Harvard University Library

How a library functions begins at the level of the individual patron. Each patron who crosses the threshold, be it the physical or the digital, is looking for a combination of resources that is specific to their person. The library as an institute is responsible for providing equal access to information to those who seek it through intellectual freedom, and receive education that furthers the learning of the patron either drastically or minimally. These are the most basic values on which a…

When I arrived to the Lakeland Public Library, I was quickly whisked away into a small room and handed a schedule. The schedule was because I would be rotating through each different department of the library over the course of the day. I gathered my things, and began my day at Reference Services. Reference Services was a quiet job, consisting of answering peoples’ questions and overseeing the computer section. My time at each rotation was about an hour, and near the end of my shift at…

The organization is an academic library for a university, so employees of the library at librarian status or higher positions are MLS-holders. Employees of the library are expected to have reference skills, customer service skills, and technical knowledge. Workers for the Carlson Library are recruited nationally, but mostly in the state of Pennsylvania. In addition, there are student employees as well, who are solely on-campus students and recruited locally. There are specific needs for each…

with professional and disciplinary expertise have curated academic library collections. (Walters, 2012) However, the current trend of shrinking library budgets has led to staff and collection budget cuts. With the increasing proliferation of publishing – especially electronic publishing – it is not possible for librarians to create fully comprehensive collections foreseeing patrons’ needs. (Weir, 2012, p. 41) Some academic libraries are using patron-driven acquisition (PDA) of electronic…

Library the Noun Are physical libraries really going to stay important with the Internet quickly becoming the monopoly of information for students, and even experts? Libraries have been around for so long that sometimes they are taken for granted. Has the Internet stolen the niche that libraries have held onto for centuries? Or do these two things have the capabilities to coexist? The real question is whether they will just survive in this transition or thrive in it. Some of the different…

Half-Priced Books The children’s and young adult’s section at half priced books is not everything that one would expect it to be. Both sections were at the back of the store stuffed into a small corner area which made each section feel very small. There were also more parents in these sections than children, but my description of these areas may explain why this is so. Overall, I felt that these sections were more laid out for adults to buy books for their children than for children to come…

graduated from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Librarianship and Corporate Information and since 2011 I have been working at the North Metropolitan College of TAFE (formerly Central Institute of Technology). I am keen to be heavily involved in the changing nature of the public library and am enthusiastic about being part of initiating exciting events that can attract people to the library. Eligibility for Associate Membership of the Australian Library and Information…

Geneseo Public Library also known as the George B. Dedrick Library. I asked for information about the theft of the Mona Lisa. I was hoping to find a book or possible access to a database with articles that may have ran in the newspapers at that time. The librarian did not conduct a reference interview. I was informed that there was no information available at that particular library, I was then encouraged to ask my home library to interlibrary loan a book for me or try a bigger library. The…

On Wednesday, March 23 I had an interview with Vanessa Kraps, the head librarian at Ohio State Mansfield. She has an extensive background of special skills and training which include a Master’s degree in library and information sciences, a bachelor degree in psychology, and an internship. It was very interesting to learn that to be a librarian you need to have a master’s degree. Her job includes many different roles with helping faculty and students with the research process. Some ways she helps…

The local library has been invaluable over the course of my school career; so, I’m not surprised by the statistic that “90% of Americans say the closing of their local public library would impact their community and 67% said it would affect them and their families” (“Americans and Public Libraries” 1). I would be devastated if my local library were to close, and thus sympathize with Zadie Smith and the community of Willesden Green of London, UK who are being affected by the closing of their…