A question for everyone out there: what do you think about? what do you want to know more about or get some advice about? What kind of questions or topics are you dealing with on a daily basis?
I am currently toying with the idea of starting an ALA committee or working group or something that focuses directly on Circulation and Access Services. I joined LAMA but it is not the most active group. I would really like to know if others have joined groups that they found particularly beneficial.
I am also a member of LAMA. I don't really feel like any commitee serves my needs. I would be very receptive to trying to organize an ADS commitee. From what I hear LITA is a great committee that is not too big and you can really feel like you are involved.
I would be VERY interested in participating in such a committee/working group!
LAMA and PLA have not been the most inspiring groups to work with… and I agree with Mary that LITA has been very welcoming and informative.
I have a part time position open. We have a great many Hispanics who use the library and I would love to have someone who is bi-lingual on my staff. I have put ads in the Spanish language newspaper and newsletters of organizations that serve that population, but get no applications. Any suggestions on how to get them to apply?
How about the foreign language departments of local colleges and univerisities? Perhaps they have some connections?
I would like to see some threads concerning how other academic libraries train/discipline/reward their student assistants.
Our library holds a student worker appreciation day each semester. They have a breakfast and a dinner that the students can choose to go to. We provide pizza, bagels, goodies, etc. as a way to thank them and we also have raffles and give awards to outstanding student workers. Training is conducted on a department by department basis. We have no formal training sessions.
We have no formal training sessions either. Mark, the head of circulation here, does informal training session with students after they get hired and then we reteach as the need arises. We have the honor principle here so discipline is generally not a thing, the library jobs are pretty desirable for campus, we get to be picky with our students, and we bring back workers from the year before.
We usually have an ice cream thing for summer workers and our seniors can be nominated by library staff to have a book in their field of study, bought for the library. We put a nameplate in the book saying it is dedicated to the student. We also have a small fund available to take students out for pizza or such, once a term.
I am the Circulation Librarian for a consortium in Wisconsin, and am putting together a suggested practices document for our member libraries about collection maintenance. I would like to include suggested policies for weeding, inventory, etc. Does anyone out there have anything like this that they would be willing to share? Any suggestions on what you would include?