Alabama Libraries 60(1)

Alabama Libraries

Volume 60 Issue 1 Summer 2022

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Alabama Libraries Table of Contents Editorial Board Members .......................................................................................3 Call for Articles .......................................................................................................4 A Message from the Editor-in-Chief ....................................................................5 Jessica E. Platt Guest Editorial ........................................................................................................8 Laura Pitts An Educator’s Perspective: How Public Libraries Enhance Access to Online Learning for All Socioeconomic Backgrounds ...................................................11 Lacie Sutherland Have MLIS and Passport...Will Travel the World ..............................................21 Lisa Vardaman

Volume 60

Issue 1

AlabamaLibrariesJournal@gmail.com https://www.allanet.org/alabama-libraries

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Alabama Libraries

EDITORIAL BOARD Jessica E. Platt, Editor-in-Chief Alabama State University M. Delores Carlito, Editor University of Alabama at Birmingham Tim Dodge, Editor Auburn University Charlotte E. Ford, Editor University of Montevallo Michelle Hamrick Irondale Public Library Jessica Hayes, Editor Auburn University Montgomery

Peggy Kain, Editor University of Alabama at Birmingham Lori Northrup Samford University Laura Pitts Scottsboro Public Library Jodi Poe Jacksonville State University Kathy Wheeler University of South Alabama Kelly Marie Wilson Independent Researcher

Alabama Libraries is a biannual, open access, peerreviewed journal published by the Alabama Library Association.

ISSN 0002-4295

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A Message from the Editor-in-Chief It is needless to say that libraries are important. They are vital to scholars, families, students, and communities, offering helpful resources and a space in which to use them. So, which resources do patrons use most? According to the Student Money Survey 2020, the sources of information most commonly used by patrons are academic journals, books, or research databases. These scholarly resources offered by libraries are used by 88% of university faculty surveyed, and by 53% of university students.

Considering that the most effective interactions with library resources typically occur at the point-of-need, it is important to note the relevance of librarians—and of credible, non-predatory journals. Librarians’ responsibilities range from public service (such as conducting reference work inside libraries and online) to information literacy (such as the recommendation of authoritative journals). Over the last twenty years, digital librarianship has grown exponentially and electronic journals have become commonplace--and even preferable—for their convenience and ease of use. According to a 2021 report from The Institute of Museum and Library Services, median per person spending on physical materials decreased by 6% between 2014 and 2018, while median per person spending on electronic materials increased by 31 percent. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased usage of online resources and digital materials.

How can libraries sustain scholarly e-resources when, according to The University of Maryland, the inflation rate for journals and other subscriptions ranges from 4% to 15% (or higher) each year?

Libraries should increase usage of open access journals like Alabama Libraries.

6 OA journals are often accessible due to indexing. Once a journal is indexed by a database, it is immediately made available to all users of that database. If a journal is indexed in a known database in a field, it can be found easily, which increases readership. Journal indexing is based on publishing standards and indicates a journal’s quality, as indexed journals are considered to be more authoritative resources than journals that are not indexed. Indexed journals tend to receive more recognition among professionals within a field, and this level of respect can lead to additional papers submitted for publication. So, the success of a journal can depend on the perception of professionals, which often depends on the papers submitted—and the submission of higher quality papers often depends on a journal’s indexation.

It’s a cycle that can make or break a publication.

All journals seeking to be indexed should meet certain standards and indexing requirements. For example, they should have an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), a copyright policy, an established publishing schedule, basic article-level metadata, and for open access journals--Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs). Additionally, a Creative Common license is usually needed. Fortunately, Creative Commons offers its licenses, code, and tools to the public free of charge. In recent years, it has become more common to see successful open access journals in a wide variety of fields. Open access journals that have been indexed have the visibility, recognition, and discoverability that has been earned by many print journals.

Alabama Libraries is increasing in popularity and stature because of readers, writers, and researchers like you. It has come a long way since its inception: After becoming an open access journal, two issues of volume 59 were published last year, and you are now reading the first issue of volume 60.

The journal’s title and cover have been updated by the Editorial Board, and we have applied for a new ISSN. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for ALLA’s journal and it is my hope that this publication can be indexed by DOAJ in the near future. Please continue to read Alabama Libraries, to share it with others, and to help support this publication by submitting interesting research.

7 Jessica E. Platt, Editor-in-Chief Alabama Libraries Education Doctoral Librarian Alabama State University jplatt@alasu.edu

References Brown, L. (2020, September 9). Student money survey 2020: Results. Save the Student. https://www.savethestudent.org/money/student-money-survey 2020.html Chawla, D. S. (2021). The future of librarianship. The Nature Index. https://www.nature.com/nature-index/news-blog/the-future-of librarianship Directory of Open Access Journals. (2022). Guide to applying. https://doaj.org/apply/guide/ Institute of Museum and Library Services. (2021). The use and cost of public library materials: Trends before the COVID-19 pandemic. Washington, DC: The Institute. https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/2021 02/pls_fy18_research_brief.pdf Lean Library. (2021). Librarian futures: Charting librarian-patron behaviors and relationships in the networked digital age. https://www.leanlibrary.com/community/librarian-futures-report/ University of Maryland. (2021). Serials review. https://lib.guides.umd.edu/serials_review

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Guest Editorial Public Libraries: A Key Point of Access During Times of Need There is no denying that the current times for every single person in America are quite similar. We are all dealing with our own pathway out of a pandemic and hurdling ourselves forward into whatever new normal can be embraced. Choices to buy groceries or fill up cars with fuel are struggles everyone is experiencing--no matter the socioeconomic background. All of us are feeling the pressure of life push down on our daily activities of travel, vacation, and simple enjoyment. Then, somewhere in the midst of this are public libraries, which have, in some strange way, the ability to provide a bit of relief simply in the resources they provide.

In Alabama, public libraries are a crucial resource for the communities they serve. Over the past nine years of working as a public library director in a rural Alabama community, I have been able to see the “crucial resource” side of public libraries in full action. My experiences are the same as many of my Alabama public library colleagues, as we have all been witness to the impact libraries have made to the people that use them and the communities in which they contribute resources and more.

Even in a time when there is limited money to do simple things, a public library comes in to save the day. Public libraries offer access to both print and electronic resources in a variety of ways. There has always been some speculation that libraries will one day not need print materials - but I don’t see this as the case. There is still something magical about walking into a public library, pulling off a book you have been looking for and checking it out to read. Older generations of folks who grew up using libraries still frequently visit them, taking part in programs and more that may be offered. For children and teens, there is a sense of renewed energy when a public librarian provides them with a crisp, new library card, which signals their entrance into a sort of “secret

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club” experience, where access is a book or more that does not have to be paid for unless it is lost or damaged.

Electronic resources have skyrocketed in the last three years. The COVID19 pandemic not only forced everyone into a season of solitude, so to speak, but it forced people into a reality that the way life once was would not always remain the same. Thus, there has been a gravitational pull toward using electronic book resources, either in the form of services like Hoopla, Overdrive, or Kindle Books--to database resources that could assist with job searches or current work needs, or with the educational needs of students, teachers, parents, grandparents, or guardians.

The Alabama Public Library Service has worked hard to compile a list of resources that stem from coding basics to services for the blind to resources about NASA. Chilton Library Resources provide electronic access to automotive repair manuals and Homework Alabama, a resource to help children and teens with after school educational needs. Another great resource has been the Ancestry Library, providing access to genealogical records. And guess what? For the mass of patrons holding library cards to public libraries throughout Alabama, resources like these and more are available. Let’s also not forget that The Alabama Virtual Library has continued to provide all ages and all educational needs with databases and resources of lifelong learning. These resources and more continue to be invaluable to users across this state.

It is important that communities, library users, staff, community stakeholders, city officials, and more understand that libraries are ever changing.

There is a fluidity to public libraries and the public libraries that get it are willing to take a leap of faith to offer different services. Non-traditional is a good word to use in this instance, as the development of “libraries of things” has provided an opportunity for neat items to experience at a library. Whether it’s a board game, a cake pan, a STEM learning kit, or even a power tool, public libraries are figuring out how to reach people with more than just a book.

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I often think of how great it is to have a library card. See, a library card doesn’t see through to a person’s race, gender or ethnicity. It doesn’t care what side of the voting spectrum a person prefers. A library card doesn’t worry about what socioeconomic background its user has. It is just here to help by providing resources in a way that no other type of institution can. All of this, and more, is made possible because public libraries exist to meet a need in communities that other entities cannot.

Laura Pitts Director, Scottsboro Public Library President of the Alabama Library Association (2021-2022) laurap@scottsboro.org

11 An Educator’s Perspective: How Public Libraries Enhance Access to Online Learning for All Socioeconomic Backgrounds

By Lacie Sutherland Circulation Administrator Autauga-Prattville Public Library lsutherland.appl@gmail.com

Abstract Students of various socioeconomic backgrounds, but those from a lower background in particular, depend on the free and readily available resources that a public library provides. Now that we are living in the digital age of learning and interacting, utilizing all that a public library provides for teachers, students, and patrons is more important than ever. This case study of three free eresources created for public libraries highlights my personal experience using said resources with the Autauga-Prattville Public Library (APPL) and additional employment as an educator and library technician. These different sites, Transparent Language Online, Learning Express, and Homework Alabama not only provide online classes for various subject learning but also offer online tutoring and homework assistance for students and educators who depend on electronic resources for equitable accessibility. Furthermore, this article will not only contain comprehensive explanations of the e-resources provided by the participant in this case study but will also discuss an observation on the role in which public libraries provide easily accessible resources for patrons of various socioeconomic backgrounds during the digital age of learning.

Keywords: online resources, homework assistance and tutoring, public libraries, digital age learning, socioeconomic backgrounds

A Breakdown of the Participant: Autauga-Prattville Public Library

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The Autauga-Prattville Public Library (APPL) is a semi-rural public library system located in Autauga County, Alabama. The main branch is located in the “capital” of the county, which is Prattville. Its sub-branches are located in Billingsley, Marbury, and Autaugaville, all three of which are towns that service the mostly rural areas of the county outside of Prattville. As an example of its impact on the local community, in 2021, APPL’s Bibstats recorded over 39,000 patron visits, 33,065 website visits, and 1,413 new members. Those numbers are only going to increase exponentially once the data for 2022 is published (McClendon, 2021 Year in Review). According to United States Census Records: With 55,639 people, Autauga County is the 24th most populated county in the state of Alabama out of 67 counties. The largest Autauga County racial/ ethnic groups are White (74.0%) followed by Black (19.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). In 2020, the median household income of Autauga County households was $57,982. However, 12.7% of Autauga County families live in poverty. The median age for Autauga County residents is 38.6 years young (United States Census Bureau, 2022).

The vast majority of the users who patronize APPL are families with children of various ages but second in frequency would be elderly individuals followed by single adults without children. Additionally, since Autauga County borders the capital of the state, Montgomery, APPL attracts many military families, both domestically and from abroad. The two most commonly spoken foreign languages of APPL patrons are Spanish and Korean. However, families, mostly military, whose first language is Dutch, Estonian, or Mandarin also frequent APPL. Also, Autauga County receives families and individuals who live in nearby Elmore County, a rural area that contains only two small public libraries, located within Millbrook and Wetumpka.

Crossing the Digital Divide When COVID-19 surprised the world in March of 2020, schools and librar-

13 aries were forced to convert their classes and patron services to an online-only format using various contact-free strategies. Almost all classes around the world were administered via some form of online video-call sites, including students who utilize tutoring, homework help, or writing labs. Since most students were no longer allowed to enter physical buildings in order to access these learning resources, public libraries stepped up to bat for those students. Despite the social restrictions, COVID-19 became the catalyst for public libraries like APPL to fight to remain relevant within their community by expanding access online for books and other resources, through sites like Libby and Hoopla for starters.

Furthermore, this fact was mirrored in the 2020 Public Library Technology Survey collected by the American Library Association (ALA), detailed on their News site, which illustrated this fact: Survey data, captured for the first time, show more than half of public libraries report circulating technology (e.g., hotspots, laptops, and tablets) for patron use off-site. A similar percentage provided streaming public programs (e.g., story times and author events) in the previous 12 months, as well as diverse digital content, resources, and training (American Library Association, 2022).

In retrospect, when COVID-19 forced APPL to close indoor access, two suitable solutions to still put books in the hands of patrons were to provide curbside assistance and online applications for new patron cards. However, many patrons were not aware that, along with that card, they also had access to an app and many different online sites for free that would meet all of their needs for reading, learning, tutoring, and media. Now that the library has been fully operational for over a year, many changes have occurred. This point was emphasized in the early fall of 2021 and again in early summer of this year when the children’s librarian visited local schools in the Prattville area to promote not only the library and its many programs but also how the students and their families can utilize the e-resources for homework assistance on the website.

Curbside services and online applications are still provided, but it is now required protocol that when a patron receives their new card or has their current one updated, they will also receive wallet-sized literature detailing how to access their accounts via an app (called Librista), how to watch movies and listen to

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audiobooks (amongst Libby and Hoopla’s other resources), and how to take classes in over one hundred languages. This is all on top of an updated brochure listing the services, account information, and educational e-resources available on the website.

Subsequently, while all of these spoken and paper protocols were expanding, the library’s official website received a proverbial touchup as well. Buttons and QR codes for Wi-Fi printing were developed, as well as providing hotspots and launchpads, and links to the educational e-resources were moved under the "Online Resources” tab, located in a user-friendly position front and center on the website. These modifications multiplied the online learning tools offered, not only so that the average patron could access them at their leisure but also so that teachers and students could still maintain their professions or education uninterrupted. Examples of these educational e-resources include Learning Express, Transparent Language Online, and Homework Alabama. Because we live during a digital age where access to online resources and digital literacy education is critical for the modern curriculum, having free access to online learning resources at public libraries so that students and patrons can utilize it for tutoring and homework assistance is vital for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

Digital Literacy Relevance

Having access to online, free resources and websites to further one’s career or education is easier now more than ever. Public libraries and the staff that run them have availed themselves as public servants for the community in which they are integrated. The main objective has always been to promote literacy, provide a myriad of necessary materials available for temporary use, but overall to put books into the hands of readers. With technology advancing so quickly, digital literacy has become as vital a necessity for the average citizen as traditional literacy itself, and the reality of disparities in equity amongst background knowledge and financial means has become transparent. To put it into perspective, a student of today’s understanding of digital literacy must have “the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, and communicate [digital] information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills” (ALA Literacy Clearinghouse, 2022). According to Linda Braun, past president

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of ALA’s Young Adult Library Services Association, libraries themselves, however, should keep in mind that “Staffers must connect with the public to uncover community assets and service gaps before developing or advertising resources” (Braun, 2022). Now, more than ever, all of this is obvious for students of today’s curriculum versus older generations whose educational requirements hardly exposed them to the need for knowledge of technology. Public libraries were the boots on the ground (or cyberspace) for patrons struggling due to those disparities in digital literacy and Wi-Fi access. In order to express this concept further, Heidi Daniel and Michael Fried of the Enoch Pratt Free Library explain: Terms like ‘digital inclusion’ feel insufficient to describe the reality for so many of our residents. We are living through the pandemic of the disconnected. We can see a path forward, one that builds on our legacy of a community center and support system and uplifts the best of what is around us to form a coalition of progress. We must replace systemic disparity with institutionalized equity (Daniel & Fried, 2022).

Learning Express To illustrate this, the first offering on the list of educational e-resources encouraged for the patrons of APPL is Learning Express. This is a comprehensive, interactive learning program of practice tests and tutorial exams that requires nothing more than setting up an account either via the user’s library card number or a product key. This website provides learning materials on a myriad of topics including career preparation, high school equivalency, college admissions test preparation, grades 4-8 education resources, high school and college skill-building resources, adult core skills, or lessons for native Spanish speakers (EBSCO LearningExpress, 2022). Although free to the patrons of APPL, Learning Express does require a paid subscription, which the library itself pays for using funds from the annual budget. Obviously, for every age level, this site targets specific educational needs that a student can access directly from their local library website at any time. Once the patron has set up their own password and log-in information, Learning Express will save the work and help monitor progress (EBSCO LearningExpress, 2022). This resource is similar to resources like Khan Academy, a website that offers free, lecture-type, educational videos.

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Futhermore, Learning Express provides step-by-step, librarian-recommended educational videos and exercises.

Although designed for students of any age, the main audience for Learning Express is adult students, a fact that mirrors APPL’s mostly adult students and educators using the e-resource. Many more tabs on the homepage are geared towards high school students, college students, adults furthering their postsecondary education, and elementary teachers than those geared towards younger learners. Employees of APPL have been known to guide elderly patrons who request information on adult computer classes to the tab titled “Computer Skills Center”. Unfortunately, it would seem that APPL has much work to do; despite the availability on the library website and encouragement from staff, according to general data retrieval provided by the Alabama Public Library System, barely seven hundred users, on average, readily accessed this eresource in 2021 (Institute of Museums and Library Services, 2022).

This website is sufficient for users who cannot afford private tutoring or supplemental classes. It also provides users of all socioeconomic backgrounds access to equitable online learning environments by assisting those students who wish to progress through the lessons on this site at their own pace with little to no outside pressure.

Transparent Languages Online Additionally, APPL includes in the annual fiscal budget a comprehensive subscription for a novel site called Transparent Languages Online (TLO). Many patrons of the Autauga-Prattville Public Library are not native English speakers.

Some books in other languages, including one in Braille, are available for patrons, but the choices are overwhelmingly limited. This is to be expected in a semi-rural environment. For those patrons who visit the library at all, it is clear for staff to see that those patrons still learning English appreciate having a free website available that will help them develop those skills on their own without having to pay for tutors or any subscriptions and premiums within more commonly used applications. The advancement of these skills in English can help these patrons, who are most often adults, with employment or academic opportunities in their personal lives.

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Similarly to Learning Express, the only requirement for use is for the patron to create their own log-in information and provide a library card number. Also similarly, the site provides interactive, comprehensive tutorials, supplemental vocabulary and grammar courses, and video lessons in over 120 languages.

Patrons practice challenging games and lessons that target all four comprehensive skills required for mastering a language (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) (Transparent Language Inc., 2022). Available for any age, its enhanced compatibility is optimized for touchscreen use on iPads and Android tablets, or any laptops or computers (Transparent Languages Online: About 2022). During the month of October 2021, APPL encouraged patrons to sign up for TLO and practice a language for fifteen minutes a day for one week in order to have their names entered into an Amazon gift card raffle sponsored by TLO itself.

Although not a large number of patrons participated during that week, 216 registers were reported for all activity sessions since then with 307 circulations (TLOxp, 2022); this has also encouraged patrons to utilize supplemental language learning books from the library, apps, or classes offered within the local community in order to continue their personal learning endeavors.

Transparent Languages Online is entirely free when the account is synced with a public library card. From personal experience, I highly recommend this site because, as a Spanish-as-a-Second-Language speaker, there is a tab with four specialized lessons titled “Survival Spanish for Librarians”. Despite similarities to sites like Duolingo and IXL.com, APPL plans to continue participation for weeks in the future in order to encourage all patrons, but English Language Learners in particular, to continue utilizing this incredible e-resource for their own personal educational journey towards a second language proficiency.

Homework Alabama Thirdly, another e-resource offered by APPL is called Homework Alabama, a free service that provides homework help from subject specialists available from Sunday through Thursday during after-school hours. The age range for students is anywhere from Kindergarten Math and Social Studies to college introduction courses and online job searching assistance for adults. According to the Homework Alabama website, “Homework Alabama can be accessed from virtually any

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computer or mobile device with internet connection while in the state of Alabama. If you do not have internet access at home, please visit your local public library to get online” (Alabama Public Library Service, 2019). All that is required, once again, is a library card number from a public library within Alabama. The downside with this resource is that it does also require emailing the library support administrators if logging on for the first time is not automatically successful.

As stated on the homepage of the site, “Because the HomeworkAlabama.org program uses GeoIP location as its primary authentication method, once in a while, especially if using a cellular internet connection, you may receive an IP address error when trying to access the service” (Alabama Public Library Service, 2019).

Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds whose families lack the financial resources to pay for private tutoring can supplement their children’s struggles with homework with this site in a way that encourages the student to learn instead of searching for the answers online. Though a family within the state of Alabama has a seemingly endless number of options to use if their children are in need of homework assistance, Homework Alabama is already a free online website sanctioned by the state and public library services and available for at-home use or while at school, or at a local public library.

As organized under the “Online Resources” tab of APPL’s website, Homework Alabama can also be found on any public library website within the state and is dedicated to all ages in need of specific test prep or homework assistance.

Live tutors, via the company Tutor.com, are available online during their scheduled hours, which was another resource available to students when COVID-19 forced all schools to convert to virtual learning. Additionally, this site is similar to Tutorme.com, since it too offers students the ability to meet with a live tutor for homework assistance or hours of study. As long as the student is not requesting help with a quiz or test, Tutorme.com does allow live tutors all over the world to meet virtually with a student, as long as the correct plug-ins are downloaded, as well as chat instantaneously with administrators on a chat sidebar. However, like IXL.com and Duolingo, this site is not entirely free and charges the students at personal expense. As for Homework Alabama, public librarians can faithfully recommend this free site to patrons and students due to

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the seal and logos at the bottom of the page that prove legitimacy: the Great Seal of Alabama, The Institute of Museums and Library Services, and Alabama Public Library Service (APLS).

Conclusion This case study and analysis highlights the important effect public libraries can have on modern education. By providing online learning tools, they improve users’ access to resources that can help further one’s education. When students and educators utilize these free e-resources, it only further proves the necessary role that public libraries play in their local communities. The fact has become even more apparent since COVID-19 disrupted educational progress for many school systems, prompting APPL to promote at schools and the community at large for information on how users could utilize all that their public library has to offer, whether in person or online. The e-resources mentioned specifically are all readily available on APPL’s website and, as an educator, have proven useful to me as well as to other students and educators who depend on access to free, online resources during this digital age of learning. The ability to access local public libraries and utilize their resources can bridge this inequity. Autauga-Prattville Public Library is one such library that is bridging that gap for Alabama’s students.

References Alabama Public Library Service. (2019). Homework Alabama.org. https://aplsws2.apls.state.al.us/homework/ ALA Literacy Clearinghouse. (2022). Digital literacy. American Library Association. https://bit.ly/3OLYs9O

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American Library Association. (2021). National survey finds libraries play expanded role in digital equity, bridging gaps in access to technology. http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2021/08/national-survey-finds libraries-play-expanded-role-digital-equity-bridging Autauga-Prattville Public Library. (2022). Learning Express Library: What is Learning Express Library? https://www.appl.info/Pages/Index/214624/learning-express Autauga-Prattville Public Library. (2022). Summary report: Transparent Languages Online administration console. Prattville, AL. Braun, L. W. (2022). Achieving relevance: Codesigned services Boost impact of our work. American Libraries, 53(5), 48.

Cubit Planning, Inc. (2022). Autauga county demographics summary. https://bit.ly/3HVcVxE Daniel, H. & Fried, M. (2022). Digital equity: Beyond the COVID-19 response.

Public Libraries, 61(2), 21–27.

EBSCO LearningExpress/Autauga-Prattville Public Library. (2022). Welcome to LearningExpress Library. https://bit.ly/39ZPrLh Institute of Museum and Library Services. (2022). Public libraries survey: Fiscal year 2021. https://www.imls.gov/research-evaluation/data collection/public-libraries-survey McClendon, C. (2021). (rep.). 2021 year in review. Prattville, AL. Transparent Language, Inc./Autauga-Prattville Public Library. (2022).

Transparent Language Online: About. https://library.transparent.com/applal/game/ng/#/about TLOxp. (2022). K-12 language solutions. https://www.transparent.com/education/k-12-languagesolutions.html Tutor.com/Princeton Review. (2019). HomeworkAlabama.org. https://aplsws2.apls.state.al.us//homework/ United States Census Bureau. 2020 American community survey: 5-Year estimates. U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey Office. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/autaugacountyalabama

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ALLA SPOTLIGHT Have MLIS and Passport....Will Travel the World I did not set out to get my Masters of Science Information and Library Science to travel the world, but that is what ended up happening. I began my working career as a second-grade teacher. That is what I had always wanted to be since I was in second grade. My mother still says that I really just wanted to be Becky Bannon, my second-grade teacher. With her being six feet tall, with an ever-present smile and an understanding of what each different child needed, she was the best! With that plan in my mind, I went to college and one day shy of four years later, I graduated with my Early Childhood teaching degree (Early Childhood because I didn’t want the kids to be taller than me). I followed that up with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, but I felt something was missing…there was something else that I wanted to do. Looking around my classroom I could not see myself there for the next 25-30 years. In talking with the school’s Media Specialist one afternoon she suggested that I go back and get my Media Specialist degree. In thinking about that I also knew that I wanted to go to The University of Alabama. So, after careful consideration and planning I quit my second-grade teaching job, got a Kindergarten teaching job, applied to The University of Alabama’s Master of Library and Information Studies program, and moved to Tuscaloosa. I ended up finishing my degree and teaching career in one-and-a-half years. I graduated in December and as everybody knows, there are no or very few jobs in education available in that particular month. I ended up applying for the Education Reference job at another university in the state.

Once I did that, I started to use my MLIS degree to travel the world.

With my new MLIS degree and old passport coming together, it created a way for me to travel the world while working, attending workshops and fellowships, and presenting at different conferences. Most of these travel adventures came about from working at an academic library, but many of the options are available to all types of librarians. This idea of using yout MLIS degree to help you travel the world is not really well known or thought about.

That idea is one of many things that they don’t teach you about the library in school.

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Conferences and Workshops I first started by attending the state conferences not only in my state but in surrounding states. This was--and is--a great introduction to the way conferences work, and it also helps to introduce you to people that are in the same field in the surrounding areas. With most niche career areas such as librarianship, the field of people in it is small. So, it befits you professionally to network with these people. It also helps show you what is going on in other libraries in the area. I cannot tell you how many ideas and new programs that I have learned about or have had as a result of attending these conferences. This is also a great way to build your vita, especially if you are in a tenure track faculty position. You have to start thinking about that three-year review and five-year evaluation from Day One. You cannot wait until those last two years and try applying to a bunch of things at once. That leads me to another point. You are not going to get every conference presentation to which you apply. You are not going to be approved for every workshop that you want to attend. I was not, but I worked with my dean and either got professional development days to attend with me footing the bill, or I took a smaller amount of reimbursement while covering the rest of the trip. You have to just keep trying to see how you can make it work.

As with most travel these days, you have to prove that you will gain something from attending the conference that you can then bring back to your library to use, or that you will be presenting something to promote your library research or programs at the conference. A good way to begin with presentations is with poster sessions. These are usually one- to two-hour sessions where the presenter stands in front of a poster talking about a project or research that they have conducted. During this time, people will walk through the area and ask questions about the project/research that you are presenting. After that I started working on presenting at regional and national conferences while still doing poster sessions but then branching out to roundtable discussions, panel discussions, and lunch-talk discussions. In coming up with different topics I would look at the conference proposal information and decide if any of the

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projects that I was currently involved in at the library could fit into the conference. I would also go back and look at previous conference handouts/presentations and see what topics had been presented previously. Once you see what others are talking about and what the conference organizers are looking for, you can then tailor your presentation abstract to fit the program.

Semester at Sea In February of 2008, I had worked at my academic library for five years when I applied for the job of Assistant Librarian onboard the Semester at Sea program. This is a program that allows college-aged students to come onboard a cruise ship that is owned by the Institute for Shipboard Education and take college classes while sailing around the world. The Institute for Shipboard Education partnered with a university to provide the academic classes and academic support staff to run the program. The Head Librarian came from the university it partnered with at the time. The Assistant Librarian came from another academic library from anywhere in the world. The only requirement besides being an academic librarian was the fact that you had to have five years of experience before you could apply. So, on the day I had my five years of experience, I applied and was chosen to be the Assistant Librarian for the Spring 2009 voyage. That meant that I was going to be living on a ship from January until May of that year. I was ready to go and explore the world.

As part of this experience the ship usually spent three to six days in a port city. While in the port cities, students were able to take professor-led trips to different spots and buildings around the area or country. These trips not only provided national culture experiences but broadened the students’ world knowledge. Along with this, each member of the SAS community had to take part in a one-hour World Cultures class that met every day while the ship was at sea. This class provided information about the cities and countries that the ship was embarking to and from. All of the class instruction occurred on the ship, with the students taking different classes each day while we were at sea.

Of all my different travel experiences associated with jobs as a librarian, this is the one that I found really sharpened and honed my reference librarian exper-

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iences. The ship did not have unlimited open Internet resources for the students.

The Institute for Shipboard Education did offer unlimited databases and resources through the University that they currently partnered with, which at the time was the University of Virginia. There was also a limited number of physical books located on the ship that the students could check out and use at any time during the voyage. These limited resources really confused the students that were used to doing a basic Google search and learning all the information they wanted to know about a topic. They had to get creative in how they did their research and had to actually do “old school”, traditional research. In order to do that, they had to come to a librarian to help them research topics. I also had to think outside the traditional research box in order to assist them. Some of the questions included how to find information about a particular author from a country or finding business/social information for an Economics project. I had to help the students search the different databases and shape their questions to find the research material that they needed. It was an interesting experience that taught many lessons that are still helpful to me today.

Fellowships Fellowships are usually harder to get in the library field. Most of the fellowships are set up for scholars (usually traditional teaching faculty members) to either travel to a location and perform research, to hire graduate students to help with either research or teaching, or to support a sabbatical to finish either a grant project, additional research, or a book. If you search and follow national organizations, you can find information on fellowships that librarians can apply for and receive. I have had the chance to participate in one. I was selected as a Freeman Fellow during the 2016 Summer session. This also happened to be the last Freeman Fellowship Institute that the Japan Studies Association hosted. This Institute, with generous support from the Freeman Foundation, offered a 3-week Summer Institute on Japan. In addition, these Institutes were possible because of the generous logistical and institutional support provided by Hawai'i Tokai International College in Honolulu. It was a three-week intensive learning experience at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The University of Hawaii was chosen for several different reasons for this fellowship and experience, the first one being that Hawaii is one of the main states with a Japanese/Japanese-Amer-

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ican population. This has to do with the closeness of Hawaii to Japan; it is the closest U.S. state to Japan. During these three weeks, we had different scholars come and discuss different aspects of Japanese customs, culture, music, literature, and food. We also got to experience different events and places that Honolulu has to offer such as the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial and the Shinnyo Lantern Floating Festival that is held in Hawaii every Memorial Day. We also started our day with daily Japanese lessons. By the end of the three weeks I was semi-able to count to 20, say hello, and order some food. I would call that a win with experiences with different languages. We attended Japanese music performances and viewed some traditional Japanese movies. Attending these events and experiencing these places really added to the experience and immersion that we as fellows had. I work at a university that has an international focus so I was excited to get back and order some of the resources and literature that we had used during the fellowship. This experience really exposed me to materials that I would not have thought a university library in Alabama would want and need.

Additionally, I was able to take these experiences and materials that I learned about and used during the Fellowship to create an Honors 1101 Japanese Experience class at my University the following fall. This was a traditional threehour class where the students and I explored, researched, and experienced all the information that I had been exposed to during the Fellowship. After teaching the class, I then applied to be on a roundtable presentation at the Japan Studies Association Annual Conference to discuss my experience as a JSA Freeman Fellow and what I was able to do with those experiences and materials. This meant traveling back to Honolulu since the Japan Studies Association Annual Conference takes place there every January. While there, I was also able to talk to some Japan Studies Association Board Members and find out about additional conferences, workshops and events that they had planned for the future. I also learned how to throw my name in the hat to become a future board member. All of these ideas and programs came from just one fellowship and conference presentation.

So, as you can see there are several different ways that you can travel with your Master of Library and Information Studies degree. You do not as a librarian need to be behind the reference desk all the time. You, too, can travel the world with your MLIS degree and trusty passport.

26 Lisa Vardaman Education Reference Librarian Troy University lisavardaman@troy.edu