April 19, 2009
Learning New Things
Although I have worked in the library both as a volunteer and employee for over seven years, I still have much to learn and explore as I begin my journey through library school. One of the first topics I have explored more in depth is something called “readers’ advisory.” I have to admit I never heard of it before, although I know the service and what it entails very well. To put it simply, readers’ advisory is about helping a patron (library user) find books that they will most enjoy. Just today while I was at work I had a patron approach me and ask what authors were most like her favorite author Mary Higgins Clark since she has enjoyed those “types” of novels. Also speaking with my library co-worker, who is in charge of mailing books to disabled patrons unable to visit our library, she is often faced with finding books for patrons who are interested in something like true animal stories or biographies of “famous” people. Ultimately, through my research I found that I heard of questions and services like this before I just never knew the actual “title” for them. Now anytime I hear a patron engage in conversation with a librarian about potential reading materials they would enjoy, I think “readers’ advisory.”
Readers’ Advisory- Additional Information (an annotated bibliography of the sources I found most useful while researching this subject)
April 15, 2009
Classic Comedy and One of my Favorites
This Abbott and Costello skit about baseball is something I can watch over and over again and never get bored or stop laughing. The first time I saw it was actually when I visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. On one of the floors they had a mini movie room with seats where this and other baseball related videos played on a loop for visitors to sit down and enjoy. Since then, I can’t get enough of it!
April 11, 2009
Changing Gears
Moving away from baseball talk (for now), I have to expand upon my love of the library. As I have already stated, my experience with the library comes from various different positions. I have and remain to be an avid library user. I started out as a volunteer for the children’s summer reading program as a high school student, I continued on by shevling books and organizing different sections (sometimes a lengthy task) as a library page, and currently I work behind the circulation desk as a library clerk while going to school to become an actual “librarian.” I can tell you that from each perspective, my experience has been both rewarding and frustrating in many different ways. However, through it all, I have always felt at home in the library. It still is such a pleasure to interact with library patrons who truely enjoy our services, our staff, our programs, and the ambiance of the library itself. Although I cannot convince them all, I have talked to several people about what the library offers and have seen their delight when they find out I was TELLING THE TRUTH! Overall it is an environment I am most comfortable in and one I can see myself working in for a long long time.
Favorite Books (Click here for a list of some of my all time favorite reads)
April 3, 2009
Out with the Old…In with the New
Being that I am a baseball fanatic, when the opportunity presented itself to buy tickets and watch the FIRST game ever at Citifield (the new home of the New York Mets), I had to jump on it. The day the tickets went on sale was Monday March 2nd, 2009, a day where about 14 inches of snow fell in front of my house. This past Sunday, March 29th, 2009, I was sitting in the Pepsi Porch area at Citifield, watching the St. John’s RedStorm men take on the Georgetown Goyas in a college baseball matchup. Even though most may remember tonight’s exhibition game between the Mets and Boston Red Sox as the first game played in Citifield, I, as well as 22,000 other fans, and the members of those two college teams, know who really stepped up to the plate and batted first. Overall the experience was amazing for a baseball freak like me. I walked around, took some pictures, and watched the game of course. In the end, it was Georgetown who came up on top, but I have a feeling none of those players will ever forget that game or that experience. Now, I cannot wait to go back and experience the stadium when the home team New York Mets play a major league game of their own.
March 27, 2009
The Time is Near
As I have previous
ly mentioned, I am an information junkie. While I do encounter and learn about all kinds of things, I have a particular interest in any fact that is related to baseball. Currently, it is the time of year when baseball season is about to begin and I can start watching games as well as learning more about trades that occured in the off-season, player statistics from last year, and any predictions the “experts” have for both players and teams this year. I have to admit that I don’t know much about baseball in the past; whatever facts I have acquired have come from members in my family, particularly my father and grandfather. Therefore, I love learning new things about the game of baseball, visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, watching old videos of the World Series in black and white, and visiting Major League ballparks (so far I have seen Shea Stadium-RIP, Yankee Stadium-the house that Ruth built, Citizens Bank Park-home of the 2008 World Series winner Philadelphia Phillies, and Cellular Field-most recent home of the Chicago White Sox). I should also say that I only began to really watch and appreciate the game of baseball when I was in high school and the New York Mets were about to play the New York Yankees in a subway series World Series. From that moment on I was hooked. Ultimately, baseball and all its information is my escape, it is the sport I love to watch on television and in person, the sport I can talk about with anyone who will listen, and the sport I am looking most forward to starting! Baseball-slides (Click here for a powerpoint I created that provides a tiny peek into the vast world of Baseball)
March 21, 2009
Information Download
Even when I was younger I always had an attraction to books and the library. Starting out with the summer reading program and The Babysitters Club series, I have since moved into reading many fiction novels with topics ranging from crime and murder to women who can’t control their shopping habits. It would also be fitting to say that I have transitioned from being a library patron to a library employee and most recently a library student. Along with a long history with the library system, I also have a liking to information related to the field of Criminal Justice and America’s favorite past time- Baseball (particlaurly the New York Mets). In addition, since I enjoy seeking information I must challenge myself weekly by attempting to complete the Sunday New York Times Crossword Puzzle. Not only have I improved my searching and crossword skills, I have obtained a vocabulary and wealth of knowledge that I might not have ever encountered or seeked elsewhere in my day to day activities. Ultimately, since entering the library from an early age, over the years I have transformed into an information junkie. Whether I’m looking up the definition of a felony versus a misdemenaor, what players have decided to take part in the World Baseball Classic, trying to answer the “Across” and “Down” clues of the crossword puzzle, or satisfying my fiction and fantasy needs in a good read, I am always surrounded by words, taking in as much as I can.
