How Traveling Made Me a Better Librarian

My library 'career' started over fifteen years ago, with a job at my local public library at age 16. Since then I've held a variety of positions in a number of different libraries. And I've enjoyed the opportunity to understand libraries from multiple positions and levels. I believe that those positions  make me a good librarian because I understand comprehensive library workflow and understand how all the positions in a library work together to provide access to patrons.

But as I'm reflecting on this past summer in Uganda, I believe it's my time in Africa that has really made me the librarian I am at this point. Not because I gained important library skills [which I did!] but because by it's nature, travel changes us. Traveling to new countries and cultures allows us to see the world in news ways and to get outside ourselves and our own experiences. And those are the ways that have had the greatest impact on me, and ultimately on my career.

For example, I am more compassionate toward students since living in Uganda. I've always had great empathy for others. Recently I even found my Preschool Report Card that said "Rachel is very sensitive to the other students." Apparently I've always cared about other people. :) But spending time with my students in Uganda gave my heart even more compassion for them and others. I often say that I am not a particularly great librarian. That is, I don't always ask the perfect questions when I'm helping someone and I may not be the best teacher in the classroom. But I show students compassion and empathy so that they felt heard and understood in the midst of their research frustrations. Which ultimately, I hope, does make me a great librarian.

I've also learned to slow down. In East African culture, life moves at a slower pace than here in the US. In Uganda that meant stopping to talk with neighbors when walking home or taking the time to fully greet people as they walk into the library. But when helping students in the US, it can be easy to rush through their question, give them some resources, and go back to 'my other work'. Multitasking and busy-ness are buzzwords here. And I'm learning [and re-learning] to slow down and listen. Sometimes slowing down creates moments that have a lasting impact. Not because I answered a student's question in the most amazing way but because they trust me and share a piece of their story with me. I've had students tell me about how hard it is to be a single parent and a full-time student or the difficulties of returning to school after serving in the military. It's such a privilege when students share those things with me and they only do that when I slow down enough to really listen.

Most importantly, though, my time in Uganda has given me a bigger perspective on life and also librarianship. One of the best things about traveling and living in another country, is the chance to get outside yourself and your own experiences. Living in Uganda gave me the chance to not only see life in and through another culture but to also see librarianship in a different context. Now when I am tempted to think that something at work is 'the end of the world', I try to remember that librarians in other parts of the world are dealing with many of the same things. There are men and women around the world, working to provide access to information with few resources or personnel. They are the heros of the library world. My random issues with a problem patron or furniture placement in the library are nothing compared to what others deal with every day.

This past summer, someone gave us some advice to make the most of our time in Uganda. We were told that in order to have an impact we should: slow down, listen more, talk less, and focus on people. Without those things it wouldn't matter what 'did' in the library. I'm realizing that those aren't just lessons I needed while I was in Uganda. Those are things I need to do here, in the US, everyday. Because those are the things that will ultimately make a difference in someone's life. Finding someone the perfect book is great but what they will remember is how they were treated while they found the book. So, that's my new focus. As the new school year begins I want to come to work every day with a mindset to slow down, listen, and focus on people. Because really, helping people is what being a librarian is all about.

Things They Don't Teach You in Library School, Part 2

I wrote my original post on things they don't teach you in library school several years ago, when I was living in Uganda. It's one of my most popular posts and I still think all those things are true. However, in the years since I wrote that list, I've learned a lot more about being a librarian. The fact is, one grad school just can't teach you everything you need to know about being a professional librarian. You will learn a lot but there's plenty more to learn on the job. [Isn't that the case with any job, though?]

So, here are more things they don't teach you in library school...in a US, reference librarian context:

• Some days, you will spend much of your time helping patrons with things like: email, printing, wifi, etc. It might feel a bit 'beneath' you, especially if you have a long to-do list of lesson planning, meetings, etc. Think of those questions as outreach...if you're friendly and approachable while you help a patron print, hopefully they will come back when they have a research question.
• And, speaking of that to-do list. You will have one. A long one, no doubt.
• And on that list will be meetings. Lots of meetings. 
• Some patrons will not understand what you do. At all. They will ask you: to watch their stuff, proofread a paper, help them with their homework, etc. Just smile. And remind them what you can do for them: send them to the tutoring center, show them a book that answers their question, use a locker on campus, etc. Librarians connect people to information, even if it's not 'traditional' research information.
• Sometimes patrons just need encouragement or a listening ear. I can't tell you how many students ask for help finding articles or books and end up asking some variation: this is a good topic...right? Which I interpret as: Can I really do this big, scary assignment?
• There will be some questions that will cause you to have a moment of inner panic. [You want to find what?!] Take a deep breath. You'll be fine. And that will likely be the most interesting question you will answer all week.
• The best reference interactions end with: Thank you! This is exactly what I need! And you will feel like you just changed that patron's world.

Again, this is a very reference librarian focused list. But, hey, it's all true, right? :) Librarians do a lot of things besides shushing and reading...most of which you discover along the way.

Daily Information Gathering

As a librarian, I love to find information. I can't even tell you how much I like to help friends and family find tidbits of information. It's like a personal Reference Interview about fun stuff. When I was living in Uganda I used to help my roommate find things online when she was having trouble. We used to joke about how if she couldn't find something she could just hand me the computer and in less than 5 minutes I'd have the answer. Whenever someone says, "I wonder why/who/what...?" I'm usually quick to jump in with, "I'll find out!" And, after returning from Uganda I got my first smartphone which makes it even easier to find information when I'm out and about. Just ask my  husband...when we're out and something comes up I'm often sitting in the passenger seat, searching on my phone.

So, as I continue my search for employment, I'm finding lots of joy in searching for answers in my day-to-day. Admittedly, I mostly use Google but I figure since I'm not looking for scholarly information, it's ok. :) Here are some recent examples of things I researched for friends and family:

In the James Bond movie 'Goldfinger' did the actress playing the Bond girl really die from being painted with gold, as her character did?
[Answer: no. It's all a myth.]

How do gmail labels compare to folders in other webmail services? How do you move an email to a folder?
[Answer: labels seem to be Google's version of folders and emails can have more than one label.

Who was the vice president under Abraham Lincoln?
[Going to see the movie 'Linoln' sparked all kinds of history related questions. Answer: for his first term, Hannibal Hamlin; for his second term, Andrew Johnson]

How do you pronounce Sofitel Hotel?
[After driving by this hotel late at night we had a long conversation about the hotel, trying to make it rhyme, etc. We're easily amused, what can I say? :) Answer: We're still not sure but we did find out it's a French hotel and that there are tons of amusing reviews on TripAdvisor.]

So, there you have it. Some completely random questions I've recently 'researched'. I seriously find these kinds of searches enjoyable.

Anything I can help you find? :)

Facebook as Teaching Tool

As I've mentioned  before, when I first arrived at RTC in January there were no working computers in the library. We now have two staff computers and two student/public computers. I love that we have these available to the students! This feels like such a huge step for the library and for the students.

It also means my days are very busy helping students with computers and teaching computer skills (in-between cataloging of course!). The computer skills I am teaching here are very different than the ones I taught in the US. In the US we talk about databases, information literacy, scholarly research, creating a search strategy, avoid using Google/Wikipedia for research, PDFs, online journals, etc., etc., etc. (I'm debating whether or not to write 'blah, blah, blah' instead of etc.) And these are all good things. But I continue to find that the majority of the terms are irrelevant to my current situation and library. The concepts are great but some of those things are challenging my teaching ability.

For example, here are some common scenarios:

Students come to the library and simply want to learn how to use email. They don't have an email account and ask me to help them set one up. Others have email but ask for help using advanced features, such as attaching documents and replying to someone who has emailed them previously. These are sometimes the students that also want help setting up a Facebook account. I have also been asked to help students: fill out online forms/applications, use Google, write a Word document, create charts/tables within said document, transfer pictures from digital camera to computer, etc. I love answering these questions and teaching these things. In a culture that is somewhat new to the world of internet and computers, I'm learning to think carefully about my explanations and make sure my teaching is clear.

And in the process I've realized two things. 1. Technology is incredibly confusing  and 2. I need to take advantage of every computer question to teach 'information literacy'.

Let me explain.

First, think about the last time you set up some sort of online account or ordered something online or forget a password. Did the process include a word captia? You know, those things with scrambled/distorted letters/words? How often do you have trouble reading the letters? Now try explaining that to someone who is learning English. I know there are bad people in the world that make things like that important but, seriously, my patience for those things has gone out the window.

Or what about things/terms like: programs, files, mouse, monitor, click, internet, website, highlight, save? You get the idea.

Secondly, I am learning to use every computer interaction as a chance to explain the skills I want to teach. The reality is, you have to walk before you can run. For students who are just learning how to use a computer, setting up email and Facebook are fun ways to get comfortable using the machines. Would you rather listen to me say, 'This is a monitor, this is a mouse' or 'Here is how you can write to your friends at home'? Teaching a student to use email or Facebook helps him or her learn to use a computer in a slightly less intimidating way.

Or take this example: a few weeks ago a student was complaining to me that he couldn't add friends on Facebook. I went over to look at his computer and see the problem. I don't remember exactly what the error message was but somehow I figured out he had been adding random people to his friends list and Facebook had blocked him from adding anyone for a week. It was a perfect chance to explain privacy and critical thinking a bit more! :)

Finally, another student recently wanted help with a homework assignment. He wanted to do research online to supplement his reading. The librarian in me was so excited! :) Interestingly, in the US I would try to dissuade students from using Google for research, instead pointing them to other sources of information. But here, it's the first place I go. I can teach 'create a search strategy' without using those words. I show the difference between their search (i.e. typing an entire homework question into Google) and my search (picking out the keywords). And once they have their results...I tell them to make sure they write down the website they are copying from. Aha! Teaching plagiarism. Who knew you could teach so much without using all those big words? :)

And watching someone's face light up when they find their first friend on Facebook or create a good search in Google, makes it all worth it.

Outside the Box

I am outside the box in a lot of ways right now. I am outside my comfort zone. I am outside my familiar language. I am learning to think differently. This past week I spent most of my time focusing on language learning. Instead of going to RTC, I focused on learning the local language (Luganda). It’s been exhausting but also rewarding as I learn to think in a new language. Even though the classes at RTC are taught in English, learning the local language will help me to better connect with my new community.

Anyway, my last day at RTC, before this break, I got my first reference question in the library. It was very exciting. For my non-librarian readers, a reference question is simply a question asked in a library that involves research, i.e. NOT “Where’s the bathroom?” Joshua, the library assistant, and I were sorting through some of the books we decided to keep (the small pile of boxes shown in my previous post) and a student came in saying she needed help. She said a professor had assigned a research paper and she wanted to start. My first thought was that classes haven’t even started yet and someone wants to do research? Amazing!!

We asked her what she wanted to write about and she said her question was “Why are there no men in my [teaching] Kindergarten classes?” Joshua just wanted to give her the education textbooks and be done. But I decided a reference interview was in order, i.e. asking a few more questions to help refine the research question. After talking with her, I discovered that she was really looking to answer a question about whether or not there are more women that work with children in the classroom and if so, why...is there something different about men and women? Actually, a pretty interesting question when you think about it…getting at gender roles within the education system. Especially interesting when you add the Ugandan context. I'm sure my face lit up and it was all I could do not to jump up and down at such an interesting question. A break from sorting dusty books! :) What stopped me, though, was when I realized I had no idea where I would find resources for her.

When I worked in the States I would have asked:

• Are you looking for journal articles or books? Statistics?
• Is there a time frame you need these resources to be within?
• Where have you looked so far?

But all of a sudden I realized that at RTC:

• There is no computer or internet and therefore no online databases to find journal articles or statistical resources.
• There is no catalog or list of books…currently RTC has little to no information about the almost 14,000 books in their library.
• All the books in the library have come from donations (except for required textbooks, which the school purchases for all students), so the only books on education, besides textbooks, are those that happen to have been donated at some point.
• While the books are organized into sections by subject, there is no order within the sections. So, within the sections of education books and journals, I had to read each spine and table of contents to see if something might work.

My job this year will be to change these things but for now that's the reality. I calmly told myself not to panic and to think outside the box. I took Joshua’s advice and gave her the textbooks to start so she could at least look at something. Then, I started hunting. Sure, enough, I did find some books about early childhood education, psychology, gender roles and differences, and even some encyclopedia articles on Kindergarten. Whew! Success! At least for now. (I am choosing, for now, to ignore the fact that most resources were at least 30 years old and written from a Western perspective.)

But I was reminded of a couple things.

First, I need to be careful how attached I get to doing certain things in certain ways. My job, traveling, even eating. I’m learning a lot about flexibility since coming to Uganda. My flat loses power frequently so sometimes I go to bed by 9pm. I’m learning to eat and cook new foods. Although, to be honest, learning to eat fresh avocado and pineapple regularly has not been hard. :) This reference question was just another example of learning flexibility. If I, as a librarian, think the only way to find information to a student’s question is to use the internet, I am in trouble. As I learn to eat new foods and travel in new ways, I also need to be willing to try new methods of research.

Second, I was reminded, again, to approach a question from more than one angle and to teach students to do the same. This student was asking about education but I found some interesting information in a psychology textbook about gender roles and expectations in society. I think she was surprised that I was not just looking at education books. But isn’t that part of my job? Teaching the research process? Teaching how to think outside the box?

So, here's to not getting caught in a rut (and believe me, there are plenty of ruts here in the dirt roads :)) and to thinking outside the box a bit.