The Journey Continues...

The week before I left Flagstaff, I had the opportunity to go to the Grand Canyon with Jason, one of the librarians, and his two friends, Brooke and Eric. It really is as magnificent as in the pictures which, of course, don't do it justice!
My "mama radar" was really going off that day and they're not even my kids! It was kind of Jason to invite me and I really enjoyed hanging out with the three of them.

Internship Notes

WooHoo! My last internship notes! A bit late--like two weeks late. Oh well--I'm done! I'm pleased with the way the displays came out. Here are two of the upright cases, not that you can really tell what they look like.












It was with some sadness that I said adios to my coworkers at Cline, but I remain hopeful that I will return to a real job there.

We had a happy hour going away party and I was amazed at how many people showed up. Either they were happy to see me go or were really ready for an evening eating and drinking on a deck! I also had to say au revoir to my three great roommates, Kristen and her kitties, Iris and Dublin. I didn't ever get a picture of the kitties, but here's Kristen and Jason, the librarian I went to the Grand Canyon with (more on that later).

Internship Notes

I made another trip to see Katie and brought back her guitar and other items for the cases, and started installing the exhibit on Wednesday. Installation is going slower than I had hoped. By Friday, I had four cases almost complete and four in stages ranging from total disarray to sort of coming together. At least the almost complete ones are looking pretty good. After I give my presentation to staff on Monday, I will give a huge sigh of relief!

I finally made it to Phoenix last weekend to see Wayne and Cheryl (my brother and sister-in-law for those of you who don't know them). I got there in time for manhattans in the pool--what a life!
Phoenix was really too hot to do anything outside except hang out in the pool, so no walks or golf. But I did get some needed shopping which was good, and really, who can complain about hanging out in the pool. The best part, of course, was getting to spend some time with family.

I've been such a slug lately (although I do walk the mile and a half or so to work every day) so I decided to go for a hike today. About five minutes from the condo is the trailhead for Mt. Elden lookout tower. It's a bit of a challenging hike--2000 ft. elevation gain in 2.5 miles--but the views are awesome.
Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the top...
Oh, so close! But storms come up really fast here and every year hikers are struck by lightening. (That's actually a big black cloud coming over the mountain.) Decided it would not be good to be one of those statistics. Anyway, I was probably 30 minutes away and had a good work-out with great views. I suspect, however, that I'm really going to feel it tomorrow!

Internship Notes

The past week has been spent fine-tuning the images I have chosen, writing all the text and labels to go with them, deciding on 3-D items for the cases, and working with our webmaster for the virtual exhibit. I know I'll have more text and labels than I'll need but I'd rather have too many than too few. I had wanted to have a large map on the wall that was interactive, but administration nixed that idea. I will now need to put the map in one of the cases and rethink how the two Glen Canyon cases will look.

Next week I'll start installing, and I'm also starting to work on my presentation that will happen a week from tomorrow.

Article Review

Ogunrombi, S. A., (1997). Exhibitions in university libraries. Library Review, 46(6), pp. 428-433.)

Three types of library exhibits are described. Literary exhibits provide scholarly annotations and are generally used by libraries. Museum exhibits use descriptive annotation. Commercial exhibits are used to promote exhibit sales.

Exhibits are used for outreach purposes, public awareness, and public relations. University library exhibits have generally one of four purposes: 1) to mark special days or events; 2) to highlight a specific subject; 3) to promote library services; and 4) to showcase outstanding individuals or events.

Studies of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Library, Bauchi, found that exhibits are an effective method for enhancing awareness of library services and require careful planning. It is suggested that libraries prepare clear and detailed guidelines, publicize the exhibits, have regular exhibits, and have proper display cases and areas.

Comment:
Because of the amount of work involved with installing displays, Cline Library exhibits are generally run for one year. There is usually an opening party for the exhibit with invitations sent out, but they normally do not advertised in any other way.

Article Review

O’Toole, J. M., (1990). The archivist’s task: Responsibilities and duties. In Understanding archives and manuscripts (pp. 61-69). Chicago: Society of American Archivists.

Regardless of the size or type of collection, all archivists are concerned with preserving the valuable records of society. The job of archivist is varied one. Some of the task involve:

Saving and acquiring new records: Records are identified, appraised, and acquired, and necessary preservation steps are taken.

Records must be arranged: Arrangement will depend in large part on the type of collection. For example, a collection might be arranged by departments in an organization or by activities for a personal collection (letters, photographs, etc.).

Once records are arranged, they must be described: Similar to classifying library materials, archival records must be classified and metadata applied.

Records are made available physically and/or virtually: This must be done in an ethical, fair manner.

Archivists must publicize and share their collections: A variety of methods are available including publication in journals and societies. Exhibits and outreach programs are also an important tool for public relations and awareness.