The end of an era

I just submitted my last assignment for my MLIS.  That may possibly be my last class assignment ever.  I'm fairly certain that I should be feeling relieved right now, but I can't help but be freaking out a bit here.  I mean, that's it?  Now what?  You mean I don't have to worry about homework anymore?  I don't know if I can wrap my head around that. 

Today's mileage: 2.36 mi

Journal Entry #3

Forgive me for my delay in posting.  My computer has incurred some technical difficulties.  It insists that it is unable to locate the hard disk drive, however I am quite secure in my belief that it is indeed there.  I have found some battle tactics to take on the issue so hopefully it will be resolved soon...and at little to no cost.  In the meantime, if anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.  Also, should my posting be intermittent for the next week or so, you now know why.

Much has happened since my last journal entry.  In the library, I am mainly been copy cataloging the backlog of books that need to be added.  I also asked my supervisor if I could learn to do original cataloging as well and she said that she would show me how later this week.  And because I have been doing a lot of cataloging, I suggested to my supervisor that I complete the free online MARC training through OCLC.  The class was called TMQ MARC21 in Your Library Part 1: MARC & Bibliographic Info Fundamentals and the last couple of modules were helpful but most of it was really basic review.  I was also able to try my hand at some archiving.  There was a major grant-funded project that I was recruited to help with in order to complete the project on time.  Primarily, I was numbering folders and confirming their place on the finding aids, but this also let to a decent amount to finding aid editing.  In addition, my supervisor and I have been working on weeding the collection of duplicate items as well as consolidating records to clean up the catalog a bit.

I have also been busy with museum and non-library internship events.  There have been a number of museum culture seminars since my last entry including trips to exhibition spaces, public art programs, and an in-depth explanation of the Guggenheim’s current exhibition.  Speaking of which, I attended the Members' Opening Party and Private Viewing: Lee Ufan a couple of weeks ago and while I wasn’t particularly taken with the exhibition itself, the event was certainly something I was glad to have experienced.  There was also a program put on by Sotheby’s Institute of Art featuring the director of the Andy Warhol Museum which a number of us interns attended.  Finally, I went to the recent all-staff meeting for the museum.

As for extracurricular New York City activities, I have been visiting a lot of museums.  I have been taking advantage of my free pass to all of the museums in the city – otherwise I would be spending a fortune on admission.  I have gotten in the habit of visiting a different museum almost every day that I am not at work.  I am still blogging daily and more details of my adventures and daily happenings can be found on my blog (here).  I am greatly enjoying my internship but I think I have determined that New York City in general is not for me.

Wednesday's mileage: 3.03 mi

Journal Entry #2

Today was an odd mix of really normal and quite stressful.  Began the day with a bit of a banking crisis (do not fret, dear reader, my banking woes appear to have ended...for now at least), did a little bit of cataloging, and went out for a tad bit of shopping in Soho (Today's lesson, by the way, is that Old Navy is always the answer.).  Oh and you remember how last week, there was a heat advisory here?  Today was like a mild winter day in Florida.  The rain didn't help either and indeed made me miss my car, Henry.  But I must clarify: I am NOT complaining.  I will take this weather all summer long over the miserable heat and humidity. 

But this is not why you have come here today, for this blog was originally intended to follow my internship experiences.  Tomorrow my second journal entry is due for my internship class (through FSU) and I will share that with you now (if you have been following my blog, you have probably already read most of it):

I have finally begun my internship and through I have not even been working two weeks, I have already learned a lot.  At the orientation for Guggenheim interns, we were introduced to the various policies and procedures as they related to us.  We were also briefed on the upcoming events and programs that were both scheduled specifically for interns as well as those of the museum in general.  Orientation was slightly overwhelming, as most are, in part because my internship is far more related to library work than museum happenings.  I did learn, however, that in addition to the museum culture seminars for interns, we can also use our Guggenheim ID to gain access to any museum in the city - and many nationwide, as well - for free.  We can also attend many of the Guggenheim events and exhibits for free.  This is very exciting, especially in New York City where there are so many great museums to see.  I have already seen the stillspotting (brooklyn) nyc and The Hugo Boss Prize 2010:Hans-Peter Feldmann, both Guggenheim exhibitions, as part of the museum culture seminars.  In addition, many of my co-interns and I went to see the Alexander McQueen exhibition at TheMetropolitan Museum of Art together.

Once I got to the Guggenheim library, I felt much more at home.  The library is very small but it seems to serve its purpose quite well: provide library materials and services for the Guggenheim staff and (sometimes) outside researchers.  My primary duty here looks like it will be cataloging the backlog of materials in the basement as well as maintaining the daily goings-on of the library (circulation, shelving, etc.).  I have never done any cataloging myself before so that has been a new experience.  I am learning more about MARC as well as the software programs that the library uses (BookWhere, MARC notepad, and Koha).  Another project that I may be taking on soon is the de-duplication of the library.  The shelves are very tight and will only get tighter as we catalog more of the backlog of items, thus a weeding project is needed and the most obvious first step is to weed the duplicate copies of items (for complete withdraw or move to an off-site location).  Interestingly enough, de-duplication was my exact job for the four and a half months that I was working at University of Florida before I came here.  I am quite familiar with de-duplication procedures as well as US copyright laws and digital library databases, should the Guggenheim library like to link to an online copy of their materials in order to make more space.  Indeed, I mentioned this and the fact that if the items in the small rare books collection were digitized, this could cut down on circulation and improve preservation.  My supervisor had not even considered that as an option and seemed to like the idea very much. 

I am in a unique position in my internship as many of the interns - and staff - go through me to access and check out library materials.  It makes me feel important.  In fact, there is an upcoming museum culture seminar dedicated to introducing the interns to the library.  It also gives me a chance to meet more of the interns and staff than I would otherwise be able to, especially those who frequent the library for research. 

In addition to my directly internship-related experience, I am also getting adjusted to life in New York City.  I have been keeping a log of how many miles I walk everyday (usually at least two miles).  Indeed, just to go to work, I walk a mile there and another mile home.  I am continuing to blog about both my internship and my experience in New York and plan to do so throughout the summer.

Today's mileage: 3.12 mi

Journal Entry #1

My internship at the Guggenheim Museum does not begin until June 2^nd so at this point, I am still preparing for my trip. My flight to New York City is May 31^st and it is coming up very quickly. I have secured housing in Manhattan in the New York University dorms. Most of the time, I will not be at the actual Guggenheim Museum as the library is housed in an office building downtown. This is actually quite convenient for me as it is only about a mile from my dorm. The dorm is pretty ideal except for the fact that it has no air conditioning which, though I am prepared for the intense heat and humidity of summer (being from Florida), no a/c will be challenging as there is a/c everywhere in Florida. 

I have already befriended a few of my fellow Guggenheim interns. One girl is staying in the same dorm as me which is neat. Also, there is another girl who is coming from Gainesville, like me. I have also been in contact with the internship coordinator for the Guggenheim as well as my site supervisor about various details. The internship coordinator has emailed us about a couple of outside events that we might like to attend. One of these was a collaborative exhibition called stillspotting nyc and the other was a free program and reception for summer interns at the Sotheby's Institute of Art. 

Up until this point, I have been nothing but excited for my trip but I am beginning to get nervous. I am from Gainesville, Florida which is a relatively small city, especially compared to Manhattan. I am very glad that I participated in the study abroad program in London last summer as I feel more comfortable about going to New York City after having lived in another big city, even if for only three weeks. I also intend to blog about my experience this summer like I did for my London study abroad trip. 

As far as what I will actually be doing in my internship, I am not sure. In my phone interview, my supervisor mentioned a backlog of items that needed to be cataloged. One thing I am sure of is the museum culture seminars held on Fridays for the Guggenheim interns. These seminars will take us on field trips to art galleries and other cultural centers in New York City where we will learn about the various career opportunities in museums. No matter what I will be doing, I will be completing my MLIS in New York City, interning at the Guggeneheim - it is practically impossible to be anything less than an amazingly valuable and exciting experience.

Learning Objectives

In order to receive credit for my internship, I have a few assignments that I must complete that I intend to post here as I complete them.  The first of these was to create learning objectives for my internship experience.  This is what I came up with:

1. The Guggenheim Museum sets this learning objective for its Intern Program: “To provide practical hands-on museum training for students and professionals pursuing museum careers by immersing interns in the daily operations of the museum.” Having never worked in a museum or a museum library before, I believe this will be a valuable experience for me. While I could certainly take museum studies classes to learn about work in that field, immersion in the actual work is the best way to really learn about the museum world. In particular, working in a library that specializes in art, particularly art in relation to the Guggenheim Museum itself, will be an experience tailored to my interests and career goals.

2. The second goal set forth by the Guggenheim Intern Program is “To facilitate educational dialogue and exposure to the arts and cultural sector in New York through weekly Museum Culture Seminars, comprising of site visits, lectures, seminars and field trips.” While not necessarily hands-on experience, this portion of the internship will be an informative way to learn about various career opportunities in museums as well as current projects in the cultural sector. This will also widen the focus of my internship by offering the opportunity to learn about all aspects of museum work in addition to that of the library’s place with respect to the Guggenheim. In addition, the Museum Culture Seminars will be an chance for me to network with both fellow interns and professionals in the field.

3. Specifically related to the library, this internship will help me to understand the information needs of museum professionals and art scholars. The Guggenheim Library primarily serves the staff of the museum so this will be the main focus of information services. However, the library does allow qualified scholars to use their resources by appointment; the potential to aid in research in the field of museums and art history is certainly a highlighted opportunity for this internship. Furthermore, hands-on experience with the information services provided to this community will be enlightening and will help to expand my understanding of information services overall.

4. The Guggenheim Library uses Koha as its integrated library system (ILS). This is an open source ILS and, as was suggested in my phone interview, this has its benefits and its challenges. In addition to gaining experience in another ILS (I have previously worked with SirsiDynix’s Unicorn and Symphony as well as Aleph from Ex Libris), being exposed to an open source ILS will be educational. Learning more about open source software in general as well as its application to the library will be beneficial. Also, I look forward to better understanding the pros and cons of using an open source ILS (as an information professional) as well as the choice to use such and ILS in a library in general.