NEMO NEWS
Volume 8, Issue 3 February 2012
NEBRASKA-MIZZOU LIBRARY SCIENCE STUDENT NEWS
NEMO NEWS
MIZZOU LIBRARY SCIENCE FACULTY VISIT UNO MARCH 3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE MU Spring 1 Informational Meeting Advice from the Frontlines: Holli Beckmann
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Important Dates and Reminders
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Make the Most of an 2 Informational Interview
Library Student Pets
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Student Spotlight: Dixie Codner
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NLC Webinars
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Do you know someone who is interested in pursuing a masters degree in Library Science? Would you like an opportunity to visit with some of your professors from Missouri? This is your chance! A University of Missouri-Columbia Library Science informational meeting will be held on Saturday, March 3, noon to 2:00 p.m. in room 412 at Roskens Hall, UNO. Individuals who are interested in a master's degree in Library Science from MU are encouraged to attend a presentation about the program by MU Library Science faculty members from 12:001:00. After the information session, current students are invited to visit with their University of Missouri professors and their colleagues during a social hour from 1:00-2:00. For more information please contact Dr. Pasco at rpasco@unomaha.edu. A printable flyer is available on the last page of this newsletter.
ADVICE FROM THE FRONTLINES: Holli Beckmann Returns Assistant, UNL Love Library & Library Service Associate, Lincoln City Libraries What is your education/library/professional background? I started working at Calvin T. Ryan Library at UNK as a student worker while I was getting my degree in English/Spanish. I started looking into Library Science programs and thanks to a coworker, I found Mizzou/UNO and went for it. A year ago, I moved to Lincoln to work at Love Library as the Returns Assistant. In December, I graduated and found a second part-time job with the public libraries at Gere. What is on your reading list? What are your favorites/your recommended/your want to read lists? I'll read just about anything. Right now, I'm about halfway through 11/22/63 by Stephen King and Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb which are both fantastic so far. What is on your professional reading list? I try to read a little bit of everything. I just read This Book is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All which was an interesting little book. The Library Journal has a list of a few good blogs that I try to follow, such as the Annoyed Librarian. Name one of your personal or professional qualities that make you, or will make you, a leader in 21st century library and information centers. I understand collaboration and flexibility are important. Things shift. Things change. The way we search for information and the profession itself are always changing. I'm open to it and more than happy to look for solutions or new
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Missouri faculty members Jenny Bossaller, Denise Adkins, John Budd and Chris Le Beau pose for a picture after last year’s spring informational meeting
ways of doing those things in order to provide the best service possible to patrons. What do you see as a key future trend or challenge in 21st Century libraries? Technology and the amount of digital information. What advice do you have for your fellow graduate students? Get involved. Whether it's on a committee or going to conferences or even just getting to know your classmates/professors over coffee. It's easy, especially in online classes, to feel disconnected from what's going on. If you don't work in a library (yet), find someway to volunteer. Classes are great, but there are just some things you won't learn in a classroom (like what happens with a bat in the basement). Plus, your experiences in the real world will only add to class discussions and make things more relevant to you. What deep dark secret would you like to share? I have never read any work by Jane Austen. It's awful. Any Last Words? “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” ― C.S. Lewis
Mark Your Calendars Registration begins March 5
NEMO NEWS
IMPORTANT DATES & REMINDERS Registration Registration for Summer and Fall 2012 classes begins March 5. Consult your Plan of Study and course schedules.
Classes fill quickly on a first-come, first-served basis Be ready to register on your assigned date and time! Visit http:// mudirect.missouri.edu/ _catalog/index.asp to complete your registration.
Missouri SISLT Spring Comprehensive Exam Spring 2012 comps will take place from March 10-March 18.
Graduation Ceremony – University of Missouri Hearnes Center Friday, May 11, 2012 6:30 PM If you are graduating in Spring 2012 and planning to attend the ceremony in Columbia, you need to be making your travel arrangements immediately as hotels are filling NOW!
Volume 8, Issue 3 February 2012
MAKE THE MOST OF AN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW Potter, C. (2011). Monster. Retrieved from http://careeradvice.monster.com/job-search/professional-networking/10ways-to-make-the-most-of-an-informational-interview-hot-jobs/ article.aspx
Don't have any prospects for a job interview? Try setting up some informational interviews. A great way to grow your network and gain knowledge, informational interviews can be a gateway to your next professional opportunity. Use these tips to maximize their potential and drive your career forward. Don't Push Jason Seiden, the author of How to Self-Destruct: Making the Least of What's Left of Your Career, advises professionals to make sure the prospect is open to the notion of an informational interview. "My advice is not to pursue people who aren't interested," he says. "It's like the same rule from referrals or college recommendations. If you have to ask twice, abort." Go in with Goals Be sure to stick to your agenda. "The job seeker has specific goals, which may be to get a realistic assessment of the market and/or the job seeker's qualifications for the currently available positions, or names of hiring managers, or tips on which professional associations to contact regarding meetings or job banks," says Linda Carlson, a Seattle-based author and marketing consultant. Connect Quickly "The key to a successful informational interview is establishing a human connection and mutual interest quickly," says Nancy Ancowitz, a business communication coach in New York City. "The more the job seeker does her homework by researching the company and the interviewer, shows gratitude and expresses genuine interest, the better." Be Genuine
If there aren’t rooms available in Columbia, there are also hotels in Boonville, Jefferson City, and Moberly.
Career-changer Charlene McNary, who blogs about her job search and has been on several successful informational interviews, stresses the importance of asking for information, not jobs. "If you focus on just looking for jobs, the person you're interviewing will feel used, and you'll get nowhere," she says. Mind Your Manners Based on a few negative experiences from granting informational interviews, Carlson states, "The job seeker must be professional, courteous and appreciative of any help provided and pick up the check for coffee, lunch or breakfast, etc." Don't ask your interviewer to pay for -- or even split -- a check.
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Reap References "When job seekers go on informational interviews, they should request referrals from the interviewer for additional people who may be willing to meet with them," says Sharon Reed Abboud, a career strategist and author of All Moms Work: Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success. "Then, they should meet with those people and request additional referrals. It is not a waste of time. Even if they do not receive a job tip, the job seeker's network will expand outwards like a web." Keep Time on Your Mind Job search mentor Roberta Chinsky Matuson urges interviewees to mind the time. "If you ask for 15 minutes, then that is all you should expect," she says. "If it appears you are running over, inform the person that it looks like your time is just about up. If need be, ask for permission to ask one more question -- and wait until permission is granted before doing so." Location, Location, Location While some folks may request an out-of-office chat, Duncan Mathison, speaker and co-author of Unlock the Hidden Job Market, says in-office settings are usually better for informational meetings. "Lunch or coffee is expensive for tight budgets and the setting is often noisy and distracting," he says. "In addition, the person with whom you are interviewing will be closer to their important information in their office -- company information, contacts, their computer to send introductory emails and so forth." Offer Up a Helping Hand Career expert Barbara Safani, author of Happy About My Resume: 50 Tips for Building a Better Document to Secure a Brighter Future, advises job seekers to ask if there is anything they can help the other person with. "This deepens the relationship and makes the conversation less about them," she says. "When there is reciprocity and a genuine effort to help each other, the job seeker is less likely to come across as desperate." Show Your Gratitude "Soon after the interview, be gracious and send a thank-you note to the interviewer and, if applicable, the person who connected the two of you," Ancowitz adds. "Also, remind yourself that it's important to have many irons in the fire when looking for a job, and this is just one of them.
NEMO NEWS
LINKS TO
Volume 8, Issue 3 February 2012 PHOTO COLLAGE: MIZZOU LIBRARY STUDENT PETS
STUDENT RESOURCES Graduate Office University of Missouri Graduate Offices
Academic Calendar Registration dates, class dates, and holidays
Graduate Record Exam GRE requirements, tips, and practice tests
Transcript Request Procedures University of Missouri transcript procedures
MU Online Continuing and distance education support (formerly MU Direct)
Course Schedule University of Missouri course schedule search page
From top left: Waffles, who some speculate is a human trapped in a cat’s body, poses for his mug shot (owner: Karen Pietsch). Russel and Sparky “guard” the porch (owner: Sarah Alston). Middle row: Liam (left) and Atticus (right) insist on posing separately (owner: Megan Klein-Hewett). Punkin, an avid reader, shows off her favorite book, Mondo Canine (owner: Alyx Knight). Bottom row: Always ahead of the curve, Gracie sets an example by going digital (owner: Melanie Feyerherm Schultz). Teddy, an accomplished photographer, creates drama and contrast by posing on top of red velvet (owner: Jessica Johnson).
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MIZZOU COLLEAGUES Katie Foote is now a circulation assistant at Bellevue University. Jessica Johnson is now the Librarian at Wright Career College in Omaha, NE. Aimee Owen is now a Library Aide at the Swanson Branch of the Omaha Public Library.
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A special “kudos” to Katie Foote whose article about the blizzard of January 12, 1888 was published on the Nebraska State Historical Society website during her internship there. If you have been promoted or changed jobs recently, please let us know! E-mail Karen Pietsch at nemogradassistant@gmail.com.
NEMO NEWS UPCOMING NLC WEBINARS All webinars can be found on the Nebraska Library Commission (NLC) website.
NCompass Live: Turning Your Library Around 2/15/2012 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. When they started at South Sioux City Public Library, circulation and attendance numbers were down and the public’s opinion of the library was not positive. In two years time they have doubled circulation and increased program attendance three-fold. Presenters David Mixdorf, Dan Nieman, Odessa Meyer of South Sioux will tell what they did to turn the library around.
NCompass Live: Living Without a Statistical Abstract 2/22/12 10:00-11:00 a.m. Jim Shaw, Director of Collection at UNO Criss Library will explore the policy implications of the U.S. Census Bureau’s decision to cancel several popular statistical abstract publications.
Volume 8, Issue 3 February 2012 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Dixie Codner What is your education/library/professional background? I started working in our school library as a volunteer back in the 1980s when my children were in elementary school. That led to a job as library director of our small-town library where I worked for seven years. I did everything there: collection development, cataloging, children and adult programming, etc. I learned so much during that time! I have spent the last 10 years working in academic libraries, the last 5 at Central Community College on the Hastings Campus.
“I am a tireless library advocate and will tell anyone who will listen how important libraries are.”
I spent the last 20 + years working in libraries but lacked the education to really move forward within the profession. In 2007 my supervisor (Sherrie Dux-Ideus) encouraged me to take the LIS classes offered at Central Community College. She evidently saw something in me that I could not see in myself. I signed up for classes and got my Associate’s Degree in May 2009. In December 2010 I graduated from Bellevue University with a degree in Business Management. And now, here I am working on my Masters. What is on your reading list? What are your favorites/your recommended/your want to read lists? I belong to a book discussion group which affords me the chance to read a variety of books, especially genres that take me out of my comfort zone. Last summer I read The Hunger Games trilogy and loved it, but normally never would have chosen to read it. Our book for this month is The Help. I’ve already seen the movie so can’t wait to read the book.
What professional journal or article have you read and would recommend? Why? I don’t have a lot of time to do professional reading between working and taking classes, but I am looking forward to reading The Librarian’s Book of Lists by George M. Eberhart. I don’t know if that counts as professional reading! For a class last semester we read The Information by James Gleick which offered some interesting concepts about this information age we live in. Of course I like to read Library Journal which keeps me up to date on library issues and offers reviews on new books. Name one of your personal or professional qualities that make you, or will make you, a leader in 21st century library and information centers. Well, you may have figured out that I am a nontraditional student. As I said earlier, I’ve had
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quite a bit of library experience and have worked with people of all ages with diverse backgrounds. I bring my life experiences with me. I’m not afraid to take risks. I love libraries and what they have to offer. I am a tireless library advocate and will tell anyone who will listen how important libraries are and how they can be valuable partners in communities and schools. My current position at an academic library gives me contact with young people and allows me to help them sort through all kinds of information and make sense of it. I feel like I’m doing my part to help them become “information literate” and I love it. What idea / experience / topic / speaker in your library science education journey has impacted your practice or thinking? I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Nebraska Library Leadership Institute last July in Schuyler. It was a wonderful experience. I was impacted not only by the mentors who were available to us, but also by the other 29 librarians who attended the Institute. We were different ages, from different libraries, and each brought something different to the party! What I learned from my four days there was that I can effect change and be a leader even if I’m not “in charge.” The quote I will always remember is “Lead from where you are.” I left the Institute feeling like I had the power to change the future. What advice do you have for your fellow graduate students? Life is a series of ups and downs. It’s important to learn how to bounce back in the face of adversity and despair, and you will have some along the way. I would also share with them my personal philosophy which is based on a quote by C.S. Lewis: “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” What deep dark secret would you like to share? I don’t have any deep dark secrets. My life is an open book!! Any Last Words? I really appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts with others. Thank you for asking.
NEMO NEWS
Volume 8, Issue 3 February 2012
SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES There is funding available for students pursuing library studies. Please take advantage of these opportunities. These scholarships are waiting to be snapped up by deserving students like you. Please make the decision to apply. Your educational journey is worthwhile, but it’s not free. Let NLC, NLA, and NEMA help!
DON’T FORGET MIZZOU!
For Nebraska Educational Media Association Scholarships, visit: http://www.schoollibrariesrock.org/scholarships.html
As Missouri students you are eligible to fill out the Missouri Application for Graduate Scholarships. By submitting a completed Application for Graduate Scholarships, you will be considered for over 100 scholarships available through the University of Missouri College of Education.
For Nebraska Library Commission Scholarships, visit: http://nlc1.nlc.state.ne.us/nowhiring/Scholarships/ ScholarshipInfo.asp#apply The new deadline for this scholarship is June 1, 2012
The 2011-2012 application will be available to download on November 1, 2010, and completed applications are due March 1, 2011. This is a great opportunity to fund your education, so don’t miss out!
Nebraska Library Association Scholarships http://nebraskalibraries.org/member-resources/ scholarships/
For more information and to download the application form, visit: http://education.missouri.edu/academics/ financial_aid/scholarships-graduate.php
NEMO NEWS CONTACTS Dr. R. J. (Becky) Pasco Professor, College of Education Coordinator, Library Science Education University of Nebraska Omaha Roskens Hall 308 6001 Dodge Street Omaha, Nebraska 68182 402-554-2119 rpasco@unomaha.edu 1-800-858-8648, ext. 2119 Bridget Kratt Instructor, Library Science Education University of Nebraska Omaha Roskens Hall 308 6001 Dodge Street Omaha, Nebraska 68182 402-554-3673 bkratt@unomaha.edu Karen Pietsch Graduate Assistant nemogradassistant@gmail.com
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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES It’s important for all of our students to keep up with the current library job postings. You never know when your “perfect” job might come along. We regularly send out an email with the current postings. Please read these! Even if you’re not looking for a job, you may see something that you want to pass on to a classmate or colleague. In addition to reading these emails, take the initiative to check the website periodically. We only send out Nebraska postings, but you can view regional postings by accessing the website. Visit: http://nlc1.nlc.state.ne.us/NowHiring/JobsAndCareers.asp and check out who is looking to hire in Nebraska and in other states as well. Directions: Once you access this link, select “view by location”, pick your state and then hit “GO”. This site provides access to postings in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.
NEMO NEWS
Volume 8, Issue 3 February 2012
Library Science Informational Meeting
WANT TO BE A LIBRARIAN? TALK TO US! Join us for an information session about obtaining MU’s popular master’s degree in Library Science. Classes are offered in Omaha, so you can get a degree from MU without ever coming to Columbia. We invite you to come and learn about the exciting opportunities available for graduates of our American Library Association (ALA) accredited master’s program. The session will start with a presentation about the Library Science curriculum, and the last part of the session is an open, informal time for questions and answers, so please stop by and visit with us. We look forward to seeing you! Light refreshments will be served.
Omaha, NE Saturday, March 3 12:00-2:00 p.m. University of Nebraska-Omaha IDEAS Room, room 412 Roskens Hall
Campus Map: http://www.unomaha.edu/ maps
For additional information, please contact Dr. Rebecca J. Pasco at rpasco@mail.unomaha.edu
LIS.Missouri.edu
University of Missouri-Columbia 6