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!