Second Observation

On January 26, 2010, from 1:55 to 2:35, on the first floor of the South Regional Library in Pembroke Pines. I observed and interview several members of the library staff.

Janet is a Reference Librarian, like Emil Moreno; she sits at the Information desk and answers patron's questions and assists them with their requests. She will direct patrons where to look for the books and other materials they are looking for. She will order books and materials, if the library doesn't have them. She will look up and print information for the patrons, if it's not too long.

Rick is the Assistant Section Supervisor of Youth Services. He supervises several staff members and reads stories to the toddlers at the library, as well as at the Daycare Center on South Campus.

Marjorie is the Supervisor of the Periodical Department. She shelves periodical and
audio/ visual matterials on the shelves. She also helps out on the Circulation Desk andanywhere they need her.

The librarians and staff dress conservatively and modestly, but comfortable.

The patrons dress casually, as well as in business attire.

Patrons work on the computers or sit at the tables and work or study, or read newspapers. The library also have groups of sectionals where people can sit and read or relax.

First Observation

On January 20th., from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m, I observed Emil Moreno, a reference librarian, at the South Regional Library in Pembroke Pines. I was sitting near the Information desk where he was seated on the first floor of the library. He was looking at the computer. Patrons would come up to him and ask him questions, and he would answer their questions; he would also answer questions for people over the phone. He also works upstairs at the reference desk. He helps locate information for patrons as well as ordering books for them. He will direct them where to look for the materials they are looking for. He will print information for them, if it is not too long.
He has a Master's Degree in Library Science.
He helps with the collection of books and other materials; he creates programs for the library patrons; he also shows movies as well; they are planning on taking up a collection for haitian relief for the earthquake victims.

On January 21, from 2:45 to 3:00 p.m. I visited the second floor of the library, to observe and interview staff there. Aby monitors the computer lab and assist users with their questions and computer issues.

Daniel works in Periodicals. He handles the mail, reference section; he handles the copy machines and the microfilm machines; he also processes new books. He will help people with the
using of the machines, eventhough he's not supposed to. He's been working there for nine years.

Description of the Library Community

Sullivan 1

Charlene Sullivan
Comp 2000
Professor Lukewitte
Jan. 27, 2010
Paper 2

Description of the Library Community

Libraries consists of the following departments: The Circulation area, which handles user accounts and the loaning, returning, and shelving of materials; Collection Development, which handles the ordering of mat-
erials and maintains materials budgets; the Reference Department, which includes staffs and reference desk, answering user questions, using structured reference interviews, instructing users, and developing library programming. Reference may be further broken down by user groups or materials, common collections, such as children’s literature, young and adult literature, and geneal-
ogy materials; there are Technical Services, where staff work behind the scenes catalog-
uing and processing new materials and deaccessioning weeded materials; there’s Stack Maintenance, which involves reshelfing materials that have been returned to the library after patron’s use and shelves materials that have been processed by technical services.
Stacks Maintenance also shelf reads the material in the stacks, to ensure that it is in the correct library classification order.

Basic tasks in library management include the planning of acquisitions, in other words, which materials the library should acquire by purchase or by other means; library class-
ification of acquired materials, especially rare and fragile archival materials, such as man-
uscripts; the deaccessioning of materials, patron borrowing of materials, and developing and administering library computer systems.

More long-term issues include the planning of the construction of new libraries or exten-
sions to existing ones, and the development and implementation of outreach services, such as adult literacy and children’s programming.

Libraries can be divided into categories by several methods, such as by the entity, for ex-
ample: institution, municipality, or corporate body, that supports or perpetuates them. There are academic libraries, corporate libraries, government libraries, such as national libraries, historical society libraries, private libraries, public libraries, school libraries, special libraries. Libraries can be categorized by the type of documents or materials they hold, by the subject matter of documents they hold, by the users they serve, and by profes-
sional divisions.

Charlene's Space

My blog is about the library subculture.