Friday, January 4, 2013

First term check-in

Hello !
If any of you are still following, or have forgotten to un-follow, I'll plant an update on you right now.
I've just finished my first term of Library and Information Technology (well actually about to start my second term in 3 days).
What an experience!
Where do I start?  The dragging of my ancient carcass out of bed at 5:30 am? The harrowing hour-long drive in my little Honda Fit?  The triumphant day when I first conquered the traffic circle at the freeway exit near the university?  And wait - I'm not even talking about the actual school experience yet.
I have learned SO MUCH. 
Honestly, I did think, when I registered for the program: Librarianship - How hard can it be?
Well.
Let me tell you...it's complex, interesting, exciting, precise, creative....and pretty darned awesome.  And hard too.  I've started learning the mysteries of cataloguing (who knew it was so , um, detailed?), learned about Young Adult Literature (again - who knew? and Wow, is it really cool!, and hey, my instructor made me sign up for Twitter and now I'm addicted!), Introductory Library services (dealing with everything from reference interviews to diversity, to safety and security, to job descriptions, to Online Public Access Catalogues.... lots to learn!)
And - my elective: Canadian Criminology.  INTERESTING!  Now I understand a lot more of what I hear on the news - about crime and punishment (or lack thereof) in Canada.  Really neat course!

So.  Let's say I enjoyed my first term, worked really hard, did quite well (blush), exhausted myself, exhausted my poor husband (who took up the spatula with good grace once it became apparent that I was too befuddled by the whole school experience to produce regular meals), and made friends of all ages! Or, maybe I just met a lot of polite people of all ages.  Whatever. They seem to accept my fashion faux pas, my mom-ishness, my anxiety over handing in assignments via email (?!?), my need to sit at the very front of the classroom like an eager nerd...
For some strange reason I think I'll be able to handle term 2 better than term one, and actually cook meals or go for walks or keep up with reading blogs, or have a life.  I'm not sure.  My next update may be soon, or I may not get back here until April.   Either way, thanks for reading...and thanks for reading.  (get it? thank for reading here and thanks for being readers in general, which means that you may be library users, which means that I may actually get a job some day when this is all over...)
Kathryn : ) 
Now go and hug a librarian.