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!