Now, to embed it into the web page.
I was glad that I messed around with the template web page because now I'm fearless when it comes to webpage editing. I was careful initially to include the exact same line of code that the sample webpage did in order to make sure my player was embedded in the webpage, eventhough it was held there by a dummy mp3 file. I double-checked it against the web instructions, however, just to make sure I knew all the possible play options. I certainly didn't want my short introduction looping on in the background so I made sure the loop was set to false and then inserted my podcast. I also embedded the podcast onto my original portfolio page, though I'm toying with the idea of creating another podcast with an entirely different tone for my other page, seeing as it is a little more laid back than my template portfolio page. We'll see, I guess. Anyway, I was pleased with the outcome after I re-posted my webpage. I checked it on a couple of computers that I didn't work on, just to make sure the podcast was working for everyone.
I have to say, I can definitely see how much of a tool podcasts are for instruction and information. I never had too much experience with them before but having done one myself, my interest is peaked. You know, I think is vocabulary that isolates people from new technology. I, myself, had heard of a podcast but never thought to figure it out because it sounded so space-agey. If someone had told me it was a way to make audio files available over the internet because they are compressed and downloadable, I probably would have been more open to them. I did a little research into them and found USF's own library podcasts, Library Guy and Library Girl. Wonderful and informative. I also like the supposed mobility of podcasts. It is entirely possible to download them and take them with you. I think it would be so helpful to have instructions you can download and take with you to the library, whether it be research guidance or microfiche instructions. It's another way to empower the patron.

Victory!

I finally finished! I revamped my website using the free web page template I downloaded! I couldn't get rid of the original page (I'm proud of it!) so I added a link onto my new homepage to include it. My new web page is located at http://aiuliano.myweb.usf.edu/ and I think it is a little more professional-looking. I have mostly dummy links up until I have completed all my projects but everything else is perfect. I had to mess with the code a bit to get the chipmunk picture to come up and the editing process was time-consuming but I think my efforts paid off and I'm very happy with the outcome! When you design a web page based on a template, you need to include all the components in the folder or else it won't show up on your page. There was a component labelled 'css' and I over-looked it at first because I was using SSH Secure Shell, not CSS but my page kept coming up all funny-looking. Once I added it, even though I don't have the CSS software on my computer, it fixed all the layering problems. I definitely learned a lot about posting a web page! Now for my presentation project...