It's Been Such a Long Time

Yes that's a Boston reference.

I realize that I hadn't made a blog post since last semester for class and, even longer, since July for British Studies.  

So what's new?  I have completed my PFE course at the Cranston Public Library.  I applied at the end of last semester for a Teen Librarian Assistant position that became available and won the job after two interviews and a phone conversation.  I've been there two-three days a week for a month now and I absolutely love it.  I'm taking my research findings on Minecraft and turning it into an actual program.  While we're still working on getting an educational license, we do have single player access.  In addition, we are transitioning from collection development in Teen CDs and Teen DVDs to Teen Video Games.  My first suggestions included Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Rockband.  Right now we have an XBOX 360 and a Kinect and I have been alternating between games on Mondays and Wednesdays while I am on the desk. 

In addition to Cranston, I am still working at North Kingstown and URI Government Publications.  I still love what I do at both of these jobs (particularly working at the Young Readers desk at NK)but alas, both of these jobs end in May when I graduate from my final semester of grad school.  So, in the next few months, I am going to be keeping an ear to the ground for Teen positions as well as Circulation and other fields of the library I enjoy.  My long-term goal is to stay in RI a while longer and add some roommates to my life to keep rent down/continue having a social life.

Outside of work, I am taking two courses this final semester.  LSC 523 Special Libraries and LSC557 Research Methods.  Also, in March, the comps are happening.  So much for that portfolio I was making!  I will have to test my librarian skills with essays demonstrating my acquirement of knowledge, knowing the ALA code of ethics, and being up on current library events.  It should prove interesting.

Movie-wise, I am a little behind on the Oscar nominees.  I want to see Her and Captain Phillips.  I have seen American Hustle and Wolf of Wall Street, which I loved.  
I'm sad to see Hateful Eight cancelled(if only for the time being).  
Sherlock season 3 was wonderful!  
I'm also looking forward to About a Boy on NBC, new episodes of New Girl, and more Crazy ones.  I have fallen very behind on Dracula and American Horror Story Coven.  But, I'm ready for GoT and The Walking Dead. 

And finally, I have entered the dating world again.  I was going on a few dates with someone I met at Comicon, but then I realized I was putting in more effort than the other party and have stopped pursuing that.  However, I went on a date last night with my new trivia host and things look promising.  He's funny, has both similar and different interests than me, likes to sing and be social, and has nice hair/brown eyes.  He seems genuine and I am genuinely intrigued by him.  So that feels nice.  I realize I have gone on a few dates in the last two years, but nothing really sparked.  Not like this.  So here's to hoping!  

And with that, I am off to work in Teenland!  I am looking forward to posting my Oscar predictions and a few YouTube videos for class again.  Stay tuned!

Part 3: Myself as a Youth Services Librarian (LSC 535)

Christina Dufour

LSC 535, Children and Youth Services

Lauren Mandel

Part 1, 2, & 3

art 3 Due December 9, 2013

Part 2 Due October 25, 2013

Part 1 revised after September 27, 2013

·       What youth services are:

     To discuss what Youth Services are, we must first define who the “youth” are within a library.  Based on previous experience within libraries, youth can be defined as “children in a community from ages 0 to 12 or 14” (Fasick & Holt, 2013, p. 6).  This group is classified within the same age for public libraries, school libraries, and special libraries.  They encompass pre-schoolers, young school-goers, and, in some cases, young adults.  As a result, a youth services librarian may maintain items such as “boardbooks, picture books, books for beginning readers, chapter books, graphic novels, nonfiction and reference books, foreign-language books, historical children’s books, parenting and teacher books for adults, and…other learning materials” (Fasick & Holt, 2013, p. 13).  In addition to materials, youth services also require programming and social activities.  These are typically events put on by the youth services librarian and other staff.  The events seek to engage several opportunities children may not normally have.  They may seek to engage any of several social types- parent and child interaction, child to child interaction, outside of school education, and recreational activity.  As for programming, the library may host a book club, a movie or game night, homework help, author visits, and more.

·            Why youth services are important to librarianship and society at large?

Youth services are important to society at large because the youth eventually turn into adults and adults into elderly people.  By making a positive impact on a child, the librarian may be able to influence his or her later decision to return to the library.  The librarian has the opportunity to convince him or her the library is a valuable resource.  In his or her adult years, this could be very important to the future of the library.  By using that opportunity, the librarian has taken a chance to gather the users of the future that will, in turn, use and fund the library.  Positive interactions and positive influences, while making an impression on a child’s library visit, are key.  At a young age, he or she may not realize what a great resource the library is, but he or she can remember it as a place of enjoyment.  On a similar note, the librarian may be creating a positive atmosphere or fun event that the child may not have had the chance to do outside of the library.  In some cases, children bring parents or guardians with them who may look around the library and decide to come back in the future.  These parents or guardians could also take up an interest in the library, volunteer or join the Friends of the Library (or a library equivalent).  

·       Yourself as a youth services librarian

     As a librarian, I feel I have much to learn about the younger patrons.  Some aspects, such as which programs work and which ones do not, will be learned on the job.  But I do know that I want to be the librarian who creates a space for children to go where they feel safe, valued, and engaged.  To be there for the youth and to offer a wide variety of services is a start.  I hope to be able to offer programs that engage (socially and mentally) each age group as appropriate without neglecting one.  However, it’s not all about the children, their parents or guardians have to be accounted for: I hope to create a space where they want to learn together and can be creative.  By job standards, this could be considered as spreading ones’ self too thin.  All I mean is that by offering activities that allow parents’ involvement, regardless of whether they go or not, the librarian is fostering that sense of community and providing more time for the family to spend together.  In listening and having chances for adults and children to give feedback, there is a lot of opportunity for positive outcomes.  Lastly, while there is typically one staff member in charge of the children's area, I would like to give the staff at my library the chance to be involved.  There are department heads for a reason, but there may something that other staff members observe that I might oversee.  Ultimately, the aim is for a positive experience that makes the youth want to use their library both now and in the future.  

Part II: My Personal Philosophy of Managing Youth Services

·       What is a manager?

     A manager, according to Merriam-Webster, is someone “who is in charge of a business, department…someone who directs…performance” ( Merriam-Webster, 2013, para 1).  F. John Reh of about.com defines a manager a little more clearly.  He says a manager is “a person who helps others… get more done. A manager helps others get more done by:

• motivating them
• providing directions
• making sure they are working together toward a common goal
• removing roadblocks and
• providing feedback” (Reh, 2013, para 1). 

 How does this relate to the library?  Within the children’s department, the manager is likely the chief of staff for this department.  This simply means that they are the one in charge of collection development, programming, and services.  The manager in the children’s department must get everyone to see their vision because it is what will meet the mission statement (or goal) of the children’s department.  This means motivation as well as direction.  To do this, there has to be communication.    

·       How you see yourself as a manager?

     As a manager, I want my staff to feel empowered and driven.  If I am out of the office or on vacation, I want my co-workers in my department to feel that they can complete their tasks.  That being said, I want those I manage to feel comfortable coming to me with questions or concerns.  Part of directing people requires constant involvement.  A manager cannot simply hire someone and expect them to never have doubts.  I would rather someone on my team ask me a question (after having searched for a solution first) than to blindly go ahead.  This is also not to say that I do not wish my team to have their own ideas.  Part of what keeps a library fresh is its ability to adapt to change as well as the unified vision of its goal.  As a manager, my ideal is to be a strong, but relatable force. 

·       What do you see as the particular challenges to managing youth services?

     The first challenge I see in managing youth services is that those hired in the children’s department are coming in from different experiences; and some will be able to read children’s needs better than others.  Part of being a manager includes being able to know your staff’s strengths and limitations.   In other words, to observe how well the new staff are adjusting to children’s services, as it will also take time to adjust to a new library.  Respectively, you must also be able to gauge how senior staff are responding to new changes.  Secondly, we have to make the time to work with these young patrons.  All departments in a library can get busy, but it is important to find the time to give children instruction and to present yourself as approachable.  This brings us into another possible challenge of youth services- time and planning.  Renee Valliancourt points out that

“Often librarians- especially YA librarians and media specialists, who are responsible for providing direct service to patrons as well as managing their department or media center- have trouble finding the time to plan.  Without planning, there is no way to determine where you are going or how to tell when you have gotten there” (Valliancourt, 2002, p.91).

 This is why it is important to make sure you and your team are on the same page.  Because there is a crunch for time, you and your staff will be most likely to utilize your time if the tasks are delineated.  Valliancourt suggests that the department creates a series of measurable goals and objectives.  While this too can take time, it gives the team something tangible. 

Part 3: Summarize your views of youth services librarianship into ONE sentence. This is your brand/tagline.

"I want to be a strong, relatable force that creates a positive experience in which the child/teen finds themselves wanting to come back for more."- Me

Works Cited:

Fasick, A.M., & Holt, L.E. (2013). Managing children’s services in libraries.  Santa       

          Barbara, CA:

ABC-CLIO.

Manager. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster online. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/manager

Reh, F.J. (2013). What is a manger? About.com.

http://management.about.com/od/begintomanage/a/whatismanager.htm

Strong, S. (2004). Sights, sounds, and silence in library reference service to  

          children. Public

Libraries, 43(6), 313-314.

Vaillancourt, R. J. (2002). Managing administrative duties: Paperwork and planning. In R. 

          J.

Vaillancourt, Managing young adult services: A self-help manual (pp. 91-100). New York, 

          NY: Neal-Schuman.

Cranston PFE Portfolio: Cover Letter

Christina Dufour
[insert address here]
1-207-xxx-yyyy
h@gmail.com

     I am writing to you today because I feel I meet many of the skills required for the digital librarian assistant.  I became aware of this position via OLIS list serve.  I am currently enrolled at the University of Rhode Island in my second year of their MLIS master’s program.

     In my time at Cranston Public Library, I came to discover a great footing to teaching computer literacy courses.  Thanks to that PFE, I have been able to add Computer Basics, Spotify, Microsoft Word, and more to the classes I feel strong teaching.  Wth kindness and patience, I was able to deliver services to these patrons.  In my undergraduate years, I learned much about PC and Mac computers as I had to, and still, use them every day.  This gave me the opportunity to stay aware of what games and programs the children and teens are using.  One of my favourites is Minecraft.  Since high school, I have been using Facebook and, since then, I have added other social media such as Pinterest, Tumblr, Vine, and Twitter.  

     It is my goal to combine what I have learned in the library field to be an extroverted, passionate being that would make positive contributions to your library.  Therefore I would like to be considered for this position and would welcome an interview.  Thank you for your time and consideration.  I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Respectfully yours,

Christina M. Dufour

Cranston PFE: Letter of Assessment from my Supervisor

                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                      

"November 21, 2013

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing in regard to Christina Dufour. Christina has been working at the Cranston Public Library since September 2013 as a field experience component of her graduate work at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Library and Information Services.

Christina has been an immense help to me during the time we have been working together. The library offers a full slate of computer classes, and Christina began assisting with these classes on her very first day working here. Her technology skills, patience, and good nature have made her a favorite with the library patrons who attend these classes. The classes range from introductory courses for people who are new to using a computer, to slightly more advanced classes on how to use various softwares including the Microsoft Office suite, social media, and other applications. She designed handouts for several of these classes, and she also developed a new class about how to use a free music application called Spotify that went over very well. We will definitely be offering it again! 

The Cranston Public Library is a six-library system, and providing support to staff and the public when hardware and software issues inevitably arise is a formidable task. Christina is a quick learner, and she has helped take some of the burden off of me in this area. Her assistance with troubleshooting, software configuration, and staff technology training has been invaluable.

Christina’s bright and friendly personality makes her a natural in working with the public. She has undertaken everything asked of her with enthusiasm and good cheer. She has even gone beyond what was required of her by sharing her time and knowledge of video games when our newly appointed Head of Youth Services began to explore developing a gaming program for teens at several of our libraries. Christina also worked well independently during the times I was not at the library with her.

I honestly cannot think of a single aspect of library service in which Christina would not excel. Between her technological savvy, willingness to try new things, and ability to provide excellent customer service, I have no doubt she will be a huge asset to whatever library she may work at in the future.

Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions about Christina’s time working with me at the Cranston Public Library. I am more than happy to speak about her talents and capabilities.

Sincerely,

Corrie MacDonald

Technology Coordinator

(401) 943-9080 ext. 129

cmacdonald@cranstonlibrary.org"