A Very Necessary Update From the "Working Girl"

Hellooooooo helloooo helllooo. Is anyone out there?!? I haven't made a post since August, today is November 13th. Here is what I've been up to!

Allow me to reintroduce myself, I am Shanee' Yvette Murrain, Project Coordinator of The Religion in North Carolina Digital Collection at the Duke Divinity School Library... or you can just call me "Hov".

I was brought on as the project coordinator September 1, 2012. The Religion in North Carolina Digital Collection is a collaborative project of Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Wake Forest University that seeks to bring together, preserve, and provide digital access to the primary materials of religious bodies in North Carolina. This three year grant is made possible through funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

 The project highlights and provides new insights into the religious diversity of North Carolina. As one of the most religious states in the country, North Carolina religion has become increasingly a subject of interest to many people. While particularly home to many Baptists, Methodists, and Catholics, North Carolina has long been home to Quakers and Moravians, Lutherans and Episcopalians, Pentecostals and Congregationalists. Beyond Christianity, Judaism has deep roots in North Carolina while Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and other religious groups are newer to the state. Whenever possible, we have tried to include materials from every tradition although some traditions do not have as much written documentation (Pentecostals) or are so new to North Carolina, their histories have yet to be written (Hindus).


Here's a brief overlook of what I do at the Divinity School Library (based on the official job vacancy announcement which directly reflects my current job responsibilities:

The Project Coordinator coordinates a program for digitization of library materials for the Religion in North Carolina Digital Collection project in the Divinity School Library. This position is funded for 11 months from August 2012 through June 2013 with the possibility of continued funding through December 31, 2014.

Working with the Project Manager and other project partners, the Project Coordinator:

• Plans, implements, and coordinates digitization procedures and workflows for the LSTA grant-funded project, NC Religion Digital Collection; participates in the physical retrieval, storage, and preparation of library materials for digitization as required to assist overall project goals and timelines
• Establishes a communication system to coordinate the various logistical aspects of the project between Duke Divinity School library staff and project personnel from UNC, Wake Forest University, and other contributing libraries; responds to inquiries about the project according to established policies and procedures
• Directs the shipment and tracking of materials from contributing libraries to the Divinity Library and prepares items and metadata for digitization by Internet Archive staff;
• Develops a memorandum of understanding with contributing libraries regarding shipping or delivery, packing protocols, metadata delivery, and expected loan times;
• Manages and updates the master inventory and picklist for materials  to be digitized; sets standards for metadata,  MARC records and overall project quality control; he/she shares relevant lists with project partners and contributing libraries for retrieval
• Hires and trains student workers who are responsible for retrieval, review, and storage of materials to be digitized by the Divinity School Library’s Internet Archive Scribe
• Reviews the Internet Archive Collection page and populates the page with relevant digitized materials
• Contributes to the project’s ongoing copyright permissions approval plan and appropriately tracks related correspondence
• Assists in drafting reports required by grant agency and submits written progress reports to oversight committee or immediate supervisor as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Here is the official "Spotlight" on the Divinity School Library webpage announcing my installation http://blogs.library.duke.edu/divinity/2012/08/28/project-coordinator-selected-to-lead-religion-in-north-carolina-digital-collection-initiative/

Here is the project blog: religion.blogspot.com

Here is the link to the Religion in North Carolina Digital Collection on Internet Archive http://archive.org/details/ncreligion

I'll be back later with the complete story of how I secured this position and what a day in the office is like. This is my dream job and I LOVE IT! Stay tuned!

The Overachieving Archivist Goes to ALA!

From June 20th-June 27th I will be in Anaheim, California at the American Library Association Annual Conference. North Carolina Central University School of Library Science IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) 2011-2012 scholarship recipients were awarded travel and expenses by IMLS to attend this wonderful one-of-a-kind educational and professional development experience. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to meet librarians, authors, and activists from around the world and network with librarians from all walks of life and library specializations. I keep trying to tell people how cool being a librarian/archivist is!

Even though Disney Land is right across the street from the Anaheim Convention Center where the conference is being held, this trip isn't all Mickey Mouse Hats and Fireworks. In addition to the requirement that we attend sessions in eight content areas: Management/Leadership, Reference Services, Technology, Community Engagement/Services, Professional Development, A User Population (children, teens, the elderly, the homeless, international students, etc.), Research, and One Major Area Session (I'm going to hear Sapphire, author of the book "Push" on which the motion picture "Precious" was based), we are to write a 3-5 page report (piece of cake!).

I am most excited about the sessions on increasing diversity (both ethnic and educational background) in academic libraries, meeting other young stereotype-challenging-21st Century librarians, all the free give-a-ways in the exhibit hall, and the bounty of career development workshops. I will be editing this post as the week goes on so please check back for more pictures and updates. Peace In Your Local Library!

Getting Registered

Free Shuttle Service: ALA Knows Hospitality!

Just a Taste of the Conference Offerings

ALA President, Molly Raphael During the Open Session

Exhibit Hall

Look at ALL the Librarians!

Me and the Flirting Robot

Cool Library Technology

Self-Service Library Circulation Kiosk

I Was Too Scared to Get Closer

ALA Highlights: Revitalizing Research for Young Adults

Another extremely informative session I attended was “Revitalizing the Research Process” which coalesced the interest areas of emerging technologies, information literacy, instruction, and social media and networks. The American Association of School Librarians sponsored this lecture which led attendees through the latest Web 2.0 platforms used by teachers and school librarians in an Illinois school district to introduce high school students to the best research strategies and keep them engaged by capitalizing on their creativity. The interactive lecture began with a poll asking about our professions (librarian, teacher, other). We answered by texting on our smartphones. The results were even tabulated in real time before our eyes! The presenters discussed the following methods involved in teaching research,

1.      Generating, narrowing, and evaluating sources

2.      Gathering, documenting and evaluating sources

3.      Authentic assessment

4.      Feedback

I learned about the computational knowledge search engine, Wolfram Alpha, which lists completely factual information about a search topic and condenses sources from the entire web into an easily accessible format. More great research tools I will use in preparation for upcoming papers is Bubbl.us, which allows users to organize information visually with bubbles and Piigo, which uses virtual sticky notes to annotate articles on the web, saving paper and allowing the visual learners to organize information in way that suits them. This workshop provided resources that I can use in both job interview presentations (Prezi, Piktochart, Weebly) and recommend in on the job in reference interviews.

ALA Highlights: Libraries as Safe Spaces for LGBT Students

The best workshop I attended at ALA by far was “Fabulous Havens: Libraries as Safe Spaces for the Needs of LGBT Youth”. This interactive workshop, presented by GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) focused on ways libraries can create safe, respectful and healthy environments for all youth, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. The lecturer was absolutely amazing!

As a group ,attendees discussed times when we spoke up as allies for LBGT teens and young adults in our professional settings and offered one another suggestions for how to make LBGT materials more accessible for this population without being inflammatory or making them recipients of unwanted attention.

One of my fellow young librarians shared that she often assigns characters contrary voices during story time in the public library. She said that when the character is given a gender neutral name but the activity of the plot is masculine she'll give them a more feminine voice and vice versa. She also told the group that sometimes she changes stories to include same-sex partnerships. We laughed, exchanged Hi-5's and applauded her.

We watched videos featuring real youth discussing their triumphs, trials, and disappointments with authority figures in places like school and libraries where their safety is supposed to be ensured.  GLSEN ended the session by passing out “Safe Space” kits which feature stickers, signage, brochures and guides to being allies for LBGT teens.

 This was my favorite session because it is where I felt the most warmth and camaraderie amongst librarians. I hope the libraries I work in will be receptive to using the Safe Space Kit and creating a healthy environment for diversity in its various expressions.

 

Original Cataloging at The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

Over the Big Water: Escaping the Holocaust Twice

Today  is my regular day off at the National Transportation Library. In lieu of lying around in bed all day, like an under achieving archivist might do, I headed over to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to meet with the Senior Cataloger, Holly V.  

First Holly gave me a tutorial on how she transliterates titles from from Russian, or Hebrew, or any other non-Roman alphabet (see http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/roman.html) for cataloing in OCLC. We spent a good deal of time discussing how personal names, towns (corporate bodies) with names in multiple languages, and refugee camps are made into authorities. After assisting Holly with a Polish title that required research, translation, and cross reference in multiple European OPACS I was off to catalog a title on my own. We translated through (1) Google translate, and (2) the Google translation bar.

I did original cataloging for Over the Big Water: Escaping the Holocaust Twice by Wynne A. Shilling: with excerpts from the memoirs of Samuel and Manya Shilling. Original cataloging means I used the title and title verso page of this newly published book (2012) to do descriptive cataloging, subject cataloging and assign a Dewey number using a handy dandy Cutter table and then check OCLC to confirm it was an original number.

Look Who's Original Cataloging!

My final record included these final fields (with my own notes added for clarity):

040 LHM  $c LHM (The Holocaut Memorial Museum Library's OCLC Institution Symbol)
020 9781470062286
020 14770062283
090 DS135.C97 $b S55 2012
049 LHMA
100 1  Shilling, Wynne A.
245 1 0 Over the big water: $b escaping the Holocaust twice/ $c by Wynne A Shilling : with excerpts from the memoirs of Samuel and Manya Shilling.
260 Lexington, KY: $b Wynne A. Shilling. $c c2012.
300 ii, 87 p. : $b ill ; $c 23 cm.
504 Includes bibliographical references (p. 86).
600 1 0 Shilling, Samuel.
600 1 0 Shilling, Manya.
650    0 Jews $z Czech Republic $z Prague $v Biography.
610  2 0 St. Louis (Ship)
650     0  Jewish refugees $z Ecuador $v Biography.
700     1  Shilling, Samuel.
700     1  Shilling, Manya.

Ready to Confirm my Submission

Holly also walked me through the process of suggesting "Wedding Rings" as a subject heading for inclusion the infamous Library of Congress "Red Books". We did our homework first and checked "Rings" and "Wedding Customs" before finding that "Wedding Rings" is not a topical heading. After mapping out our work we sent our proposal to the Library of Congress via email. When you see "Wedding Rings" as a subject heading in about four months remember who gave you the scoop first!

I Got the Juice Now

This great tutorial all came out of my sending a follow-up email after our initial field trip to the museum. When professionals who are doing the work you are interested in give you their business card and invite you to keep in touch, keep in touch. An informational interview could lead to an opportunity to shadow them for a day, which could lead to an internship and ultimately a job. This is what networking is all about! A special thank you, Holly for her willingess to share her knowledge and show an eager young librarian the ropes!

I also met with Reference Librarian Vincent for a short informational meeting after working with Holly. Vincent is hilarious and gave me a great and daring strategy for securing my dream job. He said "Forget about filling out an application. Go to the director of the library's office dressed in your finest interview attire, hand them your resume and tell them they will not find anyone more qualified for the job." Vincent's modus operandi is that the interviewing process is not something any library really likes to do and as someone who has sat on plenty of interviewing committees at USHMML for staff and student interns he would love to see a candidate exhibit such confidence and would hire them on the spot. If Vincent's strategy doesn't work, I'm not opposed to recruiting my friends to try this:

The NTKN’s Transportation Cataloger’s Toolkit and Fashionable Librarians

This week I am working on an article to be published on The National Transportation Knowledge Network (NTKN) Cataloging and Metadata Initiative. The NTKN Cataloging and Metadata Initiative is responsible for the Cataloger's Toolkit. The mission of this initiative is the development of a coordinated cooperative cataloging program within transportation to ensure that as many resources at federal, state, and local transportation agencies are captured and cataloged. The Cataloger's Toolkit is designed to be an online space where transportation catalogers can gather to learn and share their personal knowledge about cataloging within the transportation community.

Here is the rubric for authors:

• An article should be clear, concise, and grammatically correct.
• It should cover its subject comprehensively.
• An article should be backed up by facts and utilize citations and references.
• An article should be kept up to date.
• An article should fit within the General Scope of the wiki.

I will be writing about the differences between Descriptive Cataloging and Subject Cataloging. My LSIS 5425 Organization of Information professor would be very pleased to read that I am seeking out continuing education opportunities.

NTKN’s Cataloger’s Toolkit can be found at http://ntkn.mytier1.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

The cartoons I attached to this post were found on CSL Cartoon Stock via Google Images using "Cataloging" as a search term. Both cartoons make jabs at the fashion sense of librarians. I am not amused (I'm really giggling). I know plenty of well-dressed librarians including former supervisors, fellow classmates,  and colleagues met at conferences--myself included but I can't lie and say I didn't see some questionable ensembles on display at ALA. Is the general consensus that librarians are a poorly dressed group of professionals? Who tallied the vote? The ability to color block or incorporate bold patterns with nudes does not influence the delivery of quality service.

 Clothing serves different functions in various cultures. I've found in library culture what one knows and is able to communicate clearly and lead others to discovering is appreciated more than the corduroy pant and paisley tie combo the bibliosoph dons. I love the variety of expression exhibited in the clothing choices of librarians from the chic, nerdy, bright, bold, and sexy to the comfortable, dowdy, muted, and well-worn.

 I am happy to be in a profession where every day is not a fashion show and people can find peace is dressing as they please for a public whose pleasure isn't enjoin pretty packaging. Librarians are sexy regardless of what they wear! This blurb from the "Sexy Librarians" Rutgers University affiliated blog authored by librarian and author Holly Black sums up exactly why clothes don't make the librarian:

"Librarians are hot. They have knowledge and power over their domain. When you enter a library, you enter as a supplicant. It is the librarian that must strip you bare of your layers of obfuscation and find you what you really came for.

Reading is a silent pursuit. When you sit down next to a commuter with his nose buried in a book, you don't know if he's reading some dry text about mergers or something wicked. Perhaps slightly flushed cheeks will betray him. Perhaps you will never know.

It is no coincidence how many librarians are portrayed as having a passionate interior, hidden by a cool layer of reserve. Aren't books like that? On the shelf, their calm covers belie the intense experience of reading one. Reading inflames the soul. Now, what sort of person would be the keeper of such books?"

Peruse this site at your own discretion http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~hblack/sexylibrarians.htm

Check out this quote from Willy Russel, British dramatist, lyricist, and composer whose best-known works are Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine, and Blood Brothers,

"I pray that no child of mine would ever descend into such a place as a library. They are indeed most dangerous places and unfortunate is she or he who is lured into such a hellhole of enjoyment, stimulus, facts, passion and fun." 

To all those cartoonists and the general public who make jokes at librarians and our eccentric draperies [1]: 



Jokes on You!



We're Still Laughing

---

[1] http://syacartoonist.com/jokes

I Can Go Twice As High: Reading Rainbow App

Yesterday afternoon on the drive back from the National Archives II in College Park, Maryland the Archival Interns Crew listened to NPR. We were all delighted to hear Lavar Burton, host of the Reading Rainbow, PBS long running children's book review program discussing his experience on the show and advertising the new Reading Rainbow app.

Reading Rainbow left the air in 2009 after 23 years of encouraging children to read and cultivating future librarians across the country (wink wink). The app is available for Ipad on Apple Itunes. Here are the deets from Itunes:

Description

• #1 Free App In Education
• Editor’s Choice Award, PC Mag
• “Reading Rainbow Might Stop the iPad From Ruining the Brains of All Children” – Gizmodo

A new reading adventure app for kids ages 3 to 9!

Hosted by LeVar Burton, the App offers a trusted library of books customized to your child’s interests, plus exciting video field trips to meet fascinating people and places.

Children travel to themed islands, such as Animal Kingdom, My Friends, My Family and Genius Academy, discovering quality fiction and non-fiction books. Each book comes alive with audio storytelling by celebrity actors, including spoken word Grammy winner Burton himself, and features light animations and activities to enhance the story. The app is free, and a subscription service is available for $9.99 a month recurring or an introductory price of $29.99 for six months recurring.

KEY FEATURES

• 150 interactive books; frequent updates expand the library
• Recommendations customized to your child
• 16 video field trips and more to come
• Interactive activities in every book
• Reward program to motivate reading
• Parent dashboard to share a child’s reading progress

How the Reading Rainbow App Works

- Reading Rainbow is a library service of interactive books, videos and more for children ages 3 to 9.
- All app users may select a single book and view introductory videos for free.
- To subscribe and receive unlimited access to the library, choose either a monthly recurring subscription for $9.99 or a six-month recurring subscription for $29.99.
- Your subscription is for your iTunes account and can be used on additional iPads you own.
- Payments will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase.
- Your subscription will auto-renew unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You may turn off auto-renewal at any time from your iTunes account settings.
- Subscriptions cannot be cancelled during the active subscription period.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reading-rainbow/id512350210?mt=8

I wish I knew more children. I felt that same way purusing all the free books for children at ALA. I was especially spellbound by the offerings of picture books featuring figures from African American History. "Storm Called Katrina" by Myeon Ulberg and Colin Bootman kept me transfixed in the middle of the vendor hall until I read every single page.

The oldest baby in my immediate family turns 12 this year. I am glad to report that she is already an avid reader who introduced me and my uncle (her father) to "The Hunger Games" series. I do purchase books for baby shower gifts and recommend reading apps on my blog! That counts right?

Office of Administration Executive Office of the President: EEOB Library

 Last week the NTL interns visited the War Department Library and Library and Research Services at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Before the actual field trip I thought we were going to tour President Obama's personal White House library! Close.

The Executive Office of the President consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President which include:

• Council of Economic Advisers
• Council on Environmental Quality
• Executive Residence
• National Security Staff
• Office of Administration
• Office of Management and Budget
• Office of National Drug Control Policy
• Office of Science and Technology Policy
• Office of the United States Trade Representative
• Office of the Vice President
• White House Office

Library and Research Services is compromised of the three libraries of the Executive Office of the President: Eisenhower Executive Office Building Library, New Executive Office Building Library, and the EOP Law Library.

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building Library (formally The War Department Library 1888-1938) features materials on the presidency, American and world history, U.S. government and politics, foreign relations, homeland security, and national security. It also houses a core collection in the arts and humanities.

The design of the War Department Library reminds me of one of my favorite childhood movies, 1994's "The Pagemaster" starring Macaulay Culkin. "The Pagemaster" is the quintessential librarian movie. I remember watching it with my litle brother in awe hoping that my books would come to life if I didn't earmark the pages. It is a wonder I didn't realize I wanted to be a librarian earlier. All the signs were there!

The library was designed by Richard Ezdorf who is credit with most of the interior decoration in the building which was orginally named the State, War and Navy Building. He also designed the West Rotunda, the Navy Department Library (now called the Indian Treaty Room), and the light fixtures, sculptural ornamentation, and other decorative elements for the building.

Karen, a 20 year EOP Library vet, gave us a demonstration of the EOP Virtual Library which includes Ask a Librarain, How do I...?, Database Center, E-journals, Online Catalog, and Subject Resources. Karen shared how the Excecutive Office changes every four years when a new cabinet is installed who need assistance with EVERYTHING.

Michele, the Law Librarian told us all about the history of the architecture of the EOP including the symbolism and ornaments used to reflect military heraldy and the mosaic-patterned imported English Minton tiles. She shared with us that the original shelves were built to organize books by size, not subject matter. Dewey what? Dewey who?

Per usual, enjoy the pictures below! Peace.

Sings theme fromt The Pagemaster "Whatever You Imagine"

Old School Mailbox

Add caption

http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Office_of_the_President_of_the_United_States