Here’s another thing to get you geared up for ALA’s Annual Conference in Anaheim this June. The Library Research Round Table is looking for presentation proposals related to three areas of library research. Abstracts must be submitted by December 20, 2011, and notification of acceptance will be sent in late February, 2012. Accepted proposals will be presented at the ALA Annual from June 21-26. If you have recent or in-progress research relating to users, problem solving, or innovation, consider submitting.
LRRT defines their three categories as this:
Research to Understand Users: Issues and Approaches – How do people go about using libraries? If your study addresses the hows and whys of patron usage, it’ll fit here.
Research into Practical Problem Solving in Libraries – If you have been investigating a specific challenge or problem, your research or case study will fit into this category.
Research: Creativity and Innovation – If your study looks at how librarians approach information and reference queries, or if it proposes innovative ways of doing research or solving problems, it will fit here.
Papers will be chosen based on their topic and its relevance to library science, creativity of methodology, and ability to fill a research gap or build on existing studies. You do not have to be a member of LRRT to submit a proposal, and students are welcome to submit as well.
If you have questions or would like full information on submission guidelines, contact the chair of LRRT, John M. Budd, at [email protected]. Again, proposals are due by December 20, 2011.
This post is a bit of a departure for me; as YALSA’s communications specialist, I usually post about the latest goings on in YALSA or put up advocacy alerts. (You’ll see that post on Friday.)
But this is 30 Days of Back to School, and along with two of my fellow students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Library and Information Studies, I’m going to talk about the new SLIS student experience.
I’m currently pursuing my library degree through Madison’s distance program. It’s been almost ten years since I finished my first master’s degree, so it’s been a bit of transition to get back into the school mindset. Last time, I was straight outta undergrad, I went full time as an on-campus student, and I had almost no responsibilities. This time, I’m going as a part-time distance student, which certainly has its advantages — flexibility, cost, less disruption to my life. Plus, Wisconsin retooled its distance program so that it takes place entirely online (it used to be done via videoconferencing), so it’s kind of an experimental year for our program.
To get some differing perspectives, I invited two of my classmates to join me in Meebo so we could talk about our experiences going back to school and working full-time. I’m joined by Kayce Austin of Fort Myers, Florida, and Kathrine Rogers of Bettendorf, Iowa.
I began our conversation by reflecting on the social aspects, particularly in a distance program, and our weeklong bootcamp on campus in Madison last August, which was basically like summer camp for adults who really like libraries, ice cream, and ethnic food. (“My kind of summer camp!” quipped Kayce.). We moved on to many other topics: why we’re going back, how we’re fitting it into our lives, and what we hope to do when we’re done.
Stevie Kuenn: I want to start with the social parts of this, particularly our week together at bootcamp. Because I was nervous about how we’d all get along and was pleasantly surprised to discover that pretty much everyone in our cohort got along really well. I feel like I made connections, professional and personal, that I’ll have the rest of my life.
Kathrine Rogers: We have some very strong personalities – but getting to know each other at orientation will make interactions easier in some ways. Some will be life long friends and others, maybe not.
Kayce Austin: I thought we would mesh pretty well. Many of us have similar interests and it’s easy to find common ground. Part of the reason I wanted the face to face meeting to be required is that I didn’t feel I would be able to have these lifelong friends without some face time.
SK: Right. And I wasn’t expecting that a) we would all get on so well and b) we would form some pretty intense friendships. But looking back, I don’t know how I didn’t anticipate that.
KR: My sister was at a leadership training the same week we were at bootcamp. She said we were doing similar things. We are the future leaders of the library world.
SK: So to switch gears a bit, to go beyond the social experience. We’ve been in class a little over a week now, so it’s still early. What’s been the hardest transition for you?
KR: Getting into my STRUCTURED routine again.
In her presidents’ report, Linda Braun mentioned that YALSA is now offering gift memberships – that’s true for student memberships as well! As you get ready for the next term, think about asking your family and friends for a YALSA gift membership (or think about giving one to your fellow students). Student membership in YALSA costs $53 and includes ALA membership. Gift memberships can be purchased by contacting Letitia Smith, YALSA membership coordinator, at [email protected] or by phone at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4390 (you can’t buy a gift membership online).
Before your parents (or aunt and uncle or boss) ask, here are five great reasons why they should consider buying you a gift membership this holiday season.
- When you join YALSA, you become eligible for ALA’s scholarships, which can help you pay for your MLS degree. Applications are accepted October to March. You’re also eligible for travel stipends from YALSA when available (for example, students can apply for the 2010 Young Adult Literature Symposium travel stipend).
- You’ll receive three publications — American Libraries, Young Adult Library Services (YALSA’s award-winning journal), and YAttitudes — with your membership, which you can use to help you with assignments or that you can publish in to get yourself established in the field.
- YALSA membership opens doors for networking: students enjoy discounted rates for ALA conferences and YALSA’s symposium and can propose programs and papers for those events; you can join any of YALSA’s discussion or interest groups for informal discussion on favorite topics in librarianship; and YALSA’s social networking presences give you a place to connect with colleagues for career opportunities and advice.
- YALSA plans to launch a reverse mentoring program, where you can sign up to be paired with an experienced librarian and you can learn from each other.
- YALSA is a well-known and respected organization within the field. Joining the association and listing it on your resume will catch the eye of potential employers.
