Fiction_L Archives in defense of library school assignments Dates: 3/19/01,8:39 AM  through  3/19/01,9:33 AM  (2 postings) Search for: Select one or more indexes to search: 2011-current     2009-2010     2004-2008    1995-2003    (Matches from each index will be displayed separately in the results page.) Return to March 2001 thread menu   |   Fiction_L Archives Menu

FROM: Kate McCaffrey <[removed]@yahoo.com>
REC'D: 3/19/01, 8:39 AM

In addition to teaching a library school course as an
adjunct, I work full time (for the past 10 years) in
the public library. I send my students in to ask for
help from librarians not to try to prove that they
aren't doing a good job, but because it's a useful and
appropriate assignment for them. I promise you that I
am very happy when the experiences are positive and
embarassed when they aren't.

I want them to notice the kinds of questions they're
asked to clarify their request and the sources used to
help them with a reader's advisory question and a
reference question. I want to know whether the
librarian "checked in" afterwards to see if they had
what they needed, or offered to reserve materials for
them. (I also want to get them into the public library
- especially the younger students, who seem to spend
more time in Barnes & Noble than in the library)


I was taken aback by your response which seemed a
little extreme. After all, the public is evaluating
the service we provide every day, although we may
never hear what they really think.

Please give us a little credit - those of us who teach
future librarians also have the best interests of the
profession at heart!

Kate McCaffrey
Petit Branch Library
Onondaga County Public Library
Adjunct Faculty - Syracuse University


Kathleen Stipek <[removed]@exchange.acld.lib.fl.us>
wrote:
> I'm not sure who deserves more pity--library school
> students or the public
> librarians in the towns where they're going to
> library school or their home
> towns when they're doing distance learning. Profs
> are always sending
> students to local libraries to prove some
> professorial point--usually the
> inadequacy of public librarians. The local
> librarians know that no matter
> how much they give, the project will have been
> designed to prove that point.
> Back in the Jurassic when I went to Florida State, I
> was sent to the Leon
> County Library on a couple of occasions, once to
> explore books by mail and
> once to explore response to reference questions, and
> when I came back with
> positive experiences both times my profs were less
> than pleased with me.
>
> Perhaps it is time that library school profs
> considered the possibility that
> most public librarians most of the time are doing
> their level best for the
> good folks who pay their salaries. There may be
> slackers out there, and on
> any given day any one of us might give better
> service by staying home, but
> by and large public librarians care deeply about the
> work they do and about
> doing it better.
>
>
........................................................................
> Kathleen Stipek, Adult Services/Interlibrary Loans,
> Alachua County
> Library District (FMG), 401 E. University AV,
> Gainesville FL 32601
> [removed]@exchange.acld.lib.fl.us)
> 352-334-3938 (v) 352-334-3948 (f)
>
> "Non, merci."--Cyrano de Bergerac
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kate McCaffrey
> [[removed]@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2001 9:47 AM
> To: Fiction_L
> Subject: Re: Use of Amazon in RA work
>
>
> If that's all we have to offer - why do they need
> us?
> They could look it up themselves, or the information
> could be provided by someone working for minimum
> wage.
>
> I too recently sent students into public libraries
> as
> part of an assignment about Reader's Advisory. I was
> dismayed by the minimal help they received.
>
>
>
> --- Mary K Chelton <[removed]@pop.mail.rcn.net>
> wrote:
> > Last night my students reported on their first
> > assignment, which was
> > to go anonymously to 2 local public libraries and
> > ask if the library
> > could suggest something like a book they had read
> > and liked. On 3
> > occasions, different students had librarians go to
> > Amazon and
> > recommend titles from the "People who bought this
> > title also bought
> > these" lists.
> >
> > I'm curious to find out what list members think
> > about doing this.
> >
> > Mary K. Chelton
> > --
> >
>
****************************************************************************
> **********
> > Home: 35 Mercury Ave., East Patchogue, NY
> > 11772-4609. Phone: (631)
> > 286-4255 or 776-2166
> > Work: Graduate School of Library and Information
> > Studies, Queens
> > College, 254 Rosenthal Library, 65-30 Kissena
> Blvd.,
> > Flushing, NY
> > 11367. Phone: (718) 997-3790 general office; 3667
> > direct voice; 3797
> > fax, e-mail [removed]@pop.mail.rcn.net
> >
>
****************************************************************************
> **********
> >
> >
> >
>
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>
>
> =====
> Kate McCaffrey
> Petit Branch Library
> 105 Victoria Place
> Syracuse NY 13210
> 315-435-4775
> fax 315-435-2731
>
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FROM: "Doxtator, Jan" <[removed]@uwsp.edu>
REC'D: 3/19/01, 9:33 AM

Dear Kate,
Forgive our paronoia. I had a similar knee-jerk reaction. Though we are
judged constantly on how well we perform our jobs at Reference, the thought
of library science students coming in with the intention of critiquing our
performances is more threatening like entrapment or secret shoppers in the
retail world. I've got to say I'm glad our public library is 100+ miles
away from any library school.
Your chicken-hearted colleage,
Jan Doxtator
Portage County Public Library
Stevens Point, WI 54481

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