These questions were asked between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Monday, March 30, 2009. Here we go again.
1. Where do I return recalled books.
2. Patron needed to borrow some scissors.
3. (Chat) Patron wanted to know what kind of information was in the reference department, and if it could be looked at online. I asked what kind of info they were looking for and they closed the chat.
4. Patron needed articles on HIV/AIDS and prevention.
5. (Chat) Patron wanted to know who to contact about transferring to another school. (I was with a patron who was looking for info on partnerships between non-profits and the government when this chat popped up, so I had to hand them of to Mary.)
6. Patron needed help with the printer. They had forgotten their FirstCard at home so I let them use the print card we have at the desk. While over there another student got their FirstCard stuck in the card reader machine and yet another had forgot to take their card after printing.
7. A student wanted to know what floor the plays were on. Yeah...students always want to do things the hard way.
8. I am now proctoring a test for a high school student who is going to the University of Nebraska in the Fall. I believe it is an early admission thing. Mark was supposed to do it, but he called in sick. The kid was rude so he should fit in well with the Cornhuskers. :)
9. Patron was looking for books on poetry and poetics, and he smelled like he had just come from Old Town.
10. Student was looking for the APA citation sheets.
11. Patron had forgotten the name of a librarian she needed to contact, but remembered that she had a baby over the Christmas break. I knew who she was talking about, and told her the librarian's name. :)
12. Student was looking for the book Not so free to choose : the political economy of Milton Friedman and Ronald Reagan.
13. Two students had questions about reserving the collaboratories in the library.
14. Patron wanted to know if this was the Jackson Library. OK...
15. The computer that a student was using locked up because they left it idle for too long, they needed help unlocking it.
16. Student wanted to know where Tower 2 and the reading room were.
Three more questions compared to the previous night on the desk. This is interesting. I believe I will continue to keep track of this...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Reference Questions 3/26/2009
Ok, here we go, questions straight from the Reference Desk at the Walter Clinton Jackson Library on the campus of UNCG.
1. Patron needs books on sex, politics and power. I actually did a search for sex and Obama.
2. Patron approached the desk and asked, "Where's the Reference Desk?"
3. Patron was looking for books and/or articles on Knowledge Assessment Tests for caregivers with patients who had suffered from traumatic brain injuries.
4. Patron wants to know where is the Basement?
5. Patron needed the entry in Something About the Author for Marc Brown.
6. (Chat) Patron could not log on to NC Live. They were trying to go directly to the NC Live website instead of going through the library page. A very quick exchange, less than 5 minutes.
7. Patron needed help finding mathematical journals in Journal Finder. We did not carry the journals he was looking for and he did not have time to ILL them. :(
8. Patron wanted to pull up a project he had saved on one of the reference computers. I had to explain to him that once you restart one of those computers any file that was saved to the hard drive is deleted. Students have R drives on the network, but they cannot save to the desktop, which is what he did. Talk about devastation.
9. (Chat) A nursing question! : Well I was on chat for over 40 minutes with this one. This patron needed articles about research being done by nurses about maternity. The article had to be written by a nurse. This was a very frustrating one, but I came through in the end finding the perfect article according to the student.
10. (Chat) This chat came during the previous chat. Fun times. This patron was looking for articles on children with parents in prison. I was only on that chat for about 12 minutes. I found an entire journal devoted to the topic.
11. (Chat) Again this one came during the previous chat. Three chats at once, now we're cooking. This patron was having trouble with NC Live. I believe it was the same patron as the one in #6. Anyway she said it was asking for her password. Her session had timed out. I told her to just log in again. It worked.
12. This patron was looking for a Government Document. It was an electronic resource, but the entry told her to come to the reference desk so she came to the reference desk. I guess it said that because all government documents say that in the catalog. Anyway I told her all she needed to do was go back to the entry and click on the link and it would take her to it.
13. Patron was looking for Stephen King's The Stand. (Of course that was #13.)
Well, that was a night in the life of Irma Minerva. Fascinating I know.
1. Patron needs books on sex, politics and power. I actually did a search for sex and Obama.
2. Patron approached the desk and asked, "Where's the Reference Desk?"
3. Patron was looking for books and/or articles on Knowledge Assessment Tests for caregivers with patients who had suffered from traumatic brain injuries.
4. Patron wants to know where is the Basement?
5. Patron needed the entry in Something About the Author for Marc Brown.
6. (Chat) Patron could not log on to NC Live. They were trying to go directly to the NC Live website instead of going through the library page. A very quick exchange, less than 5 minutes.
7. Patron needed help finding mathematical journals in Journal Finder. We did not carry the journals he was looking for and he did not have time to ILL them. :(
8. Patron wanted to pull up a project he had saved on one of the reference computers. I had to explain to him that once you restart one of those computers any file that was saved to the hard drive is deleted. Students have R drives on the network, but they cannot save to the desktop, which is what he did. Talk about devastation.
9. (Chat) A nursing question! : Well I was on chat for over 40 minutes with this one. This patron needed articles about research being done by nurses about maternity. The article had to be written by a nurse. This was a very frustrating one, but I came through in the end finding the perfect article according to the student.
10. (Chat) This chat came during the previous chat. Fun times. This patron was looking for articles on children with parents in prison. I was only on that chat for about 12 minutes. I found an entire journal devoted to the topic.
11. (Chat) Again this one came during the previous chat. Three chats at once, now we're cooking. This patron was having trouble with NC Live. I believe it was the same patron as the one in #6. Anyway she said it was asking for her password. Her session had timed out. I told her to just log in again. It worked.
12. This patron was looking for a Government Document. It was an electronic resource, but the entry told her to come to the reference desk so she came to the reference desk. I guess it said that because all government documents say that in the catalog. Anyway I told her all she needed to do was go back to the entry and click on the link and it would take her to it.
13. Patron was looking for Stephen King's The Stand. (Of course that was #13.)
Well, that was a night in the life of Irma Minerva. Fascinating I know.
Tastykake Bloggers
I am working on a project for my Business Reference class this semester where I have to compile various data on one publicly traded company. I choose Tasty Baking Co. that manufactures snack cakes under the Tastykake brand. So I have set my Gmail account up to send me news stories that contain the words Tastykake or Tasty Baking Co. I am a big fan of Tastykakes, that's why I picked them for this project. I found out that I am not the only person out there in the blogosphere that loves the Tastykake. Every day I get at least 4 to 5 blogs that are about how much these people love Tastykakes. I have even gotten a link to my husband's blog because he was talking about them in a post. I'm sure I'll get a link to my blog today because of this post. :)
I'm on the reference desk again today from 5 to 9. I think I may get a running list of every question I'm asked tonight and post it here. A night in the life of Irma Minerva, I'm sure it would be a bestseller.
I am leaving to go to Staunton, VA tomorrow to go to the American Shakespeare Center. My husband and I are seeing The Revenger's Tragedy and The Changeling. They both got excellent reviews, and I am very much looking forward to seeing them. I would love to get a Masters in Shakespeare and Renaissance Lit someday. I plan on starting my second Masters after I find a job at an academic library. Well, that's over a year and a half away, so I'll try not to get ahead of myself.
I'm on the reference desk again today from 5 to 9. I think I may get a running list of every question I'm asked tonight and post it here. A night in the life of Irma Minerva, I'm sure it would be a bestseller.
I am leaving to go to Staunton, VA tomorrow to go to the American Shakespeare Center. My husband and I are seeing The Revenger's Tragedy and The Changeling. They both got excellent reviews, and I am very much looking forward to seeing them. I would love to get a Masters in Shakespeare and Renaissance Lit someday. I plan on starting my second Masters after I find a job at an academic library. Well, that's over a year and a half away, so I'll try not to get ahead of myself.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Reference Desk Weekend
I was on the reference desk this weekend both Saturday and Sunday, for a total of 6 hours. Nothing exciting happened, just the usual requests. I did get one hard question. A patron wanted to know the exact date that a specific PAC gave a contribution to a congressman. It took me over 40 minutes, but I did find the answer.
I have had only one humorous experience on the reference desk. Other interns get crazy questions on a daily basis, but I guess I just work at a dull time. My crazy question happened during a chat reference. Someone via chat asked if they could be Irma Minerva's pimp. (Irma Minerva is the Jackson Library mascot.) This person had a very elaborate speech about how they knew Irma was a savvy business woman, etc. that lead up to the pimp question. Some people just have too much time on their hands.
I'm on the desk again tonight. Hopefully it will be slow.
I have had only one humorous experience on the reference desk. Other interns get crazy questions on a daily basis, but I guess I just work at a dull time. My crazy question happened during a chat reference. Someone via chat asked if they could be Irma Minerva's pimp. (Irma Minerva is the Jackson Library mascot.) This person had a very elaborate speech about how they knew Irma was a savvy business woman, etc. that lead up to the pimp question. Some people just have too much time on their hands.
I'm on the desk again tonight. Hopefully it will be slow.
Friday, March 20, 2009
How rude of me...
Well, I guess I need to let all of you inquiring minds out there know a little about me.
I am in the second semester of the Library and Information Studies Graduate Program at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. I have two more semesters to go. I am a graduate assistant to a gem of a professor in the department, and I am also a reference intern at the Walter Clinton Jackson Library on the campus of UNCG. This is only my first semester as a reference intern. My husband (who is also a graduate of this storied program) convinced me to apply for this position even though I despise working with the public. (This is why I want to be a cataloger, they rarely work with the public.) However, I must admit the internship has not been as bad as I foresaw. I am actually enjoying it a lot more than I ever imagined. I've meet some good people in the department and in the library. I couldn't imagine a better place to get my Masters in Library and Information Studies.
Last semester I took Foundations (LIS 600), Collection Management (LIS 615) and Reference (LIS 620). In the Reference class last semester I assembled a 45 page bibliography on Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple and Jonestown. It was a great learning experience and one of the darker topics of all the pathfinders that came out of that class. Everyone was fascinated and at the same time horrified by my topic. I know this sounds strange, but I really enjoyed compiling it. This semester I am taking Cataloging (LIS 640) and Business Reference (LIS 613). In the Business Reference class I am compiling a massive portfolio of business information on Tasty Baking Co. who manufactures snack foods under the Tastykake name. My husband and I love to travel to PA and we are both huge Tastykake fans.
I plan to graduate in May 2010. After graduation I plan to move out of the overrated state of North Carolina to wherever will appreciate my cataloging prowess. Frankly, I am willing to move anywhere in the United States or maybe even beyond the US, however my librarian husband is another story. I'm not sure how crazy he is about the idea of moving across the Mississippi River. I guess we'll see in about 10 months when it comes time to apply for jobs.
I am in the second semester of the Library and Information Studies Graduate Program at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. I have two more semesters to go. I am a graduate assistant to a gem of a professor in the department, and I am also a reference intern at the Walter Clinton Jackson Library on the campus of UNCG. This is only my first semester as a reference intern. My husband (who is also a graduate of this storied program) convinced me to apply for this position even though I despise working with the public. (This is why I want to be a cataloger, they rarely work with the public.) However, I must admit the internship has not been as bad as I foresaw. I am actually enjoying it a lot more than I ever imagined. I've meet some good people in the department and in the library. I couldn't imagine a better place to get my Masters in Library and Information Studies.
Last semester I took Foundations (LIS 600), Collection Management (LIS 615) and Reference (LIS 620). In the Reference class last semester I assembled a 45 page bibliography on Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple and Jonestown. It was a great learning experience and one of the darker topics of all the pathfinders that came out of that class. Everyone was fascinated and at the same time horrified by my topic. I know this sounds strange, but I really enjoyed compiling it. This semester I am taking Cataloging (LIS 640) and Business Reference (LIS 613). In the Business Reference class I am compiling a massive portfolio of business information on Tasty Baking Co. who manufactures snack foods under the Tastykake name. My husband and I love to travel to PA and we are both huge Tastykake fans.
I plan to graduate in May 2010. After graduation I plan to move out of the overrated state of North Carolina to wherever will appreciate my cataloging prowess. Frankly, I am willing to move anywhere in the United States or maybe even beyond the US, however my librarian husband is another story. I'm not sure how crazy he is about the idea of moving across the Mississippi River. I guess we'll see in about 10 months when it comes time to apply for jobs.
Cataloging Independent Study
I found out yesterday that I was chosen to do independent study in the cataloging department of my university. The head cataloger had previously told me that several students from my program had expressed interest in this opportunity, which I find hard to believe. I know of only one other person who wants to be a cataloger in the entire department. Cataloging is typically on the bottom of every librarian's list of ideal library careers. Anyway I couldn't careless if I was the only person who applied for it. All that matters is I got it. :) I almost feel like a real cataloger.
Part of my time next semester will be spent working in the Interior Architecture Library in the Studio Arts Building on campus. The library got a huge donation of interior architecture books, and that is what I will be helping to catalog. I am so excited. I will be given the chance to work on some original cataloging which I realize is a nightmare for some people, but it is a golden opportunity for me. I hope to one day be a cataloger in an academic library. I couldn't ask for a better opportunity then this.
Part of my time next semester will be spent working in the Interior Architecture Library in the Studio Arts Building on campus. The library got a huge donation of interior architecture books, and that is what I will be helping to catalog. I am so excited. I will be given the chance to work on some original cataloging which I realize is a nightmare for some people, but it is a golden opportunity for me. I hope to one day be a cataloger in an academic library. I couldn't ask for a better opportunity then this.
The First Blog
In order to say that I am truly immersed in all of the Library 2.0 services, I created this Blogger account. This coupled with my Twitter, Wikipedia and Facebook accounts mean that I am very much apart of Library 2.0. Here's to telling the truth on the resume. :)
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