On Tuesday I sat down with six young men and one older gentleman at Jail North and talked about how to create a working resume. These men were close to being released and wanted to know how to create and utilize a resume. Many of the guys had little to no job experience and were wondering how that would affect their job prospects. Then there is the problem of having been incarcerated, but I wanted to take it one issue at a time. Here is what I told them about resumes and job hunting via a Power Point presentation at the beginning of class:
1). A resume is not geared to get you a job per se, but is trying to get you an interview. As you create and submit resumes, don’t worry about getting the job so much as getting that face time with a potential employer during an interview. An interview is when you start worrying about landing the job.
2). Send out as many resumes to as many jobs as you can find. Job hunting truly becomes a numbers game and eventually you will get an interview, you just have to keep sending out applications.
3). Be honest on your resume. Even people who have not been incarcerated are tempted to lie on resumes, and that is an excellent way to not get hired, or worse, get hired and then fired when they find out you are not qualified or you lied about your past.
Then we started the the task of creating a useable resume. I was saddened by the lack of computer skills, but impressed by their efforts. Although many couldn’t type, they knew how to handle Microsoft Word and the resume templates helped. The class was supposed to be 90 minutes, but it ended up being 2 hours as we got more into editing the resumes and making them look professional. I ended the class with my standard plug for the library for resources of resume books and computers. Of all the classes I have taught at the jail so far, these guys seemed the most intrigued by the resources of the library. I hope they come visit a branch after they are released.
I have the same class again next week for Resume Writing Round 2, where we will look at examples of finished resumes and polish up their resume. I am concerned about the lack of computer skills and have talked with the arts coordinator about potentially having an introductory computer class at the jail
PLCMC is nothing if not full service.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Taking the Resumes to the Jails, Part 1
Thursday, August 7, 2008
PLCMC Mobile Literacy Vehicle- A New Spin on the Bookmobile
No excuses for not posting. I have been busy, but who hasn’t. At least I have been busy with exciting projects and school work.
Look at our new toy!
PLCMC’s Mobil Literacy Vehicle. PLCMC has put a whole new spin on the traditional book mobile. For one, it’s more colorful. For another, the patrons get to keep the books. That’s right; we are giving away free books. For twelve weeks we have visited Druid Hills Elementary and Allenbrook Elementary, plus the surrounding neighborhoods. We have met so many great people, and I know that we have gotten a lot of kid and families reading. Although the truck is hot, I really enjoy going out and have had a lot of fun with my co-workers this summer.
There are some excellent pictures of the program in action. Again, I will post them as soon as I have downloaded them.
Here are some quick updates:
1. I survived my three summer courses. I loved Materials for Early Childhood. I read 100 fabulous picture books and found some great resources for future programs. I muddled through my Research class and my Technology class. I don’t know the final grades for Technology (as I said, muddled through) but I think I did alright. Just an FYI: taking three summer sources and working full time is as hard as everyone said it would be, but doable. You just don’t sleep very much.
2. I survived Tricycle Music Festival 2008! We had three fabulous bands: They Might Be Giants, The Jellydots, and Frances England. Each band was unique and fun to work with. Once I get the pictures uploaded I will post them here and at my much-neglected Tricycle Blog.
Until then, Cheers!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
They Might Be Giants Might Be At ImaginOn Today!
I know I have been MIA these last few weeks, but I've been busy with school, assignments, reading for my classes.... and planning the They Might Be Giants concert.
That's right, They Might Be Giants are here at ImaginOn for a one day, two concert extravaganza! I've been working on this for months and finally, the big day is here!
This is part of the PLCMC Tricycle Music Festival. We have three bands playing throughout the summer, the Giants being our biggest act of course.
The band has not arrived yet, the Children's Theatre of Charlotte and Paragon Productions is getting ready for the sound check at 11 am. The first concert is at 1 pm, and I know our wonderful photographers will get some fantastic photos!
They Might Be Fabulous!
That's right, They Might Be Giants are here at ImaginOn for a one day, two concert extravaganza! I've been working on this for months and finally, the big day is here!
This is part of the PLCMC Tricycle Music Festival. We have three bands playing throughout the summer, the Giants being our biggest act of course.
The band has not arrived yet, the Children's Theatre of Charlotte and Paragon Productions is getting ready for the sound check at 11 am. The first concert is at 1 pm, and I know our wonderful photographers will get some fantastic photos!
They Might Be Fabulous!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Joy! I got a scholarship!!!
Today a wonderful email dropped in to my in-box letting me know that I have been selected as a recipient of the 2008 Carla E. DuPuy Scholarship!!!
Once a year, the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County gives a scholarship to a staff member who is enrolled in a MLIS program, and this year I am that person!!!!
What an honor! What a suprise!
I am full of joy right now. It's a good day.
Once a year, the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County gives a scholarship to a staff member who is enrolled in a MLIS program, and this year I am that person!!!!
What an honor! What a suprise!
I am full of joy right now. It's a good day.
Beatnik Cafe, Simply Science, and Away Games
May has been a busy month. Recently I have started offering several of my portable workshops to teachers as a classroom visit. My portable school programs are simply library programs that have worked in the branches and I take them on the road. If ImainOn is my home court, then the portable school programs are the away games.
Currently I offer Beatnik Café and Simply Science and they have both proved very popular with both students and teachers. Beatnik Café is a poetry program (obviously). As you have guessed by the title, Beatniks are part of the formula. I dress up in black, wear a beret and play the bongos while reciting poems. After my antics have loosened up the kids, I encourage them to come up and read a poem while I accompany on the bongos. Sometimes the kids read poems they have written; sometimes they use one of the many poetry books I bring and find inspiration there. I always bring an extra set of bongos and have an assistant bongo player. Then I hand over my bongos to an eager student and keep the Café moving. By the end of the program all of the kids (even the shy ones) have either read or poem or played a bongo. Sometimes the teachers jump in. I wrap up the program with a plug for the 811 poetry section in non-fiction. The kids leave thinking how cool the library is. Can you dig it, man?
Simply Science is a great hands-on program that introduces basic science concepts to kids. It started as a workshop I did for teachers and then I realized that it could be easily adjusted for a classroom visit. I keep the experiments simple. For example; baking soda and vinegar mixed together make a cold reaction (endothermic) and peroxide and yeast make a hot reaction (exothermic). Discuss. I made a nifty little Science Notebook that the kids can use to record their observations and hypothesis. I end the class with a reference to the 500’s science section, a list of cool science books, and a hopefully a burning thirst for more science knowledge.
The sad thing is that many of the kids have not been to their local library. Sure they know that there is a library filled with books, but why would they want to go there? What can the library possible offer them? Well, it can tell you more about rockets and exothermic reactions, for one thing. Not to mention the plethora of awesome, FREE programs that are offered, for any age group.
This interests the kids. They have rockets at the library? Beatniks too? So the library is….kind of cool?
It’s the problem of the modern librarian: We offer these fabulous, free programs that are just as spectacular as video games (and some of them are video games) but we need to get the word out that This Is Not Your Momma’s Library. Kids are welcome, we are here for you.
Now I don’t really care if kids think librarians are cool, but I do care if they think the library is relevant. And I think that the away games are a great way to do that.
I have one more Simply Science tomorrow, then I’m winding down for the summer. However, I already have several requests for the fall and I am developing new away games (literacy games, anyone?) that hopefully will continue to delight young patrons.
If anyone would like the write ups for Simply Science or Beatnik Café, leave a comment and I will be happy email them to you. I also send the teachers evaluations, so I can send the template with the program. As always, feel free to use and adjust.
Currently I offer Beatnik Café and Simply Science and they have both proved very popular with both students and teachers. Beatnik Café is a poetry program (obviously). As you have guessed by the title, Beatniks are part of the formula. I dress up in black, wear a beret and play the bongos while reciting poems. After my antics have loosened up the kids, I encourage them to come up and read a poem while I accompany on the bongos. Sometimes the kids read poems they have written; sometimes they use one of the many poetry books I bring and find inspiration there. I always bring an extra set of bongos and have an assistant bongo player. Then I hand over my bongos to an eager student and keep the Café moving. By the end of the program all of the kids (even the shy ones) have either read or poem or played a bongo. Sometimes the teachers jump in. I wrap up the program with a plug for the 811 poetry section in non-fiction. The kids leave thinking how cool the library is. Can you dig it, man?
Simply Science is a great hands-on program that introduces basic science concepts to kids. It started as a workshop I did for teachers and then I realized that it could be easily adjusted for a classroom visit. I keep the experiments simple. For example; baking soda and vinegar mixed together make a cold reaction (endothermic) and peroxide and yeast make a hot reaction (exothermic). Discuss. I made a nifty little Science Notebook that the kids can use to record their observations and hypothesis. I end the class with a reference to the 500’s science section, a list of cool science books, and a hopefully a burning thirst for more science knowledge.
The sad thing is that many of the kids have not been to their local library. Sure they know that there is a library filled with books, but why would they want to go there? What can the library possible offer them? Well, it can tell you more about rockets and exothermic reactions, for one thing. Not to mention the plethora of awesome, FREE programs that are offered, for any age group.
This interests the kids. They have rockets at the library? Beatniks too? So the library is….kind of cool?
It’s the problem of the modern librarian: We offer these fabulous, free programs that are just as spectacular as video games (and some of them are video games) but we need to get the word out that This Is Not Your Momma’s Library. Kids are welcome, we are here for you.
Now I don’t really care if kids think librarians are cool, but I do care if they think the library is relevant. And I think that the away games are a great way to do that.
I have one more Simply Science tomorrow, then I’m winding down for the summer. However, I already have several requests for the fall and I am developing new away games (literacy games, anyone?) that hopefully will continue to delight young patrons.
If anyone would like the write ups for Simply Science or Beatnik Café, leave a comment and I will be happy email them to you. I also send the teachers evaluations, so I can send the template with the program. As always, feel free to use and adjust.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Public Library at the County Jail: Wii Progams Unite Everyone
Public Library programs in jail? Why not.
I have been partnered with Jail North since September 2007. Jail North is one of the county jails of Mecklenburg and houses male inmates. I’ve had great success with the Jail North programs, mainly because I run them as I would a normal library program and the inmates respond to that. My first few classes were poetry classes. The guys loved writing, especially poetry, so it was an easy class to facilitate. Classes were small (8-10 participants) and lasted 90 minutes once a week for 4 weeks. I would bring in poems from Gil Scott-Heron, Gwendolyn Brooks, T.S.Elliot, Maya Angelo, Allen Ginsburg, and Jack Kerouac to name a few. I would also use songs from artists like Mos Def, Common, Notorious B.I.G., Jimi Hendrix and Lauren Hill and have the guys analyze the lyrics. We wrapped up each class with a writing assignment (for example, Jack Kerouac has a very distinct writing style called stream of consciousness. Try writing in this style). Often the guys drew amazing parallels between the lessons and real life and wrote wonderful poems that reflected their thoughts. I hope to post future inmate poems on this blog.
This month we had two Learn and Play days at Jail North with the Nintendo Wii. The Outreach department has the Wii Sports game that came with the system. Wii Sports has bowling, baseball, tennis, boxing, and golf. Participants can team up or play the games individually. We have used it with seniors and other adult groups and they loved it. However, would a room full of adult male inmates like it too?
I decided to go for it and pitched the Wii program as a great team building, cooperative video game program for inmates. The Wii is a more non-traditional gaming system, but the premise of the Learn and Play days is to introduce new technology to the inmates. I proposed that inmates would be playing together in a team environment and learning something new. Jail North liked the idea so they approved the program. Although I’m new to inmate gaming, another library colleague has been facilitating Madden football game tournaments to youth offenders for a year and she said that they loved it. Why not give Wii a chance too?
To say that the Jail North Wii class exceeded my expectations is an understatement. My first class had 6 adult men and they loved it. The class was very eager to try all five games and they worked well together. They took turns playing, helped other participants work the remote and encouraged each player. True, there was the usual amount of trash talking but it wasn’t any worse than you would hear in a normal setting. The class lasted 90 minutes (because you can’t really play a video game in an hour) and the inmates were very appreciative of the opportunity to try something new.
Was this a fluke? Not at all. My colleague Jason and I went again to Jail North today and had another wonderful experience. Once again, we had a class of about 6 men and they loved the Wii. This time the game of choice was boxing. While some might hesitate to let inmates play a boxing game, Wii boxing is very mild and does not have graphic, bloody fight scenes. Plus it’s a great workout. Once again, the guys were encouraging and helpful to each other, which was nice to see. Jason remarked that it did not feel like a jail program and felt more like an adult gamming night at one of the branches. Jail North was happy at the positive nature of the games and how well the inmates worked together. While it may sound like a simple concept, gaming allowed these men to relax and have fun, but they were also inadvertently developing social skills and communicating in a positive way.
This is one of those feel good, pat-on-the-back programs that makes me love the library even more. I know we probably didn’t change anyone’s lives, but we made a great connection with the inmates and encouraged them to visit the library with their families when they are released.
Next up with Jail North, a Youth Offenders Graphic Novels class, complete with a visiting artist! Should be fun, I’ll post more later on.
I have been partnered with Jail North since September 2007. Jail North is one of the county jails of Mecklenburg and houses male inmates. I’ve had great success with the Jail North programs, mainly because I run them as I would a normal library program and the inmates respond to that. My first few classes were poetry classes. The guys loved writing, especially poetry, so it was an easy class to facilitate. Classes were small (8-10 participants) and lasted 90 minutes once a week for 4 weeks. I would bring in poems from Gil Scott-Heron, Gwendolyn Brooks, T.S.Elliot, Maya Angelo, Allen Ginsburg, and Jack Kerouac to name a few. I would also use songs from artists like Mos Def, Common, Notorious B.I.G., Jimi Hendrix and Lauren Hill and have the guys analyze the lyrics. We wrapped up each class with a writing assignment (for example, Jack Kerouac has a very distinct writing style called stream of consciousness. Try writing in this style). Often the guys drew amazing parallels between the lessons and real life and wrote wonderful poems that reflected their thoughts. I hope to post future inmate poems on this blog.
This month we had two Learn and Play days at Jail North with the Nintendo Wii. The Outreach department has the Wii Sports game that came with the system. Wii Sports has bowling, baseball, tennis, boxing, and golf. Participants can team up or play the games individually. We have used it with seniors and other adult groups and they loved it. However, would a room full of adult male inmates like it too?
I decided to go for it and pitched the Wii program as a great team building, cooperative video game program for inmates. The Wii is a more non-traditional gaming system, but the premise of the Learn and Play days is to introduce new technology to the inmates. I proposed that inmates would be playing together in a team environment and learning something new. Jail North liked the idea so they approved the program. Although I’m new to inmate gaming, another library colleague has been facilitating Madden football game tournaments to youth offenders for a year and she said that they loved it. Why not give Wii a chance too?
To say that the Jail North Wii class exceeded my expectations is an understatement. My first class had 6 adult men and they loved it. The class was very eager to try all five games and they worked well together. They took turns playing, helped other participants work the remote and encouraged each player. True, there was the usual amount of trash talking but it wasn’t any worse than you would hear in a normal setting. The class lasted 90 minutes (because you can’t really play a video game in an hour) and the inmates were very appreciative of the opportunity to try something new.
Was this a fluke? Not at all. My colleague Jason and I went again to Jail North today and had another wonderful experience. Once again, we had a class of about 6 men and they loved the Wii. This time the game of choice was boxing. While some might hesitate to let inmates play a boxing game, Wii boxing is very mild and does not have graphic, bloody fight scenes. Plus it’s a great workout. Once again, the guys were encouraging and helpful to each other, which was nice to see. Jason remarked that it did not feel like a jail program and felt more like an adult gamming night at one of the branches. Jail North was happy at the positive nature of the games and how well the inmates worked together. While it may sound like a simple concept, gaming allowed these men to relax and have fun, but they were also inadvertently developing social skills and communicating in a positive way.
This is one of those feel good, pat-on-the-back programs that makes me love the library even more. I know we probably didn’t change anyone’s lives, but we made a great connection with the inmates and encouraged them to visit the library with their families when they are released.
Next up with Jail North, a Youth Offenders Graphic Novels class, complete with a visiting artist! Should be fun, I’ll post more later on.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Information Overload
I might have bitten off more than I can chew for the summer as I plan to take three grad school courses in my attempt to graduate in December 2009. Crazy, right? Right.
Truth be told, my introduction class for the spring semester wasn't that bad. I thoroughly enjoyed the content, the readings, the assignments... OK, I am a perpetual nerd, so the school work didn't bother me. I aced the course, now I have a break in May until June 2nd, when my Materials for Early Childhood and Introduction to Research in Library and Information Science classes begin.
On the surface Summer 1 doesn't look so bad... read 100 picture books and review them for Materials (should be fun) watch the classroom DVD, learn about puppets, flannel boards, story times, and round out the class with a few papers and a campus visit. I'm in the distance education program so a face to face lecture should be fun. For Research I read two-three chapters a week and will have a research project due. Online participation and class discussion postings via Blackboard are mandatory for each class, natch.
I'm not think about Summer 2 until, well, later.
Here's the thing: I believe that what will make me a good librarian will be the things that I am experiencing in my current job, and skills I have learned in past jobs. There's not really a flannel board that can teach you how to facilitate a graphic novels class to youth offenders in county jail, 'ya know? But more on that issue later.
That being said, I have to say that I am enjoying the degree itself and the book learning that is coming with it. I think right now I have the best of both worlds- working in a library while working on my MLIS- and I do intend to make the most of it.
So yes, I might be taking on a lot but really, you only live once and I want to go full throttle on this degree and get the most out of it that I can. I am very interested to see how this summer will shape up.
Cheers, Snarky Readers.
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