Posted November 16, 2011 by homerj
A few months ago I posted about my favorite book trilogy The Hunger Games. (See the post here) They just released the trailer for the movie coming out March 23rd, 2012. I have never been so excited for a movie. (watch the trailer here) I plan on seeing this movie about 30 million times. I might camp out or rent a seat. May the odds be ever in your favor!
Notes from the Field #2
Posted November 16, 2011 by homerj
Part 2: Library Chat At my library we have a library chat function. (This is present at many academic libraries – even Simmons Library!) I love library chat. As I mentioned in my previous post, Notes from the Field #1, I try to keep the chat window unobstructed throughout the day because I like to respond as soon as possible. Even if I say “Be right with you I am helping another patron” I like the person on the other end to know I am a real person and I am at the computer. In my Reference and Social Informatics classes we discussed library chat. I was always a fan of chat because I grew up with AIM and I gchat and fbchat all the time while I am at home. Library chat is another way to reach out to patrons and seems effective on pulling in some of the more shy patrons. On some occasions the chat can lead to research consultations. (Those are sit down meetings between a librarian and either a single…
Notes from the Field #1
Posted September 18, 2011 by homerj
Part One: Reference Desk: Now that I talked about my job search I figured I would talk a bit about my job as a Research and Instruction Librarian I spend a significant amount of time at the Reference Desk, either as a direct contact or a backup. As the direct contact I sit at the reference desk and wait for questions. While I wait I am normally working on other projects such as LibGuides (I will be posting about LibGuides later) or other projects and planning) but I always try to look as warm and as available as possible. Because our reference desk is part of our larger information desk I often stop confused looking students and ask them if I can help them with something. It is important to be as welcoming as possible because many users are hesitant to ask questions. One of my favorite things about this Information Desk is the fact that the Reference desk section is lower more like a normal sized desk. The computer at this desk…
Hey Remember me?
Posted September 13, 2011 by homerj
Of course you do! No? Well – I’m Jason and I used to be the Graduate Student Ambassador for Simmons GSLIS. I graduated this past May and I wanted to tell you about what I have been up to since graduation. Job Searching While I was an immensely busy individual during school it was my goal to have at least 1 interview booked before graduation. Before the finals rush of work I applied to every job I was remotely interested in. Before graduation day I had 2 interviews and the following week I got a 3rd. With the economy the way it is, I had a back up plan as a paraprofessional librarian (where I worked throughout school) Phone Interviews Does anyone actually like phone interviews? How can people see my stunning personality over the phone? On top of that, I think I use the phone 5 times a week. Cell phones aren’t for talking people – they’re for texting /web-searching /IMDB’ing /social networking – but for talking? Let’s be honest the only reason why…
Good read -5 Myths About the ‘Information Age’
Posted May 2, 2011 by fox32
Amusing and informative article from The Chronicle of Higher Education discussing ‘The Information Age’. I have brutally paraphrased it below but definitely head over and read it. 1. “The book is dead.” Wrong: More books are produced in print each year than in the previous year. 2. “We have entered the information age.” But every age is an age of information, each in its own way and according to the media available at the time. 3. “All information is now available online.” Only a tiny fraction of archival material has ever been read, much less digitized. 4. “Libraries are obsolete.” Everywhere in the country librarians report that they have never had so many patrons. 5. “The future is digital.” True enough, but misleading.
So much to talk about
Posted April 12, 2011 by homerj
Where will I start? I guess I should start by letting all the readers know why I have neglected blogging this semester. I took over the responsibilities of the “Fellow for Dean’s Initiatives” while they hunt for the new fellow. (The past Fellow got a ‘big kid’ archives job in RI.) So I have been planning all of the events around GSLIS. This is a really fun job, but there are so many events it takes up all of my time! We have these programs called “Lunchtime Lectures” and they are informal ‘classes’ but instead of learning about the reference interview, you learn about happiness. You are also welcomed/encouraged to bring your lunch to any of these series. There are some refreshments available and a number of professors attend the event. Another notable aspect of these lectures is the fact that you get to have an introduction of a topic even though you are not in a specific concentration. For example, a few weeks ago I attended a lunchtime lecture about censorship in children’s literature….
Get lost in the Reference stacks
Posted April 4, 2011 by turcios
This semester for my Reference (407) class, I have two sample reference question sets. These have been my favorite assignments so far because they let me practice something I’m really starting to enjoy doing. My favorite question to research so far: What are some variations of the old saying a penny saved is a penny earned? Now, this isn’t necessarily because I love random knowledge (although I do), but more because of HOW I found the answer. By the time I’d reached this question in the sample set, Id spent lots of time just sitting and looking through several online databases. I deserved a break! I got up just to stretch my legs and browse the shelves for fun. I started browsing through the New York Times bound collection of film reviews to try to find the print version of the Gone With the Wind review I cited for another assignment question (no luck) when a nearby title caught my eye: The Facts on File Dictionary of Proverbs: Meanings and origins of more than 1,500…
Dictionary of American Regional English
Posted March 29, 2011 by fox32
Flip through the Dictionary of Regional English (DARE) once and you will never forget it. Maps of where words are used? Fantastic. Text below from the University of Wisconsin (who have been the host institution creating DARE); Like other dictionaries, the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) is arranged alphabetically by headword, from A to Z. What is different about DARE is that it shows where people use the words that are included. We all know, for example, that Americans have many names for the kind of sandwich that includes meats, cheeses, lettuce, tomatoes, etc., served in a long bun. What DARE can tell you (and can often illustrate through the use of maps based on fieldwork) is where the words hero, hoagie, grinder, sub, torpedo, Cuban, etc. are the local terms for this sandwich. And what about the words people use for the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street? Boulevard, devil strip, grass plot, neutral ground, parking, parking strip, parkway, terrace, tree bank, tree belt, and tree lawn are just a…
The Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture
Posted March 18, 2011 by fox32
The main purpose of the Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture was to summarize USDAs research developments. However, the Yearbook, which was published (with a couple of exceptions) annually from 1894 to 1992, has a broad appeal outside of the scientific community. In fact, Congress passed a law to provide for its publication as part of an effort to make agricultural information more readily available to farmers and other interested citizens. -via the National Agricultural Library Digital Repository (NALDR) The format of the yearbooks was to take a certain subject each year (e.g. 1940: Farmers, 1966: Protecting our food, 1967: Outdoors USA, 1982: Food from farm to table, 1990: Americans in agriculture…) and include essays, photos and papers on various facets. The NALDR has digitized almost the whole run (from 1938-1992). Have to admit they are a little dry… not quite as fun as the USDA Handbooks. The covers though! They are fantastic. The Massachusetts State Library blog ran a feature on them the other week, and the Preservation Librarian there (Lacy Crews…
Kindle for school!
Posted March 16, 2011 by turcios
Last November I received a Kindle as a birthday present. I wasnt sure if I really wanted one when I first got it and actually considered swapping it for a Nook. I ultimately decided to go with the Kindle because, even though I cant borrow books from the library with it, it felt less buggy and I knew that some of the features that made the Nook a strong competitor were being made available soon (by February) on the Kindle. (This includes real page numbers and the ability to borrow and lend books from and to other Kindle users.) Like most e-reader users I know, I now think of my Kindle as a great alternative to carrying around a heavy book or trilogy, but not a full replacement for physical books. It is possible to love both! I also love how much easier the e-ink is on my eyes than staring at a computer screen for hours. But the problem is that these nifty features didnt seem readily compatible with Library School. For one, none…