Oh, how things change...

I'm at home, thinking about all of the tasks that I need to complete for the week, and I begin to drift off...thinking about what has transpired from January to now...

Then... I remember how then, at the beginning of my library development project, I couldn't fathom what this project might become. I remember setting (what I thought were) narrow and focused goals for myself and the end product of my work. I remember trying to come up with more ideas and tasks to help "beef up" my workload. I remember hoping to be able to stay involved with the organization beyond my internship. I remember wondering if I would know how to "be" a librarian, and whether this community even wanted one...

Now...I see that this project has become and will continue to become all that I dream it to be. I see that my thinking needs to embrace the tiniest of details in order to fully achieve my goals for this project. I see that as I open my mind to the possibilities, I have more than enough work ahead of me to keep me busy. I see and know that I have made such a connection with the staff and residents of this community that they now consider me one of their own. I see that I have embraced my inner librarian, that I have defined the role to suit my own model of the "information gatekeeper", and that this community needs me whether they know it or not! At this point, its not going to be easy to shake me :-)

With all of this said, I assert that my ideal self and real self now have a lessened gap between them. I still have plenty of work ahead of me, but I have realized the leader that I wish to become, and I am diligently working continually develop and improve her.

Taking Inventory...

This past week I have been trying to take the time and opportunity to recognize what I have accomplished thus far for this library development project. And in the midst of this process, I have realized that there were a few hiccups that occurred in the project that have played a role in its progress as well as its transformation. I will attempt to provide a play-by-play below. I will list each significant step, stage, or accomplishment and I will also provide the obstacles and detours that influenced each next step.

1. Organizing ALISS Book Drive at IUPUI
-No real obstacles here, just collaborated with the rest of the ALISS officers and agreed on a time frame to collect books from the community
-Total books collected summed to 1,064 in number!

2. Taking inventory of existing materials
-The first challenge here was taking a complete inventory of books already housed at Theodora House (the in-house collection began with about 800 books)
-Next there was the obstacle, or task of merging the donated books with those that were already at the facility...and employing creative use of the space provided and allotted for the library itself...very challenging

3. Weeding and Redistributing
-This process has been both easy and difficult for various reasons. Materials that were in the poorest condition were pulled from the collection first (easy), then those that were not consistent with the mission of Theodora House or Volunteers of America were reconsidered (difficult). Some of the materials have been destroyed due to severe damage and frailty, while others have been re-donated. This leg of the project is still ongoing, and has also sparked another task...

4. Creating a Collection Development Policy
-It was only natural to create a collection development plan in order to explain the selection and deselection process of the library development project. It was based solely off of the mission statement adopted by the facility.

5. Creating the Theodora House Library Online Catalog
-The catalog has been created and on LibraryThing; an open source online library catalog application. LibraryThing can be used for either your personal, or organization's collection :-).
-Though the entire collection has now been added to the catalog, there is still some tweaking needed in order to finalize it.

6. Classifying, Shelving, and Organizing
-The classification process is simple; based on genre of each material. Though many of the materials speak to more than one genre, they were classified based on the primary themes and contextual concepts.
-Shelving and organizing has been governed mostly by space and access, and has been a community effort. Members of ALISS, as well as other volunteers from the community have played a key role in completing this portion of the project.

7. Organizing the Theodora House Library Grand Opening (Tentatively scheduled for Sat. April 30)
-A work in progress... However, this will serve as our opportunity to invite staff and residents to embrace their new community library, and present the benefits of its addition to the Theodora House facility.


Though there are plenty of details that contribute to the project's progress, these happenings are the ones that have shaped the journey, as well as my personal attachment to the facility as a whole. And oh what a journey its been :-)...almost to the finish line...

Getting lost in the shuffle...

Though the TH Library Project has been moving at a steady pace, there have been a number of twists, turns, dive, and additions made to the overall goal of the finished product. Every time I think I am satisfied with the outcome of a specific task or portion of the project, someone provides valuable input or offers a helpful suggestion or idea that would make the project that much more worthwhile. This week it has been very challenging for me to center my thoughts, and cultivate those ideas so that they can be successfully executed. I'm finding that though it was OK to complete my work "off the cuff" in the beginning, it will be to my benefit to begin keeping a daily task manager set up so that I can monitor what progress I'm making, and to be able to assess the time spent on certain stages of the project.

When I think about it, it makes me realize that when taking on big projects or trying to achieve goals, sometimes I get so wrapped up in my own eagerness and excitement that I loose track of the significance of all of my hard work. At this stage of my project, it is important to keep my focus and continue to work toward the end goal so that all the progress made thus far is not lost.

Emerging and sustaining...

Within the past couple of weeks there have been some significant advancements with my internship project, as well as my involvement with the organization as a whole. I was invited by one of the administrators to utilize an empty workspace that was located in the corporate office, I have been loaned one of the organization's laptops in order to complete my work while on site, I have been included on the staff's MS Outlook roster and given an official email address with Volunteers of America, and last but not least, I've received a utility cart to use as my own personal library book cart! And I have to admit that I am, again, pleasantly overwhelmed by how this project is taking on a life and journey of its own!

But more than overwhelmed, I am humbled by this opportunity to 1) provide materials that will encourage the small population of TH to pursue knowledge, and 2) to potentially serve as the facilitator of that process. I am also humbled by the recognition that I have received thus far from the staff and residents of the facility as "the library lady".

What's more is that I know in my heart of hearts that once the semester is finished, I've completed the hours required for internship credit, and I've walked across that stage on May 15th, my journey is far from over. I have already committed to creating seminars, workshops, and instruction to present to the TH community, and to maintaining the library's collection.

Did I just become a librarian? If so, WOW!

Halfway point...

I have only been able to visit the internship site sparingly this week, but after assessment of the progress made thus far with the library development project (as well as the time lapsed this semester) I have concluded that I am now at my halfway point. Thinking about the work that I and others have put in thus far, and considering how much work I still want to commit to this project in order to bring it to a successful close, I can definitely say that I have taken more away from this effort than I had initially expected.

First of all, though I was eager to build a library for the residents and staff of TH, I did not anticipate leaving so much of my own fingerprint on the finished product. For that reason, I have recently become very critical of how my ideas and strategies affect each phase of the project. Also, I am finding that after each day has ended, I take more and more ownership of what happens with this library after it is completed. I already have an attachment to this collection that I will not easily be stripped from (I've even planned on staying as a self-designated "Volunteer Librarian" after the semester is over!).

Secondly, I am finding that the deeper I get into the library's development, the more I rely on what I've learned while in the library science program. At first basic ideas of organization and record taking were sufficient for the work that I was doing. However, to this end I have already written a collection development plan based on the organization's mission, I've started brainstorming different library workshops to get the residents and staff involved in, and I'm working on creating a manageable (by one or two individuals) library system so that users may be able to access and check out materials.

This is all so much more than I bargained for...but I'm loving every minute of it!

Making room while staying in your place...

This week I've had to redirect some of my actions and progress for my internship project. Due to the overwhelming success of the ALISS Book Drive, TH now has more books than it can successfully manage or house. Also, many of the fiction titles are suited for nothing more than entertainment, and there are even some that do not offer very positive or uplifting messages. The latter issue may indicate that the content of said titles are inconsistent with the mission, goals, and objectives of Theodora House and/or Volunteers of America, Indiana.

This revelation has presented me with a few other concerns that need to be addressed in the midst of the library development. First, when I began this project I didn't anticipate having to turn away or "deselect" materials acquired through donations. Second, since this was not an expectation, I did not have a strategy prepared that would dictate what would happen to these donations. And thirdly, I had to wrap my mind around the fact that even the books that were considered suitable for the library collection would all be competing for the already limited shelf space for them to reside. I began writing a collection development plan based on the mission and resources of TH, and though I had written one for class before, the weight of it all became very real this week.

Then, on top of all these challenges, my inner librarian urges me to keep one very important concept in mind while making these changes and adjustments: Intellectual Freedom. Aside from the space issue, it is difficult for me to exclude a book from the collection simply because someone within the organization might find the content/context inappropriate. However, in the same mind, I cannot disregard the vision that is endorsed by this organization in my efforts to serve it.

Sadly, I had to send a very large number of fiction titles to book heaven this week. The majority of them were discarded due to deterioration, age, or abuse. But many were thrown out too because if what they signified...is that right? Have I committed a cardinal librarian sin?

Under the Influence...

As I progress with my library development project at TH, I am finding that more and more of the residents and staff are expressing their interest in the project. Many of them want to know when it will be finished, many of them have concerns for the amount of space delegated for the large number of books we've received, many of them what to know how they can get involved, and many of them want to make sure that this is not some fair-weather project that will fade and disappear after a couple of months of hype.

I am so excited about all of these inquiries and concerns because just one month ago, there were very few people, including staff and residents, who knew or even cared about this project. I feel in some way, whether it be through my presence, my persistence, or my passion for my work thus far, I have encouraged this community to embrace the idea of having such a resource within their ownership. In turn, I have also had to accept the fact that my connection with this organization has afforded me the responsibility to continue to provide it with service long after my project is "complete". And so I find that both I and TH are influencing the attitudes and behaviors of each other as separate entities, as well as in partnership.

What's more is that I don't think that either of us bargained for such a bright future when we started this thing :-)