I spent the month of May (non-MassCat days) at the Springfield City Library cataloging materials for the ECRC (Early Childhood Resource Collection). What fun!
The highest priority were the Storywalks. There are only 6 of them at the moment. They consist of short (30 pages or so) children's books with illustrations that take up most of the page and one or two sentences of text. Each book comes in a tote bag. Also in the tote bag is a laminated sheet of each page with velcro on the back. The intent is to post each page on a stick along a pathway and tell the story as the group walks.
Then came the books and DVDs about early childhood education, child development, and parenting. They took the longest time since there were so many of them and they had to be re-packaged into locking cases.
And then came the toys, games, puzzles and puppets. My favorite was the Sensory Ball Set. I loved the colors, the variety of sizes and the textures. I probably spent more time than absolutely necessary cataloging them because I wanted to look at them and handle them.
I want a set for myself.
Showing posts with label Springfield City Library. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Springfield City Library. Show all posts
Monday, June 2, 2014
Saturday, November 3, 2012
An Itinerant Cataloger
I've just finished the first week of my new schedule as an itinerant cataloger, although the schedule will fluctuate a little from week to week. There are two holidays in November to work around, too. The week was somewhat more chaotic than usual since I had to cope with 34 hours of no electricity due to Hurricane Sandy.
Here's what it looked like:
Monday: I arrived at Springfield City Library at 9:00 a.m. The first thing I needed to do was learn the cataloging function of Evergreen and SCL's local practices. The library closed at noon because of the storm. I went home and graded papers and began prep for Thursday's class. The lights went out at 2:30, but I worked until it got too dark to do that. I lit candles, listened to the battery powered radio and watched the wind blow the trees around.
Tuesday: Still no lights. I went to SCL and worked on music CDs (mostly copy cataloging), got more comfortable with Evergreen and SCLs music classification system.
Wednesday: The lights came on about 12:30 a.m. It was good to wash in warm water and make coffee that morning. I went to Town Hall to teach the senior exercise class at the Council on Aging office, then off to MassCat to work on their database. I'm more aware of the differences between Evergreen and Koha, the two most common Open Source systems available to libraries.
Thursday was owner/member appreciation day at the local food co-op. I had been planning for a couple of weeks to go shopping there and take advantage of the 10% discount. First, I had to finish prepping for LIS415, which I did. I had a lot of photocopying to do for class, so I left a little early. It was a good class, perhaps the best of the semester. This has been a quiet group of students, not much discussion/questions during class but that night was different. They had a group assignment to work on and really got into it.
Friday: back to Town Hall, but first a stop by the library to sign the bi-weekly warrants (I'm trustee chair). The other exercise instructor usually takes responsibility for most of Friday's class. I lead the part where the exercises aggravate her bad back. I found out that the Town Hall will be closed the day after Thanksgiving and there will be no exercise class. That's good because it makes my schedule easier. The MassCat office will also be closed that day and if there's no exercise class, I can work at SCL from 9-5.
So now it's Saturday and I don't feel like doing anything at all. I've done some odds and ends around the house and there are plenty of things I could do, but they can wait till tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll have more time. It's the first day of Standard Time (fall back) and will be a whole hour longer.
Here's what it looked like:
Monday: I arrived at Springfield City Library at 9:00 a.m. The first thing I needed to do was learn the cataloging function of Evergreen and SCL's local practices. The library closed at noon because of the storm. I went home and graded papers and began prep for Thursday's class. The lights went out at 2:30, but I worked until it got too dark to do that. I lit candles, listened to the battery powered radio and watched the wind blow the trees around.
Tuesday: Still no lights. I went to SCL and worked on music CDs (mostly copy cataloging), got more comfortable with Evergreen and SCLs music classification system.
Wednesday: The lights came on about 12:30 a.m. It was good to wash in warm water and make coffee that morning. I went to Town Hall to teach the senior exercise class at the Council on Aging office, then off to MassCat to work on their database. I'm more aware of the differences between Evergreen and Koha, the two most common Open Source systems available to libraries.
Thursday was owner/member appreciation day at the local food co-op. I had been planning for a couple of weeks to go shopping there and take advantage of the 10% discount. First, I had to finish prepping for LIS415, which I did. I had a lot of photocopying to do for class, so I left a little early. It was a good class, perhaps the best of the semester. This has been a quiet group of students, not much discussion/questions during class but that night was different. They had a group assignment to work on and really got into it.
Friday: back to Town Hall, but first a stop by the library to sign the bi-weekly warrants (I'm trustee chair). The other exercise instructor usually takes responsibility for most of Friday's class. I lead the part where the exercises aggravate her bad back. I found out that the Town Hall will be closed the day after Thanksgiving and there will be no exercise class. That's good because it makes my schedule easier. The MassCat office will also be closed that day and if there's no exercise class, I can work at SCL from 9-5.
So now it's Saturday and I don't feel like doing anything at all. I've done some odds and ends around the house and there are plenty of things I could do, but they can wait till tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll have more time. It's the first day of Standard Time (fall back) and will be a whole hour longer.
Friday, April 22, 2011
A Day Off!
Actually, for the last few weeks, I've been able to plan my week so that I get one weekday off - usually a Friday so that I can prep for LIS415. This morning, I graded papers from 6-9 a.m. Then I reviewed the PowerPoint presentation that I'll be using, made some adjustments, and uploaded it to the eLearning site that the students use.
I'm now taking a break from reviewing the last assignment that they'll be given and will have to turn back to me in two weeks.
So just as I'm adapting to this schedule, it's about to change. The project I've been working on at Springfield City Library is just about complete. I'll be going back maybe one or two more times, but not for a few weeks. We all thought it would take me a lot longer. Guess I should have charged them more money. And the last day of LIS415 is May 7.
What will happen next? Will there be more projects? Will I be able to re-open my Unemployment claim and continue collecting?
Stay tuned.
I'm now taking a break from reviewing the last assignment that they'll be given and will have to turn back to me in two weeks.
So just as I'm adapting to this schedule, it's about to change. The project I've been working on at Springfield City Library is just about complete. I'll be going back maybe one or two more times, but not for a few weeks. We all thought it would take me a lot longer. Guess I should have charged them more money. And the last day of LIS415 is May 7.
What will happen next? Will there be more projects? Will I be able to re-open my Unemployment claim and continue collecting?
Stay tuned.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
My Life on I-91
For the first dozen years of my professional life I worked at UMass/Amherst. Most of that time I lived in Northampton and the focus of my commuting attention was crossing the Connecticut River on the Calvin Coolidge Bridge. It was crowded even then. Fortunately, I was on a bus.
Then came a 5 year stint with Harper & Row Publishers. UMass/Amherst was my largest account and I continued to spend much time getting myself and my paperwork to the other side of the river via the Coolidge Bridge, this time in a car. UMass/Amherst was my largest account, but by no means my only account. There are lots of colleges in the Springfield area and even more in Vermont. Thus began my relationship with I-91.
In 1985, I was hired by WMRLS which was located in Hatfield at the time. Shortly after, I moved to Greenfield. For the next 13 years I spent lots of time on I-91 heading south every morning and north every evening.
When I left WMRLS, my first project as a consultant was as interim director of the Greenfield Public Library. However, I had just moved to Hatfield so I still spent much time on I-91, this time heading north every morning and south every evening.
Enter Donohue Group Inc. (DGI) which was then located in Weathersfield CT. Again it was south in the morning, but with a very different crowd of people. South of Holyoke, traffic on the highway becomes more dense and very fast and there's usually a major backup as everyone tries to negotiate around Hartford andI-84.
So I was very happy to join the CMRLS team. Even though the commute was longer by about 20 minutes and 20 miles, the drive itself was easier. I'd head south on I-91, but before things got too intense, I'd turn east onto the Mass Pike. And before things got too intense there, I'd exit. Piece of cake!
Now that I'm working independently, I have several different projects, but right now they all involve traveling on I-91. The biggest problem is remembering where I'm going on any particular day.
Last week, my schedule looked like this:
Monday and Tuesday: Springfield City Library - get off at I-291.
Wednesday and Thursday: DGI (in Windsor, Conn.) - don't get off till after I'm in Conn. (I have a few different exit options)
Friday: DGI project in Cambridge; meet colleagues at Sturbridge Park & Ride - get off at the Mass Pike.
Every morning as I enter I-91, I have to remind myself where I'm going. As I approach all of the different possible exits, I have to concentrate on staying on or getting off whichever I'm supposed to do that day. So far, I've only messed up once and it wasn't too bad. I had very carefully maneuvered myself into the left lane as I approached I-291 only to realize it was an SCL day and I was to get off there! I took the next exit and got back on course.
If only the rest of life was so easy to correct.
Then came a 5 year stint with Harper & Row Publishers. UMass/Amherst was my largest account and I continued to spend much time getting myself and my paperwork to the other side of the river via the Coolidge Bridge, this time in a car. UMass/Amherst was my largest account, but by no means my only account. There are lots of colleges in the Springfield area and even more in Vermont. Thus began my relationship with I-91.
In 1985, I was hired by WMRLS which was located in Hatfield at the time. Shortly after, I moved to Greenfield. For the next 13 years I spent lots of time on I-91 heading south every morning and north every evening.
When I left WMRLS, my first project as a consultant was as interim director of the Greenfield Public Library. However, I had just moved to Hatfield so I still spent much time on I-91, this time heading north every morning and south every evening.
Enter Donohue Group Inc. (DGI) which was then located in Weathersfield CT. Again it was south in the morning, but with a very different crowd of people. South of Holyoke, traffic on the highway becomes more dense and very fast and there's usually a major backup as everyone tries to negotiate around Hartford andI-84.
So I was very happy to join the CMRLS team. Even though the commute was longer by about 20 minutes and 20 miles, the drive itself was easier. I'd head south on I-91, but before things got too intense, I'd turn east onto the Mass Pike. And before things got too intense there, I'd exit. Piece of cake!
Now that I'm working independently, I have several different projects, but right now they all involve traveling on I-91. The biggest problem is remembering where I'm going on any particular day.
Last week, my schedule looked like this:
Monday and Tuesday: Springfield City Library - get off at I-291.
Wednesday and Thursday: DGI (in Windsor, Conn.) - don't get off till after I'm in Conn. (I have a few different exit options)
Friday: DGI project in Cambridge; meet colleagues at Sturbridge Park & Ride - get off at the Mass Pike.
Every morning as I enter I-91, I have to remind myself where I'm going. As I approach all of the different possible exits, I have to concentrate on staying on or getting off whichever I'm supposed to do that day. So far, I've only messed up once and it wasn't too bad. I had very carefully maneuvered myself into the left lane as I approached I-291 only to realize it was an SCL day and I was to get off there! I took the next exit and got back on course.
If only the rest of life was so easy to correct.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A New Project
Actually, there are two new projects both starting this week.
Yesterday, I began cataloging the collection for the Early Childhood Resource Center at Springfield City Library. It's mostly games, puzzles, toys and puppets and a surprizing (at least to me) number of them have bibliographic records in the OCLC database. In many other cases, I found similar records so that I could create what I needed fairly easily. Once these records are loaded into Springfield's catalog (an overnight process), I'll need to add holdings information and link the bib. record to a digital image of the item.
I agreed to working on this ECRC project every Monday, except for state holidays. I think that schedule will keep me from becoming overbooked. Once the semester ends at Simmons-west (early May), I can put more time into cataloging games, puzzles, toys and puppets. Funds have to be expended by June 30 (the end of the fiscal year).
The other project begins tomorrow at Donohue Group, Inc. Several of us will be working on retrospective conversion of Boston Public Library's older materials. We'll be working from catalog cards that have been shipped to the DGI office in Windsor CT. I agreed to 2 days a week back before I learned about the ECRC project.
I've been going to bed pretty early every evening and getting lots of bedtime reading done. I may be staying up later at night reading about Organization of Information and grading papers. I'm already looking forward to spring break! I won't be going to Ft. Lauderdale or anything like that. I'll just be enjoying a short respite, probably my last till early May.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
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?
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?
Sunday, October 10, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Life Goes On
The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity.
I was hired as the on-call cataloger at Sprinfield City Library. Working for a municipality (this is my first experience) requires a LOT of paperwork. First, I was sent several forms to fill out and mail back. This was all the stuff for withholding federal and state taxes and the city retirement fund. Then I had to go to Springfield and meet with the city HR person, bring my passport to make sure I'm legal to work in the U.S. and fill out more forms.
Then I was sent to Mercy Hospital for a quick physical and drug test, both of which I passed.
Last week, I attended an orientation with the Diversity Officer for all new people hired by the city (there was one other person) where we learned about ethical conduct (good) and sexual harrassment (how to avoid it, not how to do it). Then I went to the Library for "training".
As an on-call person, I can only work when the regular cataloger is out, but I do get up to 8 hours of training. Since I'm not familiar with the specific work flow at SCL, I needed to learn that and also get up to speed with my original cataloging as I haven't done any at all in a while and very little for the last few years. This will also give me some current field experience which will definitely help when I teach cataloging.
This week, I'll get more training and I actually get to work for one full day. The change in my routine (more on that later) is good and I get to earn a few extra dollars on top of my unemployment benefit.
I also had a job interview on Friday. I don't want to go into details about what or where until I know more, but it's not a library position.
Today, I need to do some preparation for cataloging workshops that I have scheduled in a few weeks both in Massachusetts and Connecticut. October seems far away, but I know better.
There is one kind of discouraging thing about all of this thorough housecleaning that I've been doing the last couple of months. I'm about three-quarters of the way through the house and the first rooms I did need cleaning again. At least it won't take so long to do them this time since I probably won't unscrew the light bulbs or switch plates.
I was hired as the on-call cataloger at Sprinfield City Library. Working for a municipality (this is my first experience) requires a LOT of paperwork. First, I was sent several forms to fill out and mail back. This was all the stuff for withholding federal and state taxes and the city retirement fund. Then I had to go to Springfield and meet with the city HR person, bring my passport to make sure I'm legal to work in the U.S. and fill out more forms.
Then I was sent to Mercy Hospital for a quick physical and drug test, both of which I passed.
Last week, I attended an orientation with the Diversity Officer for all new people hired by the city (there was one other person) where we learned about ethical conduct (good) and sexual harrassment (how to avoid it, not how to do it). Then I went to the Library for "training".
As an on-call person, I can only work when the regular cataloger is out, but I do get up to 8 hours of training. Since I'm not familiar with the specific work flow at SCL, I needed to learn that and also get up to speed with my original cataloging as I haven't done any at all in a while and very little for the last few years. This will also give me some current field experience which will definitely help when I teach cataloging.
This week, I'll get more training and I actually get to work for one full day. The change in my routine (more on that later) is good and I get to earn a few extra dollars on top of my unemployment benefit.
I also had a job interview on Friday. I don't want to go into details about what or where until I know more, but it's not a library position.
Today, I need to do some preparation for cataloging workshops that I have scheduled in a few weeks both in Massachusetts and Connecticut. October seems far away, but I know better.
There is one kind of discouraging thing about all of this thorough housecleaning that I've been doing the last couple of months. I'm about three-quarters of the way through the house and the first rooms I did need cleaning again. At least it won't take so long to do them this time since I probably won't unscrew the light bulbs or switch plates.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)