Internship Log Six

LIBRARY MEDIA INTERNSHIP
DAILY INTERNSHIP LOG SHEET

DATE: 7/19 and 7/20

ACTIVITIES:
Cataloging, Circulation, Partner Library Sorting, Youth Services


HOW ACTIVITIES RELATED TO OBJECTIVES:

The last two day of my internship was really just a "get your hours in" kind of time, which served to reinforce some of the things I'd already learned, such as collection management. I was able to interact with a few more staff members and familiarize myself a bit more with the collection.







INTERNSHIP STUDENT REFLECTIONS:
I found through my experience that I like the circulation desk best because it was the only area I felt I had become somewhat comfortable with, and it was fairly easy to catch on. I only wish I'd spent a little time at the accounts desk dealing with face-to-face situations.






ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:









Site Supervisor Initials: _____

Internship Log Five

LIBRARY MEDIA INTERNSHIP
DAILY INTERNSHIP LOG SHEET

DATE: 7/17 and 7/18

ACTIVITIES:
I spent most of these days at the Reference desk.


HOW ACTIVITIES RELATED TO OBJECTIVES:

Working the reference desk related specifically to my goal of conducting a reference interview. However, as they regularly conduct only 12 or so ACTUAL reference interviews a year, I had to content myself with mini interviews as patrons asked for materials or directions. I spent a lot of time doing some research, as the reference librarians created a 20 questions quiz for me to complete using the ready reference section, and I was only allowed to use one resource for each question. It took me around 4 and a half hours to complete, but was a good familiarization activity. I know about a few more resources and how they work because of it.







INTERNSHIP STUDENT REFLECTIONS:
Reference is the most challenging area of the library for me. I usually feel helpless looking for answers for someone, but I've realized it's just because I'm not familiar or comfortable with the tools that are available to me.






ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:









Site Supervisor Initials: _____

Internship Log Four

LIBRARY MEDIA INTERNSHIP
DAILY INTERNSHIP LOG SHEET

DATE: 7/12 and 7/14

ACTIVITIES:
The other intern and I met with the director of the library, and on the weekend I worked the Bookmobile at Farmer's Market.


HOW ACTIVITIES RELATED TO OBJECTIVES:

The meeting with the director helped answer a lot of questions, mostly about budget, that were on our reflection sheets. We were given handouts of the budget, a breakdown department by department. On Saturday, I worked the Bookmobile which fulfilled the outreach part of my objectives. I answered reference questions, gave out information about various activities at the library, and read aloud to some children who were playing nearby and asked for storytime. It was a very successful and rewarding interaction with the public.








INTERNSHIP STUDENT REFLECTIONS:
The director of the library has a huge job, but with careful management, good hiring, and cultivated relationships, things run smoothly. I really enjoy the Bookmobile outreach, and the general public does as well. A visitor from California remarked that they had never seen a public library at an outdoor market before.






ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:









Site Supervisor Initials: _____

Internship Log Three

LIBRARY MEDIA INTERNSHIP
DAILY INTERNSHIP LOG SHEET

DATE: 7/10 and 7/11

ACTIVITIES:
Most of the time was spent in the youth department of the library. We searched for lost materials, evaluated gift books against the catalog, helped patrons find materials, and participated in a library tour with a group of preschoolers.


HOW ACTIVITIES RELATED TO OBJECTIVES:

Most of the activities in the youth department were not instructive but supportive. A lot of what I did was miniature "reference interviews" as students came looking for books that they would like to read. We visited quite a bit with the children's librarians trying to gain some teaching ideas, but most of our time was spent doing "chores" like looking for books that the catalog said were lost, pulling holds off of the shelf, and searching gift book titles in the catalog to see if we already owned them.








INTERNSHIP STUDENT REFLECTIONS:
While I love working in the children's department, I think that most of this week's work was busywork, and I didn't learn anything really new. The children's librarian who is retiring has worked with Indian Ed For All for several years and shared some great resources for teaching that subject, but other than that we didn't learn anything new.







ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:









Site Supervisor Initials: _____

Internship Log Two

LIBRARY MEDIA INTERNSHIP
DAILY INTERNSHIP LOG SHEET

DATE: 7/3, 7/5 and 7/6

ACTIVITIES:
Spent time in the cataloging department, worked the "Dreams" youth activity, cataloged materials using OCLC and original cataloging, worked the Homebound circuit, worked the circulation desk



HOW ACTIVITIES RELATED TO OBJECTIVES:
One of my objectives was to become more familiar with cataloging, especially original cataloging. I original cataloged a book with the help of the librarian who runs the cataloging department and has been doing her job for 37 years.
Working with students and observing and aiding in the lesson plan structure fits in with my objective to train students in information literacy.
Working the Homebound circuit, a service that brings materials to patrons who can't leave their residence for one reason or another fits in with my objective to aid in or observe the public relations end of the library. By visiting nursing homes and assisted living facilities, the library is expanding its readership. They also keep the patrons up-to-date with the library news by leaving a library newsletter at every residence they visit.








INTERNSHIP STUDENT REFLECTIONS:
Cataloging is an arduous and exacting task, yet completely necessary. I would have to catalog hundreds upon hundreds of materials before I felt confident in my ability as a cataloger, especially when my library catalog is shared with so many others.
The Homebound program is a wonderful service to the community, and everyone who uses the service really appreciates it. Our school has homebound tutors for students, but it's up to them to come in and get them materials from the library. We often aren't even aware if a student is homebound. This is something we could improve on next year.







ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:









Site Supervisor Initials: _____

Internship Log One

LIBRARY MEDIA INTERNSHIP
DAILY INTERNSHIP LOG SHEET

DATE: 6/26 and 6/27_________________

ACTIVITIES:
Worked with "Tiny Tales", watching youth librarian reading aloud and doing fingerplays with children 0-3 years
Shelved books and assisted in Juvenile department
Observed the reference desk in action
Worked the circulation desk checking in and shelving materials
Worked the interlibrary loan department, unpacking crates and sending materials to their final destinations



HOW ACTIVITIES RELATED TO OBJECTIVES: I was able to observe an information literacy lesson (tiny tales) in action, and I was also able to observe brief reference interviews.
Working the circulation desk allowed me to become familiar with workflows, and also how the library tags and houses their materials.









INTERNSHIP STUDENT REFLECTIONS: The library is very organized, and although the rotation schedule is unique, it seems to work very well. The staff are knowledgeable about most areas in the library because of the rotation schedule. I know the library is large and serves a large and diverse population, but I was amazed at the number of materials that go in and out every day. The operation of this public library is on a much larger scale than I had ever imagined growing up. I haven't been able to see the breakdown of budget materials, but I imagine the management of the budget to be a full time job in and of itself.









ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:









Site Supervisor Initials: _____

Welcome!

This is my attempt at an online portfolio for my Summer Library Practicum. I've never worked with an online portfolio before, but this seemed like the most straightforward way to putting together a portfolio for an online class. It allows me to constantly update my work as I learn, and it also cuts down on the volume of emails that my instructor receives. The only thing I won't be able to do is have my supervisor physically sign off on my work. Perhaps if my supervisor has a blog, he or she could go in and authenticate it with their own sign on? Thoughts? Suggestions?