Week 16

December 17-18, 2007
Handed in Practicum Evaluation form to Hali Keeler with additional paperwork including copy of original ‘contract’ and printouts of this (B)Log up to this week.

12/17 (Practicum Hours: 11:30am-1pm)
Came in to find 2 full carts of books returned to reshelve. Despite having to go home sick, S, Robinson assisted in making this task take less than a half hour. Received Ballard Donation for ’07-’08 (8 boxes) to sort through for types/titles not on OPAC to sell at Summer Book Sale or add to collection. J. Montoya also helped me prepare 2 students for their Anthropology presentation utilizing DVD & VHS players. Got ILLs to return (sent back 12/18).
12/18 (PH: 8-9am)
Still waiting for some returns/overdue fees from patrons as of today. Logged in NYTimes while Shawn was out sick for a day. Updated voice message on Krieble main line to reflect winter break hours (or lack thereof). Deleted old emails from library’s email account. Note to self: Wrapping up chores at the end of the semester – try to remember to start ‘defragging’ computers and other general ‘housecleaning.’
Evaluation: This (B)Log may be renamed and will at least go on hiatus inre postings until sometime next semester but should be retained as a ‘networking tool.’

Week 15

December 10-13, 2007
This will be the last 4 day summary as next week will only comprise 2.5 hrs of Practicum time.

12/10 (Practicum Hours: 11:301m-1pm)
As a follow up to the previous week, received/collected overdue fees from students (all are due back a week from today, Monday 12/17)). Patron traffic in the last few hours of this shift was extremely sparse. Problem of file not printing from older PC diagnosed the following day by S. Robinson, who provided procedure for ‘defragging’ monitor then as well.
12/11 (PH: 11:30am-1pm)
Had received comments from (faculty? students?) on “noise levels” in library so will attend to keeping a better check on that at least during my shift. Finally got in touch w/ILL contact at Conn College (after playing ‘phone/e-tag’) inre, item ordered for student that was the right subject/wrong book. (This is not the first time this had happened w/an ILL from them – in the previous instance, the patron also found the material sent useful, if not exactly what was ordered.)
12/12 (PH: 11:30am-1pm)
Assisted students with minor computer queries while they were finishing up (albeit done at the last minute) papers for philosophy class, etc. Note to self: At the start of next semester, or rather, during ‘break’, I should familiarize myself even moreso with current class schedule and projects to investigate ways to aid students even further.
12/13 (PH: 11am-12:30pm)
Came in early, partially because of threat of inclement weather, also to prepare for interoffice Xmas party (rescheduled before my arrival it turned out). School was let out due to snowstorm, but thankfully managed to get 1.5 Practicum hours in. Note to self: following day (12/14) received call from Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library (Old Lyme’s public) that they had received a book that belonged to us and left message to have it sent back. (It was brought back Monday, 12/17).
Evaluation: With only 2.5 hours to go, read over previous posts to see how far I come since stating initial objectives in my contract written at signup for this Practicum. Keeping files, from ILL to acquisition orders, up to date has proven essential in keeping an amount of time available to handle unforeseen tasks. Assisting patrons “outside of the box” beyond general library tasks has proven not only enjoyable but necessary regarding the librarian’s function within Lyme Academy. Both Part-Time and Student Workers (Shawn Robinson and Jerry Montoya respectively) have proven invaluable not only in lending assistance with technical services in the job (which I need to keep learning/practicing more myself) but, more importantly, as emotional support. I am the only other full-time staffer there (besides Director Loree Bourgoin) but working as a team not only insures complete service in every facet for patrons, but my continual growth and strengthening in this employ after the completion of this Practicum.

Week 14

December 3-6, 8
Extra hours worked on Saturday (12/8) to help complete.

12/3 (Practicum Hours: 11:30am-1pm)
Coming in, had to get “back in to swing of things” after weekend, ie, schedule, acquisition orders, filing to be done, etc. For example: started going over procedure to physically process exhibition catalog (Rodin [pamphlet] brought in.)
12/4 (PH: 11:30am-1pm)
Ordered 6 titles from Baker & Taylor, comparing procedure with previous orders done under supervision and also Procedure Manual. Went into ‘Booksale’ in ‘Library Admin’ file to update. L. Bourgoin had to go home early (sick). Found entire Turner section out of order and reshelved.
12/5 (PH: 11:30am-1pm)
Added title to B&T order and found/practiced procedure for deleting/adding to cart as well as establishing contact w/B&T tech support (Connie). Student Worker J. Montoya and I helped patron set up laptop projector in VR Room to check out ‘slideshow’ presentation. Also assisted patrons with minor computer problems.
12/6 (PH: 11:30am-1pm)
Printed out overdue notices (due 12/17) to be mailed out next day. Got some to patrons as they came in.
12/8 (PH: 1-5pm)
Took over shift as Jerry had extra class held at Wadsworth in Hartford. Did followup on overdue notices, collecting more returns from patrons. Fairly busy for a Saturday afternoon from what I’ve been told – then again, it is the end of the semester. Note to self: Check on ILLs and contact patrons with loans still out to get back ASAP, Monday, 12/10 to ship back to lending libraries.
Evaluation: More needs to be done on my own w/out supervision, just using Procedure Manual and/or intuition for personal problem-solving at this point. Practicum should be wrapped up Tuesday 12/18, with possibly additional posts for final evaluation by Loree or Hali.

November 26-29, 2007
Due to extra 2 hours worked this week (see below), Saturday shift on December 8th will be only 1 hour (unless inclement weather, etc. forces makeup for Practicum total.

Mon 11/26 (Practicum Hours: 11:30am-1pm, 4-5pm)
Assisted patrons more frequently inre reference questions as end of the semester projects (papers?) are due. Had computer shutting down/restarting because of surge protector (diagnosed correctly by S. Robinson, 11/27) and put in maintenance e-mail (Austin). Extra hour worked towards Practicum in afternoon as Student worker J. Montoya did not come/call in.
Tues 11/27 (PH: 11:30am-1pm, 4-5pm)
Minor supervision of Volunteer Karen Newton on slide scanning project. Austin came in and assisted w/pdf-making on VR Room pc – essentially, pdfs were not “showing up” once made or being directed to correct folder. Changed ink cartridge on copier.
Wed 11/28 (PH: 11:30am-1pm)
Helped patrons twice on rear room Mac changing “DvoraK” back into English (problem first encountered 11/13). Also assisted another w/printing jpg from PC in VR Room (had to save on desktop first, etc.) Showed students how to search on OPAC.
Thurs 11/29 (PH: 11:30am-1pm)
Assisted instructor Don Gale in VR Room. Also checked magazine (Art on Paper) status in Periodical Index for Printing Instructor Jim Reed. Helped patrons with minor printing issues.
Evaluation: Because I have to work extra hours for Practicum, working through Mon & Tues shifts was doable (due to lack of Student worker) but in future was told to just close the library for dinner break if needed. Parts of this week’s patron traffic was actually rather sparse despite having the end of the semester approaching – perhaps The Calm Before The Storm?

Week 12

November 19-20, 2007
Short week due to Thanksgiving break hence only 2 days had Practicum hours worked.

Mon 11/19 (Practicum Hours: 11:30am-1pm)
Encountered problem w/pc in VR Room -- Adobe Reader not enabling Word file to turn into a pdf (contacted Cashman to attend to this). Went over overdue fines with some patrons (due to lateness have been instructed by L. Bourgoin to refer expensive cases to her first before as of 11/20).
Tues 11/20 (PH: 11:30am-1pm)
Helped patron decide on anatomical drawings to use as reference for class. Prepared ILL to loan out to borrowing library (shipped out 11/21). Made list of FYA ILLs for possible collection development. Supervised Student Worker J. Montoya's checking of titles available for that as well on Baker & Taylor.
Evaluation: Will have to send out overdue notices on a more regular basis to prevent long overdues despite it being patron's responsibility. On a plus side this week -- have gotten positive feedback from students and faculty inre my approach to helping them/find research materials.

Week 11

November 12-15, 2007
Practicum hours are now estimated to be completed as of Wednesday, December 19th, with a Saturday shift of 1-4pm to be worked on Dec 8th. ILL processing will be added to general circulation duties not written up in this (B)Log unless special circumstances are to be noted.

Mon 11/12 (Practicum Hours: 11:30am-1pm)
Put in requisition order for copier paper (ordered CD-R disks following day). Saved copy of library materials suggestion form to reformat as pdf for web.
Tues 11/6 (PH: 11:30am-1pm)
Updated/verified list of books not on shelves in circulation, then did same with overdue list. An ILL borrowed from Krieble came back extremely late, due to library rate sent among other factors. Made a point to pay more attention to hourly use of computer stations/reading/vr rooms on form at circulation desk. Had patron encounter difficulty with 'language change' on Mac monitor (perhaps because of key command hit inadvertently).
Wed 11/7 (PH: 11:30am-1pm)
Continued processing overdue notices. Alerted Cashman Computer Support that my acct needed to be hooked up to Circulation under Follet (should try to check on progress, Tuesday 11/20, when Tech Support is in). Brushed up on setting up i.d./printing for one staff member. Went over 'Social Bookmarking' information forwarded by L. Bourgoin. Did some physical processing of serials to free up S. Robinson for any of his regular work on return from vacation Thursday.
Thurs 11/8 (PH: 9:30-11am)
Finished processing overdue notices and sent out in the mail (happily needing minimum assistance in process from Karen Lockwood in the front office) Shawn successfully diagnosed a color printing problem on one Mac as being a need to refill one color. Put list of donated books (see (B)Log, 11/50 in system and forwarded to Loree. was given assignment to compile list of FYA ILLs with assistance of student worker, J. Montoya.
Evaluation: Still am working on learning/handling time management of duties performed. Should try yo continue to 'pick up slack' whenever possible even if another's duties, as all library staff will be affected positively if done so.

Week 10

November 5-8, 2007
The format of the (B)Log changes slightly to note the days Practicum hours are worked in addition to a regular full-time schedule at Krieble Library at Lyme Academy -- roughly, 1.5 hours extra Monday through Thursday. No extra hours will be worked on Fridays, but a regular shift is worked that day as well, allowing ‘follow-up’/completion of projects started earlier in the week. Additional Saturday hours will probably be added in December to round off the 90 hours needed to complete the Practicum. ‘General’ circulation duties such as checking out/checking in books for/from patrons and reshelving/shelf-reading will henceforth be taken for granted, with mention made of new duties learned/special tasks performed.

Mon 11/5 (Practicum Hours: 9:30-11am)
Typed list of books donated to be logged in system. Shown where in main office to post ILLs for return (processed 12 ILLs today). Put mylar cover on small trade pbk under instruction of S. Robinson.
Tues 11/6 (PH: 9:30-11am)
Processed 5 ILLs while returning others brought back. Supervised Volunteer Karen Newton on scanning slides for alumni project.
Wed 11/7 (PH: 11:30am-1pm)
Redid signage for library in Microsoft Word. Contacted patron inre. OTF (‘On The Fly’) request. Replied to Iconn Office Supplies with meter reading/i.d. number of canon copier. S. Robinson and I advised Joyce (publicity dept. for Lyme?) on software, etc. needed to edit pdf file. Helped Instructor Don Gale look up scanner online (L. Bourgoin followed up on order next day). Took sick call from Student Worker J. Montoya and therefore had to borrow Shawn’s keys (as well as get directions) for closing library.
Thurs 11/8 (PH: 9:30-11am)
Helped Don Gale identify 2 Italian anatomy books (ordered next day). 3 ILLS processed for patrons. Finally got acct (online at Lyme), but did work on ‘staff’ acct before that to facilitate work flow.
Evaluation: the first full week working at Krieble presented new tasks to handle, sometimes arriving unexpectedly and needing quick resolution. That said, workdays seem to go by fairly quickly and w/out any feelings of being ‘overwhelmed’ (I will need to try to take afternoon breaks regularly 11:30-9:30 pm days though). There are still procedures to be practiced, ex. steps in the acquisition of books ordered on Friday. On the whole though, it is satisfying to see some procedures/projects from start to finish and even moreso to help patrons, faculty and students, in an ongoing process in proving my worth to them and more importantly to myself.

Week 9, HALLOWE'EN Night

Wed 10/31, 5:00-7:00
Duties: Came in to have 5 more ILLS to request, plus one ILL to send back. Did the latter (packaged up and asked S. Robinson to ship back 11/1) and processed 2 ILLS. Found that online ILL log-ins for 09-10 had only been made on one terminal, so copied them over so that it was accessible to all. Made sure that renewal for Hannah Rossi had been taken care of. Some remote check-in of books on tables.
Evaluation: Prioritized work but in 2 hours could only get so much done.
Note to self: Start full time hours next week (printed out schedule on gmail from L. Bourgoin). Hope to get ILLs done in a more timely fashion, follow through notifying patrons, etc. This (B)Log will still be posted weekly, but give a summation of each 5 day period inre. new skills learned/performed.

Week 9, Night the 1st

Tu 10/30, 5:00-8:30
Duties: Asked Loree inre: ordering office supplies and found it is done “as needed”. That said, it still might be a good idea to maintain a checklist of items in short supply to make sure we can capitalize of funding when available. She instructed me to check for incoming requests from external libraries online (in “ILL Lending” file) daily despite orders from other libraries being low. I also familiarized myself with a project assignment for English Comp class that will be in the library next week (11/6) in order to assist students. Went over ILLS that were late/due (one was found to be mislabeled by me), and therefore needing renewal — waiting to hear on three requests as of 10/31. Called one patron to alert her of ILL article fax available as of last week, who then had a friend pick it up. Made note of computer shortcuts to set up on workstation’s monitor once working full-time (11/5). Minor check-in of books on tables.
Evaluation: Must pay more attention/take time – not only on ILLS, but everything to eliminate mistakes.
Note to self: Go over MLA format, online references, etc. to help answer any queries from class more effectively next week.

Week 8

Tu 10/23, 5:00-8:30
Duties: Minor general circulation chores enabled me to attend to other projects. Had to redo/tighten mylar covers for books processed previous session as they were too loose/not ‘up to snuff.’ Started ILL process for magazine article request and got as far this session as identifying ISSN through iConn/ReQuest. Made time (outside of shift) to start investigating online resources/databases [finally] and make notes, to whit --
1) ARTstor Digital Library: More user-friendly than most other sites.
2) Art FULLText/Retro: Have gone previously into Thomson/Gale while doing ILL searches. iConn/ReQuest has worked better for me personally.
3) Pathway to Internet (on Krieble page [KP]): A good general intro for students & instructors.
4) Pathways to Other Libraries (KP): Have used ReQuest and Consuls before, in the case of the latter, frequently.
5) Reference Titles & Online Books (KP):
a. Information Please and
b. Occupational Outlook Handbook – were examined in TRCC Online Reference class.
c. Artists Rights Society and
d. Historical Anatomies on The Web – were looked at being esp. ‘art specific’, the latter looking extremely valuable.
e. How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography – esp. helpful in class being taught by L. Bourgoin 10/30 and
f. Writing an Annotated Bibliography –good for a more indepth approach of criteria to use while setting one up.
Evaluation: More time might have to be taken in the future to ensure doing assignments correctly (ex. physical processing) the first time as well as time made to check up on additional material to do job better in general (ex. database research).

Wed 10/24, 5:00-7:00
Duties: Instructed in ‘remote’ scanning of circulation materials [books] left on tables by S. Robinson. Finished processing ILL for magazine article – faxed 14 page copy sent back from ECSU in less than an hour! Asked Shawn to notify requesting patron next day that it was ready for pickup. In printing the copy, fax machine ran out of ink, so had to replace cartridge. Also prepared 2 ILLs for return next day (10/25) but also asked Shawn to alert another patron of 2 other books borrowed from the same source (Conn College) to be returned (at the least renewed) in the same ‘batch.’
Evaluation: Because Eastern did their job, they not only look good, but made ME look good. *Note to Self: Send a ‘thank you’ to ECSU.* Maintaining the fax machine is simple enough, but not having done so before made me feel self-sufficient in doing so. A good bit of the first hour in this session was spent going over assignments, etc. w/L.Bourgoin who I had not physically seen for several weeks besides keeping in touch via e-mail.
Note to Self: Ask Loree where other cartridges for fax machine. etc are and schedule/get instruction on ordering supplies in general. Also inquire where (online? file?) to check for incoming requests from external libraries are and add to the “to do” list.

Practicum Midterm Self-Evaluation

This accompanies the form to be put in L. Bourgoin’s mailbox (Tues, 10/23) to assist in Midterm Evaluation due 10/30.

Start (7 weeks ago): Basic circulation duties were successfully assimilated into routine roughly by the first 3 weeks of Practicum.

Currently: Helping patrons and handling problems projects as they present themselves. Have a pretty good ‘grip’ on ILL process from start to finish. Did some tasks pertaining to ‘sub-system operations’ and should do more in ensuing weeks, in particular setting up ‘routine’ for checking patrons’ files, etc. Have started to supervise volunteer help. While working well with part-time help (J. Montoya, S. Robinson), also have worked w/out supervision physically present in past several weeks, adjusting to new tasks as they are given to me.

Learning Objectives: Continual improvement of time management skills will aid in the “identifying terminology” part of my Practicum Contract. Still have to make time for going over various online reference sources, which, with more hours, should be easier to do (an ex. being ‘pesky’ National Geographic source to find for reference).

My/LTA’s role in library: Will need further defining as tasks/projects are assigned. That said, I feel to be already providing solid support to L. Bourgoin, maintaining the library responsibly when on my own.

Week 7

Tu 10/16, 5:00-8:30
Duties: Successfully physically processed 5 books (still left 2 trade paperbacks to cover with mylar at end of this week). Supervised volunteer for ½ hour on alumni slide scan project, showing cropping/rotation tools and instructing on how to archive them faster. Checked in materials left on tables.
Evaluation: As volunteer came in at 7, I was able to attend to processing books, etc. until then. This enabled me to reacquaint myself with scanner/project which I had not worked on in awhile. K. Newton said she would be coming in afternoons, hence I would probably not see/supervise her again until regular/November schedule sets in (Karen only actually worked tonight until 7:30, however).

Wed 10/17, 5:00-7:00
Duties: Processed two ILLS – one incoming, one ‘outgoing’ (rounding out my experience doing an ILL from start to finish). Asked S. Robinson to alert patron of the one ready for pickup the following day (10/18). Received audiovisual material back – which had not been correctly signed out beforehand. Assisted patron in making color copy of material with guidance of Shawn.
Evaluation: I look forward to working more hours in order to complete projects from start to finish, alert patrons of ILLs, etc. In the future, make sure I find out from student returning AV material which instructor borrowed it and have them sign out correctly next time. Inre. the patron we helped make a color copy … She had interesting questions/subject to research and so was a pleasure to help but … as I mentioned to Shawn, I have to not allow my time to be ‘monopolized’ as much. She also mentioned that she had applied for the Krieble LTA position (recently filled) and hadn’t heard anything regarding an interview and came in to see “what’s up.” Feeling a bit ‘put on the spot’ I did say *I* had been hired, but she seemed to take it graciously and left saying she would be back to do further research as her experience was a good one.

Week 6

Tu 10/9, 5:00-8:30
Duties: Minor reshelving of checked-in books both nights this week. Created online copy records for two books in acquisitions (procedure written down in notes, but will check Procedure Manual to find actual steps.). These two and four others ordered received from Amazon.com. Photocopier ‘rattling’ proved unsolvable by J. Montoya or myself. Left Postit for S. Robinson to try to fix and/or call for maintenance repair.
Evaluation: Sent out one ILL for patron – procedure ‘many-stepped’, but seemed to go easier after having done before. Advice from Ms. S. Johnson on copying files THEN changing appropriate information (in ‘fields’ or otherwise) came in handy while processing this.
Note to self: L. Bourgoin has said I will be supervising volunteer Karen Newton on faculty slide scan project(?etc.) a week from today. Also – appended to next week’s Practicum (B)Log will be a self-evaluation of progress made up to this point, acc. to Practicum goals to be used in her midterm critique of my performance.

Wed 10/10, 5:00-7:00
Duties: Two ILLS came in for patron and were processed to ready them for pickup. Shown how to do physical processing of books (acquired previous night) by Shawn.
Evaluation: While processing hardcovers with dustjackets seems fairly easy, applying sticky mylar to trade paperbacks will need practice. Did not finish one example of that due to time constraints.

Week 5

Tu 10/2, 5:00-8:30
Duties: Circulation Subsystem tasks involved adding notes on students that need to complete Library Seminar Requirement. (According to L. Bourgoin, this is a greater number than supposed, as there are no penalties for late completion.) A couple ‘problem’ patrons needed updating, but most were already designated if they had to finish the assignment. Verified titles considered as acquisitions – ex. Andy Warhol DVD seems apparently the same as VHS (#55) on shelf in Video Resource Room. Other acquisition tasks entailed checking on the status of titles ordered. Light shelving and patron use tonight. Finished ILL logins – received 7 out of 9 titles ordered and did processing up to “Step 5” in procedure – need to find ILL ‘straps’, etc. to complete physical processing.
Evaluation: Worked an hour alone as sole staff and despite duties listed above encountered no difficulties.

Wed 10/3, 5:30-7:00
Duties: In short time allotted tonight, completed ILLs. Got materials to one student, while the other came in following day.
Evaluation: Many steps are needed to complete ILLs but these are necessary in dealing with ‘security’ of another institution’s materials. This procedure is (increasingly) a part of everyday library work. That said, it is greatly satisfying to me to be able to aid patrons in completing research beyond usual circulation duties.
Note to self: See L. Bourgoin inre. tasks slated for next week’s sessions (10/9-10).

Week 4

Tu 9/25, 5:00-8:30
Duties: Did less (basic) circulation duties this week (it seemed). Processed nine interlibrary loans (still have to log in, though). Met volunteer who is working on archiving faculty work electronically (as I had done for the past year or so) and asked some questions – may advise/supervise her if needed. Worked a half hour (6-6:30) without supervision, allowing the library to keep open (will do this in the following weeks until full staffing is re-established). J. Montoya found ‘glitch’ in Microsoft on computer (thankfully) only on one particular terminal. Helped Jerry pick up books from tables and make sure they were sensitized etc. for reshelving.
Evaluation: Despite additional ½ hour use towards Practicum and lack of patron ‘traffic’, still needed more time to ‘complete’ ILLs. Jerry’s diagnosis of this computer problem points to the absolute need for staff to not only work together, but to “know what the other hand is doing”, in order to save staff and patrons time.
Note to self: Make sure L. Bourgoin knows of these computer ‘findings’ if she is not told previous to my session on Wednesday [Loree was – jps 9/30].

Wed 9/26, 5:00-7:00
Duties: Looked for online sources for National Geographic (1955-present) which may be weeded out due to space limitations and found complete cd set of every issue of NG – unfortunately, not in upgraded format. S. Robinson instructed me in logging in serials electronically after physically processing them.
Evaluation: Much shorter time worked on this shift made time that much more valuable. Shawn is fairly ‘no-nonsense’ so this helps a lot. Current scheduled instruction seems to fill Practicum hours (and then some) – which is a good thing. Must research sources for Geographic(s) though further – am not satisfied with quick search result.
Note to self: *Log in 9 ILLs from 9/25 ASAP next session (10/2).* Check library seminar packet before then if possible, as some students may still be coming in to finish that project (late, as due date was Tuesday, 9/25). This might get me used to working w/patrons on assignments “due last Tues” at the end of the semester. Also go over session record of L. Bourgoin dealing with InfoAnytime.

Week 3

Tu 9/18, 5:00-8:00
Duties: Besides continuation of regular circulation duties this week, investigated online references, in particular those dealing with interlibrary loans.
Evaluation: Still should do more practice in interlibrary loan procedure, as this might be a large part of public service (especially faculty requests).

Wed 9/19, 5:15-8:15
Duties: Did some shelf reading tonight, adjusting printmaking section. Went through Visual Resource Center again, focusing on 35mm slide section and refilling samples in the Art History Class drawer for practice. Familiarized myself with serials on shelf (but need to get particulars from L. Bourgoin on further instruction in that regard).
Evaluation: Feel confident after these 3 weeks in ability to assist patrons in locating and obtaining (checking out) materials and in organizing those materials back into the general collection for future use. In remaining 72 hours left to complete Practicum, should learn ‘behind the scenes’ office work to support/enhance that public service (more online reference work perhaps).
Note to self: Go over with L. Bourgoin on what instruction is needed to accomplish above. Ask for critique on Practicum (B)Log and see what else is needed to supply her with complete information – in order to be more self-sufficient when working alone. Also ‘firm up’ new schedule for weeks while full time staff support is being sought.

Week 2

Tu 9/11, 5:00-8:00
Duties: Came in early both nights this week hence the ‘flex time’ in my scheduled work. Also, started off reshelving books while also handling circulation desk (as planned). Familiarized myself with materials in Visual Resource Center and policies. Instructed on how a reserve holding is made in a patron’s online file. Received list of passcodes for Follett Modules.
Evaluation: Time seemed to go by quickly with some duties to be gone over Wednesday night.

Wed 9/12, 5:15-8:15
Duties: During a period of time when Ms. Johnson had to assist a faculty member, I did additional shelf reading/fixed sections (Figure Drawing; Gaugin; etc) that had been mis-shelved out of order, perhaps by patrons. Did two interlibrary loan samples: one book and one article/abstract. Next week should get around to technical processing while other instruction might focus on online reference and working w/serials.
Evaluation: The reorganizing of shelf materials tonight was an example of the “pro-active” approach that should be mandatory (even if self-initiated) in any library employment, part or full-time.
Note to self: The weekly posting of this log seems to be working so far, with additional queries by Ms. Bourgoin answered before the nightly session(s).

Re: Missing books in Week 1

The list should either be in my 'box' or w/Ms. Johnson :) i managed to find about 5 (to my recollection). Also, I double-checked some earlier entries where there was a copy of the book on the shelf but with a barcode that was different despite other similarities (edition, whether it was hardcover or pback etc).

Week 1

Tu 9/4, 5:30-8:30
Duties: Shelf reading (looked for ‘missing’ books not correctly checked back into system) and general circulation (checking books in/out; notifying some patrons on fines/borrowing limits). Received handout of Krieble Library policies to familiarize myself with.
Evaluation: I felt like I am learning a lot from Day 1 - even if these are just simple duties – as this is finally a hands-on approach to library work. My role in this practicum should encompass then these ‘day-to-day’ tasks, leaving my supervisor free to help patrons/handle problems I have not been trained for yet and/or prepare that training for upcoming sessions.

Wed 9/5, 5:30-8:30
Duties: Continuation of those done on 9/4. Also went over sign-out sheet in visual aids room. Received list to go over of ‘Dewey breakdowns’ in art books.
Evaluation: Will continue duties handled in these two days throughout practicum but will learn/practice others, perhaps interlibrary loan process and/or technical processing next.
Note to self: The library’s reading area is small and easy to keep orderly but I should reshelve books at certain intervals to keep myself available for patrons – and not ‘run myself ragged’ in the first half of nightly sessions.