Competency #8- Website

The website I chose was the Texas State Library website. I found the TLS website by searching Google for the terms "young adult library services Texas". The TLS website was the second result

The Texas State Library website offers resources and services, as well program and project ideas. Specifically I found a page on their website dedicated to Public libraries and it offers public library statistics and reading clubs suggestions to implement in your library.

What I found most helpful was the page titled "Resources for Librarians" in which I found helpful suggestions for youth services. The youth service page offers helpful suggestions for activities, book clubs, and programs to implement in a young adult library setting.

When I finish my MLS I want to work at with youth services and I know the Texas State Library website will aid me in my career in many ways.

http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/index.html

Competency #7- Research Visual/MultiMedia

This image is of a graph depicting the percentage of patrons visiting a public library in a typical week that are classified as children and young adults. Children and Young adults account for 40 percent of public library users which is a sizable portion of all users. This data was collected in 1993, but is still congruent with todays data.

That being said, if children and young adult account for so many library patrons how come libraries do not employ more children and young adult specialists? Despite most patrons being children or young adults, only "Two of every five libraries had a children's specialist, 11 percent had a young adult specialist, and 24 percent had a youth services specialists on staff (Figure 6). (NCES, 1995).

As a I want to work in a public library with youth services, this data is immensely important to me. Since public libraries have a huge number of young adult users a young adult specialist should be in high demand.

I found this image on the National Center of Educational Statistics website.
Here is a link to the specific page where I found the image and the data.

http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/publications/95357/index.asp?sectionid=3

Competency #6- Image

I chose this image because it is a good example of a program I could one day offer at my public library. Library's are always trying to develop new and exciting ways to get teens and young adults interested in reading and involved in library programs. This poster does an excellent job drawing on popular and current interests. It's midnight black and blood red colors, as well as the presence of the forbidden fruit is obviously designed to entice readers of the Twilight series to explore a world of similar novels and stories.

I found this image on a blog called Blatant Bibliophile. This poster was designed for the readergirlz, a myspace page devoted to getting girls interested in reading, as they promoted the ALA's Teen Read Week.

I found this image by Googling "young adult library services" under Google images and it was retrieved from the website,
http://blatantbibliophiles.wordpress.com/2008/page/4/

Competency #5- Databases- Successive Fraction Strategy

In the Eric Database I used the Successive Fraction strategy. I searched first for young adult which led to too many records. I then added reference which narrowed my results considerably. I then used ERIC's database to narrow my results by subject and clicked on “library services”. This too, narrowed my results considerably and I found a very helpful and useful article on young adult library services. This strategy worked very well and was extremely efficient. It led me to my results with very little time and effort on my part. The success of the strategy might actually be more attributed to ERIC's database

Competency #5- Databases- Browsing Search Strategy

In LibLit I used the Browsing strategy. In the LibLit's Thesaurus I entered in reference librarians but found way too many hits. I also search for young adult reference librarians, but retrieved to few hits.I revised my search by entering in young adult librarians. Then I clicked on young adult librarians-aims and objectives. This led to five records that were extremely helpful. This strategy is effective, but time consuming. I had to know exactly what term to enter to find what I was looking for, but LibLit made browsing as a search strategy more effective by offering suggestions.

Competency #5- Databases- Specific Facet Strategy

In World Cat I used the Specific Facet strategy. I chose to search for reference librarians with young adult librarians and public library. I then entered the terms in order from most specific facet to least with young adult librarians being most and public library being the least. I entered in the terms young adult librarians and reference librarian in my first search which retrieved 29 hits and then added the facet public library to narrow the results a little more. This search retrieved 10 records all of which were right on target to what I needed. WorldCat worked extremely well at find relevant information in a short amount of time.

Competency #5 Databases- Building Block Strategy

In Jstor I used the Building Block strategy. I entered the search terms (topic) and (library or librarians) and (public) and (reference) must retrieved too many results and many that were not applicable. I removed the () from topic and public library and only search for librarians instead of library. I kept the () around librarians and reference. This searched work better retrieving far less hits and more accurate results.

Competency # 4- Tagging/Indexing/Cataloging

This week I visited Librarything.com and searched for "young adult." I am interested in how to get teenagers and young adults interested in reading and interested in what their public library has to offer. In my search I found a book by Patrick Jones called, Connecting Young Adults and Libraries: a how- to-do-it manual for librarians. In his book, Jones explains the need for youth space in a library, the need for youth programs and events, gives examples of programs and even explains how to go about designing youth events. Patrick Jones' books seems like a great asset to those who work with young adults or those, like me, who aspire to work as a young adult reference librarian.

Here are the tags for Patrick Jones' book:

000s (1) 2004 reads (1) 2006 (1) adult nonfiction (1) braun (1) career (1) cj (1) collection development (2) educational (1) fresno box 1a (1) informational (1) irls (1) lib.life (1) librarians (1) librarianship (3) libraries (7) library (4) library information (2) library school (2) library science (10) library work books (1) lis 483 (1) literacy (2) lms (1) looked through (1) manual (1) non-fiction (5) own (1) policies (1) professional (3) professional books (1) programming (1) programs (3) read (1) read for class (1) read pre-lt (1) reference (6) reference core collection (1) resource (1) resource books (1) services (1) slis library young adults pat feehan literature (1) sp08 (1) story shelf (1) teen (1) teen nonfiction (1) teens and libraries (1) teens services (1) textbook (3) textbooks (1) uw-ya (1) ya services (2) young adult (4) young adult services (1) young adults (4) youngadults (1) youth services (2)

Librarything link:

http://www.librarything.com/work/46375/

Competency # 4- RSS Feed

This week's competency is to find a RSS feed related to my field and blog. I've never used an RSS Feed before, but I have always seen them on news websites. I was surprised to see how many RSS Feeds there are when I searched. I used Google and searched for "young adult fiction rss feeds" and "public library rss feeds" and eventually found the Austin Public Library website. On the website I added Austin's public library feed and I added "Connected Youth" feed.

Both feeds offer great information on the the public library functions and programs. The main RSS feed offers general information on important dates and events while the Connected Youth feed offers more specific news on what is going on with the youth events and what is happening in the literary world pertaining to Young Adult Fiction. I really enjoy the Connected Youth feed because it gives you updates on new books being released like Stephanie Meyer's The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. The feed also displays pictures of the young adult section in the library as well as pictures of current summer programs.

I have added both feeds to my blog.

Competency #3- Podcast

I've never listened to a podcast before this assignment, but I would say that if I had an IPhone or a portable device with WiFi I would forgo listening to the radio and only listen to podcasts. There is such an amazing selection of podcasts. The genre's range from cooking to literature to music to travel and even more. There is literally a podcast for everyone!

To find the podcast I searched through the website podcastdirectory.com. I searched for "young adult fiction" and found the YA Literature Review. It's a podcast that discusses Young Adult Fiction. The cast interviews authors, reviews, comments, and discusses works like Rick Riordan's The Lightening Thief and Holly Black's Faerie Trilogy. This is a great podcast because it talks about books that young adults are actually interested in reading and gives them suggestions on similar authors to read.

This podcast would definitely keep avid YA Fiction readers ,and YA reference librarians, up to date on what is current in the literary world.

Here is the link to the YA Literature Review podcast.

http://yalitreview.libsyn.com/index.php?post_category=Fiction

Blog Competency #2- Related Blog

Swiss Army Librarian

http://swissarmylibrarian.net/


Reference Question of the Week - 6/6/10
June 12th, 2010 Brian Herzog

A middle-aged male patron approached me while I was at the desk alone and asked,

Do you know any good jokes?

In fact I do, so I told him my current favorite:

A duck walks into a bar wearing one shoe. The bartender says, “Hey duck, you lost a shoe.” And the duck says, “Nope, I found one.”

Awesome. Anyway, he said he liked it, but he wanted a lot of jokes. I showed him where our humor section* was, and he said he’d look around.

A little while later, he came back up to the desk and said he wanted jokes delivered by text message to his phone. We started searching the internet for “jokes by text” and “joke of the day” and found a ton of jokes people could retype and send out as text messages. There were also lots of jokes by email, and other joke sites, but most looked kind of sketchy.

Then we found Comedy Central’s jokes.com. It offers signups for a joke of the day by both email and text, and they seem reputable enough to trust. The text messages were not free, and when he saw that he kind of gave up on the idea.

Before he left, he asked if I knew any other good jokes, so I told him my all-time favorite:

A hotdog walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender says, “Sorry, we don’t serve food.”

Ah, the many required skills of a librarian.

I found this blog by searching on blogsearch.google.com for "reference librarian".
I enjoy this blog because not only is it amusing, but it is informational as well.

The entry above is from a librarian's typical day and as I aspire to be a reference librarian I look forward to moments like this when I can not only be helpful to my patrons, but humorous as well.

Competency#1-Purpose

I am writing this blog to fulfill the requirements for LS 5013 for the Summer 2010 term. This blog will contain competences that will be posted throughout the course duration.

I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Library Science. I graduated from Texas A&M in 2008 with a Bachelor's in English Literature and realized not long after graduating that my love of books could be turned into a career. I am currently working for a public library and would like to become a Reference Librarian with an emphasis on Young Adult Literature. I hope that by working with the public I can share my passion for literature and aide others along their quest for knowledge and information.