Here's a peek inside the library world. As I mentioned in my last reflection I have begun my rotations. This month is my rotation through the Teaching, Learning, and Research departments. This department is one that I am most familiar with and have really been looking forward to. Other than my rotation I have also been attending webinars and working on the service portion of my residency. I also rounded my month off by visiting our bridge partners at Tri-County Community College. Overall, it's been a great month.

​Each week of this month I would focus on a different division of the Teaching, Learning, and Research department. I began with User Services which is honestly one of my favorite divisions from my public library experience. Thinking about user needs and doing customer service is one of the reasons I've really enjoyed librarianship. Then I visited the University Press which was another great department to chat with since my last position was managing an imprint. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations I was able to have about open access and journals, but also about how the University Press works with authors and deals with submissions. It was fascinating and I can't wait to work with them a bit more on projects. Then I made my way to Teaching & Learning where I was able to have a jam-packed day of learning more about the special subject librarians. I loved being able to sit with so many different librarians with similar and not-so-similar pathways as mine. Though I started off thinking I wanted to focus on Young Adult Services I knew it was because as a Teen Librarian, I had one focus. Being a special subject librarian in an academic space may be a tad different from the research and service expectations but ultimately it is the same work that I know and love to do. The rotation ended with a discussion and look at open education which is another pathway I hadn't really looked at before but there are some surprising crossovers with my skillsets and interests that I found really interesting and engaging. Ultimately, this entire rotation has reaffirmed the aspects of librarianship that I like the most.

One thing I appreciate about many of my workspaces is their support of professional development. Technically all of the libraries that I've worked at have really been affirming in letting employees develop professionally. If not the entire institution then my supervisors have been. That said this month I've gone to an Archive webinar and also attended some faculty interviews/presentations. It has been informative. 

Lastly, I am big on service, to be honest. I typically dive into service opportunities and sometimes tend to over-extend. However, since the pandemic, I've learned to only commit within my capacity. That said I've been able to be a preliminary judge of a 3 minute thesis competition which was a lot of fun. I felt like I learned a lot on topics I am not a expert in. I also have been selected to be a reviewer/moderator for the Conference of Academic Library Management 2024 which is exciting and something new for me. Also I've joined the Social Media & Communications team for the Resident Interest Group of ACRL which is really exciting. I love being on Social Media teams. 

As you can see, this has been a full month and I've enjoyed being here so far. The other things that I've not mentioned but should lightly be noted on is that libraries face turmoil in the most unexpected ways so that can be frustrating and disappointing. I can say that it bolsters my commitment to library work no matter how political the world gets. I also had to submit my reappointment paperwork for Year 2 of my residency. There was a nervous energy everyone had about this that didn't hit me until I submitted my paperwork. Academia is strange in this way where things are formalized but if I had to compare it to something I guess I compare it to annual reviews in public library spaces. I always am a big believer that my work is proof enough so I have nothing to be nervous about. In this space though I realized I am more nervous about not doing the paperwork right than I am about anything else. However, we'll see what happens. Until next time.

The best part about working in libraries is no two days look the same. When it comes to library work there's the agenda you create and then there's what happens daily throughout the day. My adaptability in these situations makes the day go smoothly. This month has been about me getting familiar with structuring my own days, exploring research, and sinking into working at a university. Let's look at some of the things I've been able to accomplish or encounter this month.

Fortunately, my previous position had days that I had to structure myself and I know there is a learning curve for how to fine-tune my time. It takes about a year to establish a good routine so I know to offer myself grace and freedom to not get it perfect every day. Some days it's just enough that my checklist is completed. Creating bite-sized goals makes for better morale. I love time management tools like planners, Trello, and digital calendars to help me throughout the day. I am excited to see how my schedule develops once my rotations are over but with the way they are being scheduled, I think I'll be able to do some interesting things with my days.

Speaking of rotations, I officially started rotating through the Organizational, Performance, and Inclusion Department. It's okay if you don't necessarily know what that means because I know I didn't. Basically, it's the department that ensures the structure of the library is in place. By this I mean Marketing, Digital Strategies, Learning Environments, Facilities, Strategic Planning, EDI, and a few other things. This is also my home department for the time being. Once my rotations are over I'll choose a new home department (possibly) and then I'll choose a project to focus on. Another thing I got to do was shadow the Science Librarian while she tabled a First Year Success event. I love outreach. Tabling events has always been another favorite about librarianship so it was nice to see a liaison librarian doing it right on campus. I also began to wonder if Clemson Libraries tabled events in the community or any surrounding areas but something tells me that's not something I'll see around here. However, maybe that's something that can be created. We'll see. 

This month has also been about getting familiar with the university, campus, and meeting structures. I've been able to attend our faculty meetings, and commission meetings for women & the black experience, and I've submitted to volunteer at a conference as a reviewer. These meetings always have an air of formality. I've been in a lot of these formal types of meetings from being an artist no less. Artists often sit on councils and if you're a social commentary poet like myself who is passionate about EDI initiatives you might just end up in meetings with politicians or community government meetings. Universities have a similar structure of formality. Also now that I'm in the residency I get to participate in the Diversity Resident Experience group where we meet monthly and talk about our experiences as well as do some professional development activities. I applied to work on one of the Residency Interest Group teams so we'll see if I got that.

Attending online workshops or presentations has always been exciting to me and is another thing that I get to do in my library work. I have a few topics of interest. Some things I've been paying attention to are AI and archival work. These are two parts of librarianship that have some interesting growth happening as well as emerging technologies within library spaces. So this month I attended Community-Driven Archives & Libraries in the Age of AI which was pretty great and informative. I love to see the developments that are taking place.

Lastly, I've begun to start thinking about my goals for the year and what those will look like. Its been a great month overall. I've been walking around campus to learn the lay of the land, trying to navigate where to park, and finding my own routines. Another highlight is being able to get to know my colleagues. I look forward to seeing what the next month brings.

The library is buzzing with life once more and I’m getting to see it for the first time. As promised students have spilled onto every floor. It’s impressive to see. The most action my undergrad library got was during exam times, but it also wasn’t nearly as inviting as Cooper Library. Thankfully libraries are changing their very old ways and for a building that was built in 1966, the library is thriving. I am finally preparing to start my rotations. August was filled with tours, introductions, and me wrapping my head around this residency as well as what I want to get out of this experience. I've settled into my cubicle (plants and all) and am ready to go.

In anticipation of this week, I met with the Library Resident Committee and the different divisions. There are four divisions that I’ll be doing rotations in for the next several months. This meeting was an opportunity for me to meet with the different division heads before my rotations began. It was a tad underwhelming because most of the divisions I had information on and had met with prior to this. I definitely feel this should’ve been done during my first week or closer to the start of my time here. The semester is underway but I feel as if I’m just getting cranked in. I can already tell which two divisions will be my favorite and honestly which department I fit best in. I had ideas of what I wanted to do in academic libraries before I got here and now that I’m here I am noticing just how much my instincts were right.

Since the beginning of time, I've known that special subjects and collections would be my areas of expertise. Something in the fray and not isolated. I’m an extrovert. The little Mermaid sang, 🎶I want to be where the people are 🎶 and I knew when I toured during my interview that I too wanted to be in the hub. One thing no one tells you going into libraries is that most folks are introverts, especially librarians. Though we're less commonplace, extroverts in libraries do exist. One thing that has surprised me about academia so far is that everyone asks, “What’s your specialty?” In public libraries folks mostly care about your department and maybe your title. While academia is separated by whether you're staff or faculty. This residency is a faculty position so the next breakdown is whether you're temporary, entry, assistant, or tenure faculty. When it comes to specialties I have been delighted to discover most folks have two or more areas of specialty. I fit right into this world, a lot smoother than I thought I would. Juggling the plates of my interest with the best of them.

That’s why we’re here. To explore our interest. We’ll see if these rotations open me up to avenues I haven’t considered yet. I did get a thing or two out of the presentations by one department that I hadn’t really heard from yet Overall, this week has definitely felt like preparation. We are ready for lift off!

Highlights of the Week: 
-Hung out with a Liasion Librarian to table a Diversity Event
-Went to a workshop on Libraries in the Age of AI & Community Driven Archives

Laters!  

     I officially accepted a position as the Library Resident at Clemson University. This is one of those rare moments in life where my worlds collide. The artist, the librarian, and the techie all get to exist in the same stratosphere. At least that’s what I will be focusing on for this residency, merging my interest and hopefully walking away with a clearer path in librarianship. 

 What is a librarian resident? So happy you asked! It is typically a temporary faculty position at a academic library that allows persons of diverse backgrounds to explore different departments. Some libraries might call it a diversity fellow or something similar. It is typically for recent graduates from a MLIS or MSIS (in my case). Or a librarian wanting to transition into academic libraries. Both of those descriptions fit me!
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     Leaving public libraries was a tough decision. In grad school my professors inspired me to push further and really examine what it is that I want to do within libraries. I quickly reached my goal of being a teen librarian and my goal of being a manager in a public library. While administration is the next logical step in public libraries I wanted to step back into the world of academia. The changes being made with technology, research, and special subjects pulled at the academic in me. Also, my ideas on research for projects in the African Diaspora, theatre, and information have just been sitting on the back burner. This is a great opportunity to take a giant step back into that.
     
     As a black woman in this career I’ve been faced with the reality that most of the time I will be the minority in the room. I might be the only black woman in my department, in leadership, in the room but I take it with stride. A few months ago in a DEI council meeting we were going over identities and it became alarmingly apparent to me that some public spaces don’t consider minorities in their planning. To do so would mean to be controversial and a lot of public institutions can’t afford to be controversial.

​     This is why this residency stuck out to me. It is specifically for persons of diverse backgrounds to grow in their career. It’s a three year faculty position that will be allow me to explore different departments and see where my heart begins to sing.
I’m excited to share this journey with you all as I begin to explore the world of academic libraries.

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​​In the Teen Lounge of my library, it is part of my job to keep up with video games. We have a Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and an Xbox One. It is the fun part of my job knowing the ends and outs of these game systems and being able to play them with the teens that come into our space. Additionally, I have to make sure that my staff is trained to use these systems as well. I found it fascinating that video games are such an integral part of teen’s lives, but in the beginning, there was a search for diffusion. We see this now with games that use servers and the cloud as opposed to a system itself.

How fast can a new wave be adopted? “This chapter suggested five attributes of innovations by which an innovation can be described, and showed that individual receiver's perceptions of these attributes predict an innovation's rate of adoption.”  (Rogers, E. M. 2010) The book mentions the rate of adoption, relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability as the five attributes of innovation. I think these same things can be seen with the emergence of things like Roblox or EA Games.

The cloud is the future of videogaming, and it could arrive sooner than many players expect, with important implications for investors. (Hough, J. 2018) Phones and computers now come with hardware and software that only game systems used to monopolize on. Even the chapter mentions that Nintendo had the capability to use a keyboard they just didn’t advertise it. “As in Japan, the little gray box did not come with a keyboard or a disk drive (although a panel m the bottom can be removed to reveal a port for a cable connector to a keyboard, modem, or other computer equipment)” (Rogers, E. M. 2010)

These attributes are extremely relevant today. However, there is always something better around the corner. “New competitors entered the market with better graphics, less expensive games, and standard hardware that could be used for more than gaming. Early attempts to challenge Nintendo had failed, and as a result, Nintendo grew complacent. However, before long companies like Sega, Sony and Microsoft were coming out with better consoles that offered more features for about the same cost.” (Wesley, D., & Barczak, G. 2010)

Technology is always changing and advancing, as we see the market transition the truth is video games aren’t going anywhere. They are becoming more and more a part of everyday life. With things like serious games also coming into classrooms. It may leave some games behind. “Lego used to compete head-tohead with Mattel and Hasbro in brick sets and action figures; now it has to come to grips with the latest digital device or online offering from Sony, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts.” One thing is for sure innovation will transform as well.