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FIMS MLIS Placement Surveys (2003-2005)

Well, my first week of work is over (nice to start on a week with a stat holiday!) and as I dig into my bag of bookmarks for something relevant to post on a day where I'm burned out after a day that started early, included a lot of miles on the road, finished with a pre-natal class and will start early tomorrow when I drive Shea to work at 7am, I find that I had the MLIS Placement Surveys bookmarked for just this sort of occasion.  Some useful information there if you're a recent grad or especially if you're a soon-to-be grad about what your prospects might be. 

I haven't been formally asked to do the 2006 version of the survey (not sure when it's done) but here's the answers I would give (and the most common answers in italics after:)

Type of Employment: Full-time Temporary Professional (Full Time Permanent)
Related to MLIS Degree? Yes (Yes)
Location: In Public Library (or possibly Library Cooperative/Network would be a better fit?)  (Public)
Primary Job Assignment: my duties encompass a lot of different things but if I had to choose one from their list, it would likely be Administration/Management (Reference)
Employed By Former Co-op Position: Not applicable (No)
Salary Range: $40 000 – $49 000 ($40 000 – $49 000)
Geographic Location: Saskatchewan (Ontario)
When Employment Found: 3-6 months after graduation (well, again, a bit tough.  In my mind, I don't count December as part of my job hunt as there was nothing out there and I wasn't too anxious to find something either.  So to me, my job hunt was Jan-March and really, less than 3 months in my mind.)  (Less than 3 months)
Skill or Knowledge Most Useful In Finding Position: For me, it was the professional mentorship program as that's how I heard about the job and in the end, I'm actually replacing the person I was paired with during my final semester. (Subject specialization)

I wonder if there are any questions they miss that would be interesting to know the answer to?  Not off the top of my head. 

You also have to be aware of the self-selection bias of a survey of this – they point out at the start of each year's results that most of the respondents are people who have found work and even then, they only get response rates of 35-40%.  It would be a lot more informative if they got a 100% response rate but of course, that's all but impossible. 

Posted 06 April 2007 § LibrarySchool § Main Page § Work ‡ Comments (0) °

Library Tourism

I've always been somebody who enjoyed checking out the libraries in towns and cities I've visited across Canada and around the world.  Whether it's a public, academic or other type of library, it's always interesting to see the different designs, layouts and atmospheres they each manage to create. 

The idea of library tourism was on my mind today as I went out for my first “van run”, along with SERL's (Southeast Regional Library) driver who makes a trip that covers approximately 10 of our 50 libraries each day to distribute and redistribute books.  Even seeing the different approaches that ten or so libraries in various towns and villages around SE Saskatchewan take towards making their libraries inviting and targeted to their community was a very enjoyable experience.  All have similarities but yet manage to be distinctly different as well.

I think it was asked as one of the “Roll Call” questions we did in our cohort listserv (and maybe once in the comments of this blog) so I'll ask it again here on the front page – what is your favourite library of any you've visited and why?

I've got a few but at the time I picked (and would likely still pick) the Crowfoot Crossing branch that had opened in Calgary in 2004.  It's got a special place in my heart because a local Calgary librarian and writer invited me to come with her to the opening as her “community rep” and also because I got to hear the amazing library advocate, Alberta Lt. Governor Lois Hole speak for the first time (and as I've discussed before, it's no surprise that she's part of the Saskatchewan Mafia!)

Posted 05 April 2007 § Canada § Library § Main Page § Work ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged:

Winter 2007 Spirit of Librarianship Nominations Announced

I can't believe it's been a year since I won the Spirit of Librarianship Award!  And now with the self-serving comment out of the way, let's get to the people who really deserve the attention… 

(I'll update the SoL page when the winner is announced.  If anybody has a digital camera, can you take pictures of the nominees on the stage and the winner and send them to me so I can add them to the page as well?)

—

Hi all,

I would like
to thank everyone who nominated someone for this award we have a lot of
strong contenders for the award this year. The following list contains
all the nominees for this year’s award:

– Matthew Bingham
– Peter Bladlund
– Chantale Boileau
– Rachel Chan
– Erin Fields
– Natasha Hesch
– Michelle Lake
– Jessica Olliver
– Megan Potts
– Tina Steed
– Danielle Winn

We are looking forward for the voting to begin. But first there are a few rules:
1. Everyone including students, faculty and staff are eligible to vote for any of the above students.
2. All votes must be submitted by a UWO email address, those that are not from a UWO email address will not be counted.
3. All votes must be in by Monday April 9th at 10 pm.
4. You can only vote once, and for one person.
5. All votes must be made to Student council email address, mlisstudentcouncil@gmail.com
6. You must vote for someone even if you nominated them.
7. Nominees are eligible to vote.

This is a very strong group of students; a list of the nominated students with the nomination testimonies will follow.

Congratulations to all the students who have been nominated and good luck.

Thank you!

Spirit of Librarianship Committee

—
Matthew Bingham
Everybody
knows Matt, because he makes an effort to be everybody's friend. He
works part-time at the GRC, and always has a smile on his face. He's
the class clown, and always makes us laugh!

Peter Bladlund
Peter
is one of those people who stand out in the MLIS program. He is a very
supportive person, whether you're his partner for a project or a
classmate. In a team environment, he doesn't sweat the small stuff,
believes in the capabilities of his group members, and is very
personable. He always goes the extra mile to help people, and what I
find the most encouraging about Peter is the fact that he reaches out
to you FIRST when you're having assignment difficulties in comparison
to you reaching out first. This is the type of nature Peter has, rare
to find, and appreciated by all in his presence.

Chantale Boileau
Chantale
Boileau should be rewarded with the Spirit of Librarianship Award
because she has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the profession.
Throughout her time at FIMS Chantale has been on the Executive of
Librarians without Borders and the Student Chapter of the Canadian
Library Association. She works hard to share current information, and
is a great resource for jobs in the Ottawa area. She is also a great
person to work with, she is always going out of her way to make life
easier for others.

Rachel Chan
Since her first
semester at FIMS, Rachel has been very active in extra-curricular
activities and has even worked as a Job Web Assistant. She’s been the
SOGS Rep for the Student Council and has worked to increase the success
of the CLA’s Peer to Peer and Professional Mentorship Program through
her role as a participant on that committee. She’s also very involved
with Ask Ontario, a major initiative dedicated to creating a 24hr.
virtual reference service for Ontarians. Rachel will be an accomplished
librarian one day in the very near future and is deserving of this
award.

Erin Fields
Erin Fields has been a positive
presence in this program since she arrived. She is always smiling or
laughing, and is always there for comfort or cheering up when it is
needed. She is the rep for the Archive Association, is a member of CLA,
and is currently the chair of Librarians Without Borders. Erin truly
represents everything which the Spirit of Librarianship award stands
for.

Natasha Hesch
She is friends with everyone in
the class (of first term) and always has a smile for everyone, and has
gotten to know upper-term students as well. She is doing very well in
her classes and asks intelligent questions in class. She is a great
combination of friendly, fun and studious and is always willing to lend
a hand to fellow students.

Michelle Lake
Testimony One:
I
would like to nominate Michelle Lake for the Spirit of Librarianship
Award. Michelle has been an inspiration to many fellow library students
— her love of the profession is communicated through her enthusiasm
and her activism, in short her infectious spirit of librarianship!
This
semester, Michelle organized a reading and awareness campaign for the
Faculty of Information and Media Studies in support of Freedom to Read
Week, receiving coverage in the UWO community — and was an eloquent
host and participant in this successful event.
In addition,
Michelle has been an active participant on the MLIS Student Council,
responsible for a housing blog, an especially useful tool for students
who come and go on co-op in this program — providing access to
information for the rest of us…Michelle builds community &
promotes discussion in this program (where interests are diverse!)
through her regular communications with colleagues, through email and
through her blog “Yarns from M” — drawing our attention to
controversies and new innovations. (see:
http://msmeshell.blogspot.com/)
Active in attending conferences,
Michelle eagerly shares information and excitement with her fellow
students. She fires off emails and letters to support access to, and
widespread use of, our libraries.  Michelle Lake deserves the Spirit
of Librarianship Award this semester as she has proven herself to be an
excellent communicator, defender of the profession, and exemplary
student in this program.

Testimony Two:
Even if you haven't had
the pleasure of getting to know Michelle Lake personally, or met her in
one of the various activities she has coordinated and attended, you
probably still know her name from the many emails she has sent, sharing
information that she feels the MLIS population would be interested in
or benefit from. Michelle is all about sharing information, whether by
email, on her well-maintained and relevant blog, or over a cup of
coffee in the Grad Club. But it's not just because she is a true
information professional that she exemplifies the Spirit of
Librarianship. Neither is it just because she has sat on Student
Council each term, representing her peers and helping them with housing
issues. Nor is it just because she organizes events, like the Freedom
to Read Week reading, or because she attends events and encourages
others to participate (she is a faithful attendee at Trivia Nights).
It's not just because she takes advantage of professional development
opportunities (having attended the CLA conference in 2006 and OLA in
2007). Michelle isn't worthy of the nomination only because she manages
to juggle working at London Public Library with a full MLIS course
load, with academic success, or because she has worked in libraries in
Hamilton, London, and Guelph. No, it's not for any of those reasons
alone. Michelle Lake exemplifies the Spirit of Librarianship because
she does ALL of those things, with a smile on her face, a positive
attitude, and a willingness to help her fellow students every step of
the way. She is genuinely passionnate about librarianship. She has
contributed to every aspect of the program and is committed to the
profession, to FIMS, to her studies, and to her peers. That is why
Michelle deserves the nomination.

Jessica Olliver
Testimony One:
Ms.
Olliver is very engaged with the student community and has a great
interest in the MLIS program and its ties to the professional
community.
Ms. Olliver has been a SOGS rep for Student Council
since September, and she is hoping to become more involved with council
this summer.Ms. Olliver is also an active member of OLA and currently
working to get a student chapter at FIMS. At the moment, she is
contemplating having an “OLA Day” once a term where students could
focus on professional issues such as resume building, interview skills,
networking, etc.

Testimony Two:
Jess Olliver deserves
the Spirit of Librarianship Award because of all she does to make the
library school experience more enjoyable for her peers. She is a very
active member of the Student Chapter of the CLA, and participates in
planning and running fun events. She also worked with the Student
Council to bring guest speakers to FIMS this semester. It’s amazing,
but Jess also finds the time to act as a MLIS SOGS Rep. Jess is always
thinking of ways to serve and help others and is truly committed to
librarianship.

Megan Potts
Megan would be a deserving
recipient of this award for a number of reasons–she is an articulate
and constructive contributor to class discussions, is always willing to
take time to assist fellow students, and is a positive influence on
anyone and everyone she meets. Megan epitomizes the ideals of the
profession with her helpful attitude, her interest in learning, and the
courtesy with which she treats both students and instructors alike.
Megan is a leader and role model to her fellow students, is both bright
and hardworking, and she represents all the most positive aspects of
Western's MLIS program. For these reasons, she deserves this nomiantion
for Western's Spirit of Librarianship Award.

Tina Steed
Testimony One:
As
past Chair of the CLA, Tina successfully increased membership and made
innovative changes to the executive. She has been an active member of
the CLA her entire time at Library School and is currently serving as
the Treasurer. Additionally, Tina has been active on the Student
Council and currently serves as a Social Rep. Tina is always willing to
help out fellow students, and exemplifies the spirit of our profession.


Testimony Two:
Tina was my peer mentor during my first
term here (September – December 2006) and we have been friends since
the first day we met. In fact, even before I arrived on campus, Tina
answered my panicked email and IM messages daily, and answered them
thoroughly and honestly. She is an incredibly warm and friendly person
who genuinely cares the well being of her fellow classmates. Moreover,
she is passionate about the field and is genuinely excited to get out
there and make a difference. I would not have made it through my first
semester without her, and I continue to value her friendship and
support.

Danielle Winn
Over her tenure in the MLIS
program, Danielle Winn has consistently made positive social and
professional contributions to the program. Throughout her schooling,
she has been active in student groups and social and professional
activities. This term, while balancing the academic commitments of this
program and the demands of a teaching assistant, she has volunteered
her time as MLIS Student Council Chair and Communications
Representative for the student chapter of the CLA. In these roles she
has helped to organize fundraisers and social events, and bring in
guest speakers from the wider library community. Her warm, outgoing and
fun personality certainly brightens the sterile halls of North Campus
Building, and her enthusiasm for librarianship permeates all of her
endeavours.

Posted 04 April 2007 § LibrarySchool § Main Page ‡ Comments (0) °

Can You Memorize These 100 SKU Codes By Friday?

Is there any job you start where you don't get overwhelmed with information the first day?  When I started working at a gas station at 14 or 15, they handed me a list of 100 SKU codes for every product we sold and told me to have it memorized by the weekend.  I also had to read through various other policy manuals, credit card procedures, get trained on the cash register, the islands that held the pumps and who knows what else. 

But as with anything, you don't learn everything the first day and it's a bit of a learning curve until you get comfortable.  I'm sure that will be the case with this job as well.  Today was (a bit) overwhelming but it was exciting too – lots of interesting background information, great co-workers (I'm not just saying that because my boss mentioned I had a blog during our afternoon coffee break!) and I can see already that a lot of stuff I learned at library school will come into play in a very real way. 

The person I'm replacing is very good about making sure he's not giving me too much too fast (or too little either) which is nice.  I've been on the other side of the “training the new guy” coin and know what a delicate balance it can be. 

Beyond this entry, I'm likely not going to write a lot about my day to day work because my personal belief is that this is, if not inappropriate, at least risky, especially for a blog where I am very open about who is writing it, including my picture and so on.  You never know what comment is going to offend somebody and, as I believe I have mentioned before, although my goal is never to offend anyone with what I write, there was less chances of a negative impact if I offended a classmate or a professor versus if I offend a co-worker or my boss.  

I do have classmates who have anonymous and semi-anonymous blogs where they are much more forthcoming and even critical about their experiences in workplaces and co-op positions.  That is completely their choice. 

This blog has always been opinionated and will continue to be so.  This blog occasionally uses language that some may be offensive to some and will continue to.  I will continue to endeavour to refer to people by their first name and last initial as much as possible unless the reason I'm referring to them by their full name is well known (or if I just slip up – which I have done, especially earlier in the blog as I was “finding my feet.”)  I will occasionally post pictures that some might find funny but others might find embarrassing (usually to me.)  That is my choice.  I'll live with the consequences if there are any. 

My blog has never really been a “diary” type blog about the minutia of my daily life, my pet peeves, or as a platform to attack other people.  Instead, it has always focused mostly on “big picture” library issues, technology and will increasingly be about our baby as well as the odd post about Saskatchewan-related news, hockey news and various miscellaneous items that catch my eye. 

The entries might not be quite as regular as they were when I was unemployed or before that, when I was in school.

Oh, and I should
repeat that this blog will occasionally have typos, spelling errors and
grammatical errors that aren't corrected.  I don't spend a lot of time
editing/re-reading my posts and I know it can sometimes look
unprofessional (especially since these posts are a reflection on myself
and who I am in many ways.)  But I hope people realise and accept that,
at least to me, blogging lends itself to a bit more informality than
more professional communication modes.

Tomorrow's entry: “What kind of soup I had at lunch today.”

Posted 03 April 2007 § Blog § Main Page § Work ‡ Comments (4) °

Dear Hockey Gods – By Flashpoint

I don't hate the shootout as much as some people do.  I  actually have a much bigger problem with a scoring system that allows for some games to be worth 3 points and others 2  (if I was in charge, a win is 2 points, a loss is 0 points no matter when it happens, regulation or OT.  And If you win in the shootout, you get a single point, like a tie in the old system – showing that you earned something but not that it has the same value as a “real” win.) 

But I saw this on CalgaryPuck and thought it was worth passing along:

—

Dear Hockey Gods,



It's me. Flashpoint.


I know that you and I have had a tumultuous relationship. I care
for you, and you care for me, but I have said things, and you have done
things, that neither of us should be proud of. But let us put me
calling you “turdburgler” and you causing a 7 year playoff drought
behind us.



Something important is coming. A unique opportunity. A special event. A
chance to make a real difference in the hockey world. And I want to
choose my words for this prayer carefully, so I am writing them down
for all to see.



As you know, a couple seasons past, the NHL decided to introduce the
shootout. All real fans saw this for what it was – something occurring
in a hockey game that was not hockey. Much like a Bertuzzi punch from
behind, a Jordan Tootoo “he ran into my fist”, or the Edmonton Oilers,
the shootout is an abomination to behold, an affront to the game, and a
blight upon all that we hold dear.



Sadly, this has not been recognized universally yet. The media
considers it darling. They have embraced this child of soccer and the
IIHF in their highlight reels and statistical packages. It is easy for
them – quick to show, convenient in it's appeal, and requiring little
analysis from the oft challenged announcer. The NHL too defends the
shootout as a grand idea that keeps fans in their seats (as though
patrons pay on their way out of the building as well as in).



Even I have been tempted. You have seen fit of late to have Iginla
(blessed be his name, may his leaves never fall) and Tanguay (he of the
mighty Tong with which he batters Millions) score seemingly at will.
Kipprusoff (of the Flaming hair and smoking habit) and his joyous
rubberlike appendages have stopped all pucks and brought great
rejoicing to the C of Red in the extra frame.



But at the end it’s just candy. Tasting wonderful in the short term,
but eventually leading to diabetes and obesity. It hurts me when I
watch too much of it. It tempts me from what hockey should be –
physical, fast, determined, gritty, defensive, hard hitting, shot
blocking, bodychecking, clear the puck off the glass with your face,
goalie fighting, 2 on 1, pass across the crease, unleash the wicked
slapper, scoring on the rebound, hit em in their MIND hockey we have
all grown up with and love.



All because some say “it is only the regular season, so the shootout is fine”. As though the regular season didn’t matter as much as the playoffs.



Therefore, I now turn to you oh Hockey Gods. For you have seen fit to
place many teams in a mighty battle for a playoff spot in the Eastern
Conference. And two of the most popular of those teams, the Canadians
of Montreal, and the Leaves of Toronto (cursed be their playoff
fortune), will play next Saturday.



Oh Lords of Hockey – Make Toronto and Montreal play for the final playoff spot in that game.



And make them play evenly matched until time expires.



And have a shootout.



And then eliminate one of those teams from the playoffs.



On national TV in Canada.



While the media discuss how great the shootout is, and how “it doesn’t really matter because it isn’t used in the playoffs.”



And then let the debate about how a 5 on 5 win should be worth more
than a shootout win take hold in the cold heartland of hockey.



So say we all.

Flashpoint


p.s. Please also
try to limit the number of people who die in the ensuing riot where the
losing team burns down their own building. Unless it is Toronto. In
which case it is pretty much a mercy killing.

Posted 01 April 2007 § Humour § Main Page § Sports ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged:

Your Next NDP Candidate in the Souris-Moose Mountain Constituency Is…

A couple months ago, I wrote about how I attended the local NDP association's AGM with Shea's uncle who's big with the NDP (he ran in the 2000 Federal election) during a visit to Weyburn.  During the meeting, one old-timer had leaned over and asked if I might be interested in running.  I told him I didn't live in Weyburn and that was that.  Or so I thought…

Well, last night, after the our library region's AGM, I bumped into the NDP association president at a restaurant.  I told him I was living in Weyburn now and he said, “We think the election's coming sooner rather than later and still need a candidate.  You interested?”  

Shea and I had talked about this jokingly after that first meeting but both agreed it would be an incredible opportunity.  The NDP has never won in this riding in six tries so it's a good chance learn about politics, get directly involved but without a lot of pressure (although I'm still going to try to win of course!) 

I've just accepted a new job as I mentioned in my last post but he said that I could work around this – campaigning in the evenings and on weekends.  A lot of the work is done by volunteers, and via things that don't need your direct attention like radio ads and direct mail pieces. 

I've already come up with the slogan I'm going to use.

Posted 01 April 2007 § Humour § Jobs § Main Page § Politics § Randomness § Saskatchewan ‡ Comments (10) °

And Now I Am A Librarian!

Well, after four interviews, three months of waiting, two offers, and one really big decision, I have
officially accepted an 18-month full-time temporary contract with Southeast Regional Library in
Weyburn, an hour south of Regina.

The other offer was a full-time permanent position with the Provincial
Library and it had a very strong appeal as well.  But in the end, I
decided to go for the one that felt like it would be the best fit for
who I am and what I want to do.  (My parents think I'm nuts to turn down
a FT perm government job.  They might be right!)

If you read my blog, you'll know that I'm a big fan of seeing events
come “full circle” and this is the ultimate example for me.  When I applied to UWO, my
Statement of Intent focused heavily on the impact of my hometown library in my life.  Now, one short year later, I'll be responsible for that branch (and 47 others around southeast Saskatchewan!) 

I start my position as Branch Supervisor, responsible for the small
branches in various communities around SE Saskatchewan on Monday April 2
(well,  I actually started today for their AGM.)  My area covers 75
000 people over an 18 000 square mile area.

I'm extremely excited about this opportunity – it's in public library
system which is my main area of interest, it's where Shea's parents live
so she can spend a lot of time with them during her mat leave year, and
I'll be able to do a huge range of things – programming, collection
development, IT, reference and more – that I'd be unlikely to get to do to that extent anywhere
else.

I am extremely proud of my rural roots and the chance to work in many communities I'm familiar with is a dream come true.  On top of that, the people who come out of SE Regional, including the current
head of Regina Public Library, have a strong reputation in the library
community so that was a deciding factor as well.

Oh, and I'm happy to report that the two jobs I didn't get offered went to FIMS classmates and if it wasn't meant for me to get those jobs, I'm happy to hear it was a couple people I know.  (I spent an enjoyable day yesterday showing one of my former classmates/new colleagues who is originally from Ontario around Regina.)

On that note, I am
officially inviting any and all of you to apply for jobs in
Saskatchewan.  Our streets aren't paved with gold like Alberta but the
straw that we use does have a similar colour!

Posted 01 April 2007 § Jobs § Library § LibrarySchool § Main Page § Work ‡ Comments (29) °

Friday Fun Link – Stupid Management Tricks at Circuit City (March 30, 2007)

There’s nothing fun about this week’s post but it’ll likely get your blood boiling. A recent MetaFilter post explained how Circuit City was losing too much money
so their brilliant idea to improve the bottom line was to fire their
top earning employees (3400 of them) and then offer to re-hire them at
a lower wage.

As always, some great discussion ensued including a link to a Fast Company story about how Wal-Mart is like the tiger that eats its own tale. By always demanding price cuts from suppliers, they end up eventually putting the suppliers out of business completely.

There
was a happy note in the discussion though – the John Lewis store group
in the UK who list maximizing employee “happiness” as the company goal,
announced that they were sharing 155 million pounds in profit among all 68 000 of their staff from the back room to the board room. That means an average bonus equivalent to nine weeks’ pay for most.

(via MetaFilter)

Posted 30 March 2007 § FridayFunLink § Main Page § Work ‡ Comments (0) °

A Response to Rory Litwin Re: Librarian Stereotypes

A librarian at LPL named Kevin Moore started a Facebook group called “No, I don't look like a librarian” and a few people uploaded humourous pictures of themselves in various “non-librarian” activities to illustrate the point. 

Rory Litwin, on his blog, Library Juice, posted this in response:

Yes, you do look like a librarian!
Regarding the Facebook
group, No, I don’t look like a librarian!…. Yes, you do look like a
librarian! I am not joining the group because I think really I do not
look unlike a librarian, and I think most of the people who joined that
group look like the librarians that they are. And there is nothing
wrong with that! We look smart! We are smart! We look approachable and
helpful! We are approachable and helpful!

Don’t be ashamed of what you are!! Embrace it!
Filed under: Web culture, The Profession by — Rory Litwin @ 8:19 pm

I like Rory Litwin, love his blog but think he sort of (well, completely) missed the humour in this group.  I mean, if you are a librarian then of course, you look like a librarian!  But so much of our profession is obsessed with THE STEREOTYPE so why not have some fun and play with it?  (as I did in my recent “Librarian Types” entry) 

Librarians drink alcohol and swear.  Librarians play guitar and go swing dancing.  Librarians lift weights and go rock climbing.  And librarians use technology to show others that they do all of these things.

I don't want to get into a flame war with Rory (because he's bigger than me and could kick my butt!)  But I think it's kinda funny that his sour-faced response is probably the most stereotypically librarian thing to happen around this whole non-event.   

Posted 30 March 2007 § Humour § Internet § Library § Main Page ‡ Comments (2) °

Why You're Not Getting Anything Done…

Here's something for everbody back at FIMS as the semester comes to a close…

(via Reddit)
Posted 29 March 2007 § Humour § Internet § LibrarySchool § Main Page § Photo ‡ Comments (6) °