Hello Online Class, Goodbye World!

By Anna Gossin

I don’t get out much anymore. I’m not one of those people who choose to not go anywhere. When your life revolves around school, like mine currently does, and 75% of your classes are online, your options for human contact are restricted. I’m stuck at a computer staring at a UBLearns screen for what has to be the zillionth time in the course of ten semesters at UB, and I want out.

It’s easy to see the benefits of an online learning community in a constantly changing technological wasteland, but it has ramifications. I think I’m slowly forgetting how to interact with people and how to participate in class without clicking a mouse. I’m going to be one of those people who run around the Lockwood basement for fun. Oh, wait, too late. Remember the last time I had to do some routine homework? I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially if the cage monsters try to eat you.

What can I do with myself? My only friends are the MARC websites that tell me what I’m doing wrong, the discussion boards, and the 568 wiki. Whatever will I do for human contact? How am I supposed to function in a society that expects more from me than “yes, you need an MLS to be a librarian” or “did you do your discussion posts this week?”

I’m slowly turning into the MLS-Bot. How should I fix this? Reading the books in the lounge won’t help because no one wants an outdated robot. I’m going to need a new set of catchphrases and programming that doesn’t have a MARC listing. Anyone up for the challenge can find me on UBLearns at all hours of the night. I’ll need to be taken outside immediately to see if it worked. If not, then it may be necessary to completely revamp my Plan of Study.

ALA Prepares for Busy Semester

By Janee Dabney

UB-ALA kicked off the spring semester with a sweet event. On February 11th our student group held a Bake Sale in the Baldy Common area. Sara Sinden, an LIS student, graciously delved out the delicious treats prepared by UB-ALA members as well as LIS students.

The popular Get Shelved t-shirts are still available for $10 each, and a new design contest is now underway. UB-ALA has decided to sell tote bags and would like a creative new design to adorn them. Design submissions can be e-mailed to ubstudentala@gmail.com. The contest will be publicized through out the next few weeks.

UB-ALA will once again host a Wine and Cheese Soiree on Friday, February 27th. Space is limited so visit our blog for more details and information. The event promotes professional development as topics in librarianship are discussed. This semester our group would also like to hold another Professional Development event on campus for LIS students. Advocacy, networking, and re-location have been discussed as topics for the event. You can send your suggestions to us at ubstudentala@gmail.com or post to our blog at http://www.ubstudentala.wordpress.com.

UB-ALA has created a team for Relay for Life, March 21-22 at the Alumni Arena. The event will be from 4pm-6am. Our team is the Librarians for Life and we are looking for team captains. The team can be no larger than 15 people and the cost to participate is $10, so come join us for some relay fun, future librarian style.
While the website is redesigned, the UB-ALA blog will now serve as the web site for our student group. Other events and activities for this semester can be found on the blog. Feel free to contact us with your questions or concerns.

Welcome back!

Welcome back to returning students and a hearty welcome to the program for new students!

UB DLIS ISBN (Interesting student blog and news) is a newsletter compiled once a month by the student groups within the department. Each month, a member from ALA, LIS GSA, SLA, SLAWNY, and RASL (dizzy yet?) contributes an article to the newsletter about what his or her club has done and is planning for the next month. A one stop shop, if you will, for where to get your club activities information.

We also accept articles about daily student life–scary basements in Lockwood or strange reading in the lounge–and reviews about films with librarians in them. Please see Submission Guidelines for more information if you would like to submit an article to the ISBN.

You can also read our past issues here in PDF form.

A helpful one to look at it would be the September/October 2008 issue. Faculty members wrote profiles about themselves and their work, which we published to serve as an introduction for students, especially those who are practicum or adviser hunting.

Please email us at ubdlisisbn@gmail.com with any questions or submissions. Or you can comment right here!

Journey to the Center of the Lockwood Basement

by Anna Gossin

It was a not so dark and stormy Saturday morning when I wandered back into Lockwood Library. I had an assignment to complete for LIS505, and needed a book. Yes, I suppose that’s a given on certain days. This book was about library science. Again, that seems obvious when you think about it. I needed a book on intellectual freedom and I needed it then. I don’t need it as much now, but at the time, my entire GPA depended on it. This meant journeying into a previously undiscovered territory: the infamous Lockwood Basement.

Whoever decided that library science books deserved the letter Z obviously has never been to Lockwood Library. Z gets the distinction of being the last letter of the alphabet and the last section of the library. This means that all of our books are in the basement, next to the juvenile section and some random textbooks. If someone desperately needs a library bound copy of the latest Harry Potter, they now know where to look. No one should ever go into the basement alone, and certainly not on a Saturday morning.

I’ll get right to the point: That basement is creepy. Things squeak even when the floor is deserted. The cages of old books just scream out “Enter At Your Own Risk” even without a sign. I know these are stacks, the stenciled sign doesn’t need to tell me that. What’s going to happen when I want some obscure dissertation from 1987? Am I going to get sucked into the pages, never to be seen again? Here’s how to keep this from happening. Never go to the basement alone on a weekend. Simple, right? I should hope so. After all, it was our stellar common sense skills that got us into library school in the first place, right? Maybe. Get back to me on that one, but not from inside the cages.

Pregunta De Semana

How much do you use the list-serv? Do you get it in regular or digest form?

Do you INTENSELY DISLIKE THE LIST SERV?

Tell us your feelings (or thoughts) about it.

Question Time!!

Time for some fun.

Finals are coming up and stress is in the air.

What are some things you like to do to relieve the stress during finals time?

Question de Semaine

That French is bad. Someone should fix it.

Here’s your question:

What do you think should be posted on the list serv? Should the recent political conversations be allowed? Why or why not?

Should there be guidelines for the list serv?

Editor Correction

Anna Gossin’s name was misspelled as Anna Grossin on both the blog and the PDF newsletter (see “Weed Me, Seymour”). The newsletter stored here has been fixed as has the blog entry. The editor apologizes for this mistake.

Rochester Continues Annual Children’s Book Festival Tradition

by Jeremy Crawford

The 12th annual Rochester Children’s Book festival is coming on November 8th from 10 to 4. The festival is located at Monroe Community College’s Brighton campus and admission is free.

You might want to bring some money though as there will be over forty authors and illustrators there to sign copies of their work.

Not interested in autographs? Come to see storytellers and picture book readings. Bring your kids or participate yourself as the festival staff run craft sessions and workshops aimed at kids from kindergarten to sixth grade. If you feel a little too old to participate with the little ones, then take part in the teen/tween activities.

Seneca Park Zoo will also be there with their book and beast program. Hope to see you there and for additional information and the author/illustrator list visit:

http://www.rochesterchildrensbookfestival.org/

Weed Me, Seymour

by Anna Gossin

The second I walked into the new lounge, I could smell it. All the books on the shelf hadn’t been looked at in years, but were too entertaining to pass up. How was it that a lounge for library science students was full of outdated information?

After wondering why we were lucky enough to receive this haul, I figured that there had to be a bright spot. Luckily, it was being able to read books aloud. Yes, there is a difference between this and reading silently. It’s all about delivery. No one’s going to appreciate a drab voice droning on and on about projections for 1980 and beyond (which, according to the lounge collection, are unclear).

If you’re going to read from the UB Alumni Directory of 1992, you better use an official voice. Otherwise, no one’s going to believe it when you read contact information for your father where’s list at a job (that he quit in 1993) and an address (that we left in 1996) that are unintentionally hilarious. By the way, that book ended up being a huge hit at our house.

So what are we to do with a collection that was weeded and repurposed? I think I’d rather do work with a book that tells me that 1980 and beyond are clear and have already happened.

But I would rather perform a reading from our haul. What’s the good of a giant pile of books if we can’t get something useful out of them? Yes, weeding is necessary for collection development, the good of the library, blah blah bookcakes. It’s also great for a makeshift DLIS acting class. My solution is a new series: Lounge Dramatic Monologue Series, to be held whenever there’s a crowd in the lounge. Walk-ins welcome.