New Orleans Library Intern 2017

The stories of a intern at the New Orleans Public Library, during the summer of 2017. This blog will feature my experiences being surrounded by librarians and my new knowledge surrounding the importance of librarianship. In addition to a compilation of quotes by some of my favorite authors and tidbits of information by a slight bookworm. #PLinterns17

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LAST FULL WEEK

This is my first week working on the weekend. It’s pretty laid back, there aren’t quite as many people here right now as there would be on a normal day. This week has been pretty chill. I missed Tuesday, because I was at a funeral. The AARC (where I work) is being moved downstairs to make room for a maker-space. 

I’ve been helping put books away in the AARC and working on coming up with ideas for my project.

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Chrissy Teigen is my new favorite person

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Library Staff Interviews :)

Dear loyal readers,

As you may remember, last week I embarked on a quest to interview five employs at the main branch of the New Orleans Public Library. As an intern and a lover of knowledge, it is my duty to share with you, the public, what I have learned about librarians. Keep in mind I am not Albert Einstein, or any other genius you can think of, my conclusions are based simply on what I think is important based on the interviews.

The five basic questions that made up the interview were:

1) What is your job title?

2) Briefly, describe your job duties.

3) What is your educational background?

4) What, if any, jobs did you have before you worked at the library?

5) What is your favorite part about working in the library?

Every librarian, more or less, has a different experience or reason for becoming a librarian. Some people were swept away by a book and others have a natural desire to educate and give the public access to knowledge. 

As many of you may or may not know (I certainly didn’t at first), there are many levels of librarianship. Yes, just like any job there are different levels with different duties. There are library pages, Associate 1′s, Associate 2′s, branch managers, and regional managers. There also different fields of library study such as academic, public, and special. 

One thing that amazed me, throughout my interview, is the idea that librarians come from all different backgrounds and experiences and end up in the same branch of the same library system. Some librarians come from art history backgrounds or food service backgrounds or even backgrounds in public health, but a common passion brought them together. They each have qualities that set them apart whether it’s the ability to work well with computers or a knack for patience. Together librarians band together and provide and indispensable service to the community that it opens itself up to and the community that it nurtures with the seeds of knowledge.

The most common answer, when I asked what is your favorite part about working in the library, was interacting/helping the public. Librarians have a job on par with teaching when it comes to sharing information with the public. Every day of the week all throughout the year the library opens up it’s doors and educates. They don’t say you are too young for that or you don’t need to know that, because their primary motivation is educating.

As one librarian said: “My mantra is that libraries build bridges, not walls.”p

[hiicatc]

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Chris

Today would have been Chris Cornell’s 53rd birthday.

So let’s just remember his pure greatness.

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Survey Results: Week 1-Day 1

As promised, I have completed both influential tasks at the library. 

This morning I spent a very informative hour on the porch of the library listening to people without a permanent residences talking about random artists and history. I only interviewed two people, which may not seem like a lot, but is impressive for me because I don’t talk to strangers ever. 

From this experience I learned a lot. For example, people don’t need an incentive to talk to you. I did not end up giving out gift packages because I felt like I was bribing them and many of them had access to food and other materials. 

The first person I talked to was retired. He comes to the library every day. He said that he thought that the library as a whole was very convenient, except for the bathrooms. I really can’t do anything about the status of the bathrooms. He said he feels safe and respected at the library. 

The other man I talked to comes to the library about five times a week and said that his least favorite part of the library was outside. The outside of the library is very bland and putrid, a lot of people without a permanent residence congregate there throughout the day. He also said he does not feel respected by the library staff.

From this experience, I have decided to remove the question about “what is your preferred term to describe your living situation?,” because that could be found patronizing. I also decided I would like to add some room for follow up questions, like why does the second man not feel respected by the library staff. I also would like to add a more abstract question, like “What does the library mean to you?” 

The purpose of this project is to determine how the library can change to better serve the under-served population at the library. Let me know if you have any suggestions about what else I can ask.

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Pre-Update

By this time tomorrow, I will have completed both my staff surveys and my under-served population surveys. I packed my bags and I am ready to go, not really. I am incredibly nervous about how this will turn out. 

Thank you guys for your support.

It really means a lot. Tomorrow I will update you about how both went.

Love you.

Nyela Joshua, PLinterns17

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Staff Interviews: Part 1

While my mentor is on vacation, I have been assigned to interview five or six staff members about their jobs and lives about librarians. So far my interviews have been going very well, I’ve been a learning a lot about the passion it takes to be a librarian and what purpose they set out to serve. Everyone has been super nice and supportive. When I am done and everything has been reviewed (because of my all too often grammatical mistakes), I will post my findings on my blog. Thanks so much for your support and help.

[kanawhalibrary-deactivated20221]

Millennials are the most likely generation of Americans to use public libraries

About half of U.S. Millennials have visited a public library or bookmobile in the past year.

With resources like Hoopla Digital, free Wi-Fi, access to audiobooks & ebooks, literacy programs, children’s programs, and so much more, everything you need is at the public library. Check us out online at www.kanawhalibrary.org

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My collection of mybookmark ❤

Bookstagram | Goodreads | Twitter

[lagonegirl]

Congratulations!!!! 

Giving black gay boys some hope out here. Representation Matters!!!  Support #LGBTQ #BlackGays

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Homeless Project --> Under Served Population Project

Dear my loyal readers,

I find the process of updating you on my project (regarding the under served population at the New Orleans Public Library) cathartic. Here are some changes I have made and somethings I have learned.

One major things is I have changed the audience of my survey from specifically the homeless population to the under served population. The basis of this decision is that the lingerers at the library are not necessarily homeless. They could have a home, which is missing an amenity that most of us take for granted such as the AC or wi-fi. This change will hopefully not have an immediate result on the results of my project. 

I have also simplified my survey quite a bit, I realized that my previous survey was pretentious and almost had a judgmental nature about it. I have allowed numerous more professional people review it and give me suggestions on ways I could make it more subtle to the population it is tailored towards. I also deleted irrelevant questions.

Another thing I have learned is that I am passionate about pure programs were the people are genuinely and sincerely interested in what they are doing. As part of preparation for my survey (which has been delayed another week), I met with Shannon from the YMCA. As I waited, I listened to the employees discussing which students would take the literacy test and stuff and there passion really shinned through. I was envious of the immediate effects there work had on the population they served, my survey distanced me from the population I intended to serve. 

I’ve decided that I would prefer to talk to my interviewees to make it more personal. Although the survey itself is more about services that the library could provide to benefit the members of the under served community that frequent the library, I feel like this away for me to connect and and become more in touch with the personal stories of this specific population.

Sincerely,

Nyela Joshua.

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Frida

Okay. So I missed Frida Kahlo’s birthday, which was July 6th. Frida Kahlo is my greatest inspiration in life from the colors in her paintings to the subtle abnormalities that are almost poetic in their nature. Not only was her art amazing, but she was an openly bisexual artist at a time of ignorance and even-smaller minded views than now.

Even though this blog is tailored towards literature and the library, her art has still inspired generations of artists. Her art as colorful and magical realistic as that of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Her journals are literature and the story of her life enchanting.

From the magical quote:  “ I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration.” to:  “ There have been two great accidents in my life. One was the trolley, and the other was Diego. Diego was by far the worst.”

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We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

-Oscar Wilde

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Little things I am grateful for today…📚❤

*not mine*🙄