Really?!?

Imagine my horror when I discovered it's been a month since I posted!
Sorry, but school, internship, and life got very hectic for a while. Now I'm down to the last few weeks of school and most of the major stuff is either done or nearly done.
My internship has been fabulous and I've learned SO much. I can't believe I only have one week left there. I've also applied for a job at TRL in Lacey, so cross your fingers.
I also was honored at Highline CC for scholastic achievement. I'm the "queen geek of the geek squad" as CJ puts it. Actually, I am the top student in the Library and Information Services Program. I've worked hard at school, so I'm proud of the honor and my 3.98 GPA.
So now I'm wondering what life will be like in two weeks when I'm done with school and ready for the next phase.
The possibilities are endless...

Quick update

OK, it's Week 3 of my internship (and Spring quarter) and things at the library are humming right along. The hours fly by when I'm working and everyone there is so supportive and happy to teach me the tricks of the trade.
Countdown: 56 days left of school!! I am finding it harder to keep abreast of my school work while working and maintaining family life, but I just keep plugging away at it. Sort of like eating an elephant: one bite at a time.
The coolest news to relay is that I got myself a Nook from Barnes & Noble. It's an e-book reader similar to (but way better than) Amazon's Kindle. Several things stand out about the Nook: You can share books with other Nook owners, there are way more titles available for the Nook (since you can download just about any e-Pub book, not just ones from B&N) and you can download books from the LIBRARY onto your Nook. I recently borrowed and read "The Art of Racing in the Rain," by Garth Stein. Great book and a fun read.
The other news around the farm is that the chickens (who are 8 weeks old now!) are in their refurbished chicken house, complete with a fenced in run with lush grass. They are very happy. I have pictures, but no time to post them right now. Tiki also went in for spay surgery yesterday, so now we're having to "manage" her and keep her quiet for two weeks. So far, so good, but she's tired from the surgery. When she's got her strength back, it should be a lot of fun. I foresee lots of walks in our future (no running and no jumping, though - BOO).
I'm off to an agility trial with Miss Rosie this weekend and Tiki will get to tag along so I can keep my eye on her...that should be fun!
That's about it for the latest news from here.

Internship, Week One

Wow, what a fascinating week! But first, let's check the countdown to graduation . . . 68 days left! (Wishing my countdown clock gadget had worked, it would be WAY cooler - sigh)

So I worked at the library as an intern for three days this week and it was a real eye-opener. The place is busy from open to close, which is a good thing, but man it keeps the staff on their toes. It made a big difference that the local schools had half-days for teacher conferences much of the week, so a lot of the kids came to the library to hang out. I think that's a double-edged sword: good that the kids like to be at the library, but hard on the staff because some of them get rowdy and aren't really there for library-type activities. The free wi-fi is a big draw from what I saw of the laptop users.

I've been shadowing different aides and learning from them, which proved to show me three different views of what goes on in the library. Next week will be more shadowing, but as I go along I do more and more on my own. The biggest learning curve is their computer system and all the functions as far as how the books are coded in the catalog (as in their status, location, even collection codes).

I've had some patron interaction, which I was amazingly comfortable with. I wasn't nervous about answering the questions I knew the answers to or directing them to the right person to help them. And all the shelving of books I have done really has taught me where everything belongs and where to direct patrons to find it.

In all, the internship is going to be a great way for me to synthesize all I have learned about libraries in theory (putting it together into the complete picture) and gain hands-on experience. The only downside is that the dogs must miss me because they go nuts when I get home. :)

Spring quarter begins

OK, I've had a nice week off and now it's time to get back to work. First off: 73 days left in school - woot!

The most exciting part of Spring quarter will be my internship. I'm so looking forward to being able to put into practice all the "theory" and book learning (sorry, bad pun - unintentional really!) from the past year at school. I'll be able to work the circulation desk, process materials along side other staff, and work with the librarians as they develop programs, work with patrons, etc. Not only will I learn a lot, I'll be gaining real-world experience. I love the staff at this library (it's where I volunteer every week) and I'm super excited to get to work there for three months.

As much as I'm excited about school drawing to a close, I think I'll really miss it, too. I have met some really wonderful people and learned really great things. I have great memories and friendships from the experience.

Back to the Library

It has dawned on me that when I transformed this blog from a project for my Library class into my personal blog, I wrote that it would chronicle my journey as I moved from one career to another. Looking back at most of the posts, I haven't said much about school lately. There has been so much going on in life that I wanted to share!

Anyway, as I am ending the 5th quarter of my college career in the Library and Information Services program and heading into my last quarter before completing my Associate's degree, I realize I have much to share about my newfound path.

Through both the research I had to do before I got into the Worker Retraining program and the work I have done in school, I have found a passion for libraries and serving people. That's one of the big things: I didn't think I would like to work in a public service job, but I am enthusiastic about it now. I am also thrilled to be working in the public sector. I realize that it will have its challenges too, but working for a big corporation where the "bottom line" ruled most decisions and making a profit was the main goal really wore me down in the end. The newspaper business has been ruined by profit-seeking corporations. 'Nuff said there.

My biggest thrill about library school coming up is my internship. I'll be working as unpaid staff -- in the trenches, not just doing volunteer stuff -- at my local library. I could pinch myself I'm so excited! I'll still have other classes to work on in addition to working at the library 15 hours a week, but I will finally be able to put into practice so much that I have learned in the past year or so. Hopefully, it will lead to great experience that will help me get a job with the library.
I have met soooooo many wonderful people in library school and in libraries themselves, that I just know I'm going to enjoy my new career.

As a side note, I had installed a countdown clock on my blog, but it jacked my page and I had to get rid of it. So I'll just have to give the countdown myself: 94 days to graduation! Woot!
See you all soon!