Whether those of you interested in academic librarianship go after a tenure-track position is really a personal decision. But there are some problems with librarians being tenure-track that I think really need to be thought about.

Yes, I am tenure-track. A year ago, I thought this was the way to go and was excited about the possibility of security that comes with tenure. A year later, I’m not so excited about being tenure-track and the security of it might be the only reason to keep slogging along on this path.

So, why the change? There are few big reasons why I think tenure (at least as it is approached by most academic libraries) is not appropriate for librarians.

First of all, many of us follow very similar tenure requirements to other departmental faculty. However, our jobs are very different. While I do spend time teaching in a classroom and will possibly even be teaching a semester long course at some point, as someone in public services I also spend time working the reference desk, helping with outreach, and variety of other library-related duties that don’t have a comparable side in other academic departments. Additionally, being a smaller university, I also am required to become an expert in a number of subject areas while academic faculty don’t have to become knowledgeable about both art and biology. Sure, I won’t likely teach a full course in these areas, but I still have to know about good resources and how to perform valid research for these subject areas.

Then there is research. While I’m interested in research, it is in the area of librarianship. For me, I am most interested specifically in reference and instruction, since this is what I do. However, because of my usual weekly schedule which includes desk hours and other things, I don’t have specific time for research. I hear this from other tenure-track librarians that finding time to do research is extremely difficult. Most of us are 12-month contract, unlike the typical academic faculty of 9-month contract. So, those summers where other faculty might have time to pursue their research interests…well, I’m working like most academic librarians I know. And while summers can be slower for those in public services, it’s the time when we often do things like weeding collections, working on special projects, etc. that our schedules don’t allow for during the regular school year.

The bottom line is that our jobs are different and we fulfill a different role within the academic community. It’s time we start making a bigger point of that and stop trying to be equals with other academic faculty. I agree that we should be treated with respect and given the same consideration in terms of compensation and professionalism. In fact, we need to make a bigger case that a good university/college will not exist without a good library and without competent library staff. We are obviously not doing a very good job at this when we are one of the first areas that often sees budget cuts and one of the last areas that gets money when it is available.

My point is that I think we are focusing on the wrong thing (tenure) in trying to receive recognition on the university/college campus. But if libraries are going to insist on continuing with tenure-track, then we need to be willing to acknowledge that we are different and our requirements need to reflect what we do. (I think there is going to be another blog post about that.)

I don’t know that I’ve really got any great insight into planning a good instruction session. But I’m mroe than willing to share what I’ve learned so far with the sessions that have worked and the ones that haven’t worked as well.

The first thing that helps is communication with the faculty member requesting the session. Even if they don’t have a great deal to say about what you’re planning, my experience is they like being informed about what you’re planning.

And planning really helps, if you’ve got the time. I’m still fairly new to the whole instruction thing (only a year of face-to-face and three years of distance), so I don’t really have a full menu to draw from that can be quickly adapted. I imagine that as I go along, the planning won’t take as long in terms of the full session. For my most recent one, I also decided it was time to develop a lesson plan template to use. This was most helpful in helping me to really focus what I wanted to accomplish. (I still plan to work on rubrics for different session, but am still doing some research on how to best set these up. But this will also help in future instruction.) The lesson plan also helped me keep my thoughts together during the actual session.

As to the actual session, I tried to tie everything into a practical application for the students which meant a lot of hands on and very little lecture. Although I was working with grad students, a number of them really weren’t familiar with the library. So we started out with a tour where I highlighted specific areas and resources that would be helpful to them when they do their research. When we moved to the classroom, after I explained a concept or resource, I had them actually use it. Candy was a nice incentive for them to participate. I also covered evaluating resources and then when we did an exercise in groups using the databases, they were encouraged to use those guidelines to find one good article for their research based on the criteria. Again, tying in a concept into an actual resource with them doing actual research.

Since these were grad students and it was a 2 1/2 hour class, I taught for about half of that time. Normally I probably won’t cover as much during the fall or spring semester for an undergrad class. If I were to do something like this again, I’d probably recommend that we break it up into two sessions or possibly go to the classroom to cover a few of the more basic things.

Student participation really helps. And I find that if I move around the room the students are more likely to engage with me. The type of things that we are covering are more useful if the students actually get to work with them under our guidance/supervision.

And when I wrap up a session, I always make sure to let them know that I’m available for individual research appointments if they need further help. I stress that this is what I’m here for and it’s not a big deal if they can’t find information right away. I also give out my business card. And some students do take advantage of this. Not too many yet, but I am optimistic this will change as more faculty are also aware that this is an option for their students.

So like I said, nothing really earth shattering or particularly innovative. I am willing to share my handouts that I used for this session and my lesson plan template. Just email me at jsodt at emporia dot edu. And for those of you more experienced, please share with us newbies any good ideas that you have found. I’m always looking to improve!

I had a great instruction session this morning. Some of you may know that I was stressing out a bit about it. I haven’t had an instruction session since around mid-Spring semester and I was going to try a few things out. Additionally, this class was all grad students, so I was definitely going to get the variety of library-user ability levels.

I didn’t really do anything earth-shattering and innovative. My main goal was to keep the session as interactive as possible so they could try out the stuff I was talking about. I don’t know why I keep being surprised, but even grad students don’t know much about how to use the library and its resources.

It was great to have the professor tell me that this was the best instruction session he’s had with this class. (He’s been doing this for awhile.) When a faculty member compliments you like this, it’s a huge ego boost.

And then there were all the thanks from the students. Sure I know that we don’t do this for the accolades, but a sincere “thank you” can really make your day.

But more than that, I think they learned some things. I actually was able to expose them to some ideas and resources that they didn’t know about. In the end, that’s what really made my day.

Someone searched and found this blog with terms “funding for conferences”.

Let’s face it. Conferences are expensive. But we’re continually encouraged to attend them. So how do you do it if you’re a student or someone on a tight budget.

Grants! Lots of state organizations actually do have some grant funds that they give to people attending conferences. Of course, there are some restrictions, like you might need to be presenting or maybe you’re a first time attendee. But it’s always worth checking out.

If you’re in academia, check with your school to find out if they offer any travel awards. My university does offer some travel compensation in the form of “grant” funds if you are going to conferences to present. There might be some other options that I’m not sure of, but you can bet I’ll be checking it out!

Scholarships! Some conferences do offer scholarships to certain groups of attendees. Library associations also might have some options in this area as well. I encourage you to look into it.

And consider finding a roommate for when you’re there. Sure it can be tough to share with a complete stranger, but you might make a good friend. And if you’re like me, you don’t spend much time in your room anyway, so you might as well split the cost with someone.

Don’t let lack of money keep you from trying to mix and mingle with other library folk. There are some options worth trying for.

First, thanks for the great discussion on my earlier post about balance! It’s always good to know that you’re not alone in this. Today’s post kind of goes along with that…tangentially.

I’ll make a confession that I can be a rather scattered person. Not precisely disorganized, although I won’t invite you to look in my basement. I’m just the type of person who’s brain jumps from one thing to another, often faster than I can up with.

So, years ago I started carrying around a little notebook to remind myself of things. There is all sorts of stuff in this notebook from grocery shopping lists to books that I want to read to the usual to-do lists. And it really helps!

Then there is the day-to-day life stuff to keep track of. When I started my current job, I started needing to keep track of all sorts of stuff; meetings, desk shifts, days off, weekends working, meetings (did I mention that already?), deadlines for projects. I’ve kept a day planner for a long time, but needed to pull a part of my old life out and start using a bigger one. Yes, I still use a paper planner, mostly because I don’t carry a computer with me everywhere and I haven’t given in to the temptation yet of a Blackberry or similar device. Actually I tried something like that years ago and discovered that it’s easier for me to use the old-fashioned method. My planner generally stays open on my desk all week so that I can add things to it as needed. It actually helps me keep my personal and professional life organized during the weeks.

The there is Remember the Milk. If you are one of those to-do list keepers but don’t want all the little pieces of paper all over, this is a great tool. It’s online and super-easy to use. I have to admit that my life has become much simpler since I started using it. I even use the note feature to add extra info about items on my list. And for stuff that I need to read online, the link feature is fabulous. Everything I need in one place. There are a couple of other similar tools out there. This just happens to be the first one I found.

So, these are my three things I use to keep it together. As you enter the professional world (or reenter in my case), it’s good to think about how to keep on top of things. Most of us have a lot going on each day and this can definitely help keep the stress level (not to mention your work) in check. Plus, this stuff helps me realize when I might have too much going on and to evaluate the times when I need to ask for help.

How do you stay organized?

One of things that can often happen when you are tenure-track is that work starts to take over your life. In the need to present, serve on committees, write, and whatever else as you strive to meet the requirements, a balance between work/career and a personal life can become very skewed…in the wrong direction, in my humble opinion.

There are plenty of people out there who scoff at librarianship being a career. Well, scoff away, but I’m making it a career choice. For me, it is more than just a job that I go to every day where I’m really just marking time until I figure out something better or until I can retire. I get deep satisfaction from much of what I do. Sure, I can do without the bureaucracy and politics, but the main stuff that I do is great.

However, lately I’ve been noticing how stressed-out and depressed I’ve been feeling. And after only a short amount of self-reflection, I’ve discovered it’s because things have gotten rather unbalanced. Work has really taken over my life to the point that I even dream about it. (I promise this isn’t going to turn into true confessions so stick with me.)

I could get into the various reasons why I feel that tenure-track is not the right place for librarians in academia, but that’s a post for another day.

One thing that I know is extremely helpful is a support network. The people that I see on a daily basis are actually not the best people for my support network. Sometimes you’ll be in a place where things like that just click. When it doesn’t it’s not a personal reflection or a negative. Things might be different for someone else. But I’ve had to go outside my workplace to get support from other librarians and library staff. Twitter is one of those great places where I’ve found helpful people with kind words and good suggestions. No matter where you find, definitely find that for yourself. And the other benefit is that it’s not all shop talk all the time either.

The thing I’m working on now is figuring out how to make time to do things that are completely non-work related or library related fun things. I’ve always had a great time surfing the web and playing on the computer. But for me, it’s too much like being at work and I’m too tempted to check email at home when I’m anywhere near my computer. So, I’m figuring out things that can’t be associated with work that will allow me time to unwind and explore other aspects of my life. Plus, when things are stressful or I’m having a particularly busy week, having something to look forward to can actually be a great thing.

I’ve also been trying to figure out a way to get more breaks. I remember reading something several years ago that it’s good to take a week off about every three months. Often, that’s not entirely practical. But a long weekend can be very refreshing. And conference travel does not equal a vacation, no matter what anyone tries to tell you. I don’t know of too many people who don’t return from conferences exhausted, even if it was a great, fabulous, exciting conference. Why do we always feel so obligated to get back to work right away? The thing is that we should actually feel free to take a vacation day to rest, do laundry, and whatever else in our outside life had to be put on hold during the pre-conference and conference time. Maybe it’s a cultural attitude that needs to be changed, but I’m going to try not being guilty if I decide a vacation day after 3-5 days of travel is a good thing for my mental health.

I’d love to hear how people maintain balance in their lives. Maybe this means I’ll never be a mover and a shaker, but I’d rather be sane and happy. And for me, this means finding that middle ground.

I remember saying that all the time in high school many years ago.

Anyway, my university’s IDT people hosted an E-Learning Institute here last week. I wasn’t sure what I’d actually get out of it since I’m not currently teaching any online courses. But some things actually are relevant even in face-to-face instruction. Like responsiveness and making the course content relevant.

However, the best thing I got out of it had nothing to do with the Institute itself. It was also a good time to network with other university faculty. And I had the chance to talk with one of my communication dept. faculty members about being an embedded librarian in the capstone class she is teaching in the fall.

It’s a research intensive course, which is exactly what I was looking for to try this out. I’ve heard about other librarians who have done similar things and I’m excited to see if this will improve the level of research conducted and their final papers. I don’t know if she plans to have an online component as well, but if there is, I’ve got some ideas for that. I’m going to put together a plan of what I’d like to offer beyond just my physical presence to see what she thinks. Like perhaps making it a requirement for them to schedule an individual research consultation with me mid-semester. I would also be willing to help grade annotated bibliographies. I see this type of thing as being a great way to build collaboration and increase students’ research skills.

I heard on the radio this morning that the Red Cross is in desperate need of monetary donations to help all those effected by the flooding in the Midwest. Don’t worry! Generally I will never make a plea for money for any organization. But so many of us likely know people living in these areas.

You can donate online here. Just go to the link on the left hand side that says “Donate”. Every little bit helps. And who knows when the Red Cross might be there to help you out.

Thanks!

It seems that this blog is evolving or devolving…or possibly even revolving. I don’t know. What I do know is that like many things, what I originally envisioned isn’t exactly what it’s become or might become. Which is why there hasn’t been much action.

See, there are lots of really great library blogs out there. I’m trying to decide if I personally have anything new to add to the blogosphere. Right now, I’m not so sure that I do, but I’m going to keep going for a bit longer.

So, what I feel about writing about today is a reflection on my first year on the tenure track. I’ve just passed my one year anniversary. Honestly there were times I wasn’t sure I was going to make it this far.

It’s been a challenging year in many ways. Often things do not turn out like you expect, and while I didn’t know what to expect exactly, I was thrown by a lot. Maybe that says something about me. I don’t know.

Being tenure track is interesting. One of the biggest challenges has been finding time to work on the research and service parts of my requirements while performing my actual job. If you are a reference and/or instruction librarian, you can understand how much of our day is taking up just doing the work. Actually it’s probably like that in all library departments, but I can only speak for the areas I’m familiar with. Often I had weeks where there weren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that I wanted to. Finally, I’ve developed a system that seems to be working for me and am getting that balance, but it’s been interesting. One of the best tools I’ve discovered for keeping it all together is Remember the Milk, the online to-do list. Between that and my day planner, I’m fairly on top of all my commitments. But I’m still working on getting the universe to add 20 more hours to my week.

I’ve done a good amount of presenting at conferences this year and co-authored a paper published in a conference proceeding. However, I struggle with trying to determine if I really have something worth presenting about. Who wants to go to conferences to hear the same stuff over and over? So, I’ve decided to pull back a bit over the coming year to work on some ideas and projects. Maybe in another year I’ll have something to talk about when I see how my ideas work.

It really does take at least a year to learn your job. In fact, it probably takes longer than that, but it has taken me about a year to really get my feet under me and learn about the university where I work. Every place is going to be different and there is so much stuff that you have to kind of sit back and observe. I’m trying to be tactful here, so I’ll just leave it at that. Those of you in academe will get what I’m referring to. As to my actual job duties, the biggest area where I’m still developing is in instruction. While I’ve been teaching for awhile, face-to-face library instruction is really different. Turns out I’m pretty good at it. Yet, there is still so much more for me to learn.

In general, it’s been an interesting year. I’ve learned a lot about myself also and hope that I’ve grown professionally and as a person by taking the lessons to heart. I did come in with the expectation that there would be a spirit of a team and support for new librarians. What happened is that I’ve had to look outside of my workplace to find support from colleagues and to find people to share and collaborate with. While this can be seen as a negative, it really has been a positive because it’s meant that I’ve been exposed to so many creative, innovative, intelligent, and wonderful librarians and library-types that I might not have reached out to in different circumstances. I’ve stepped out and become part of a greater community.

I look forward to what the next year will bring on this interesting journey towards tenure.

But it’s something that could seriously concern our users.

I’ve been attending an E-Learning Institute that my university’s IDT and Tech Services people organized. And one of the faculty shared something a student asked recently in a class. The question isn’t even related to E-Learning. Just one of those random things that is sometime shared when a large group of people get together.

The student asked - What happens when the price of a gallon of gas is equal what a person getting minimum wage earns for an hour’s work?

Whoa! Have you thought about this? Seriously. Where I live in one of those vast flyover states, our gas prices are averaging $4 a gallon right now. And I hear that the price of a barrel of oil is expected to go up more.

So, what will happen?

Just had to share this thought with you.