Sunday, August 31, 2008
Back in GA
Hi, gang! I'm too tired to post much about my San Fran trip and upload my pix, but I'll work on it over the next few days. It's good to be home.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Tag - you're it!
Following up on http://superstarchivist.blogspot.com/2008/07/whats-nice-kid-like-you-doing-in-place.html, I now tag the following:
The Tinfoil Raccoon herself
Linda of Alone in the Archives
Juice at Tales from the Liberry
Colleen and her FBs
and Jill of Digitization 101
I'm looking forward to reading your stories!
L.
The Tinfoil Raccoon herself
Linda of Alone in the Archives
Juice at Tales from the Liberry
Colleen and her FBs
and Jill of Digitization 101
I'm looking forward to reading your stories!
L.
And now, the rest of the story
So, how did I end up as the Superstarchivist that you know and love?
Well... looking back, I can recall several signs that I would eventually end up working in a library/archives/museum. When I was young, I remember shelving the books in my family's hallway bookcase alphabetically by author one day. Also, as a pastor's kid, I spent a lot of time in our church library, and I sometimes matched up checkout cards with books that had been returned there. On my first trip to Washington, DC, I loved all the Smithsonian museums and the National Archives. (I was about 5.) But let's skip ahead a few years.
I had some wonderful teachers in high school and some that weren't so great. U. S. history was a major yawn for me, though, and I always thought somebody ought to know more about it than one particular teacher I had. (Bless his heart, as we say in the South.) When I went to college, it was a toss-up between majoring in English and history. At the time, I thought a career in archaeology might be fun, and I also remembered that poor teacher, so I went with history. My school teacher mother kept telling me to add on an education certificate, but I knew good and well I didn't want to teach.
Fast forward to my senior year. My history degree was coming to an end, and I still didn't have any definite career plans. Shorter also offered an anthropology minor at that time (I think my roommate and I might have been the only people ever to get them), and the anthro professor asked if I would proofread a finding aid for her. She was working on a local history microfilming project. I had been to the Georgia Archives twice for a historical research class but had never seen a finding aid. However, I'm vicious with a red pen (thanks for those genes, Mom!), and I love to edit. When I gave Dr. O her marked up finding aid, she said, "You'd make a great archivist - you have such an attention to detail!" A little light bulb came on over my head. Really? I could maybe do this in some way and get paid? Hmmm.
She helped me arrange a volunteer internship at the state archives, and I worked with a manuscript curator there for the entire month of August 1993. They were nice enough to give me a parking permit from somebody who was going on vacation and didn't need it. I worked on processing the records of the Pilot Club (founded in Macon, GA). I enjoyed meeting the archivists there and asked them what I needed to do if I wanted a job in their field. They all suggested getting an MLS.
Next stop: Florida State University, where I got my master's after taking a year off to work for the DNR. By the time I finished my degree and worked at FSU's London Study Centre for a semester, Georgia was in a budget crunch, and departments of state government were being closed. There was no way I was getting in at the state archives!
This is getting long, so I'll wrap up. Long story short (if it's not too late): I finally landed a job at the state music museum as music librarian/archivist. The rest, as they say, is history. And I love it.
Well... looking back, I can recall several signs that I would eventually end up working in a library/archives/museum. When I was young, I remember shelving the books in my family's hallway bookcase alphabetically by author one day. Also, as a pastor's kid, I spent a lot of time in our church library, and I sometimes matched up checkout cards with books that had been returned there. On my first trip to Washington, DC, I loved all the Smithsonian museums and the National Archives. (I was about 5.) But let's skip ahead a few years.
I had some wonderful teachers in high school and some that weren't so great. U. S. history was a major yawn for me, though, and I always thought somebody ought to know more about it than one particular teacher I had. (Bless his heart, as we say in the South.) When I went to college, it was a toss-up between majoring in English and history. At the time, I thought a career in archaeology might be fun, and I also remembered that poor teacher, so I went with history. My school teacher mother kept telling me to add on an education certificate, but I knew good and well I didn't want to teach.
Fast forward to my senior year. My history degree was coming to an end, and I still didn't have any definite career plans. Shorter also offered an anthropology minor at that time (I think my roommate and I might have been the only people ever to get them), and the anthro professor asked if I would proofread a finding aid for her. She was working on a local history microfilming project. I had been to the Georgia Archives twice for a historical research class but had never seen a finding aid. However, I'm vicious with a red pen (thanks for those genes, Mom!), and I love to edit. When I gave Dr. O her marked up finding aid, she said, "You'd make a great archivist - you have such an attention to detail!" A little light bulb came on over my head. Really? I could maybe do this in some way and get paid? Hmmm.
She helped me arrange a volunteer internship at the state archives, and I worked with a manuscript curator there for the entire month of August 1993. They were nice enough to give me a parking permit from somebody who was going on vacation and didn't need it. I worked on processing the records of the Pilot Club (founded in Macon, GA). I enjoyed meeting the archivists there and asked them what I needed to do if I wanted a job in their field. They all suggested getting an MLS.
Next stop: Florida State University, where I got my master's after taking a year off to work for the DNR. By the time I finished my degree and worked at FSU's London Study Centre for a semester, Georgia was in a budget crunch, and departments of state government were being closed. There was no way I was getting in at the state archives!
This is getting long, so I'll wrap up. Long story short (if it's not too late): I finally landed a job at the state music museum as music librarian/archivist. The rest, as they say, is history. And I love it.
My very own meme!
As avid readers (ha, ha, chortle, snort) of this blog know, I recently started a meme on how we got into this crazy business of librarianship/museumship/archivesship. I've spotted two replies so far:
http://tombrarian.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/how-i-got-into-this-mess/#comment-9459
http://learninglibtech.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/since-you-asked-what-im-doing-here/
And I've promised Tom that I will indeed tell my own story! I hope I can do that this afternoon.
L.
http://tombrarian.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/how-i-got-into-this-mess/#comment-9459
http://learninglibtech.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/since-you-asked-what-im-doing-here/
And I've promised Tom that I will indeed tell my own story! I hope I can do that this afternoon.
L.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
End of Monday, Beginning of Tuesday
I realized last night that I never finished yesterday's "Day in the Life" postings. Sorry! After lunch, I taste-tested some bonbons a co-worker was making for a shower (yummy) and then found out the 36 boxes coming to us from the law library were on the way! Jennifer and I helped John move the boxes from his car and the loading dock into a vacant office in Special Collections. (The next step is to meet with the dean and the head of technical services and figure out where we go from here.) I also scheduled a meeting at a local private school that wants to start an archives and picked up a few things on my desk.
Tuesday, so far:
I've spent the morning working on reference questions that were backing up in my e-mail. I've also started printing out correspondence from July that will be used to support the August monthly report. I've taken some outgoing mail down to our mailroom and put a catalog in the recycling box. There have been phone calls from a man who wants to buy some books (we don't have them on our "for sale" shelves at present, though) and from the provost's office needing the founding date for one of our colleges. Surprisingly, dealing with all of that has taken over two hours!
Tuesday, so far:
I've spent the morning working on reference questions that were backing up in my e-mail. I've also started printing out correspondence from July that will be used to support the August monthly report. I've taken some outgoing mail down to our mailroom and put a catalog in the recycling box. There have been phone calls from a man who wants to buy some books (we don't have them on our "for sale" shelves at present, though) and from the provost's office needing the founding date for one of our colleges. Surprisingly, dealing with all of that has taken over two hours!
Monday, August 4, 2008
I read the news today, oh, boy... (part two)
11:07-12:00 - Read the Chronicle's Daily Report in my e-mail. E-mailed administrative assistant about registration issues from last Friday's conference (I want my certificate of attendance!). Updated purchasing card statement for last month; printed out necessary copies and delivered to admin. asst. E-mailed Lee and Geoff about a week when Special Collections will be closed later this month.
I read the news today, oh, boy... (part one)
Here's my stab at a "day in the life" posting. Today is Monday, August 4. The story so far...
8:00-9:15 - Arrived at library. Turned in book. Dropped off lunch in fridge. Noticed and disposed of dead mouse on glue board. (Ick factor - relatively low. He was already dead, so there was no squirming or anything.) Picked up mail. Talked to Bob and Jennifer. Came up to Special Collections and heard door alarm sounding. Turned it off. Updated voice mail with new closing info. Checked answering machine (haven't returned call yet). Unlocked doors and turned on lights. We're closed today, so that didn't take long. Opened e-mail and looked for anything urgent (nothing spotted). Read Twitter and FriendFeed updates. Fired up last.fm and picked out some music.
9:15-11:00 - Took Lee my copy of Sweeney Todd and chatted about Friday's GOLD/GALILEO conference. We enjoyed hearing Cliff Landis, Jason Puckett, Rachel Borchardt, and others, and we learned a lot! At 10:30, I went to a reception for our new circulation person and ate entirely too much. Mmmmm.
Now it's 11:07, and I'm going to look for my desk.
8:00-9:15 - Arrived at library. Turned in book. Dropped off lunch in fridge. Noticed and disposed of dead mouse on glue board. (Ick factor - relatively low. He was already dead, so there was no squirming or anything.) Picked up mail. Talked to Bob and Jennifer. Came up to Special Collections and heard door alarm sounding. Turned it off. Updated voice mail with new closing info. Checked answering machine (haven't returned call yet). Unlocked doors and turned on lights. We're closed today, so that didn't take long. Opened e-mail and looked for anything urgent (nothing spotted). Read Twitter and FriendFeed updates. Fired up last.fm and picked out some music.
9:15-11:00 - Took Lee my copy of Sweeney Todd and chatted about Friday's GOLD/GALILEO conference. We enjoyed hearing Cliff Landis, Jason Puckett, Rachel Borchardt, and others, and we learned a lot! At 10:30, I went to a reception for our new circulation person and ate entirely too much. Mmmmm.
Now it's 11:07, and I'm going to look for my desk.
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