Greensboro College Practicum, Day 2 (5/21/09)

I began my day at 9:00 a.m.

This morning I worked with Unicorn WorkFlows which is the Jones Library's cataloging software. It is a product produced by SirsiDynix. After I read through the Cataloging and Authority Control training guide I began to explore the program. I pulled up some MARC records with it, and studied them to compare which fields were used and which were omitted. When I felt comfortable, I created a MARC record of my own from some books we will be cataloging this summer. The Jones Library is having problems with Classweb, so I used WorldCat to access classification information. From there I was able to compare the record I had created to other libraries' records.

After lunch Jennie and I went down to cover the reference desk. From there Jennie let me take care of the ILL requests that had came in this morning. Using FirstSearch I located and requested the books that a professor needed for his summer research. I also prepared a book to be sent out to a requesting library. Also during that time two professors came in to pick up books they had requested through ILL.

When we were finished covering the reference desk, Jennie and I went up to her office so she could look over the MARC records for the books I had cataloged. My records were all correct. Jennie then walked me through different aspects of Unicorn WorkFlows. She showed me a template that I will be using later when we catalog the theses.

After Jennie left, I continued to work with Unicorn WorkFlows and I also read over the TSARS manual that Jennie made available to me. TSARS stands for Technical Services and Resources. It is a group of technical services librarians that represent each of the NC-PALS institutions. The TSARS manual goes over different rules or standards for using WorkFlows at one of the NC-PALS institutions. Different NC-PALS institutions are assigned different MARC fields for different uses. Greensboro College is assigned fields 970-979.) Each institution is given a "call number" to represent it. (Greensboro College's is KQX.)

I left the library at 5:30 p.m.

Greensboro College Practicum, Day 1 (5/20/09)

Today I began my practicum at Greensboro College. I am working in Technical Services at the James Addison Jones Library with Technical Services Librarian Jennie Hunt. Jennie is a graduate of UNCG's Library and Information Studies program, and a long time friend. She has hosted many library interns over her nine plus years at Greensboro College.

I arrived today at 9:00 a.m. Jennie and I had a brief conversation about cataloging and librarianship in her office before she gave me a tour of the library. We also discussed what I will be doing this summer. Among other things, Jennie has a box of bound theses that need cataloging. We will be doing original cataloging with those theses. Jennie is handling interlibrary loan this summer so I also plan to learn the ins and outs of an ILL librarian's job.

The James Addison Jones Library is a small academic library with only four floors of stacks. The library has recently converted one of their front rooms in order to house their serials collection. This room will also house a coffee bar when the Fall semester begins.

Today Jennie and I worked in interlibrary loans. I learned how ILLs are requested, received, and returned. The Jones Library uses OCLC for all of their ILL transactions. Jennie also keeps a separate spreadsheet to keep track of all the ILLs that are coming into or going out of the library. I assisted Jennie with preparing some ILL books to return to their respective libraries. We also filled a few lending requests from other libraries.

Jennie left at 4:00 p.m. today, and after she left I was going to familiarize myself with Classweb. However, the password I had would not work, and so I decided to browse OCLC FirstSearch instead. I left the library at 6:15 p.m.