I am currently signed up to take my summer semester classes, which would finish off my MLIS degree if I stopped there. My questions are: do you have certificates with your degree, do you or did you have much experience before-hand, and does your library look at certificates OR experience more when it comes to hiring? I am an online student at Wayne State University. The two certificates I was planning on getting are {Library Services to Children and Adults, Public} and {Information Management for Librarians-Web Design and Development}. Each certificate is basically (one semester) 4 months of effort and $4,400- is it worth it? I would love to be a Teen Librarian in a public library with some web elements. If you wouldn't mind adding your position/Title with your comments, please do. Any recommendations would be very helpful. Thank you, ~Michelle Wise~
Please share answers with me (or the group if you think it appropriate). I'm thinking of expanding my library credentials if I decide I can afford to, and Information Management and Website Development for libraries sounds promising. Thanks Francine Joy Allen Youth Services Librarian Ecorse Public Library 4184 W. Jefferson Ave. Ecorse, MI 48229 313-389-2030 ----- Original Message ----- From: michelle wise <michellew1989@hotmail.com> To: michlib-l@lists.mcls.org <michlib-l@mail.mcls.org> Sent: Thu, 06 Feb 2014 17:14:04 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Michlib-l] Library Student I am currently signed up to take my summer semester classes, which would finish off my MLIS degree if I stopped there. My questions are: do you have certificates with your degree, do you or did you have much experience before-hand, and does your library look at certificates OR experience more when it comes to hiring? I am an online student at Wayne State University. The two certificates I was planning on getting are {Library Services to Children and Adults, Public} and {Information Management for Librarians-Web Design and Development}. Each certificate is basically (one semester) 4 months of effort and $4,400- is it worth it? I would love to be a Teen Librarian in a public library with some web elements. If you wouldn't mind adding your position/Title with your comments, please do. Any recommendations would be very helpful. Thank you, ~Michelle Wise~
The content listed for the eligible courses for the Web Design and Development looks pretty interesting. In the ideal world, everyone coming out of library school would have a good understand of some of the topics covered, even if it was just to be able to be part of a conversation about evaluating and integrating the ever-expanding amount of digital content into your library's services. But I realize that most LIS students don't have infinite amounts of time and money for such courses. The certification might help someone looking to have their resume stand out from other recent LIS grads. But it also looks more technical than I think most librarians would need for their day-to-day work (sorry Wayne State!) If you're interested in pursuing librarian positions that will have a heavy emphasis on web site design or a similar technology angle, it may be worth your time/money. Even so, if I was asked to evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for a position like that, I would place more emphasis on specific knowledge (what Content Management Systems do you know, what scripting languages have you worked with) and real-world experience (show me web sites you've created, maintained, etc.) over a line in your resume showing that you've taken those courses. You would need to take what you learned from those courses and turn them into more concrete examples of how you've applied this knowledge outside of the classroom setting. If you're mostly interested in beefing up the resume but don't plan on taking it beyond that, I don't think it would be worth the time and money. I would be interested in hearing what the folks who actually do the hiring of librarians think is the value of pursuing that kind of certification. Andrew Mutch Library Systems Technician (I'm not a librarian!) Waterford Township Public Library -----Original Message----- From: michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org] On Behalf Of Francine J. Allen Sent: Friday, February 07, 2014 9:13 AM To: michelle wise Cc: michlib-l@lists.mcls.org Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Library Student Please share answers with me (or the group if you think it appropriate). I'm thinking of expanding my library credentials if I decide I can afford to, and Information Management and Website Development for libraries sounds promising. Thanks Francine Joy Allen Youth Services Librarian Ecorse Public Library 4184 W. Jefferson Ave. Ecorse, MI 48229 313-389-2030 ----- Original Message ----- From: michelle wise <michellew1989@hotmail.com> To: michlib-l@lists.mcls.org <michlib-l@mail.mcls.org> Sent: Thu, 06 Feb 2014 17:14:04 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Michlib-l] Library Student I am currently signed up to take my summer semester classes, which would finish off my MLIS degree if I stopped there. My questions are: do you have certificates with your degree, do you or did you have much experience before-hand, and does your library look at certificates OR experience more when it comes to hiring? I am an online student at Wayne State University. The two certificates I was planning on getting are {Library Services to Children and Adults, Public} and {Information Management for Librarians-Web Design and Development}. Each certificate is basically (one semester) 4 months of effort and $4,400- is it worth it? I would love to be a Teen Librarian in a public library with some web elements. If you wouldn't mind adding your position/Title with your comments, please do. Any recommendations would be very helpful. Thank you, ~Michelle Wise~ _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@lists.mcls.org http://lists.mlcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
Hello everyone! I'm also a current online student at Wayne State University--maybe I'll be in the same class as Michelle! I already have my Master's degree in library science, and I decided to get a Specialist Certificate where I can choose my own field(s) of study. I'm concentrating on youth/young adult librarianship as well as digital librarianship in order to expand my horizons and my chances of getting hired. I'm currently taking a Children's literature class, and I've taken classes in information professions and information technology as well as information behavior. I'll be taking more classes that will teach digital libraries as well as information science. I'm thinking of taking classes in metadata, web design, advanced reference, human-computer interaction as well as other children's lit and young adult classes. But any suggestions/recommendations will be most welcome! I did work for six months as an adult reference librarian, but I'm now more interested in youth and young adult, as well as e-books and digital since that is where librarianship is heading to. Very glad that Michelle asked this question because I'm in the same boat as she is, so to speak. Regards, Lupita Garza-Grande current Wayne State University online student MLS degree obtained from Indiana University in 2004 with a certificate in Special Collections (rare books) On Friday, February 7, 2014 10:46 AM, "Mutch, Andrew" <AMutch@twp.waterford.mi.us> wrote: The content listed for the eligible courses for the Web Design and Development looks pretty interesting. In the ideal world, everyone coming out of library school would have a good understand of some of the topics covered, even if it was just to be able to be part of a conversation about evaluating and integrating the ever-expanding amount of digital content into your library's services. But I realize that most LIS students don't have infinite amounts of time and money for such courses. The certification might help someone looking to have their resume stand out from other recent LIS grads. But it also looks more technical than I think most librarians would need for their day-to-day work (sorry Wayne State!) If you're interested in pursuing librarian positions that will have a heavy emphasis on web site design or a similar technology angle, it may be worth your time/money. Even so, if I was asked to evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for a position like that, I would place more emphasis on specific knowledge (what Content Management Systems do you know, what scripting languages have you worked with) and real-world experience (show me web sites you've created, maintained, etc.) over a line in your resume showing that you've taken those courses. You would need to take what you learned from those courses and turn them into more concrete examples of how you've applied this knowledge outside of the classroom setting. If you're mostly interested in beefing up the resume but don't plan on taking it beyond that, I don't think it would be worth the time and money. I would be interested in hearing what the folks who actually do the hiring of librarians think is the value of pursuing that kind of certification. Andrew Mutch Library Systems Technician (I'm not a librarian!) Waterford Township Public Library -----Original Message----- From: michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org] On Behalf Of Francine J. Allen Sent: Friday, February 07, 2014 9:13 AM To: michelle wise Cc: michlib-l@lists.mcls.org Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Library Student Please share answers with me (or the group if you think it appropriate). I'm thinking of expanding my library credentials if I decide I can afford to, and Information Management and Website Development for libraries sounds promising. Thanks Francine Joy Allen Youth Services Librarian Ecorse Public Library 4184 W. Jefferson Ave. Ecorse, MI 48229 313-389-2030 ----- Original Message ----- From: michelle wise <michellew1989@hotmail.com> To: michlib-l@lists.mcls.org <michlib-l@mail.mcls.org> Sent: Thu, 06 Feb 2014 17:14:04 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Michlib-l] Library Student I am currently signed up to take my summer semester classes, which would finish off my MLIS degree if I stopped there. My questions are: do you have certificates with your degree, do you or did you have much experience before-hand, and does your library look at certificates OR experience more when it comes to hiring? I am an online student at Wayne State University. The two certificates I was planning on getting are {Library Services to Children and Adults, Public} and {Information Management for Librarians-Web Design and Development}. Each certificate is basically (one semester) 4 months of effort and $4,400- is it worth it? I would love to be a Teen Librarian in a public library with some web elements. If you wouldn't mind adding your position/Title with your comments, please do. Any recommendations would be very helpful. Thank you, ~Michelle Wise~ _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@lists.mcls.org http://lists.mlcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@lists.mcls.org http://lists.mlcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
I am finishing up the Web Design/Information Management Certificate at Wayne State this semester. When I am done I will have a basic understanding of html, css, php, java script and some other scripting languages. I think it is fabulous to obtain these skills, but I am not sure how practical they will be in my upcoming positions. What Wayne State focuses on is the actual coding itself. If I were to create a library website by hand/scratch, this would be an invaluable skill. However, every library I have worked at has used an editor to create their website. There really isn't a need to keep reinventing the wheel. So I am guessing I will ultimately be using an editor too some day, if web design is a part of my future job at all. I am glad I learned scripting languages though...but how relevant will it be for my job and how long will the skills I have learned remain relevant? I don't know... Michelle Sawicki Circulation Team Leader Thomas M. Cooley Law School 3475 Plymouth Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105 734-372-4900 x8767 On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 5:14 PM, michelle wise <michellew1989@hotmail.com>wrote:
I am currently signed up to take my summer semester classes, which would finish off my MLIS degree if I stopped there. My questions are: do you have certificates with your degree, do you or did you have much experience before-hand, and does your library look at certificates OR experience more when it comes to hiring?
I am an online student at Wayne State University. The two certificates I was planning on getting are *{Library Services to Children and Adults, Public}* and *{Information Management for Librarians-Web Design and Development}*. Each certificate is basically (one semester) 4 months of effort and $4,400- is it worth it? I would love to be a Teen Librarian in a public library with some web elements.
If you wouldn't mind adding your position/Title with your comments, please do. Any recommendations would be very helpful.
Thank you,
~Michelle Wise~
_______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@lists.mcls.org http://lists.mlcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
Just my two cents, but for smaller libraries (probably specialty libraries, too) we do our own website in house. We really can't afford to have a web designer do it. Have coding knowledge has helped us tremendously especially with embedding links for example. To be able to change our website in an instant is also a great advantage rather than having to wait for someone else to do it. Again, just my two cents! Kate Van Auken, Director Rawson Memorial Library 6495 Pine Street Cass City, MI 48726 989-872-2856
Michelle Sawicki <sawickim@cooley.edu> 2/10/2014 10:40 AM >>> I am finishing up the Web Design/Information Management Certificate at Wayne State this semester. When I am done I will have a basic understanding of html, css, php, java script and some other scripting languages. I think it is fabulous to obtain these skills, but I am not sure how practical they will be in my upcoming positions. What Wayne State focuses on is the actual coding itself. If I were to create a library website by hand/scratch, this would be an invaluable skill. However, every library I have worked at has used an editor to create their website. There really isn't a need to keep reinventing the wheel. So I am guessing I will ultimately be using an editor too some day, if web design is a part of my future job at all. I am glad I learned scripting languages though...but how relevant will it be for my job and how long will the skills I have learned remain relevant? I don't know...
Michelle Sawicki Circulation Team Leader Thomas M. Cooley Law School 3475 Plymouth Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105 734-372-4900 x8767 On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 5:14 PM, michelle wise <michellew1989@hotmail.com> wrote: I am currently signed up to take my summer semester classes, which would finish off my MLIS degree if I stopped there. My questions are: do you have certificates with your degree, do you or did you have much experience before-hand, and does your library look at certificates OR experience more when it comes to hiring? I am an online student at Wayne State University. The two certificates I was planning on getting are {Library Services to Children and Adults, Public} and {Information Management for Librarians-Web Design and Development}. Each certificate is basically (one semester) 4 months of effort and $4,400- is it worth it? I would love to be a Teen Librarian in a public library with some web elements. If you wouldn't mind adding your position/Title with your comments, please do. Any recommendations would be very helpful. Thank you, ~Michelle Wise~ _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@lists.mcls.org http://lists.mlcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
Michelle S., If you're the person responsible for designing or managing the web site, you'll need those coding skills. The migration to content management systems (and before that, software that relied on web page templates) has largely eliminated the need for the average content contributor to be able to hand code HTML. But the content editing portion of those systems is just a piece of the overall system and if you're the person tasked with managing the web site, often times, you'll need to poke around under the hood to tweak settings, code, etc. to get it to do exactly what you (or your staff) want it to do. That's where an understanding of the various scripting languages can make you an invaluable part of the technology team (especially if it's a team of 1!) More adventurous individuals go beyond tweaking and actually write their own code or assist others in writing the code to create modules/plug-ins/etc. that are customized to meet a particular need for a library or a community. You'll often find an off-the-shelf solution that's pretty close but needs some adjustment to meet the needs of your library. That's where an understanding of the underlying coding can allow you to make changes without breaking it. Even if you don't do that kind of work in your day job, there are opportunities to contribute in various ways to projects inside and outside the library community if you want to further develop those skills. Andrew Mutch Library Systems Technician Waterford Township Public Library From: michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org] On Behalf Of Michelle Sawicki Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 10:40 AM To: michelle wise Cc: michlib-l@lists.mcls.org Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Library Student I am finishing up the Web Design/Information Management Certificate at Wayne State this semester. When I am done I will have a basic understanding of html, css, php, java script and some other scripting languages. I think it is fabulous to obtain these skills, but I am not sure how practical they will be in my upcoming positions. What Wayne State focuses on is the actual coding itself. If I were to create a library website by hand/scratch, this would be an invaluable skill. However, every library I have worked at has used an editor to create their website. There really isn't a need to keep reinventing the wheel. So I am guessing I will ultimately be using an editor too some day, if web design is a part of my future job at all. I am glad I learned scripting languages though...but how relevant will it be for my job and how long will the skills I have learned remain relevant? I don't know... Michelle Sawicki Circulation Team Leader Thomas M. Cooley Law School 3475 Plymouth Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105 734-372-4900 x8767 On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 5:14 PM, michelle wise <michellew1989@hotmail.com> wrote: I am currently signed up to take my summer semester classes, which would finish off my MLIS degree if I stopped there. My questions are: do you have certificates with your degree, do you or did you have much experience before-hand, and does your library look at certificates OR experience more when it comes to hiring? I am an online student at Wayne State University. The two certificates I was planning on getting are {Library Services to Children and Adults, Public} and {Information Management for Librarians-Web Design and Development}. Each certificate is basically (one semester) 4 months of effort and $4,400- is it worth it? I would love to be a Teen Librarian in a public library with some web elements. If you wouldn't mind adding your position/Title with your comments, please do. Any recommendations would be very helpful. Thank you, ~Michelle Wise~ _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@lists.mcls.org http://lists.mlcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
I just want to chime in and concur with Andrew and others who have commented and add a couple points. I completely agree with all the comments so far about even if your library employer uses a Content Management System, there is still a lot to know to be able to bend it to your will and to serve patrons best by integrating the 1,001 pieces of a modern library's website and 'fixing' the annoying user interface problems that our vendors can't ever seem to get around to or even just using technology to work smarter. Even if you never directly get your hands dirty in code in your library job, knowing enough about what is possible and the level of effort required to achieve something in a web-based interface will serve you and your future employer well in that you can talk intelligently with tech support, you can write actionable enhancement requests, you can effectively write project requirements and manage work with a freelance developer, you can advocate for patrons with technical people, you can understand more about how web sites really work, and therefore be a better user of web sites and a better teacher, you can raise your hand to actually help instead of just complain about a bad interface, you can advocate for sufficient resources (time and money) to get things right in a web project b/c you know how much work is involved. It's like understanding cataloging. Does a public service librarian need to know every detail of cataloging procedure? No. Is she a better searcher and librarian if she knows her way around a MARC record? Yes. Another way to think about it is, are you a consumer or a maker? Makers are smarter consumers. I think smart library hiring managers will try to find out what applicants know in this regard. A credential is a clue. Experience and a portfolio is better. If I were considering an application for a youth librarian, and one had demonstrated curiosity and a willingness to engage in the complexity of technology of some sort and one had not, of course I'd prefer the curious one. But, then again, I don't get to hire youth librarians. Sheryl Cormicle Knox Technology Director BA in English, MLIS Self-taught in everything else From: michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org] On Behalf Of Mutch, Andrew Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 11:07 AM To: Michelle Sawicki Cc: michlib-l@lists.mcls.org Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Library Student Michelle S., If you're the person responsible for designing or managing the web site, you'll need those coding skills. The migration to content management systems (and before that, software that relied on web page templates) has largely eliminated the need for the average content contributor to be able to hand code HTML. But the content editing portion of those systems is just a piece of the overall system and if you're the person tasked with managing the web site, often times, you'll need to poke around under the hood to tweak settings, code, etc. to get it to do exactly what you (or your staff) want it to do. That's where an understanding of the various scripting languages can make you an invaluable part of the technology team (especially if it's a team of 1!) More adventurous individuals go beyond tweaking and actually write their own code or assist others in writing the code to create modules/plug-ins/etc. that are customized to meet a particular need for a library or a community. You'll often find an off-the-shelf solution that's pretty close but needs some adjustment to meet the needs of your library. That's where an understanding of the underlying coding can allow you to make changes without breaking it. Even if you don't do that kind of work in your day job, there are opportunities to contribute in various ways to projects inside and outside the library community if you want to further develop those skills. Andrew Mutch Library Systems Technician Waterford Township Public Library From: michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org] On Behalf Of Michelle Sawicki Sent: Monday, February 10, 2014 10:40 AM To: michelle wise Cc: michlib-l@lists.mcls.org Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Library Student I am finishing up the Web Design/Information Management Certificate at Wayne State this semester. When I am done I will have a basic understanding of html, css, php, java script and some other scripting languages. I think it is fabulous to obtain these skills, but I am not sure how practical they will be in my upcoming positions. What Wayne State focuses on is the actual coding itself. If I were to create a library website by hand/scratch, this would be an invaluable skill. However, every library I have worked at has used an editor to create their website. There really isn't a need to keep reinventing the wheel. So I am guessing I will ultimately be using an editor too some day, if web design is a part of my future job at all. I am glad I learned scripting languages though...but how relevant will it be for my job and how long will the skills I have learned remain relevant? I don't know... Michelle Sawicki Circulation Team Leader Thomas M. Cooley Law School 3475 Plymouth Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105 734-372-4900 x8767 On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 5:14 PM, michelle wise <michellew1989@hotmail.com<mailto:michellew1989@hotmail.com>> wrote: I am currently signed up to take my summer semester classes, which would finish off my MLIS degree if I stopped there. My questions are: do you have certificates with your degree, do you or did you have much experience before-hand, and does your library look at certificates OR experience more when it comes to hiring? I am an online student at Wayne State University. The two certificates I was planning on getting are {Library Services to Children and Adults, Public} and {Information Management for Librarians-Web Design and Development}. Each certificate is basically (one semester) 4 months of effort and $4,400- is it worth it? I would love to be a Teen Librarian in a public library with some web elements. If you wouldn't mind adding your position/Title with your comments, please do. Any recommendations would be very helpful. Thank you, ~Michelle Wise~ _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@lists.mcls.org<mailto:Michlib-l@lists.mcls.org> http://lists.mlcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
Has anyone found an effective way to count magazine use beyond circulation? Since this is such a browsing collection, I haven't found a way to determine how much use individual titles get from browsers who don't check them out. Ideas? I have seen fancy mechanisms that physically count how many times something is lifted from the shelf, but I'm looking for a more low tech solution! Kelli Perkins Head of Reference Services Herrick District Library 300 S River Ave, Holland MI 49423 616.355.3718 kperkins@herrickdl.org Reading: "Sycamore Row" by John Grisham Listening: "Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier" by Tom Kizzia?
We have a user account set up as 'inhouse'. Any items left out on tables, placed at the ends of shelves, etc are checked out to 'inhouse', discharged, and sorted to shelve. Each inhouse check out shows up in our system as a checkout. This method doesn't differentiate between regular checkouts and inhouse, but it is something. Andrea Mucha Office Assistant Warren Public Library Dorothy M Busch Branch 23333 Ryan Road Warren MI 48091 (586) 755-5750 (586) 756-4292 Fax http://www.warrenlibrary.net/ ________________________________ From: michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org <michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org> on behalf of Kelli Perkins <kperkins@herrickdl.org> Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2014 1:05 PM To: michlib-l@lists.mcls.org Subject: [Michlib-l] Magazine Use Has anyone found an effective way to count magazine use beyond circulation? Since this is such a browsing collection, I haven't found a way to determine how much use individual titles get from browsers who don't check them out. Ideas? I have seen fancy mechanisms that physically count how many times something is lifted from the shelf, but I'm looking for a more low tech solution! Kelli Perkins Head of Reference Services Herrick District Library 300 S River Ave, Holland MI 49423 616.355.3718 kperkins@herrickdl.org Reading: "Sycamore Row" by John Grisham Listening: "Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier" by Tom Kizzia?
Hi Kelli, In addition to using a generic in-house user as Andrea mentions, your automated system may have a feature to mark an item as being "used" without checking it out. Additionally, our Symphony system has an ephemeral checkout option that can be used which does a checkout/checkin transaction each time an item is scanned to update the item as being circulated, and recording stats. On Tue, Feb 11, 2014 at 4:31 PM, Andrea Mucha <amucha@cityofwarren.org> wrote:
We have a user account set up as 'inhouse'. Any items left out on tables, placed at the ends of shelves, etc are checked out to 'inhouse', discharged, and sorted to shelve. Each inhouse check out shows up in our system as a checkout. This method doesn't differentiate between regular checkouts and inhouse, but it is something.
Andrea Mucha
Office Assistant
Warren Public Library
Dorothy M Busch Branch
23333 Ryan Road
Warren MI 48091
(586) 755-5750
(586) 756-4292 Fax
________________________________ From: michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org <michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org> on behalf of Kelli Perkins <kperkins@herrickdl.org> Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2014 1:05 PM To: michlib-l@lists.mcls.org Subject: [Michlib-l] Magazine Use
Has anyone found an effective way to count magazine use beyond circulation? Since this is such a browsing collection, I haven't found a way to determine how much use individual titles get from browsers who don't check them out. Ideas? I have seen fancy mechanisms that physically count how many times something is lifted from the shelf, but I'm looking for a more low tech solution!
Kelli Perkins Head of Reference Services Herrick District Library 300 S River Ave, Holland MI 49423 616.355.3718 kperkins@herrickdl.org
Reading: "Sycamore Row" by John Grisham Listening: "Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier" by Tom Kizzia
_______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@lists.mcls.org http://lists.mlcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
-- ******************************** Shawn Andary, ALS System Admin UP Region of Library Cooperation 1615 Presque Isle Ave Marquette, MI 49855 v (906)226-4675 Ext. 4 f (906)228-5627 ********************************
I've worked in libraries that have baskets on the tables near magazine and newspaper shelving. There are signs indicating that all magazines should be placed there rather than back on the shelf. Every couple hours, a staff member empties the baskets and scans these as "used" in the automated system or just makes a tally mark under the magazine's name on a piece of paper to keep track of what is being used. That way the magazines don't stay in the baskets too long and they can be reshelved regularly. Jocelyn Baldwin, MLIS jmb.mlis@gmail.com On Tue, Feb 11, 2014 at 4:31 PM, Andrea Mucha <amucha@cityofwarren.org>wrote:
We have a user account set up as 'inhouse'. Any items left out on tables, placed at the ends of shelves, etc are checked out to 'inhouse', discharged, and sorted to shelve. Each inhouse check out shows up in our system as a checkout. This method doesn't differentiate between regular checkouts and inhouse, but it is something.
Andrea Mucha
Office Assistant
Warren Public Library
Dorothy M Busch Branch
23333 Ryan Road
Warren MI 48091
(586) 755-5750
(586) 756-4292 Fax
------------------------------ *From:* michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org <michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org> on behalf of Kelli Perkins <kperkins@herrickdl.org> *Sent:* Tuesday, February 11, 2014 1:05 PM *To:* michlib-l@lists.mcls.org *Subject:* [Michlib-l] Magazine Use
Has anyone found an effective way to count magazine use beyond circulation? Since this is such a browsing collection, I haven't found a way to determine how much use individual titles get from browsers who don't check them out. Ideas? I have seen fancy mechanisms that physically count how many times something is lifted from the shelf, but I'm looking for a more low tech solution!
Kelli Perkins Head of Reference Services Herrick District Library 300 S River Ave, Holland MI 49423 616.355.3718 kperkins@herrickdl.org
*Reading: **"Sycamore Row" by John Grisham* *Listening: "**Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier" by Tom Kizzia*
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Thanks everyone for the fantastic tips for counting in house magazine use. Here are the four methodologies which seem most prevalent (with variations). ?Method 1 (Put a tally sheet on the current issue and ask patrons to self tally) ?Every few years or so we do a use survey by attaching with removable tape a fairly large piece of paper on the cover of the current issue, that says something like - "we are glad you enjoy reading this magazine. Please let us know by making a hash mark on this tally sheet." We keep a cup of pencils in the room during the survey time. We put it on a new issue and leave it until the next issue comes in. We generally do the survey for about 3 weeks to a month. The weeklies would get a new paper with each issue. Method 2 (Ask patrons to place all used mags in a basket, then checkin or tally) I've worked in libraries that have baskets on the tables near magazine and newspaper shelving. There are signs indicating that all magazines should be placed there rather than back on the shelf. Every couple hours, a staff member empties the baskets and scans these as "used" in the automated system or just makes a tally mark under the magazine's name on a piece of paper to keep track of what is being used. That way the magazines don't stay in the baskets too long and they can be reshelved regularly. You could set carts or baskets out and ask people to return the magazines there, instead of to the shelf when they're done reading. Similar to what academic libraries to record usage statistics.? Does your circ system have any in-house use monitoring function? We use Sirsi/Workflows which has a feature called 'Mark Item Used.' We use this in general just to count the number of items pulled off shelves, not checked out but in need of reshelving each month. It is a way of tracking use without artificially inflating the circulation statistics. The reporting software does allow track this by material type as well. ? Method 3 (Pick up unshelved items and check them out to a dummy account) We have a user account set up as 'inhouse'. Any items left out on tables, placed at the ends of shelves, etc are checked out to 'inhouse', discharged, and sorted to shelve. Each inhouse check out shows up in our system as a checkout. This method doesn't differentiate between regular checkouts and inhouse, but it is something.? ? ?Method 4 (Survey patrons) Every few years we conduct a simple survey by making forms available to patrons in the magazine area and online. Kelli Perkins Head of Reference Services Herrick District Library 300 S River Ave, Holland MI 49423 616.355.3718<tel:616.355.3718> kperkins@herrickdl.org<mailto:kperkins@herrickdl.org> Reading: "Sycamore Row" by John Grisham Listening: "Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier" by Tom Kizzia
At the Caro Area District Library we created a survey of favorite magazines and newspapers.. We put a survey in adult periodicals, teen periodicals, and children’s periodicals. I left the survey up for a month with a box to put the surveys in. After which I created a small spreadsheet on the favorites Melissa Armstrong Librarian Caro Area District Library 989-673-4329 ext. 107 melissa@carolibrary.org From: michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org] On Behalf Of Kelli Perkins Sent: Tuesday, February 11, 2014 1:05 PM To: michlib-l@lists.mcls.org Subject: [Michlib-l] Magazine Use Has anyone found an effective way to count magazine use beyond circulation? Since this is such a browsing collection, I haven't found a way to determine how much use individual titles get from browsers who don't check them out. Ideas? I have seen fancy mechanisms that physically count how many times something is lifted from the shelf, but I'm looking for a more low tech solution! Kelli Perkins Head of Reference Services Herrick District Library 300 S River Ave, Holland MI 49423 616.355.3718 kperkins@herrickdl.org Reading: "Sycamore Row" by John Grisham Listening: "Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier" by Tom Kizzia
Hi everyone, I just want to thank all of you for the input on scripting languages/web design classes. I really do enjoy learning the languages and hope to actually put these skills to use some day. We'll see. Michelle Sawicki Circulation Team Leader Thomas M. Cooley Law School 3475 Plymouth Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105 734-372-4900 x8767 On Mon, Feb 10, 2014 at 5:44 PM, Knox,Sheryl Cormicle <knoxs@cadl.org>wrote:
I just want to chime in and concur with Andrew and others who have commented and add a couple points. I completely agree with all the comments so far about even if your library employer uses a Content Management System, there is still a lot to know to be able to bend it to your will and to serve patrons best by integrating the 1,001 pieces of a modern library's website and 'fixing' the annoying user interface problems that our vendors can't ever seem to get around to or even just using technology to work smarter. Even if you never directly get your hands dirty in code in your library job, knowing enough about what is possible and the level of effort required to achieve something in a web-based interface will serve you and your future employer well in that you can talk intelligently with tech support, you can write actionable enhancement requests, you can effectively write project requirements and manage work with a freelance developer, you can advocate for patrons with technical people, you can understand more about how web sites really work, and therefore be a better user of web sites and a better teacher, you can raise your hand to actually help instead of just complain about a bad interface, you can advocate for sufficient resources (time and money) to get things right in a web project b/c you know how much work is involved.
It's like understanding cataloging. Does a public service librarian need to know every detail of cataloging procedure? No. Is she a better searcher and librarian if she knows her way around a MARC record? Yes.
Another way to think about it is, are you a consumer or a maker? Makers are smarter consumers.
I think smart library hiring managers will try to find out what applicants know in this regard. A credential is a clue. Experience and a portfolio is better. If I were considering an application for a youth librarian, and one had demonstrated curiosity and a willingness to engage in the complexity of technology of some sort and one had not, of course I'd prefer the curious one. But, then again, I don't get to hire youth librarians.
Sheryl Cormicle Knox
Technology Director
BA in English, MLIS
Self-taught in everything else
*From:* michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org [mailto: michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org] *On Behalf Of *Mutch, Andrew *Sent:* Monday, February 10, 2014 11:07 AM *To:* Michelle Sawicki
*Cc:* michlib-l@lists.mcls.org *Subject:* Re: [Michlib-l] Library Student
Michelle S.,
If you're the person responsible for designing or managing the web site, you'll need those coding skills. The migration to content management systems (and before that, software that relied on web page templates) has largely eliminated the need for the average content contributor to be able to hand code HTML. But the content editing portion of those systems is just a piece of the overall system and if you're the person tasked with managing the web site, often times, you'll need to poke around under the hood to tweak settings, code, etc. to get it to do exactly what you (or your staff) want it to do. That's where an understanding of the various scripting languages can make you an invaluable part of the technology team (especially if it's a team of 1!)
More adventurous individuals go beyond tweaking and actually write their own code or assist others in writing the code to create modules/plug-ins/etc. that are customized to meet a particular need for a library or a community. You'll often find an off-the-shelf solution that's pretty close but needs some adjustment to meet the needs of your library. That's where an understanding of the underlying coding can allow you to make changes without breaking it. Even if you don't do that kind of work in your day job, there are opportunities to contribute in various ways to projects inside and outside the library community if you want to further develop those skills.
Andrew Mutch
Library Systems Technician
Waterford Township Public Library
*From:* michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org [mailto: michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org] *On Behalf Of *Michelle Sawicki *Sent:* Monday, February 10, 2014 10:40 AM *To:* michelle wise *Cc:* michlib-l@lists.mcls.org *Subject:* Re: [Michlib-l] Library Student
I am finishing up the Web Design/Information Management Certificate at Wayne State this semester. When I am done I will have a basic understanding of html, css, php, java script and some other scripting languages. I think it is fabulous to obtain these skills, but I am not sure how practical they will be in my upcoming positions. What Wayne State focuses on is the actual coding itself. If I were to create a library website by hand/scratch, this would be an invaluable skill. However, every library I have worked at has used an editor to create their website. There really isn't a need to keep reinventing the wheel. So I am guessing I will ultimately be using an editor too some day, if web design is a part of my future job at all. I am glad I learned scripting languages though...but how relevant will it be for my job and how long will the skills I have learned remain relevant? I don't know...
Michelle Sawicki Circulation Team Leader Thomas M. Cooley Law School 3475 Plymouth Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105 734-372-4900 x8767
On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 5:14 PM, michelle wise <michellew1989@hotmail.com> wrote:
I am currently signed up to take my summer semester classes, which would finish off my MLIS degree if I stopped there. My questions are: do you have certificates with your degree, do you or did you have much experience before-hand, and does your library look at certificates OR experience more when it comes to hiring?
I am an online student at Wayne State University. The two certificates I was planning on getting are *{Library Services to Children and Adults, * *Public}* and *{Information Management for Librarians-Web Design and Development}*. Each certificate is basically (one semester) 4 months of effort and $4,400- is it worth it? I would love to be a Teen Librarian in a public library with some web elements.
If you wouldn't mind adding your position/Title with your comments, please do. Any recommendations would be very helpful.
Thank you,
~Michelle Wise~
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Michelle, You are learning very important set of skills. You are correct in your assessment about many library websites. Keep in mind the real challenge comes when integrating third party systems into the library environment for college/university libraries. Third party systems like digital commons (repositories), mobile platforms, link resolvers, etc. all require unique customization. It is important to integrate these third party platforms in such a way as to let users knows that they are at your site, even if it's happens to be a a third party platform. Library branding along with seamless presentation of library services and resources are very important. Granted for the most part it is difficult to seamlessly integrate third party vendors within the library environment but it can be done. So in some cases having staff members with html, css, php, java script and other scripting skills allows the library to create this seamless environment. So long way around, I think it is good skills to have. All the best, mies On Mon, Feb 10, 2014 at 10:40 AM, Michelle Sawicki <sawickim@cooley.edu>wrote:
I am finishing up the Web Design/Information Management Certificate at Wayne State this semester. When I am done I will have a basic understanding of html, css, php, java script and some other scripting languages. I think it is fabulous to obtain these skills, but I am not sure how practical they will be in my upcoming positions. What Wayne State focuses on is the actual coding itself. If I were to create a library website by hand/scratch, this would be an invaluable skill. However, every library I have worked at has used an editor to create their website. There really isn't a need to keep reinventing the wheel. So I am guessing I will ultimately be using an editor too some day, if web design is a part of my future job at all. I am glad I learned scripting languages though...but how relevant will it be for my job and how long will the skills I have learned remain relevant? I don't know...
Michelle Sawicki Circulation Team Leader Thomas M. Cooley Law School 3475 Plymouth Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105 734-372-4900 x8767
On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 5:14 PM, michelle wise <michellew1989@hotmail.com>wrote:
I am currently signed up to take my summer semester classes, which would finish off my MLIS degree if I stopped there. My questions are: do you have certificates with your degree, do you or did you have much experience before-hand, and does your library look at certificates OR experience more when it comes to hiring?
I am an online student at Wayne State University. The two certificates I was planning on getting are *{Library Services to Children and Adults, Public}* and *{Information Management for Librarians-Web Design and Development}*. Each certificate is basically (one semester) 4 months of effort and $4,400- is it worth it? I would love to be a Teen Librarian in a public library with some web elements.
If you wouldn't mind adding your position/Title with your comments, please do. Any recommendations would be very helpful.
Thank you,
~Michelle Wise~
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-- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mies Martin Digital Scholarship Librarian Van Pelt and Opie Library Michigan Technological University Houghton, Michigan 49931 P: (906) 487-2135 C: (906) 370-3001 Email: miesmart@mtu.edu *Pax, Fortuna et Salus*
participants (13)
-
Andrea Mucha -
Francine J. Allen -
Jocelyn Baldwin -
Kate Van Auken -
Kelli Perkins -
Knox,Sheryl Cormicle -
Lupita Garza-Grande -
Melissa Armstrong -
Michelle Sawicki -
michelle wise -
Mies Martin -
Mutch, Andrew -
Shawn Andary