I've moved!
3-11-08
Quiet days at the library this month since there is no children's story time.
So you want to be a Librarian?
The university is moving its master's program from leased quarters in Ohio State University's Mount Hall to the State Library of Ohio, which serves special audiences — the state government and all the libraries in the state.I've applied to the main campus in Kent for a scholarship program and am excited about what the article said regarding library careers:
The 2008 careers report from U.S. News and World Report says opportunities for librarians will grow as aging baby boomers retire. Library science is not only a hot career, it is underrated, according to the report.
3/3/2006
Which Armstrong would you choose to be? Lance - a guy who is the world's best biker, survived cancer, and dated a rock star.
Louis - Satchmo: what can I say? What a Wonderful WorldNeil - c'mon walking on the moon for pity's sake!!
My grad school essay
Stephanie Coviak 6157
Kent State University
School of Library and Information Science
Essay
How did I wind up here? One night while watching TV, my husband turned to me and said “Honey, why don’t you go back to school and get a degree in archeology or Library Science?” Perhaps he thought I was stagnating. More likely though, he was simply encouraging me to follow my dreams.
For the last three years, I have been a shelving page at Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library. I typically work about 15 hours per week. I tell people I’m semi-retired. The job is a joy and my husband says I would do it free. He’s right! Working at the library has been a dream come true.
What was life like before the library? After earning my A.A.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1982, I spent the next 20 years working full time in the engineering field. Five years ago, I was laid off from my job as a tire engineer at Goodyear. That was one of the happiest days of my life! It freed me from a high stress, no-nonsense, practical career that had frankly gotten tedious and tiresome. While my job did allow me to provide for my children, it left me feeling drained and exhausted.
The combination of the layoff and remarrying allowed me the opportunity to do whatever piqued my interest. Fortunately, working is no longer a necessity; it has become a choice. Given my lifelong love of books, the local libraries were the first places I filled out applications when I did choose to go back to work. Working at the library has been such a joy that it caused me to think frequently about going back to graduate school.
As I started my research about going back to school, finding the Youth Services, Librarians, and Museums Scholarship information on the KSU Library Science web site was very exciting. An archeology degree would take additional undergraduate studies and be limited to, well, archeology! Like the library itself, the possibilities afforded by a Library Science degree are wide open. A museum specialty makes this degree even more wonderful. Combining the library resource with the museum experience for youth can provide a wealth of knowledge in a manner not easily available elsewhere.
During my children’s school years, I was a single mother. We used library services extensively for information, schoolwork, and entertainment. I was always on the lookout for affordable cultural experiences to share with my kids. One spring break, we were able to visit museums and similar venues with our goal to spend as little as possible. Many guidebooks produced specifically for traveling with children include exhibits and activities of interest to kids. As an example, my son and I went to an exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art about ancient Rome. This exhibit showed the movie Jason and the Argonauts. He loved that. My friends frequently used me as a resource for ideas for their children. With these events in mind, my friends still comment on how much I did with my kids.
In addition to introducing my children to museums, I also introduced my friends. As an example, I once I took my neighbor to the Cleveland Museum of Art to see the Illuminated Manuscript exhibit. While touring the galleries, we stopped to admire the works of Andy Warhol. I told my friend that I just loved to be so close to art. I enjoyed imagining the artist working on that very surface, bringing their ideas to the world. She said that the painting was not real. “Well, of course it is!” I replied. She believed that museums displayed reproductions, certainly not authentic artwork! How could something so wonderful be right there in front of us? Our visit took on new meaning for her when she learned that museums were, in fact, the holders of original masterpieces. She was also impressed that their mission was to conserve and share them.
Travel has recently become a wonderful addition to my life. I have been able to accompany my husband on business trips in the United States and to Europe. This has allowed me to visit a wide variety of countries, cities, historical sites, and museums. I had some of my most memorable experiences at museums.
The first time my husband and I went to Paris for a week, we purchased a museum pass that allowed us into most of the museums. Upon entering the Louvre, he quickly asked, “Where do you want to go? What do you want to see first? The Mona Lisa?” “Well no, I’d like to start at the beginning,” I replied. “At the beginning of what?” he asked. “The beginning of time, the oldest artifacts. Look, let’s go down here to the very earliest parts of the building when it was a fortress and start there.” On his previous trips to the Louvre, he had always just run in, seen the most famous pieces, and left! We stopped every day, picking up where we left off, and saw so much more (plus all the prominent displays). Our visit(s) took on new meaning for him.
Whether shelving or enjoying a cultural experience, I often make mental notes about things that would appeal to children and teens. Earning an MLIS specializing in youth services with an emphasis on the use of museums will allow me to turn these ideas into actions. I will be able to create programs that share my enthusiasm for lifelong learning and get kids and young adults excited about their world.
2-27-08
2-25-08
g I did the hold list, which entails collecting the books, etc. that people have put on hold. It's like going shopping - there's even a cart that holds two of the library baskets. I love doing the hold list.
