Catching up on library school

I’ve been on Spring Break the week before last, then last week marked our mid-point in my Library Management course. (Yes, it does seem like longer).  I’m the discussion board moderator for these two weeks about Managing People.  Reading from Herbert A. Simon’s book Administrative Behavior I inserted this quote:

"The major problems of organization today are not problems of departmentalization and coordination of operating units.  Instead, they are problems of organizing information storage and information processing -- not division of labor, but factorization of decision-making.These organizational problems are best attacks, at least to a first approximation, by examining the information system and the system of decision it supports in abstraction from agency and department structure" (p. 248-9).

My questions posed are:  What issues have you witnessed or heard of regarding problems in communication?  What could have been done to solve the problem better?  As a manager, how would you have dealt with the communication in the (library or other) organization?

I’ve found some pretty interesting comments.  I figured that was going to be a hot topic for many people.  There are public and school librarians who say that there are issues within the departments that aren’t expressed to other departments or that instructions aren’t clear and concise. 

Aside from my discussion board moderation, we have a Stakeholders Analysis project for the Dallas Public Library.  I’ll be taking on the local colleges and the City of Dallas itself for my part of the project.  We’ll get the first draft done by April 11th, then the final draft done by the 27th.  Aside from that I’ll have to do my final Reflective Diary for weeks 5-10, plus outline and complete my Personal Theory of Management paper.  That’s a lot of work to turn in by May 4th but I’ll be glad to have it under my belt.

Right now I’m still leaning toward the idea that I won’t be joining up for another online program anytime soon.  Granted I’m not working (still) and I have time to do it, I’m just burned out.  I’d like to do something in Education, but then again I’m not sure.  I think it’s best to just enjoy the Spring, look for work, get back to writing (and blogging) and try to get into a program later on when I can be in a face-to-face setting for a higher degree.  Or, better yet, if my workplace would pay for it!  I was looking through tons of online programs and then after moving and getting settled, I decided that more time in my real life was more important.  Granted I feel more enlightened and accomplished when I’m learning in a class but I can always do some online Webinars or courses through the ALA or YALSA. 

Married life is just way too good to worry about homework! (And you can quote me on that.)  With that said, I’ve got to get back to my cooking…

The Portfolio!

Now that I've dropped my Librarians as Instructional Partners class, I've been able to concentrate on my Portfolio. This is my Final Exam that includes my resume, five-year plan on how I'll benefit the community in a new job, a list of how I'll accomplish those goals, and academic papers proving I have the necessary skills needed to accomplish those goals. There was a lot of tweaking involved and working with my academic advisor whom I just happened to ask how I submit an online portfolio. She gave a lot more pointers than the basic outline gave so now I should have a pretty decent Portfolio all together. Before I submit it I'll have to add a paragraph indicating why I chose the academic papers I chose.

In other library news, I'm the proud owner of cards for both my local library and the big City Library. I'm still super impressed with their self-service machines. Having a cafe around is awesome too. Yesterday I was able to walk to the library with Steve, then go on to the park with my books and read Wuthering Heights over coffee. Not a bad way to start the week.

I also applied for a library job in a town near here. I'm not sure how many positions are available or how many people will be applying for them but I really hope I get that job. It would be part-time, a bus ride away, and something within my perspective career. I have my fingers crossed big time for this.

A new term, a new start

Last week my final library science classes at TWU started.  Coincidentally or not I was travelling last week as well.  So today, from my new home office in my flat in England, with a view of the back garden, I am catching up on my first assignments.

This term I have Librarians as Instructional Partners as well as Library Management.  So far I’ve done my introductions and read an article, printed the syllabi and started writing in assignment dates in my day-planner.  It looks like I’ll have my hands full with assignments and projects, but that’s fine.  I’m enjoying the spoils of being a housewife now so I can spend my days, like today, doing the laundry and tackling homework. 

As far as the quest for an online Master’s in Ed program, I found out that I really don’t need it.  My MLS degree courses will suffice for renewing my Florida Professional Certificate so I’ve already sent in the fax to have those transcripts sent in to Tallahassee (where the FLDOE is) in May once the term is over.  After that, if we come back to Florida, all I need to do is take a Media Specialist test and I can be certified for that as well.  At this rate, I’ll have a lot of tools under my belt.  I’ll still go to Durham in February to do the interview for my UK teacher training courses (see if they’ll let me in).  I now can sort of lean back and see what, if any, classes I want to take over Summer.  I’m thinking I’d enjoy the MEd in Reading programs better than the Curriculum and Development ones.  (Still not sure what the C&I programs do for anyone either but I did hear a couple comments on that being good for librarians.)

I’m sorry I don’t have much other input than that.  I’ll be able to post more specifics about my librarian/academic life once the term really gets moving.

Schools and salespeople

While I’m waiting to ring in the New Year, I thought I’d write an update about my search for an online Education program.  As I said in my last post, once I’m in the UK, I’ll be trying to get into teacher training there.  But that won’t start until Fall if I get in.  I won’t be able to be in the classroom working (for school or otherwise) until then.  I need to take online Education program classes to keep my teaching certificate in Florida up.  But without access to a classroom, I can’t take any kind of courses that require field work or a practicum.

I was going to go with GCU, but after Christmas break, they called me six times a day, trying to get me to sign something that was “urgent.”  Since I’d already read bad reviews from them where it was said that they hound you to get a hold of your Financial Aid money, then dash off, never answering the phone or helping you again.  I guess they wanted me to sign off that they’d enroll me in classes on the 30th and have me give them money (which I don’t have now to attend class anyway).  But a normal school would just leave it up to the student.  If you sign up, fine, if you don’t pay, you’re out of the class.  The fact that GCU hounded me so much like telemarketers and salespeople, I really knew it was best to steer clear of them.  Plus, there were problems with the program:  I needed to complete a practicum and I couldn’t take more than 60 days off a couple of times while I was attending.  Just not a good vibe about the whole thing, so I ditched out of it even though a “supervisor” called me and “needed to know either way.” Strange practices that school has.

So I still am thinking about Liberty University except for the problem, again, of having to take a practicum by the end of the program.  Now, if I do get into a teacher program and get into the classroom in the UK, that’s fine, I can so something for Liberty.  The problem there is though, they want 120 hours of practicum.  Not entirely sure I’ll be able to swing that but at least I have 5 years to complete the program in total.  By then I’ll be teaching somewhere I’m sure.

But my latest prospect is Tiffin University’s online MEd program.  Their classes are 100% online and I don’t need to be in the classroom to finish the program.  That’s a major plus right there.  Second of all, it’s set up to match Ohio state standards which makes it a credible program.  My other option I had looked into was staying at TWU for their MEd in Reading program.  It’s listed in the online degree programs and I filled out a new application for it because I’d like to just stay put at a school I know I like.  Trouble is, after digging deeper, I found that the program isn’t 100% online and about every class needed some kind of field work with it.  So I guess all I can do is wait until later to get my Reading Endorsement under my belt.  After talking to a Reading teacher on Twitter who really enjoyed her job, I think it would be really beneficial to have that kind of range in my capabilities as an educator.

While I’ve mentioned before that this did start out as a blog about librarianship, I find that I have to add in my teaching endeavours as well.  It’s all steps to my dream job as a School Librarian.  I have straight As for the Fall term and a GPA of 3.6.  I think I’m headed in the right direction.

Oh yeah – Happy New Year, everyone!  I should be across the pond in about 21 days now.  Hooray!  Steve and I plan on having the best Christmas-in-January ever.