Week 10: Thing 23, 24, 25, 26 & 27

Thing # 23 - Find and request a copy of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer in three clicks or less from the homepage: This is a trick question if your not paying attention to the fact that there is a FIND IN THE CATALOG search bar at the very top right of the SPL homepage. I love the fact that this search bar is now there and Reserve a Computer and My Account click arrows as well. I really think our SPL homepage is looking fabulous and quickly becoming much easier to use.

Get some money saving advice: I clicked on the get $ Smart square on the SPL homepage and found:
Smart Investing for Women Series
Date: Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Library: Central Library
Well, I missed this free workshop and hope that they will have more. But I did find some cool reads like: Rich Like Them: My Door-To-Door Search for the Secrets of Wealth in America's Richest Neighborhoods By D'Agostino, Ryan and Shop Smart, Save More: Learn the Grocery Game and Save Hundreds of Dollars a Month By Gault, TeriBerk, Sheryl.
I also found 2 great articles under Money Saving Tips: 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy and How to Unspoil Your Kids. I emailed the second article to several family members.
The Money Smart @ your library resource page is extremely helpful and I subscribed to it quite awhile ago but doing this Discovery Exercise reminded me to keep coming back to this super resource!

Find a health research aid: Ok, I clicked on Discover on the SPL homepage and then Articles & More Knowledge Center, then General Newspapers & Magazines, then Health & Wellness Resource Center Informational articles from health/medical journals, reference books, pamphlets, videos. Wow, you can search the Gale Databases on Health topics, online Medical Dictionary, Drugs & Herbal remedies database, Medical Topics in the news, and sign-ups for Clinic Trials. You can also use the health assessment calculators so I tried the stress calculator and it said: According to your score, you may be under considerable stress. I really like the Health & Wellness Resource Center!!! There is lots of useful info there and very easy to access!

Look at some Sacramento job resources: Ok, I clicked on Discover on the SPL homepage and then Colleges & Careers and found Career Guidance On-line Profiles of over 1,800 of today's most popular jobs in more than fifty industries. This is Facts on File Ferguson's Career Guidance Center. You can go over cover letters, resumes and interviewing skills. You can look into Job and industry profiles as well as Career and industry resources. So I searched for the Children's Librarian job profile and found a great description of what I do professionally. Reading this made me realize actually how much YS Librarians are responsible for:
Overview
Children's librarians oversee the daily operations of the children's department of public and private libraries and school libraries. They purchase books, periodicals, music and films, and other informational material, and prepare them for circulation. Children's librarians also serve as instructors and mentors to students. In addition, they conduct activities to introduce children to different types of literature. These activities include story time, reading challenges, book discussions, and outreach projects. Approximately 159,000 librarians (including children's librarians) are employed in the United States.
The Job
Many libraries have special departments that cater to children. This library within a library, often called a children's library, houses collections of age-appropriate fiction and non-fiction, as well as research tools such as encyclopedias and atlases. They may also have computers that feature programs and games that appeal to the young and more traditional toys and puzzles. Oftentimes, librarians choose to work with a particular age group. Those who work specifically with children and young adults are referred to as children's librarians or youth services librarians. If employed in a school setting, such librarians are called library media specialists. Regardless of title, children's librarians help young library patrons find and select information best suited to their needs, whether for school research, personal knowledge, or simply the enjoyment of reading a book or finding a useful or entertaining resource.

Maintaining and organizing library facilities are the primary responsibilities of children's librarians. One major task is selecting and ordering books and other media, including fiction and nonfiction, reference books such as encyclopedias and dictionaries, study guides, maps, periodicals, videos, DVDs, and music. These materials must be organized so library patrons can access them easily. New acquisitions are cataloged in card files by title, author, and subject matter. More often, cataloging is computerized. Each book is given a label and card pocket, and stamped with the library's name and address. A bar code is attached to help keep track of its location. Children's librarians must regularly inventory their collection to locate lost or overdue books, identify books that need repairs, or to dispose of outdated or worn materials.

Libraries are given an annual budget by either the school board or library board. Children's librarians must consider this budget when making new purchases or additions to the collection. When the budget allows, they fulfill special book requests from children, teachers, or parents.
Children's librarians are teachers as well. They have a thorough knowledge of their library's collection so they can effectively help students with any research questions, or guide them towards a reading selection suited for their grade or reading level. They are familiar with the works of established authors, as well as newly published books and series. Children's librarians also teach effective ways to navigate library resources using the Dewey Decimal System, online catalog systems, or research on the Internet. They work with area schools and teachers to help plan and organize upcoming class projects and tests. Many times, they provide instruction to patrons and students on the use of library equipment—computers, audiovisual equipment, copy machines, or computer programs.

The implementation of special projects is also a major responsibility of children's librarians. They host story time for toddlers and preschool age children, often planning a special craft project related to the day's story. Children's librarians often schedule holiday parties and puppet shows. They may offer school age children summer reading programs and challenges, author visits, or book clubs.

Children's librarians also organize displays of books, artwork, collections, or memorabilia that may be of interest to children. They are responsible for soliciting the display of private collections and setting up and dismantling the displays. They create a comfortable and inviting space that is appealing to children of all ages using colorful furniture and cozy reading areas. They also decorate the library with book displays, posters, toys, and seasonal items.
Children's librarians are also responsible for outreach services such as the book mobile. These mini-libraries house a collection of books and periodicals that travel to different locations in the community. Library employees staff the book mobile and often conduct a story and craft time for the children. Children's librarians may also promote library services at area preschools via story telling, book totes, and bookmarks.

Children's librarians also have management duties. They supervise library technicians and non-professional staff such as clerks, student workers, or volunteers. They often train staff regarding the layout of the library, use of special equipment, or new computer programs.

Thing # 24 - Learn a new language with Mango Language Learning: Ok, I clicked on Discover on the SPL homepage and then Online Learning Languages. Wow, you can select between 12 languages to start learning. I chose Italian since I just watched the 1980's movie Breaking Away with Dennis Quaid and since Italy is the only European country I've been to. Oh my goodness, what great fun!!!!!!!! If I only had this resource back in 2004! I traveled by myself all the way to Italy without being able to speak Italian or Spanish. But I did know a few key phrases from friends and my Let's Go Italy guide book. Mango Languages is an awesome resource and now I don't have to wait for a Pimsleur course. I knew we had this database but I also know now how easy it is to actually use!

Thing # 25 - Tweet on Twitter: Ok, I signed up for twitter and have tweeted once. I have to admit, I'm shy when it comes to tweeting. But I think I will tweet more if I can get my storytime and Elk parents crowd to follow for Elk Library updates. Funny enough I did sign up to follow my 1st three tweeters, Ellen (I DVR Ellen's show every day & she's always talking about tweeting something), Suze Orman, and theCivilLibrarian.

Thing #26 - What is Thingfo? Well, oops, I went to sign up for Thingfo and their site says: "Thingfo is currently invite-only while we focus on the next version." It sounds like a really cool idea to somehow pull all of these latest web creations together and link them by streaming them together? It will be interesting to check bak with them in the future . . .

Thing # 27 - Summarize your thoughts about the "27 Things" program on your blog. The exercises I like best are LibraryThing, blogger.com, flickr, and the online image generator. I am also grateful that our staff has been so supportive and helpful with one another. Learning 2.0 has sparked many a debate here at ELK while offering us a forum to communicate about these new technological tools. We've been so extremely busy that many staff have not been able to complete the 27 things program. However, the excitement generated from even getting a blog set up and thinking about new technologies such as online images generators, facebook or twitter has opened many eyes to new possibilities and especially in regards to library services.

I think that my technological worldview has once again, been greatly expanded and I see many possibilities for using these applications as a Children's Librarian. I have made a commitment to be a Librarian 2.0 and have adopted the Librarian manifesto from the Utube video I posted. I'm always looking for ways to become more tech savvy and learning 2.0 has continued me down this path.

SPL should definitely do the "27 Things" Program again! I think that many staff still have the desire to set up and complete their blogs but due to staffing levels getting shifted across the system, many branches simply have not had enough time. Overall, I think it's a huge success and extremely exciting to learn what creative ways SPL staff come up with to better serve our public.