Daily Updates
Welcome to the daily updates section of my LINK internship page! This is where I will post pictures and stories about my internship each and every day of the process. Updates will start on March 4 so stay tuned!
Chapter Thirteen: Walk of the Living Dead
Booooookkkssss.....
Shambling: a geriatric sort of stumble favored by the undead in which one feigns a broken hip, leg, and/or ankle in one leg while simultaneously feigning severe arthritis in the other and holding one's arms out to grasp at the thin air before oneself.
We did a lot of shambling this morning. We also did a lot of hissing and groaning. And laughing. Can you guess what we did on this glorious last day of my internship? We dressed like zombies for a library promotional, of course! This included lots of makeup, generous splashes of fake blood, and the aforementioned shambling for the cameras!
Did you know that zombies really like to wear flannel? Or at least that's what you'd guess if you'd seen us this morning. In a completely un-coordinated attempt to dress like zombies, almost every single one of us donned flannel! Don't want to be uncomfortable for the rest of eternity. Or get blood and gore all over your fanciest evening dress I suppose.
Hey, what does a shallow zombie say?
"Loooooooooooooookkkksssss."
Unfortunately, I can't claim to have come up with that one. Abby did!
Most of my morning was spent shambling and groaning, chasing after Caitlin, who fended us off with her katana! After that, I went to work on the promotional for the big magnetic wall in the teen section, which was really the only thing I had left to do, and pretty much took up the rest of my day.
It's so weird to think that before I leave today, I'm going to need to turn in my badge and keys. Just like that, it will all be over. That's pretty good incentive to keep working just a little longer. Which is ok, because I really needed the extra time in order to finish up the wall anyway. But still, I know I'm at least partly stalling. I don't want to go.
The clock's ticking though, counting down each minute before the library closes and I have to leave anyway. At least I'll still come here often! That will be nice. It's really been an awesome journey and that's definitely what matters most! So much has been accomplished, too, which is part of what has made it such a worthwhile experience. I've really enjoyed this journey, every step of the way, and that's what matters most!
On, to Exhibition!
We did a lot of shambling this morning. We also did a lot of hissing and groaning. And laughing. Can you guess what we did on this glorious last day of my internship? We dressed like zombies for a library promotional, of course! This included lots of makeup, generous splashes of fake blood, and the aforementioned shambling for the cameras!
Did you know that zombies really like to wear flannel? Or at least that's what you'd guess if you'd seen us this morning. In a completely un-coordinated attempt to dress like zombies, almost every single one of us donned flannel! Don't want to be uncomfortable for the rest of eternity. Or get blood and gore all over your fanciest evening dress I suppose.
Hey, what does a shallow zombie say?
"Loooooooooooooookkkksssss."
Unfortunately, I can't claim to have come up with that one. Abby did!
Most of my morning was spent shambling and groaning, chasing after Caitlin, who fended us off with her katana! After that, I went to work on the promotional for the big magnetic wall in the teen section, which was really the only thing I had left to do, and pretty much took up the rest of my day.
It's so weird to think that before I leave today, I'm going to need to turn in my badge and keys. Just like that, it will all be over. That's pretty good incentive to keep working just a little longer. Which is ok, because I really needed the extra time in order to finish up the wall anyway. But still, I know I'm at least partly stalling. I don't want to go.
The clock's ticking though, counting down each minute before the library closes and I have to leave anyway. At least I'll still come here often! That will be nice. It's really been an awesome journey and that's definitely what matters most! So much has been accomplished, too, which is part of what has made it such a worthwhile experience. I've really enjoyed this journey, every step of the way, and that's what matters most!
On, to Exhibition!
Chapter Twelve: Ready... Set... Write!
I'm so glad that my internship experience will extend beyond these three weeks. I'm not sure what I'd do if it didn't. So teens of Durango: Ready... set... write! I'm going to be harassing the Humanities classes all throughout Animas for the next month about this, so I expect a big outcome!
Today I spent time with Abby, going over the book we're going to be ordering for the poetry collections, and then spent time working on the items necessary for my exhibition on Friday. You're invited! It'll be from 1-3 at the Durango Discovery Museum!
After that, Amadee and I went out to pass out fliers. The best part? Nobody turned us down! I'm so excited to see what sort of a turnout we get, I hope it's a good one!
Tomorrow is the last full day of my internship. I still have a couple of things to get ready for the Awards Ceremony, and I'll help to judge the younger categories in the competition, but the official end of my internship will be when I leave exhibition on Friday. Thankfully, tomorrow we're going to be doing something pretty awesome! Spoiler alert: Tomorrow, if we so desire, we can to come into work dressed like death warmed over.
So things are going to go out with a bang, which is always really fun! I can't believe just how quickly the last three weeks have flown! Let's all make our last day of internships the best we can!
Today I spent time with Abby, going over the book we're going to be ordering for the poetry collections, and then spent time working on the items necessary for my exhibition on Friday. You're invited! It'll be from 1-3 at the Durango Discovery Museum!
After that, Amadee and I went out to pass out fliers. The best part? Nobody turned us down! I'm so excited to see what sort of a turnout we get, I hope it's a good one!
Tomorrow is the last full day of my internship. I still have a couple of things to get ready for the Awards Ceremony, and I'll help to judge the younger categories in the competition, but the official end of my internship will be when I leave exhibition on Friday. Thankfully, tomorrow we're going to be doing something pretty awesome! Spoiler alert: Tomorrow, if we so desire, we can to come into work dressed like death warmed over.
So things are going to go out with a bang, which is always really fun! I can't believe just how quickly the last three weeks have flown! Let's all make our last day of internships the best we can!
Chapter Eleven: It's ALIVE!
So this is pretty much how I felt this morning. Ok, maybe a little less crazed, but I think you get the idea. What would cause this sort of unrestrained glee? Well, we got the competition website up and running today! It's linked off of the library's teen web page, and if you want to check the site out, please click on the banner I'm including at the end of this post!
That was pretty amazing. Furthermore, I got together with Amanda today and we started planning the awards ceremony! There's just something about that which is really exciting. I suppose it's because things feel like they're all coming together! Tomorrow, Abby and I will review the lists of books I've compiled to add to the library's collections. Also, I'll go out with Amadee and we'll paper the town with tons of posters so we can really get the word out! It's scary how fast this internship is coming to a close, but things seem to be going great, and that's what matters most!
That was pretty amazing. Furthermore, I got together with Amanda today and we started planning the awards ceremony! There's just something about that which is really exciting. I suppose it's because things feel like they're all coming together! Tomorrow, Abby and I will review the lists of books I've compiled to add to the library's collections. Also, I'll go out with Amadee and we'll paper the town with tons of posters so we can really get the word out! It's scary how fast this internship is coming to a close, but things seem to be going great, and that's what matters most!
Chapter Ten: Elephants Galore!
So, today was pretty awesome. Having been the victim of a rather rushed morning, I was very pleasantly surprised when I entered my cubicle and was greeted by the sight of many elephants taped to the cabinet! They're such cute pictures that this gesture absolutely made my morning!
It turns out that my coworkers and my mentor, Sandy, decided sometime after I left on Friday that my work space should be a little more lively. They were right!
So on a more productive note, today I finished (or at least I believe I finished) the lists of books we'll purchase in order to expand the library's poetry collections. I've also been working on the website for the competition which is in the final stages of completion. I expect I'll probably be able to finish that up tomorrow. Minus most of the author quotes which makes me a little sad, I'm not going to lie. However, the site can be updated along the way I suppose.
I can't believe it's our final week at internships. I wish it didn't have to end. This experience has already taught me so much and I really don't want it to be over. At least not yet. Can I please stay another month?
It turns out that my coworkers and my mentor, Sandy, decided sometime after I left on Friday that my work space should be a little more lively. They were right!
So on a more productive note, today I finished (or at least I believe I finished) the lists of books we'll purchase in order to expand the library's poetry collections. I've also been working on the website for the competition which is in the final stages of completion. I expect I'll probably be able to finish that up tomorrow. Minus most of the author quotes which makes me a little sad, I'm not going to lie. However, the site can be updated along the way I suppose.
I can't believe it's our final week at internships. I wish it didn't have to end. This experience has already taught me so much and I really don't want it to be over. At least not yet. Can I please stay another month?
Chapter Nine: Poets, Poetry, and Novels in Verse
Really, I'm afraid there's not much to be said about today. It was a good day, I feel very productive, but the entirety of my project work time was spent on developing the poetry collections which means a lot of research over a lot of titles. I'm developing those collections for adults, children, and young adults, and it's fun to know that at some point, the books that I'm really excited about getting are going to be accessible to me! For instance, there will be a dystopian novel, The Haven, coming out about a year from now that I'm really excited for! Unfortunately, there is the fact that it's set to be published in a year, but if I didn't do this research, I would never have learned about the book!
It's really strange to think that my second week is coming to a close and that I'm already looking at my last week at the library. Time has simply flown! Honestly I'm going to miss this place so much when I leave. At least I'll still be able to come and visit often!
I suppose that's really all I have to say for now! Hope you have a good weekend!
It's really strange to think that my second week is coming to a close and that I'm already looking at my last week at the library. Time has simply flown! Honestly I'm going to miss this place so much when I leave. At least I'll still be able to come and visit often!
I suppose that's really all I have to say for now! Hope you have a good weekend!
Chapter Eight: The Mustache Hall of Fame
So did I mention there is a mustache hall of fame in our office? It's pretty awesome. There are numerous comics, pictures of celebrities, and even pictures of animals with great mustaches on that wall! And, in addition to that, there is a poster of Tim Gunn on which many of the staff members have pictures of themselves wearing mustaches. Again, it's really awesome, and it makes me really happy!
Today I worked on expanding our poetry collections and getting the competition website up and ready to go! Both projects are going fairly well though I definitely need to do more research on potential books tomorrow.
Sandy and I also worked on getting posters out to 9R, Mountain Middle, and Animas! PR has been going really well so far, so I'll be able to focus on the poetry collections more, which is really going to be important because I need to get mot of that work done tomorrow.
On to new adventures!
Today I worked on expanding our poetry collections and getting the competition website up and ready to go! Both projects are going fairly well though I definitely need to do more research on potential books tomorrow.
Sandy and I also worked on getting posters out to 9R, Mountain Middle, and Animas! PR has been going really well so far, so I'll be able to focus on the poetry collections more, which is really going to be important because I need to get mot of that work done tomorrow.
On to new adventures!
Chapter Seven: Smile
I think the days that are the brightest here are the ones in which I have spent time getting up and doing things. Even taking half an hour to go shelf some books in the children's section gives me time to think over where I should go next in this project, and feels just as rewarding as finishing up a piece of my project!
So, after working on finding poetry during the first half of the morning, and getting my mentor interview finished with Abby, that is exactly what I did!
I'm feeling pretty good about the selection of poetry that I have so far though I'm going to need to start organizing everything (right now the list of authors and titles is a barely legible blue scrawl in my notebook.) It's been hardest to find poetry for young adults. Why is that? It makes me kind of sad. However, the people I work with are around to make things fun again! I always find myself smiling when I talk to any of the librarians and volunteers here, which lets me know that things are definitely going right!
We've got more and more authors agreeing to contribute advice to the competition! So far on the list: Haz Said, a local poet; Sarah Strohmeyer, a debuting young adult author; Carrie Jones, the writer of several young adult books; and Ellen Hopkins, New York Times best selling author of the Crank series! I'm so excited to be working with them, it always brightens my day to get an email from an author or about an author who's decided to help us out. And I'm adding them to the websites with VERY short bios and the advice they had to give!
After lunch I gave Amadee her mentor interview and spoke with her about prizes for the competition. Then I went to update the webpage in Deb's office. It feels like things are coming together at a good pace which is really exciting. I look forward to working on this tomorrow as well!
So, after working on finding poetry during the first half of the morning, and getting my mentor interview finished with Abby, that is exactly what I did!
I'm feeling pretty good about the selection of poetry that I have so far though I'm going to need to start organizing everything (right now the list of authors and titles is a barely legible blue scrawl in my notebook.) It's been hardest to find poetry for young adults. Why is that? It makes me kind of sad. However, the people I work with are around to make things fun again! I always find myself smiling when I talk to any of the librarians and volunteers here, which lets me know that things are definitely going right!
We've got more and more authors agreeing to contribute advice to the competition! So far on the list: Haz Said, a local poet; Sarah Strohmeyer, a debuting young adult author; Carrie Jones, the writer of several young adult books; and Ellen Hopkins, New York Times best selling author of the Crank series! I'm so excited to be working with them, it always brightens my day to get an email from an author or about an author who's decided to help us out. And I'm adding them to the websites with VERY short bios and the advice they had to give!
After lunch I gave Amadee her mentor interview and spoke with her about prizes for the competition. Then I went to update the webpage in Deb's office. It feels like things are coming together at a good pace which is really exciting. I look forward to working on this tomorrow as well!
Chapter Six: Poetry is Good for the Soul (& the Competition!)
Work day! Today I spent a lot of time in project mode, refining the look for the competition website and developing a list of poets and poetry to expand the library's collection.
Today I conducted my first mentor interview with the woman who is at the head of the library's IT: Deb. It's fun to conduct these interviews because you learn so much about people that you never knew beforehand! For instance, she went to college in the hopes of becoming a veterinarian and then ended up teaching herself about computers in order to help the library as it rapidly expanded and needed someone to work its IT! Everything she knows now, she learned through classes and experience, which is amazing because she knows so much! I'd highly encourage you to click on the Mentor Interviews tab under LINK Internship to read more about her story! The interviews will be posted within the next couple of days.
I spent nearly the entirety of my morning working on the website and its design. It's all really starting to come together and look far more professional than it did a few days ago. However, once you've gotten one piece figured out, another piece becomes glaringly in need of refinement. I'm hoping to pull the components into a mostly cohesive whole by the end of the week. That'd be nice.
After lunch, I spent time researching poets and poetry for Young Adults. This was very interesting because poetry geared towards this age group seems a bit harder to locate and I had to pay attention to whether or not the library already owned the titles I found. This did happen to be a case for a number of them.
My Chemistry teacher, Steve Smith, surprised me this afternoon! I was able to give him an update about everything that I've been working on for the past week as well as give him a behind-the-scenes tour of the library. It was fun, but made me realize just how much I miss being able to meet up with everyone from Animas.
Is this how college is going to feel?
It's been good here though, I'm definitely not complaining. Doing work at the library makes me feel like I'm getting prepared for an exhibition (which, in a sense, I am), but one that has the potential to benefit all of Durango's youth! It's going to create an impact that will stretch beyond my time at this internship which is something that really excites me! So I'll keep working. There's so much to do, after all! I'm ready to keep moving forward, and that's something that's really going to strengthen the products I create at the end of this process.
Today I conducted my first mentor interview with the woman who is at the head of the library's IT: Deb. It's fun to conduct these interviews because you learn so much about people that you never knew beforehand! For instance, she went to college in the hopes of becoming a veterinarian and then ended up teaching herself about computers in order to help the library as it rapidly expanded and needed someone to work its IT! Everything she knows now, she learned through classes and experience, which is amazing because she knows so much! I'd highly encourage you to click on the Mentor Interviews tab under LINK Internship to read more about her story! The interviews will be posted within the next couple of days.
I spent nearly the entirety of my morning working on the website and its design. It's all really starting to come together and look far more professional than it did a few days ago. However, once you've gotten one piece figured out, another piece becomes glaringly in need of refinement. I'm hoping to pull the components into a mostly cohesive whole by the end of the week. That'd be nice.
After lunch, I spent time researching poets and poetry for Young Adults. This was very interesting because poetry geared towards this age group seems a bit harder to locate and I had to pay attention to whether or not the library already owned the titles I found. This did happen to be a case for a number of them.
My Chemistry teacher, Steve Smith, surprised me this afternoon! I was able to give him an update about everything that I've been working on for the past week as well as give him a behind-the-scenes tour of the library. It was fun, but made me realize just how much I miss being able to meet up with everyone from Animas.
Is this how college is going to feel?
It's been good here though, I'm definitely not complaining. Doing work at the library makes me feel like I'm getting prepared for an exhibition (which, in a sense, I am), but one that has the potential to benefit all of Durango's youth! It's going to create an impact that will stretch beyond my time at this internship which is something that really excites me! So I'll keep working. There's so much to do, after all! I'm ready to keep moving forward, and that's something that's really going to strengthen the products I create at the end of this process.
Chapter Five: So Begins Week Two
My favorite design so far!
As I drove in to town this morning, it struck me just how far along this internship is already. Here we are, beginning the second week of an absolutely amazing experience. We're already a third of the way through. I feel like I've accomplished a lot though so that makes me feel a lot better about that fact. PR is ready to go and set up in a lot of places. The website is coming along nicely, I've created a background that I feel pretty good about and will be adding shortly.
It's no wonder time has been passing so quickly!
Today I had a lot of project work time so I spent a large part of my morning finalizing my concept for the background. Then, of course, I came up with an idea I liked better and copied the first draft into a new project and started working again! I'm almost done with it but it could still definitely use some finalizing touches. Here's what it looks like at the moment. The regular version is colored but I'd prefer to reveal that when the website comes out.
At 11, I met with Abby Lambert, who taught me about the library's poetry collections for adults, young adults, and children. I'm going to be researching both historical and contemporary poets for the next week and a half who write for each of these categories. After our meeting, I got to work on that! It's been a very interesting search already because I'm familiar with a very short list of poets and this gives me a chance to expand that knowledge!
After lunch I went back to project work time, looking more into poetry and updating this page before having my daily meeting with Sandy. So begins the second week. On the agenda for this week? Mentor interviews, poet research, and website design with meetings and library work in between!
It's no wonder time has been passing so quickly!
Today I had a lot of project work time so I spent a large part of my morning finalizing my concept for the background. Then, of course, I came up with an idea I liked better and copied the first draft into a new project and started working again! I'm almost done with it but it could still definitely use some finalizing touches. Here's what it looks like at the moment. The regular version is colored but I'd prefer to reveal that when the website comes out.
At 11, I met with Abby Lambert, who taught me about the library's poetry collections for adults, young adults, and children. I'm going to be researching both historical and contemporary poets for the next week and a half who write for each of these categories. After our meeting, I got to work on that! It's been a very interesting search already because I'm familiar with a very short list of poets and this gives me a chance to expand that knowledge!
After lunch I went back to project work time, looking more into poetry and updating this page before having my daily meeting with Sandy. So begins the second week. On the agenda for this week? Mentor interviews, poet research, and website design with meetings and library work in between!
Chapter Four: So I Think I Need to Quit Touching Things
Not that touching things is really a problem when you know how they work. Let's just say this: If you hypothetically logged out of the wrong account on the wrong computer, the printers would hypothetically go on strike again. Oops.
Excluding that one mishap though, the day went very smoothly, and was quite busy! I started out the morning with a series of meetings, the first being with a group of the library staff on expanding their material advisory services to the public. It was interesting to see what was out there in terms of book displays and literary databases. The library uses NoveList right now to help find patrons new books, but there are tons of other sites out there too! Such as teenreads.com, which I will definitely be looking into more later.
After that meeting I had a bit of free time to do some PR work. Don't be surprised if you open a book in the library and a bookmark advertising the Teen Writing Contest falls out. It's going to happen to a lot of people.
I had another meeting after that with Andy, the director of the library. He told me about how libraries are funded and the sorts of community outreach they are attempting in order to bring in more patrons. It really does help to buy local!
Then I had a meeting with Deb and Amadee who both approved the rough design of the website that I've already created.
Finally, after lunch, I had project work time in which I spent a good hour working on the background for the website, which was really fun because I was able to use my drawing tablet and that never really feels like work to me. When I'm done with the design, I'll put it up here so you can see it! In more PR news, the fliers have been printed and are going to be distributed to 9R within the next week or so! I'm not sure whether or not the 9R Admin will deliver to Animas too, but if they don't, I'll certainly drive their posters to the school sometime next week. Also, I'll drive a couple of posters to Columbine!
It's going to be a busy week next week, but if it's anything like this one has been then I'm very excited to get into it!
Excluding that one mishap though, the day went very smoothly, and was quite busy! I started out the morning with a series of meetings, the first being with a group of the library staff on expanding their material advisory services to the public. It was interesting to see what was out there in terms of book displays and literary databases. The library uses NoveList right now to help find patrons new books, but there are tons of other sites out there too! Such as teenreads.com, which I will definitely be looking into more later.
After that meeting I had a bit of free time to do some PR work. Don't be surprised if you open a book in the library and a bookmark advertising the Teen Writing Contest falls out. It's going to happen to a lot of people.
I had another meeting after that with Andy, the director of the library. He told me about how libraries are funded and the sorts of community outreach they are attempting in order to bring in more patrons. It really does help to buy local!
Then I had a meeting with Deb and Amadee who both approved the rough design of the website that I've already created.
Finally, after lunch, I had project work time in which I spent a good hour working on the background for the website, which was really fun because I was able to use my drawing tablet and that never really feels like work to me. When I'm done with the design, I'll put it up here so you can see it! In more PR news, the fliers have been printed and are going to be distributed to 9R within the next week or so! I'm not sure whether or not the 9R Admin will deliver to Animas too, but if they don't, I'll certainly drive their posters to the school sometime next week. Also, I'll drive a couple of posters to Columbine!
It's going to be a busy week next week, but if it's anything like this one has been then I'm very excited to get into it!
Chapter Three: Moving on in
Things have begun to run really smoothly! PR's pretty much ready to go which is both really exciting and really nerve-wracking considering the fact that I was supposed to only be finished with my first drafts by Friday. I may end up making another poster, specifically made for ceiling-hanging. It depends on how the rest of my schedule looks and whether or not the other pieces I've designed would work better.
I've finally started moving into my cubicle! I don't have much in there yet, but I feel like I'm starting to settle in, which is important.
Also, you really can't beat having a yellow elephant on your desk. Next to some origami. And a crow in a tophat.
Today was composed pretty much entirely of project work time. In the morning, I finished up letters that will be going out to teachers and some bookmarks that I'm thinking we're going to scatter throughout some of the books in the teen section. I'd really like to target poetry books, books written by teens, and the new books (just because they're likely to be picked up sooner).
Did you know Frankenstein was written by a 19 year old? I didn't.
I also spent a lot more time on the website. I'm so glad that Dreamweaver is coming back to me! It's still pretty basic but most of the text is up. I'd like to design a cool background either with Photoshop or with GIMP tonight and tomorrow that we can stick up there to really make the site feel more professional! Maybe a quill and ink? Something fancy like that.
After lunch, there was more time to work on my project, which consisted mostly of an attempt to start creating that background for the website, and updating my DP. Then it was back to PR work, inserting our web address onto the big posters which will be circulated around 9R. After that I printed out the new bookmark designs and began distributing them in the teen section. I'll start placing them in the individual books tomorrow. So that's how it looks right now! It's amazing just how fast this week has flown by but I'm enjoying each and every new experience.
I've finally started moving into my cubicle! I don't have much in there yet, but I feel like I'm starting to settle in, which is important.
Also, you really can't beat having a yellow elephant on your desk. Next to some origami. And a crow in a tophat.
Today was composed pretty much entirely of project work time. In the morning, I finished up letters that will be going out to teachers and some bookmarks that I'm thinking we're going to scatter throughout some of the books in the teen section. I'd really like to target poetry books, books written by teens, and the new books (just because they're likely to be picked up sooner).
Did you know Frankenstein was written by a 19 year old? I didn't.
I also spent a lot more time on the website. I'm so glad that Dreamweaver is coming back to me! It's still pretty basic but most of the text is up. I'd like to design a cool background either with Photoshop or with GIMP tonight and tomorrow that we can stick up there to really make the site feel more professional! Maybe a quill and ink? Something fancy like that.
After lunch, there was more time to work on my project, which consisted mostly of an attempt to start creating that background for the website, and updating my DP. Then it was back to PR work, inserting our web address onto the big posters which will be circulated around 9R. After that I printed out the new bookmark designs and began distributing them in the teen section. I'll start placing them in the individual books tomorrow. So that's how it looks right now! It's amazing just how fast this week has flown by but I'm enjoying each and every new experience.
Chapter Two: Adventures in Shelving and in Life
So I'd like to think that someday I'm going to actually remember to take my camera along with me to the library. Someday.
I started out the day believing that I would be able to continue to work on the page design for the competition's website. Life had other plans. This week, the library is undergoing a major technology change with the wifi, which makes life rather hectic for the poor people who work IT for the library. In addition, the printers have decided to go on strike. Things have become rather busy for Deb, who oversees my technological work. All in all, it seemed a better idea to wait at least until tomorrow before I started working on the page. At least this way I can work on a good background for the page.
So what to do? Being unable to work on the web page and being almost completely done with all of my first draft PR pieces left the morning rather empty.
Then Sandy had an awesome idea!
I learned how to shelve books this morning. You roll a full cart over to the dumbwaiter (navigating the stairs would not be a fun option), then push the cart inside. Hold the button to close the door, and send it up or down. Then you take the stairs and meet up with the cart again at the bottom. Or the top. Wherever you sent it. Full carts are a little bit squirrely. The best part was that the very first stack of books I picked up contained a familiar cover or two. Or five. Maybe more. My morning was rather nostalgic. When I was finished with my cart, I pushed it back behind the scenes and back into the dumbwaiter. Opened the doors, pushed it inside, held the button.
When I was done, I traveled back up to Sandy and sat up at the reference desk with her. It was a really interesting job, though that was when we learned that the printers had gone on strike. They were eating peoples' money. Not a good situation.
After lunch with my awesome friend and fellow intern Robin, I headed back to the library to meet with Amadee. We discussed PR and printed some of my pieces. It was pretty awesome. So now the teen section is littered with table toppers, posters, and bookmarks advertising the contest. It feels so official now!
Next on the list? Letters to teachers, the website, and general literary adventures! Tomorrow, here I come.
I started out the day believing that I would be able to continue to work on the page design for the competition's website. Life had other plans. This week, the library is undergoing a major technology change with the wifi, which makes life rather hectic for the poor people who work IT for the library. In addition, the printers have decided to go on strike. Things have become rather busy for Deb, who oversees my technological work. All in all, it seemed a better idea to wait at least until tomorrow before I started working on the page. At least this way I can work on a good background for the page.
So what to do? Being unable to work on the web page and being almost completely done with all of my first draft PR pieces left the morning rather empty.
Then Sandy had an awesome idea!
I learned how to shelve books this morning. You roll a full cart over to the dumbwaiter (navigating the stairs would not be a fun option), then push the cart inside. Hold the button to close the door, and send it up or down. Then you take the stairs and meet up with the cart again at the bottom. Or the top. Wherever you sent it. Full carts are a little bit squirrely. The best part was that the very first stack of books I picked up contained a familiar cover or two. Or five. Maybe more. My morning was rather nostalgic. When I was finished with my cart, I pushed it back behind the scenes and back into the dumbwaiter. Opened the doors, pushed it inside, held the button.
When I was done, I traveled back up to Sandy and sat up at the reference desk with her. It was a really interesting job, though that was when we learned that the printers had gone on strike. They were eating peoples' money. Not a good situation.
After lunch with my awesome friend and fellow intern Robin, I headed back to the library to meet with Amadee. We discussed PR and printed some of my pieces. It was pretty awesome. So now the teen section is littered with table toppers, posters, and bookmarks advertising the contest. It feels so official now!
Next on the list? Letters to teachers, the website, and general literary adventures! Tomorrow, here I come.
Chapter One: Facebook
Those of you who have read the title of this post are likely skeptic. Great job, Lacey. Way to slack off on your second day of work. This is, in fact, not the case. Facebook, while being one of the most distracting aspects of social media, is also a tool which allows people to come into contact with professionals in a way that they wouldn't have been able to before.
In my case, that professional was the young adult author Carrie Jones.
While brainstorming the night before, I was reminded of NaNoWriMo, the month where authors across the globe spend every second of their free time (and plenty of seconds that aren't free) slaving away over the keyboard in order to meet the quota set before them: 50,000 words. I'll be the first to admit that I rarely checked into their inspirational emails. Unless they were written by an author I knew well.
There's something about having an author you love cheering you on that motivates like none other. It creates a drive to succeed, to make them proud even if they'll never really know of the accomplishment.
What better way would there be to advocate our own writing competition?
So I sat myself down in front of the keyboard and began typing away. It was very hard to click the send button. What if she said no? Thankfully I didn't have to wait long. This morning, when I checked my messages, there it was. "Of course! Just tell me what you need, Lacey!" I may have died and gone to heaven.
When I came in to work at the library this morning, I had a purpose. I spoke with Sandy about it, and my college counselor Rachael when she came in for a visit. They were both incredibly supportive of the idea. They gave me two more names! So I typed up two more letters and now I sit here. Cross your fingers.
One has already replied. Keep them crossed.
The rest of the morning, I spent time learning about safety procedures in the library and beginning to type up PR letters both to teachers throughout Durango and to the local media so others will learn about the competition as well. It's been fun!
The local poet I've contacted is getting even more people to help. Clearly, this whole finger-crossing thing is working!
The entirety of the day has been spent creating first drafts of all the PR documents. I've also began a very rough draft of the website for the contest. And of course, I've been working with the authors. It's wonderful to feel like I've really gotten a lot done! Day two is over and I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings.
In my case, that professional was the young adult author Carrie Jones.
While brainstorming the night before, I was reminded of NaNoWriMo, the month where authors across the globe spend every second of their free time (and plenty of seconds that aren't free) slaving away over the keyboard in order to meet the quota set before them: 50,000 words. I'll be the first to admit that I rarely checked into their inspirational emails. Unless they were written by an author I knew well.
There's something about having an author you love cheering you on that motivates like none other. It creates a drive to succeed, to make them proud even if they'll never really know of the accomplishment.
What better way would there be to advocate our own writing competition?
So I sat myself down in front of the keyboard and began typing away. It was very hard to click the send button. What if she said no? Thankfully I didn't have to wait long. This morning, when I checked my messages, there it was. "Of course! Just tell me what you need, Lacey!" I may have died and gone to heaven.
When I came in to work at the library this morning, I had a purpose. I spoke with Sandy about it, and my college counselor Rachael when she came in for a visit. They were both incredibly supportive of the idea. They gave me two more names! So I typed up two more letters and now I sit here. Cross your fingers.
One has already replied. Keep them crossed.
The rest of the morning, I spent time learning about safety procedures in the library and beginning to type up PR letters both to teachers throughout Durango and to the local media so others will learn about the competition as well. It's been fun!
The local poet I've contacted is getting even more people to help. Clearly, this whole finger-crossing thing is working!
The entirety of the day has been spent creating first drafts of all the PR documents. I've also began a very rough draft of the website for the contest. And of course, I've been working with the authors. It's wonderful to feel like I've really gotten a lot done! Day two is over and I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings.
Prologue: The Beginning
Seldom have I been so determined to get every little detail in order before I leave the house. Perhaps it was just my nerves, buzzing as I went about my morning routine. Get up, make some tea, calm down. You're going to be fine. But what should I wear? Should I err on the side of too professional or will that make me seem stuck up? Does Sandy know I'm still coming in at 8:30? Did she get my email? I really don't want to be half an hour late on my first day. What if she didn't get the email?
Slow down, drink your tea. Take a deep breath, it's going to be fine.
As we drove down the mountain, I found my breath stolen away by the beauty of the morning. Spring really is just around the corner. I lost myself in that beauty. Lost myself for almost the entirety of the drive. As I approached the library though, the list of worries began to build again. Where should I park? Can't be near the front, that'd get in the way of the patrons. In the side parking lot? No that was too close. I'd park in the far corner and re-park at lunch if I needed to. Now which side door was Sandy referring to? There was that hidden one, right? I couldn't even see it. Just walk over there and see what's happens. Look, there's a door!
But it's locked. I can't get in without my badge and I don't have a badge yet. How long am I going to have to wait until someone comes by? I shuffled back and forth for a moment, then caught sight of Sandy. She opened the door with a smile and I stepped inside.
I was immediately swept into a whirlwind of introductions and handshakes, each person I met as friendly as the last. I tried to remember all the names, and most of the time I succeeded. Most of the time. Perhaps they sensed my nervousness, or perhaps it is just in their natures but every person I met helped me to feel a little more at ease in this new environment. Sandy gave me a thorough tour of the expansive building. I still got lost at lunch. It was alright though because Deb, who works the Library's IT, was able to steer me in the right direction. Everyone is so friendly here.
My morning consisted of meetings. Getting settled into my space and the library norms; figuring out details for the Youth Expo at the Fort; and learning about my options for designing the web page of the writing competition. I feel now like I have a much better idea of the project ahead of me, and what the next three weeks have in store. It's going to be busy, but I'm ready for it, and am so excited to get to work!
Slow down, drink your tea. Take a deep breath, it's going to be fine.
As we drove down the mountain, I found my breath stolen away by the beauty of the morning. Spring really is just around the corner. I lost myself in that beauty. Lost myself for almost the entirety of the drive. As I approached the library though, the list of worries began to build again. Where should I park? Can't be near the front, that'd get in the way of the patrons. In the side parking lot? No that was too close. I'd park in the far corner and re-park at lunch if I needed to. Now which side door was Sandy referring to? There was that hidden one, right? I couldn't even see it. Just walk over there and see what's happens. Look, there's a door!
But it's locked. I can't get in without my badge and I don't have a badge yet. How long am I going to have to wait until someone comes by? I shuffled back and forth for a moment, then caught sight of Sandy. She opened the door with a smile and I stepped inside.
I was immediately swept into a whirlwind of introductions and handshakes, each person I met as friendly as the last. I tried to remember all the names, and most of the time I succeeded. Most of the time. Perhaps they sensed my nervousness, or perhaps it is just in their natures but every person I met helped me to feel a little more at ease in this new environment. Sandy gave me a thorough tour of the expansive building. I still got lost at lunch. It was alright though because Deb, who works the Library's IT, was able to steer me in the right direction. Everyone is so friendly here.
My morning consisted of meetings. Getting settled into my space and the library norms; figuring out details for the Youth Expo at the Fort; and learning about my options for designing the web page of the writing competition. I feel now like I have a much better idea of the project ahead of me, and what the next three weeks have in store. It's going to be busy, but I'm ready for it, and am so excited to get to work!