Networking Tips

I don't know about you but when I think of going to some business or social event to network, I get nervous. But I found that networking really can come up in unexpected situations. Recently, I went to a library student dinner social at a noisy restaurant. Initially, I was not going to make the drive to the San Fernando Valley from the San Gabriel Valley. But in the end, I was quite glad I did. Sitting at my table was this woman who is affiliated with CSU Northridge along with the student Special Libraries organization. One of my cohorts was asking me when I planned to relocate. When she heard where I was planning to relocate, she gave me the name of a library employment agency that I had not heard of. So, of course, I immediately added that possible lead to my organizer.

Today, I came across this article that was posted by a fellow acquaintance in the library field on Facebook today titled "An Introvert's Guide to Networking." While Lisa Petrelli is not in the library field, she does offer a few simple tips for networking along with her story about why networking is so important.

So the next time you are debating whether to go to some social business networking event, remind yourself of the pros rather than the cons. You may not be job hunting now but you never know when a contact made through networking will come handy in the future.

The Library Radio Network

I'm a big fan of audio and video podcasting so this is an excellent idea. The Library Radio Network allows users to listen on-line or download the programs to the mp3 or media device.

For those of us on mobile devices you can visit http://kiesermanmedia.podbean.com/mobile to stay in touch with the program. (Watch your data rate folks if you are not on an unlimited plan.)


From the announcement I received:

We are pleased to announce a new online news source for librarians called The Library Radio Network (TLRN) which will debut on February 15th.

TLRN will feature library news you can use as well as fascinating interviews with library leaders from throughout the world.

TLRN will also feature a monthly radio magazine called Library Perspectives, which will be a hosted hour-long downloadable program using the NPR format featuring interviews and segments on libraries and librarians.

This can give folks in the library biz a chance to make their case for the importance of libraries, what they are doing, what works and what needs to be re-visioned.

David Hoffman and Thoughts About Libraries

This is a TED video presentation by filmmaker David Hoffman. In 2008 a fire destroyed his books, photos, negatives and home.

From the TED biography page:

Documentary filmmaker David Hoffman has been capturing reality for almost 4 decades, following his wide-ranging interests and turning them into films for PBS, The Discovery Channel, A&E, National Geographic.

This is his presentation on converting his loss into a positive experience. Which begs the question; are libraries important enough to the society to save? If we believe that then what are we doing to help the general and politicized public understand why it essential to maintain a vital public library system?

This man is a collector. What he lost cannot be replaced. Libraries are living collections of what we believe to be essential information for a community to have access to and use.

What will the community lose if the doors are allowed to be bolted shut?

Library Routes Project Wiki

The Library Routes project (http://libraryroutesproject.wikkii.com) was created by three Information Professionals: jennie law, thewikiman and Woodsiegirl. It launched at the start of October, 2009, and is aimed at all types of Information Professionals and library workers. This wiki exists to document and link to all those who have blogged or otherwise written about their library roots (how they got into the profession) and their library routes (the jobs they've had and how their career has been shaped). NOTE: many of the librarians are in the UK.

The idea is to document either or both of your library roots
- how you got into the profession in the first place and what made you decide to do so
- and your library routes - the career path which has taken you to wherever you are today.

As well as being interesting of itself, it will also provide much needed information and context for those just entering the profession or wishing to do so.
(From Library and Information Science News http://www.lisnews.org/)

The Next Step - First Days Part I

Three weeks into the UNT/CSUN MLIS program, I'm feeling more positive. I think a lot of what I was feeling was nervousness and anticipation about how everything would go those first days at the institute when we were in class sessions 8 hours for four days straight. As many predicted, we were all exhausted by the end of that long weekend but one well worth it. I looked at this weekend similar to my first ALA conference last year: jam-packed with information and great experiences.

We started out with an optional pre-institute dinner on Thursday night so we could begin to get acquainted with our fellow classmates or co-horts as the term they use in this program. Friday through Monday, they squeezed in orientation and a semester of lectures which obviously is impossible but nonetheless they tried their best. We did experirence some hands-on as we had homework to complete during that time as well. This semester our two courses are Introduction to Information Professionals which is a bit similar to LIB 101 and Introduction to Information Access and Retrieval which is like a refresher of LIB 102 Reference and more.

I did my best to become acquainted with as many of my classmates as possible over this long weekend. But with 50 people in our class, it was not an easy thing to do. I could probably have made more of a point to be more sociable Thursday night but I find dark, noisy restaurants not an easy situation for having conversations. I did meet at least three people that first night though I didn't really see them the rest of the weekend. I made a point of talking to as many different people every day we were there. Saturday night, there was a dessert social which I did attend and got more of a chance to talk with our professors along with classmates. Over the course of the weekend, I discovered that there are four of us that are alumni of the PCC Library Technology Program. In addition, there's another classmate whose taken a few courses and was debating whether finishing the certificate program or not since she's in this MLIS program now.

I know a lot of students wonder if they could really get through graduate school. I will admit since I'm just beginning I can't really say for sure but I believe if you can get through the Library Technology program at PCC, you can do this. I am amazed at the huge diversity in my class from ethnic, education, work experience and more. For those of you who English is not your first language, a handful of students like you are making their way through this program as well. In addition, one of the professors for our first classes is not a native English user which shows that if one wants to, one can truly achieve great things.

While I will admit that online learning is not my first choice, the reason I like this program is that it gives you a little bit of that face-to-face in addition. It's nice being in a relatively small class where most of your classmates don't live too far from you so it's possible to form study or support groups as needed. It's also nice not having to go to class every week but there is what seems like more homework to make up for that. An example of that are the weekly discussions that go on in both classes which makes sense. One thing that makes this program more personal is we have a class roster where we had to post our picture along with a brief biography about ourselves. One can always look at this roster or use a web tool called SNAP which allows you to view someone's picture simply by clicking on the person's name link while participating in the discussions.

Describing a whole weekend of everything I experienced and learned is impossible in one post so I'll continue later this week.

The Next Step

"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." Helen Keller,The Open Door,1957

This isn't my usual "Quote of the Week" post that I've done in the past. I started out with this quote because recently I've been feeling rather discouraged about starting graduate school. I have to say there have been numerous times I've felt like just throwing in the towel even though classes hadn't even started yet. So why the frustration? While I won't go into all the ins and outs now, it's been everything from the application process to financial aid.

While I'm still not feeling all that excited even today, this quote got me thinking. I found this quote by Helen Keller while working on one of September's book displays for the Shatford Library yesterday. I will admit I've thought about postponing or avoiding graduate school altogether during all the ups and downs these past few months. While thinking about Helen Keller's quote, it has made me realize that I should look on this experience as another adventure in my life and not worry so much about everything. Before everything finally came together, people around me kept telling me that it would all work out. How they were so sure when I was so doubtful is beyond me. But I'm thankful for the wonderful support group I do have that has helped me get through this preliminary time.

In a few days, I will be officially starting the next step as Mrs. Kim always referred to it in Library 104 as I begin classes in the brand-new University of North Texas/California State University, Northridge cohort program as one of fifty students.

Many have asked me to blog about my grad school experiences. You can follow my adventures as a graduate student in this library and information studies program by continuing to read this series, "The Next Step".

National Library Workers Day

Today is National Library Workers Day. This is basically a day to recognize all that library staff do. So pat yourself on the back if no one else has done so for all your hard work in the library you work in. What is neat is that you can nominate co-workers, supervisors, a library school student or even yourself at this webpage on ALA! So what are you waiting for? One can read nominations already submitted to get an idea of what people are recognizing others for.

Author of The Hummingbird’s Daughter Speaking at PCC

The Author of the City of Pasadena’s One City, One Story selection this year, The Hummingbird’s Daughter, will be speaking on campus in Harbeson Hall on Friday, April 3rd, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Please come and welcome Luis Alberto Urrea to the campus.

Free tickets available at the Shatford Library Reference Desk or at the door.


Here is a summary that I “borrowed” from Pasadena Now:

The Hummingbird’s Daughter is the story of Teresita, a distant relative of Urrea, who comes to terms with her destiny with the power of faith. It is the tale of a father discovering what true love is and a daughter recognizing that sometimes true love requires true sacrifice. It is full of cowboys and outlaws, Indian warriors, cantina beauties, silly men who drink too much and desert women who in their dreams travel to the seashore. Urrea completed two decades of research and writing for this fictional history.



Urrea was a 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist for nonfiction and is member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame. He is a prolific and acclaimed writer who uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore themes of love, loss and triumph. The critically acclaimed author of 11 books, Urrea is an award-winning poet and essayist who has published extensively in all the major genres.

Born in Tijuana, Mexico, to a Mexican father and an American mother, Urrea attended the University of California at San Diego, earning an undergraduate degree in writing, and did his graduate studies at the University of Colorado-Boulder. A professor of creative writing at the University of Illinois-Chicago, he lives in Naperville, Ill., with his family

Tell you friends and the fiscally despondent that this is a good opportunity to reconnect with the literature world.

If they can't make the morning session there is another discussion about the religious aspects of the book at Fuller Theological later that afternoon and for those have a 9 t0 5 you can check Mr. Urrea at the Pasadena Convention Center Ballroom. From 3 to 5pm on Saturday, April 5th.

Reflections - Part 3

I was enjoying my first class, LIB 101, while learning a great deal in a short time as we covered what seemed a vast amount of information about the library field. Through many guest speakers from various libraries, field trips, homework, and multiple projects, I felt I was getting a solid grasp of what opportunities were out there for the taking. But questions were still haunting me.

• Could I really get a job in the library field with my hearing loss?
• Would someone be willing to hire me for Circulation since that's heavy customer service?
• Should I stay in the PCC program or just go on to Graduate school?

Bravely, I shared my questions and fears with our instructor, Ann Dallavalle. She was quite patient in answering my questions and calming my fears. She told me that she didn't think my hearing loss would be a hindrance in getting a job in the field, even in an entry level job such as working at a Circulation desk. As for staying in the program, I wondered if it would be like double work and time wasted if I decided to go on to get a MLIS later. While she said the decision was ultimately mine, she did say going through the Library Tech Program at PCC would make the journey through grad school easier.

In addition, I got some additional inspiration from Jan Sanders, Library Director of Pasadena Public Library, on our field trip to their library. We were lucky enough to have her come and take some time from her busy schedule to speak with us. During our short break, she spoke with me and told me of a wonderful deaf librarian she had known years ago. This was the third deaf librarian I had heard of. Those numbers along with my confidence was growing.

I will admit even though I knew the journey was probably not going to be an easy one by any means, I decided to keep going. One thing I mentioned briefly in Part 2 was the many friends and acquaintances I have made while being in the program. Ann Dallavalle had encouraged us from day one to get to know our classmates as it may be very likely that in the future, we'd be working with each other whether on school projects or in actual jobs. In cultivating friendships with my classmates, I came to see that I wasn't so alone with my fears and everything else that came along with being back in school. And hopefully, others who go through the program will see that as well, no matter what you feel your shortcomings are or the fears you have.

Reflections - Part 2

Remember how you felt your first day at a new school? That's definitely how I felt my first night of class in the Library Tech Program. I was nervous about so many different things.

Here is a list of some of them:

• Would I enjoy the class?
• Would I make any friends?
• Could I handle the workload with having a full-time job?
• Would I be able to understand the teacher?
• Would the class really be able to help me make the decision of whether the library field was for me or not?

I can say a lot of my fears were needless but understandable. I hadn't been in school in over 20 years. I found out that I wasn't the only one which helped make the start of my journey back to school bearable. On the first night, our instructor for LIB 101, Ann Dallavalle, had us all say a little something about ourselves, why we were taking the class, etc. She made it a little easier on us by starting it off by telling us about her background which was nice as well as very informational.


You may wonder at my question of "Would I be able to understand the teacher?" For those of you that don't know me and haven't picked up on the subtle clues I've left in my posts, I'm hard-of-hearing. So it's often a concern of mine if a new teacher or even new people will be easy for me to understand or not. Granted, I did utilize captionists for my first class but this was my first time using this kind of technology.

Before when I was in college, I had used sign language interpreters and notetakers. But I decided to try this new technology so I could compare what I liked best. Considering that I was going to be in a program with the word "technology" in its name, I felt I owed it to myself to try it out. After trial and error, I found that I prefer a combination of using an interpreter and a captionist usually. In addition, I also tried using a voice captionist which is even newer technology which hasn't been perfected yet but it was exciting to be the first student here at PCC to utilize such services. Basically, with this technology, the captionist speaks into a voice box and it turns the spoken word into type onto a laptop. Even though voice recognition is nothing new, this device wasn't working up to what we hoped its potential would be.

Ironically enough, later on I ended up volunteering in a test/focus group on helping improve this new technology. Surprisingly, I was the only one in the group who had been exposed to using this technology before. But I was glad I was able to give feedback based on actual usage and not just as a test respondent.

In an effort to keep the post from getting much longer, I will elaborate more on the other questions as I will continue next Tuesday. But a few quick answers for you. I enjoyed LIB 101 thoroughly and would probably have to say it was one of my favorite classes in the program. I was quite sad when it had to come to an end. I was able to manage the workload in spite of having a full-time job by using a few hours of accrued vacation time every week to do homework, projects, and studying. I have been blessed in that I have made many new friends in coming back to school. As for the last question, tune in on Tuesday.

A Few Spoonfuls of Job Hunting Advice

While it can be tempting to just take any library related job that comes your way when you're starting out, it is just as important to make sure that it will be a good fit for you. I will admit though on a recent interview, the library manager revealed that she once took a job that she knew that her boss wasn't going to be quite a good fit but she decided to overlook that in an effort to get more experience. I found an article in Library Journal titled, "How to Find the Right Fit". Even though it may seem it's more related to recent MLS graduates, I found a lot of insightful information in this article.

One thing that hadn't really occured to me think about is if the library's mission and vision would be compatible with my vision of a library. But even as a library page or assistant, that can be quite important in the long run.

In my search for more helpful job hunting advice, I came across "Some Hard Lessons on the Job Search ". This showcases one of Library Journal's Student Affairs bloggers, Staci Elliott, on her long, rocky road in job searching which she still travelling on. You can find out more about her job hunting trials and tribulations at the Student Affairs blog on Library Journal's website. In addition, it was wonderful to read about others as well who commented in response about their experiences in job hunting as well.

It's nice to be able to get some perspective from those who have been there. So take some of this inspiration and continue on what feels like a solitary road in the job search not quite so alone.

Quote of the Week

The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do without thought of fame. If it comes at all it will come because it is deserved, not because it is sought after. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I got a card this week with part of this quote on it and felt it fit at this time for this week's quote of the week. With finals week upon us and a number of us graduating from the Library Technology Program, being successful is something that is weighing on our minds whether in our classes, job search, current jobs, and etc.

I truly believe that if you do the best you can in whatever you're doing in your path wherever the library world may take you, you will be a success whether you remain a library technician or head on to grad school and become a librarian.

One thing I will always remember from Mrs. Kim was not to stress so much on grades but on learning. I believe that if you realize that you need to always strive to keep learning no matter how much you think you already know, you will truly succeed. The why of what you're doing is so much important than being known for what you're doing in my opinion. It is what will keep you going when the tough gets going. At least, it has for me especially this semester which will be over in just two days for me. For those of you that is it over, congratulations and pat yourselves on the back!

Today someone told me that we need to give ourselves credit for all we do even more so than hearing it from others. I shall take this advice from this wise soul and hope you will do so as well.