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.
Showing posts with label workshop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label workshop. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
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.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
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.
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.
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