Ready to Go!
Posted September 16, 2020 by Amie Grosshans
Classes started last week. I’m excited to get back into a normal routine again, especially since the world is still so uncertain. I might not be able to count on much right now, but I know I can count on my schoolwork and deadlines to give me a bit of normalcy, and I’m grateful for that. My classes run from Tuesday-Monday and Thursday-Wednesday, and I’ve started to plan out the days I work on each class. I like to create my own routine and get a little bit of work done every day so that I am not cramming everything in on the due date.
This semester I’m taking LIS 458, Database Management, and LIS 483, Library Collections and Materials for Young Adults. I had intended to take LIS 532R, Reader’s Advisory, but it ended up being a synchronous online class—meaning each session was at a specific time—and unfortunately, the time didn’t work out with my schedule. While I’m disappointed about that, I am very happy with the classes that I chose. I can tell already that Database Management is going to be a challenging class and I’m a little nervous about it. But learning more about databases is going to be extremely helpful in the future, because libraries use all kinds of databases, including online catalogs, journal finders, research guides, and reference materials. Knowing more about how they work and how they are created is going to be a skill that will help me later. Plus, I love the challenge of a tech-centered class. It’s a different sort of learning environment, but I find it extremely worthwhile and worth all the stress.
I’m also excited for the Young Adult class. YA is one of my favorite genres and I read a lot of YA books. There is so much YA literature now, from books on current events, to fantasy, to sci-fi, to historical fiction. You name it, you can find it in YA lit! I’m looking forward to diving more in depth into this genre, especially into manga and comics, which is a subset that I don’t know too much about. The class includes several book discussions. Last week we had to read and discuss three (!) YA books. I think there will be some lively discussions in this class, especially regarding books that are edgier or more controversial. I’m looking forward to it. Overall, I’ve been really happy so far.