Praticum Scheudle

To complete the 150-hours required for the practicum my time was divided between three months so that I would have enough time to learn everything that I would need to learn and give me the month of April to finish my e-portfolio. The calendar I used can be found at the bottom of the page.

My schedule fluctuated from its original plan based on my managers schedule but I was there almost every day except for Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I would work a variety of hours a day ranging from 7-8 with a 4-hour work day becoming common in March as I finished my hours. Most of the time I spent working on either my project or at the reference desk answering questions with visits to other departments to learn how they worked.

Each month gave me an opportunity to learn how a library works during the winter months and some of the changes that must occur based on events within the community and the weather. Unlike other practicums which occur in the summer and the fall winter practicums offer the unique challenge of unpredictable winter weather which changes parts of the overall experience. Your library may need to close early due to a winter storm or deal with an Icy parking lot. Fortunately, the library did not have many weather problems this winter as there was only one instance where they had to open later due to a storm.

Aside from the winter weather this season in the library is busier than one would think.

In January, the library resumes their normal programs such as book clubs. During this time at the Stow library they become very busy with appointments and normal library services. The Stow Munroe Falls Library is unique as they are licensed as a passport acceptance facility. In January, there are a large amount of appointments held and being scheduled in preparation for the Spring and Summer due to the processing time required for passports. During this month, I could learn a lot about basic library services.

In February, I gained a large amount of knowledge about some of the behind the scenes issues that a library must deal with such as proper record keeping, building issues, book sales and future planning for events. Issues such as collection management, proper reference work and other library wide issues are discussed at a large all staff meeting so that everyone is on the same page. Here people learn about what other departments are doing. At this library, it was interesting to learn about the important building repairs that a library needs to undertake every few years and the amount of work and planning this details (the library needs a new roof). National events such as the Oscars are noted but how much a library decides to participate depends on local interests and planning, although local events such as a Harry Potter night are well attended. Passports are going on strong and are widely scheduled throughout the month with more being scheduled for march.

In March I got to see how a library operates during a local spring break. They become both busy and not as busy at the same time. There are a lot of programs that occur in the children's department now and a few scattered events in the Teen area but as some people travel during this time the attendance of these events can widely fluctuate. Beyond this the library slows down as people travel, but events such as book sales and regular book clubs occur and are in full swing. Tax season becomes a popular topic and a lot of people come in for forms and ask questions throughout the winter but March is where it seems to pick up. Travel becomes easier as the snow season ends but there is still a need to observe the weather for tornadoes and end of season snow storms. Passports continue to be popular but they slow down compared to January. At Stow passports are by far the most popular service offered.