library school

my semester ended a week ago and since that time i’ve been a little stir-crazy. as you may have noticed since i went from posting once month to twice in one weekend. and now here again.

this semester i was taking 4 classes. 4 fucking graduate level courses. it was awful and marvelous and horrific all at once. i was taking:

intro to cataloging (way boring and painful to my GPA)

preservation management (actually quite fun)

publishing for the profession (interesting but difficult grader)

and international and comparative librarianship (my most favoritest class ever)

for that last one, i wrote a paper in a group on a university library in kenya. we were suggesting ways in which they could implement and expand a special collections at their uni. this has led to the potential of an internship IN KENYA at the uni for three of us who want to go and help them start the special collection plans we suggested. so sweet! so hopeful it comes to fruition!

we also made a poster for a conference in san jose last friday on our paper. where i networked and got business cards. awesome.

for the 3rd class–publishing for the profession–i wrote an article on the juvenile hall in my county. and thru THIS i’ve set up a special studies project for next semester to do a survey on delinquents, probation officers, and faculty at the hall on library usage and benefits. i’ll have to write a honking research paper and maybe will try to get a few other juvies to participate so i can do a comparative review. i’m so excited!! i even went to juvie today and got a tour of the building by the librarian. i saw teenagers in jumpsuits and handcuffs! it was crazy.

next semester i’ve also got an internship at the maritime academy in vallejo (a sweet gig with sailors), a class on EAD (encoding archival documents), and a class on services for racially and ethnically diverse communities (already fascinated). so i’m taking 4 courses again next semester like a loony. but by god, i’m going to finish at the end of summer. hopefully. man, fingers crossed.