Thursday, December 15, 2011
Another late night watercolor added to my website
So after some user testing, one of the comments I got a lot was the desire for more color and images on the site. I was trying to think about what I could incorporate, and I decided that I would like to extend the inclusion of my artwork on the site, so I watercolored a footer to be used on the website and here it is!
Clearly this isn't the original painting (I have edited it a bit in Photoshop to lighten the colors and add the licensing and copyright information) but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It's a little different than the header image, but along the same vein of how books and information bring color and imagination to our life. I like the juxtaposition of the slightly softer colors, so the footer does not detract from the information on the page. Hopefully this addition just further expresses my voice and image as the modern (future) librarian.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Library as an Artistic Space
With growing interests in interdisciplinary studies, the library has become the hub for connecting disciplines. I have been pleasantly surprised at the growing connection between the library and all art in general, from creative writing, to painting, music, and so on. Besides the plethora of information to be found in the library about various topics, the space itself connotes innovation and creativity.
One of my most recent and exciting finds has been the Library as Incubator Project, an effort to get artists working collaboratively with libraries, whether it be using the resources, or using the space.
I also found a video recently about an artist who used the space of the Queensland State Library in Australia as his studio for a panoramic drawing of Brisbane:
All of these collaborative projects make me extremely excited about entering this field. As someone interested in the arts themselves, and someone who is inspired by the space and concept of the library, I look forward to seeing where this movement goes and how I can become a part of it.
One of my most recent and exciting finds has been the Library as Incubator Project, an effort to get artists working collaboratively with libraries, whether it be using the resources, or using the space.
I also found a video recently about an artist who used the space of the Queensland State Library in Australia as his studio for a panoramic drawing of Brisbane:
All of these collaborative projects make me extremely excited about entering this field. As someone interested in the arts themselves, and someone who is inspired by the space and concept of the library, I look forward to seeing where this movement goes and how I can become a part of it.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Jonathan Safran Foer's Tree of Codes
A beautiful video about the making of Jonathan Safran Foer's latest book, Tree of Codes. Definitely worth a watch.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Recognizing the Power of Reading
Today at my internship two students came up to me to check out a book. They were talking to each other as I was scanning the barcodes and writing down the due dates, but then one of the girls turned to me and asked "Do you read a lot?"
Now, do I read a lot? I thought this was a strange question to ask a girl who volunteers her time to work in a library. But I turned to her and said "Oh, I read a ton." She proceeded to ask me "What kind of reading?" And I thought about it. I explained to her that I'm an English major at TCNJ and how much reading that requires of me, both of literature and of critical pieces. I told her about the reading I like to do on my own time, whether it be fiction, poetry, or even just reading on blogs.
Then her and her friend both asked me "Does reading improve your writing?" I thought this was rather impressive that they were thinking about reading on that level, and I was so glad they asked. I do not know if there is anything that improves your writing more than extensively reading. I truly believe that because I have always been an avid reader, my writing has improved greatly. When you read, you analyze how that writer writes and you familiarize yourself with techniques used in all sorts of writing. Because you become better acquainted with such techniques, you then can more easily implement them in your own writing. People often argue that this modeling discourages true innovation and creativity, but in order to write well, you have to know the tried and true basics of the craft.
These girls turned to their other friends after I told them how important reading is to improving your writing and said "See! And you have never picked up a book in your life." I don't know if I ever expected to see peer pressure in the positive direction. Seeing teens encouraging each other to read was definitely one of the bright spots of my day.
Now, do I read a lot? I thought this was a strange question to ask a girl who volunteers her time to work in a library. But I turned to her and said "Oh, I read a ton." She proceeded to ask me "What kind of reading?" And I thought about it. I explained to her that I'm an English major at TCNJ and how much reading that requires of me, both of literature and of critical pieces. I told her about the reading I like to do on my own time, whether it be fiction, poetry, or even just reading on blogs.
Then her and her friend both asked me "Does reading improve your writing?" I thought this was rather impressive that they were thinking about reading on that level, and I was so glad they asked. I do not know if there is anything that improves your writing more than extensively reading. I truly believe that because I have always been an avid reader, my writing has improved greatly. When you read, you analyze how that writer writes and you familiarize yourself with techniques used in all sorts of writing. Because you become better acquainted with such techniques, you then can more easily implement them in your own writing. People often argue that this modeling discourages true innovation and creativity, but in order to write well, you have to know the tried and true basics of the craft.
These girls turned to their other friends after I told them how important reading is to improving your writing and said "See! And you have never picked up a book in your life." I don't know if I ever expected to see peer pressure in the positive direction. Seeing teens encouraging each other to read was definitely one of the bright spots of my day.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Out with the Old to Make Room for the New: Purging Old Technology
At Ewing last week the librarian gave me the task of going through a cabinet filled to the brim with bulbs for various projectors and other equipment. After double checking which bulbs were still used, I found that only maybe 8 varieties out of the 40 different kinds were still used. I then proceeded to fill 7 copy paper boxes with bulbs that dated back to the 1950's easily.
I could not believe how much outdated equipment was in that cabinet, and how long that it had been in there. There is an entire cage filled with old, unusable equipment, and I know that is way less than was there when the librarian now at Ewing first assumed her position.
The question then becomes, what can we part with, and what may we still need? I know that in most fields this is a struggle to determine what is still of use. We all like to say the old technique "if it has not been used in 2-3 years, chuck it," but its hard to justify that.
I think the librarian's job is to look at all of that equipment, and determine first of all what is still compatible with modern systems, and what still serves some sort of purpose. One of the pieces in the cage was an opaque projector. While it hasn't been used recently, the librarian made a good point that the art department may want it for projecting for a mural or project.
The next step, then, is to get the word out. Let the teachers and administrators know what you still have that could be used, and what they may want to use it for. This even goes back to the document camera that I discussed in a previous post. Half of the staff probably does not know that we have that technology in the school. The library and its materials will only be used if we in the library are proactive and advertise what we have.
There is a place for some older technology. But we also have to make way for the new. It is important to stay on top of the changes and keep organized so that you always know what you have and what is accessible. I am excited to continue helping purge the materials in the cage and organize what we have so that everything will get greater use.
I could not believe how much outdated equipment was in that cabinet, and how long that it had been in there. There is an entire cage filled with old, unusable equipment, and I know that is way less than was there when the librarian now at Ewing first assumed her position.
The question then becomes, what can we part with, and what may we still need? I know that in most fields this is a struggle to determine what is still of use. We all like to say the old technique "if it has not been used in 2-3 years, chuck it," but its hard to justify that.
I think the librarian's job is to look at all of that equipment, and determine first of all what is still compatible with modern systems, and what still serves some sort of purpose. One of the pieces in the cage was an opaque projector. While it hasn't been used recently, the librarian made a good point that the art department may want it for projecting for a mural or project.
The next step, then, is to get the word out. Let the teachers and administrators know what you still have that could be used, and what they may want to use it for. This even goes back to the document camera that I discussed in a previous post. Half of the staff probably does not know that we have that technology in the school. The library and its materials will only be used if we in the library are proactive and advertise what we have.
There is a place for some older technology. But we also have to make way for the new. It is important to stay on top of the changes and keep organized so that you always know what you have and what is accessible. I am excited to continue helping purge the materials in the cage and organize what we have so that everything will get greater use.
Monday, November 21, 2011
How What We Read In Private Connects Us
While searching for some works to include in my final literature project, an anthology of contemporary writing that exemplifies the connection of a collective memory in environments outside of our norm, I came across a literary journal dedicated to travel writing: The Literary Bohemian.
While browsing through the archives of the journal, I came across a piece about a woman who rents a stranger's house and finds herself connected to him, based solely on his private library. Beautifully sentimental, I think all lovers of books would agree that we find companions based on what we enjoy reading and learning about. Follow this link to read the beautiful prose of Holly Case.
From the Great Plains to the Bosporus: How Two Private Libraries Converged
While browsing through the archives of the journal, I came across a piece about a woman who rents a stranger's house and finds herself connected to him, based solely on his private library. Beautifully sentimental, I think all lovers of books would agree that we find companions based on what we enjoy reading and learning about. Follow this link to read the beautiful prose of Holly Case.
From the Great Plains to the Bosporus: How Two Private Libraries Converged
Monday, November 14, 2011
Jonathan Safran Foer on "Writing Life"
Last Thursday night I had the pleasure of taking a ride to Princeton with some friends to see a sort of literary interview between acclaimed author and Princeton professor Joyce Carol Oates and, one of my favorite authors, Jonathan Safran Foer.
They opened the lecture with a quote from one of his workshops earlier in the day: "One should write out of necessity." He proceeded to discuss how he feels we write what we feel we cannot say in person, in real time. We write these conversations that we never get to have, whether we refrain from having them out of politeness or self-consciousness or distance.
It suggests this unspoken sharing among and between readers and writers. In such a highly individualized and impersonal society, there is this mutual sharing of sincerity that transcends physical and electronic connection. And it has to transcend anything that can traced back to that sentimentality. He and Joyce Carol Oates launched into a discussion of the 20th century embarrassment of sentiment in favor of this cultural irony that consumes our relationships.
And how accurate! Despite my desire to modernize the image of the library, I would be lying if I said I didn't fall in love with the romanticism of shelves lined with volumes and volumes of literature, the classic printed tradition. And to me, the impersonality and disposable nature of electronic resources like ebooks suggests that we no longer make those connections. Not only that we don't make them, but that we don't want to.
His latest book, Tree of Codes, challenges modern electronic print culture with the physicality of the text: a die-cut book that needs to be held and read from a print copy in order to get the full effect of his method, where he deconstructs one text in order to build his own.
Yes, the library is all about the integration of new technologies and modern connections, but we cannot forget where the sharing of information began: the origin of print. Foer reminds us what it means to be innovative while still celebrating the roots of literature, and it doesn't get much more refreshing than that.
They opened the lecture with a quote from one of his workshops earlier in the day: "One should write out of necessity." He proceeded to discuss how he feels we write what we feel we cannot say in person, in real time. We write these conversations that we never get to have, whether we refrain from having them out of politeness or self-consciousness or distance.
It suggests this unspoken sharing among and between readers and writers. In such a highly individualized and impersonal society, there is this mutual sharing of sincerity that transcends physical and electronic connection. And it has to transcend anything that can traced back to that sentimentality. He and Joyce Carol Oates launched into a discussion of the 20th century embarrassment of sentiment in favor of this cultural irony that consumes our relationships.
And how accurate! Despite my desire to modernize the image of the library, I would be lying if I said I didn't fall in love with the romanticism of shelves lined with volumes and volumes of literature, the classic printed tradition. And to me, the impersonality and disposable nature of electronic resources like ebooks suggests that we no longer make those connections. Not only that we don't make them, but that we don't want to.
His latest book, Tree of Codes, challenges modern electronic print culture with the physicality of the text: a die-cut book that needs to be held and read from a print copy in order to get the full effect of his method, where he deconstructs one text in order to build his own.
Yes, the library is all about the integration of new technologies and modern connections, but we cannot forget where the sharing of information began: the origin of print. Foer reminds us what it means to be innovative while still celebrating the roots of literature, and it doesn't get much more refreshing than that.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Late Night Artistic Escapades
Late last night I finally completed my watercolor logo for my website. Check it out! Hopefully it says something about me as a person and my goals in life (at least I think it does!).
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Is All Technology Useful Technology: Determining Your Needs
Sorry for the lack of posting as of late. Mid-semester work really catching up to me. But I was sparked to post here by a really interesting conversation I had this week at Ewing:
Particularly in education, the argument arises that we are not implementing enough technology, or that we are not updating our technology. Yes, there are a lot of areas that are lacking, or that are completely non-existent. Some new innovations exist that we have yet to explore and take advantage of.
Particularly in education, the argument arises that we are not implementing enough technology, or that we are not updating our technology. Yes, there are a lot of areas that are lacking, or that are completely non-existent. Some new innovations exist that we have yet to explore and take advantage of.
However, a corollary argument also arises, where we invest in and use technology just because it is available to us, not because it is useful for our purposes. Today, I had an interesting conversation with the librarian at Ewing High School. Her supervisor came in and asked if she had any other equipment that she needed to order. He then specifically asked if she wanted to order more document cameras. She said that she had yet to set up the one that they had ordered the previous year, so I offered to take a look.
Document cameras are incredibly easy to use, and can be very useful in some scenarios. The clarity of the image and the ability to zoom in and analyze objects from multiple angles while projecting for the whole room to see can find itself very useful. Some great uses include projecting real-time editing of a paper in an English classroom, projection of fragile documents in a History classroom, or close analysis of an object or experiment in a Science classroom.
However, those seem to be some of the only uses. Even so, in a high school, those opportunities are limited. The librarian brought up that most of the uses that the teachers in Ewing would have for the document camera could be accomplished with a projector, and that no teachers have inquired about using the document camera.
I think the question then becomes, what technologies benefit your specific users? It is all about how we implement technology. If we do not see a use for it, why invest in it? School budgets are tight enough, money should be spent on equipment that we can find a use for. I am not saying that document cameras are useless, or that we should not explore potential use for newer technologies. Those are all important aspects of education, and it is up to the library to find its benefits. We need to think critically about what technology can do and how we can use it.
However, those seem to be some of the only uses. Even so, in a high school, those opportunities are limited. The librarian brought up that most of the uses that the teachers in Ewing would have for the document camera could be accomplished with a projector, and that no teachers have inquired about using the document camera.
I think the question then becomes, what technologies benefit your specific users? It is all about how we implement technology. If we do not see a use for it, why invest in it? School budgets are tight enough, money should be spent on equipment that we can find a use for. I am not saying that document cameras are useless, or that we should not explore potential use for newer technologies. Those are all important aspects of education, and it is up to the library to find its benefits. We need to think critically about what technology can do and how we can use it.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Fostering Community in the Ewing High School Library/Media Center update
So we finally hung up the artwork I made for the school spirit display in the Ewing High School media center and decided on a student created slogan to tie together school spirit and the library. Here is how it looks so far:
But now it looks a bit bare around the cartoon graphics, so I'm going to continue coming up with information about the school or other school spirited things to continue to incorporate in the library. One of the suggestions of the business class we spoke to about fostering a greater sense of spirit and community in the library was to incorporate student art work to make the library more colorful and welcoming. Hopefully I will get to expand on this display by talking to the art teachers in the school and encouraging them to donate some of their student art work for display.
But now it looks a bit bare around the cartoon graphics, so I'm going to continue coming up with information about the school or other school spirited things to continue to incorporate in the library. One of the suggestions of the business class we spoke to about fostering a greater sense of spirit and community in the library was to incorporate student art work to make the library more colorful and welcoming. Hopefully I will get to expand on this display by talking to the art teachers in the school and encouraging them to donate some of their student art work for display.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Art to Illustrate a Point - Power Users in the Library
Libraryjournal.com recently posted an article about the power users of the library. Basically, who utilizes the resources and what is being utilized. Here's a link to the article:
http://blog.libraryjournal.com/ljinsider/2011/10/17/identifying-and-cultivating-the-power-patron/
This has become an important part of justifying uses of the library: data. How can we prove people are using the resources? What kind of people are using the resources, and most importantly, what are they gaining from them? A lot of school libraries are struggling to prove user-ship and improvement through qualitative data. In Ewing High School, the librarian recently received a grant to purchase lower level reading books to improve literacy in the school. While she says the books are flying off the shelves, she now has to come up with a way to prove that these books are improving literacy and the quality of learning for those students and in the general classroom environment.
While this is not quite the qualitative data that they are thinking of, I could not help but call to mind an art project I stumbled upon over the summer. Wendy MacNaughton is an artist who publishes monthly documentary-like art collections in the online magazine The Rumpus. Her depictions of everyday people, places, and things aesthetically captures the mood of a community. In May, she published a collection of watercolors based on the "power users" of the San Francisco Public Library. This representation of the variety of users that walk in and out in search of information,as an art-minded person myself, is a great representation of data. What better way to prove user-ship than physical representations of the community that you will find in the library? Not only are they physical representations, but they are artistic and creative, fostering an even greater community by combining those seeking equal opportunity for information with those who are creating information through art.
Check out her beautiful watercolors based on what she saw in the San Francisco Library, and check out some of her other ones as well:
http://therumpus.net/2011/05/meanwhile-the-san-francisco-public-library/
http://blog.libraryjournal.com/ljinsider/2011/10/17/identifying-and-cultivating-the-power-patron/
This has become an important part of justifying uses of the library: data. How can we prove people are using the resources? What kind of people are using the resources, and most importantly, what are they gaining from them? A lot of school libraries are struggling to prove user-ship and improvement through qualitative data. In Ewing High School, the librarian recently received a grant to purchase lower level reading books to improve literacy in the school. While she says the books are flying off the shelves, she now has to come up with a way to prove that these books are improving literacy and the quality of learning for those students and in the general classroom environment.
While this is not quite the qualitative data that they are thinking of, I could not help but call to mind an art project I stumbled upon over the summer. Wendy MacNaughton is an artist who publishes monthly documentary-like art collections in the online magazine The Rumpus. Her depictions of everyday people, places, and things aesthetically captures the mood of a community. In May, she published a collection of watercolors based on the "power users" of the San Francisco Public Library. This representation of the variety of users that walk in and out in search of information,as an art-minded person myself, is a great representation of data. What better way to prove user-ship than physical representations of the community that you will find in the library? Not only are they physical representations, but they are artistic and creative, fostering an even greater community by combining those seeking equal opportunity for information with those who are creating information through art.
Check out her beautiful watercolors based on what she saw in the San Francisco Library, and check out some of her other ones as well:
http://therumpus.net/2011/05/meanwhile-the-san-francisco-public-library/
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Little Free Libraries - free books, free information, free community building
I saw a picture a little while back of a bird house-looking construction filled with books. There was no caption or explanation to it, and I always wondered where such an idea came from.
Little Free Library is an organization that promotes literacy and community by providing a free outlet for the exchange of books right within your neighborhood.
http://www.littlefreelibrary.org/
You can collectively pay for one of these little libraries or donate one yourself. What a wonderful idea! Who wouldn't want an outlet to not only give old books new homes, but to find new books yourself and discuss among your neighbors? It screams for a book club component!
Little Free Library is an organization that promotes literacy and community by providing a free outlet for the exchange of books right within your neighborhood.
http://www.littlefreelibrary.org/
You can collectively pay for one of these little libraries or donate one yourself. What a wonderful idea! Who wouldn't want an outlet to not only give old books new homes, but to find new books yourself and discuss among your neighbors? It screams for a book club component!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Graphic Novels Finding a Place in the Children's Library
With a growing interest in graphic novels in high school and college level literature, there has become an increasing need for transitional graphic novels. The Association for Library Service to Children has released a companion list for librarians to consider with age-appropriate options for graphic texts. The multi-level learning involved in graphic novels, with the aesthetic story line represented through images and the syntactical story line represented through language, calls on multiple intelligences to analyze the narrative. It also encourages students who may not be drawn to traditional books to think about alternative texts.
This article leads to the grade-appropriate suggestion lists which are great resources for libraries looking to incorporate graphic novels into their collections.
http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/alsc-releases-children-s-graphic-novel-core-collection
This article leads to the grade-appropriate suggestion lists which are great resources for libraries looking to incorporate graphic novels into their collections.
http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/alsc-releases-children-s-graphic-novel-core-collection
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Criminals or Educators?: Librarians in L.A.
With increasing debates about the function and necessity of the library, specifically in schools, the Los Angeles Unified School District set up interrogations over the summer to question the qualifications of librarians in the classroom in preparation to cut almost 100 library media specialists in their school district.
Here are two links to articles written about the situation:
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/13/local/la-me-0513-tobar-20110513
and
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/890644-312/layoffs_interrogations_l.a._school_librarians.csp
After reading these articles it made me really think about how the library is perceived by students, by teachers and administration, and even by parents and outsiders in the system. To cut librarians based on their lack of current experience in a formal classroom setting seems absurd to me. While the library is viewed as an extended classroom, and I do agree with that perception, the issue becomes what do librarians teach. Well, while we may not have a curriculum filled with set topics that need to be covered, we do teach. We teach how to be self-sufficient learners, how to go out on your own and find useful and valid information. Librarians are information specialists. How do we expect students, and even public library users, to learn how to find information, and the right information, if we have no one supporting them? There are techniques and resources that need to be provided that librarians are trained to provide. Your librarian knows a little bit about everything, and to boil down their ability to the last time they taught in a formal classroom is incredibly limiting. I hope that people begin to realize, especially in the dawn of a society where information is so widespread and easily accessible, how important it is to know what is valuable and what is not, and that the librarian is the source for this information.
Here are two links to articles written about the situation:
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/13/local/la-me-0513-tobar-20110513
and
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/890644-312/layoffs_interrogations_l.a._school_librarians.csp
After reading these articles it made me really think about how the library is perceived by students, by teachers and administration, and even by parents and outsiders in the system. To cut librarians based on their lack of current experience in a formal classroom setting seems absurd to me. While the library is viewed as an extended classroom, and I do agree with that perception, the issue becomes what do librarians teach. Well, while we may not have a curriculum filled with set topics that need to be covered, we do teach. We teach how to be self-sufficient learners, how to go out on your own and find useful and valid information. Librarians are information specialists. How do we expect students, and even public library users, to learn how to find information, and the right information, if we have no one supporting them? There are techniques and resources that need to be provided that librarians are trained to provide. Your librarian knows a little bit about everything, and to boil down their ability to the last time they taught in a formal classroom is incredibly limiting. I hope that people begin to realize, especially in the dawn of a society where information is so widespread and easily accessible, how important it is to know what is valuable and what is not, and that the librarian is the source for this information.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Fostering Community in the Ewing High School Library/Media Center
A week or two ago the librarian at the Ewing High School library asked me to come up with a display that would promote school spirit in the Media Center. With that in mind, I went back to my dorm and set to work sketching out some ideas. I came up with the idea to portray their school mascot, the blue devil, active in the different elements in the library. I painted the blue devil searching on the internet, and the blue devil reading a book (pictures to come soon) but was having a hard time coming up with a slogan to tie the two images, as well as our message, together.
Today, the librarian introduced me to the marketing teacher at Ewing High School and asked if she had any ideas for a slogan. She suggested I come in and talk to one of her classes about coming up with an idea to spruce up the display: a possible slogan, maybe an idea for another graphic. So Wednesday morning I will be speaking with her first block class to get some ideas on how to make the library more community-centered and school spirited.
I think the prospect of connecting with the classes is a great opportunity for the library, and for myself as an aspiring librarian. The library should be all about connecting the different areas of the school, and what a great way to get started, promoting school spirit and student involvement, as well as using aesthetic creativity to spruce up our learning environment.
Today, the librarian introduced me to the marketing teacher at Ewing High School and asked if she had any ideas for a slogan. She suggested I come in and talk to one of her classes about coming up with an idea to spruce up the display: a possible slogan, maybe an idea for another graphic. So Wednesday morning I will be speaking with her first block class to get some ideas on how to make the library more community-centered and school spirited.
I think the prospect of connecting with the classes is a great opportunity for the library, and for myself as an aspiring librarian. The library should be all about connecting the different areas of the school, and what a great way to get started, promoting school spirit and student involvement, as well as using aesthetic creativity to spruce up our learning environment.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Welcome to My Library!
From a young age, I could be found huddled in the aisles of the library, scouring through books, renting out movies, listening to the audio CD's, and really just involving myself in every facet of the public library. While I still retain those qualities, things have changed a bit. You can still find me reading, but maybe it is an eBook. I am always listening to music, but it is probably on an iPod. And who even has a VHS player anymore?
To me, the library is all about progressive education. How can we provide content for users, whether they be students, researchers, or just the average user, that is reliable and easy to access? The Library of Congress lists as part of its mission statement that their goal is to "further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people." Truly, that should be the goal of any library or media center. When it comes to content, it becomes about what that content is, how did you find it, where did you find it, and how are you going to use it. The library can help you do all of those things, you just need to expand your mind from the old stuffy conception of the Dewey decimal system and card catalogs, to the modern library.
I am Emily Witkowski. I am currently an undergraduate student at The College of New Jersey pursuing a degree in English with a minor in Interactive Multimedia. My goal is to pursue a career in the Library and Information Science profession and become involved in the education of our population. Currently, besides being a full-time student, I am volunteering at the Ewing High School library, familiarizing myself with their school media center, as well as working on TCNJ's campus in Instructional Technology, working with different media types as well as our school's online syllabus program. Hopefully all of these experiences will help contribute to an ever-expanding knowledge and interest in learning, which I will post about here in my blogging library!
To me, the library is all about progressive education. How can we provide content for users, whether they be students, researchers, or just the average user, that is reliable and easy to access? The Library of Congress lists as part of its mission statement that their goal is to "further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people." Truly, that should be the goal of any library or media center. When it comes to content, it becomes about what that content is, how did you find it, where did you find it, and how are you going to use it. The library can help you do all of those things, you just need to expand your mind from the old stuffy conception of the Dewey decimal system and card catalogs, to the modern library.
I am Emily Witkowski. I am currently an undergraduate student at The College of New Jersey pursuing a degree in English with a minor in Interactive Multimedia. My goal is to pursue a career in the Library and Information Science profession and become involved in the education of our population. Currently, besides being a full-time student, I am volunteering at the Ewing High School library, familiarizing myself with their school media center, as well as working on TCNJ's campus in Instructional Technology, working with different media types as well as our school's online syllabus program. Hopefully all of these experiences will help contribute to an ever-expanding knowledge and interest in learning, which I will post about here in my blogging library!
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