Bits 'n' Pieces

I've been pretty busy lately, working one or two days most weeks. I've been cataloging music CDs at the Springfield City Library, teaching workshops for the Connecticut State Library and the Massachusetts Library System, and my former employer Donohue Group, Inc. (2001-2005) asked me to work on a cataloging project. I worked one day for them last week and am scheduled for 2 more days over the next 3 weeks. I may also become an adjunct faculty member for Simmons GSLIS-west. It looks as if I'll be teaching LIS 415, Organization of Information beginning spring 2011 at the Mt. Holyoke College campus.

My life feels somewhat scattered, but not so much that I feel frantic. I just need to check my calendar regularly so that I know to what I've committed myself and where I'm supposed to be on any given day. Also included in the schedule are meetings related to the Hatfield Board of Library Trustees, Hatfield Public Library Building Committee and the Friends of UMass/Amherst Libraries. Whew! How do people work full time and get anything else done! :-)

Because I'm not working full time, I still log on weekly to the website for the Massachusetts Department of Workforce Development to claim my benefits. But something has changed in the last few weeks. Instead of taking 20 to 60 minutes to complete my claim (there's lots of waiting between pages), I've been able to finish the process in just 2-3 minutes. What happened? Has everyone found a job but me?

Well-Rested and Well-Read

Some might dispute the well-read part since I tend to favor mysteries and not classics. The mystery is such a popular genre and there are so many to choose from that I've even narrowed it down to female authors whose stories are set in the U.S. and feature female protagonists. I do vary from that pattern sometimes. For example, I like to read books by Carl Hiaasen and the late Dick Francis. And once in a while I slip a classic in there.

I read every night before I go to sleep. Since I'm not working right now, I get most of what I need to do done during the day. By 9:00 (sometimes earlier) I'm in bed, propped up with pillows and reading until my eyes get tired. Usually I have no specific time I have to get up in the morning, but I'm generally up by 7:00. This is such a luxury. For the last 5 years I've been getting up somewhere between 5:15 and 5:30.

When in need of a new read, I generally go to the library's New Book Shelf and look for the mystery sticker on the book spine. Since June 30, I've been reading about 3 or 4 books a week. So I've started looking for mystery stickers in the regular collection, too, and have discovered a couple of new (to me) authors that I really like.

I read Deborah Crombie's latest book, Necessary as Blood, and liked it so much I checked out another by her, Where Memories Lie. The setting is London and I don't always understand the vernacular English, but the characters are well developed and interesting as are the plots.

The book I just finished is Judas Child by Carol O'Connell. This was a thriller I had a hard time putting down. Shortly after starting it, I woke up in the middle of the night and was compelled to keep reading it - for 4 hours. I was scheduled to work at Springfield City Library the next day and didn't have the option of sleeping past 7. Given my experience with this particular volume, maybe I'm not always as well-rested as I thought.

New on my "To Read" List

In yesterday's Daily Hampshire Gazette, there was a brief article about a local (Longmeadow) author who has just published two new books both of which are of interest to me. The first is Fearless Job Hunting.

Even though I read the Help Wanted ads in the newspaper, I realize that it is unlikely I'll find a job for me that way - even though that is how I found the job at WMRLS back in 1984. I know I need to get creative and I'm hoping this book will help. So far, no C/W MARS member libraries in western Mass. own this book, so I requested that it be purchased at my local public library. After all, I'm not the only person out there looking for a job.

The second book is End Procrastination Now, although I may wait a bit for that one.

The Kindness of Strangers

I've been feeling out of sorts all day today and I think I've figured out why. I'm angry.

Last week, I taught a copy cataloging workshop for MLS in West Stockbridge. Yesterday, I received an email from one of the attendees asking for some cataloging advice. If I were an MLS employee, I'd make an appointment to visit her, offer suggestions to her problem, and find out what other questions she might have. Instead, I spent a little time composing an email that explained the situation (it had to do with AACR2's choice of Main Entry), offered some suggestions, and included examples and links to information that might be helpful.

I'm angry for her and for myself because the Planning Committee in charge of reorganizing the Regional Library Systems decided MLS didn't need a full-time Technical Services Consultant on staff. Now this woman, a new librarian, is floundering around trying to figure out what to do. And I have no job, no steady income other than unemployment checks, and minimal health insurance. I'm also in a stage of my life that makes me difficult to employ: an older worker who was formerly well-paid. There are not a lot of options for me in Library Land.

There is a someone at MLS who is by default the TS Advisor and she readily admits this is not her area of expertise. Most of her time is spent on her primary responsibility and she doesn't have a lot of time to devote to general cataloging issues. I could have forwarded the librarian's question to her at MLS, but how easy or difficult would it have been for her to respond with a helpful answer? I knew exactly what to tell the new librarian. I can be a mentor even if I'm not employed.

When I learned that the 6 Regional Library Systems were to be merged into one, I supported that move. It seemed like a much better use of funds - diminishing or otherwise - instead of the duplication Regional Administrators, Assistant Regional Administrators, Business Managers, etc. I think centralizing makes a lot of sense. However, MLS, and the Regions before it, exists to help libraries. There should be enough Advisors available with the appropriate skills to help the library staff who need it. They shouldn't have to depend on the kindness of strangers.

All's Well

At least for the time being.

I headed out first thing this morning to the Franklin Hampshire Career Center. I only waited a few minutes before a different pleasant woman ushered me into her cubby. I explained about my workshops and she reopened my claim. Since these workshops are considered "self-employment" (unlike my "on call" work at Sprinfield City Library where I'm considered an employee) there was no form to send to anyone.

I asked what will happen the first week of November when I'm scheduled to teach two workshops and will be in the same situation. She said just come back and we'll reopen your claim again. Just like that. Problem solved.

While I keep telling myself and others that this is a good time for a career change for me, I keep returning to cataloging. I just logged off of a webinar sponsored by Lyrasis. Before CMRLS actually closed, we were notified by Lyrasis that staff could register for CE workshops free of charge. It was their way of helping us to maintain our skills while searching for work.

Earlier in the summer, I attended a webinar on Online Resources for Technical Services. Today's program was Introduction to A/V Cataloging. I already have both of those topics in my own repertoire of workshops, but I like to see how others handle the material and the different ways the information can be presented. A specific explanation or example might resonate with the audience better than another and if so, I want to include it when I teach.

Tomorrow I'm heading slightly north to Whately to the Technical Services Roundtable which will be followed by a program on implementing RDA.

I still have that job search material that I received from the career counsellor on my coffee table. I'll get to it someday.

Trials and Tribulations

Never having collected unemployment before, I haven't yet figured out all of the nuances.

Every Sunday, I get up before 7 a.m. so that I can file my claim for the week and not have to think about it until the following Sunday. Last Sunday, I logged on to the website, accessed my account and answered all of the questions: Did I look for work? Yes. Was I available for work? Yes. Did I work? No. Has my addressed changed? No. After watching the Explorer icon spinning for a while, my confirmation appeared telling me that there was a problem and that I would have to re-open my claim.

I figured this was something best done in person, so on Monday morning I drove to the career center in Northampton. I knew there would be a wait, and I brought along Finger Linkin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich. (Demand for it has settled down enough that I actually found it on the shelves of the Hatfield Public Library. I'm not even going to think about Sizzling Sixteen till sometime in 2011.)

After about 45 minutes, my name was called and I walked into a little cubby with a very pleasant woman who looked at my filing history. It appears that because I worked for 2 weeks in a row at Springfield City Library (5 hours and 8 hours respectively) the unemployment computer gods expected me to continue that pattern. I had not worked the next two weeks and that freaked them out. I explained about my "on call" status and the pleasant woman reopened my claim. She also was required to send a form to the city of Sprinfield asking why I worked for 2 weeks and then not for 2 weeks. I'm sure the staff there have dealt with this sort of situation before and will fill out the form in a way that does not endanger my status.

This week was a busy week for me. I taught a workshop for MLS in West Stockbridge on Tuesday, worked at Springfield CL for 5.5 hours on Thursday, and taught another workshop for the Connecticut State Library in Middletown CT on Friday. When I logged on this morning, answered all of the questions and said Yes, I did work, an additional screen appeared asking how much I made. I filled in the amount, and my confirmation said that was too much money to collect an unemployment check. Not a problem as I have plenty of money coming in from my week of work. However, it also said that if I was still unemployed, I needed to reopen my claim.

So I guess it's back to the Northampton career center on Tuesday. I'm armed with my contracts from CT State Library and MLS saying I'm an independent contractor hired to teach a few specific workshops. I have a schedule of the workshops I'll be teaching and I'm hoping all will be well - until the next time.

I also hope I find a real job soon.

Back in the Saddle Again

Only temporarily, but it feels good.

Yesterday, I sat in on the Vermont Catalogers' Roundtable and then went to lunch with several of the group. Next week will be very busy as I have 2 workshops to teach (one in Connecticut and one in West Stockbridge, Mass.) and I will be be playing substitute cataloger at Sprinfield City Library for part of a day.

I spent a lot of last week preparing for next weeks' workshops. The handouts always need reviewing and revising and I often think of a slightly different way to present the material which sometimes means a prop. If so, that means I have to obtain an appropriate prop. I decided to use a very specific book when I teach "Behind the Bibliographic Record" on Tuesday. It's an older book and I found a used copy via Amazon.com for 1 cent. Of course the postage is $3.99. Since I wasn't willing to pay more for expedited shipping, I'm not sure it will be delivered in time for the workshop on Tuesday. I hunted down a copy in a local library and picked it up in person. The handouts are all photocopied and I'm all set for that workshop.

I have another on Friday on MARC records. The handouts need one more going over, I added a quiz at the end and I want to add another. I read in the New York Times recently that taking a quiz enhances learning of the material because in the process of taking the quiz, the person is thinking about the subject matter in a different way, strengthening its place in the brain. The quizzes are not difficult (although if you're new to MARC they probably are), we'll review the correct answers in class, and they won't be getting a grade - all in an attempt to make the learning process as unintimidating as possible.

Now I just need to think up an amusing anecdote or two.