This is it! I have survived! I have completed the Spring 2013 semester at UH-Manoa.
This was my 1st semester as a graduate student in the Library and Information Science (LIS) program!
I have so many experiences and insights that I want to share
1) First, a little background
My previous time at UH-Manoa was as a under-graduate student from Fall 1999 to Fall 2004. At the time, I entered UH-Manoa just a few months out of high school (McKinley High School).
During that time I did work as a student helper at several libraries, including the McCully-Mo'ili'ili Public Library, UH's Hamilton Library, and the Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped (LBPH). I also spent my last semester as an undergrad as a student librarian for the Marine Option Program.
In December 2004, I earned my bachelor's degree in sociology.
At the time, I was tired of being a school student after so many years. I felt it was time for me to experience being in the real world. I mean, you can only learn so much from a classroom, you can only learn so much from books.
So, starting from 2005, I was working mostly as a substitute teacher. It was fine for a while until what I called the dark ages (2009-2011) in which the recession, budget cuts, and furloughs took their toll. I ended taking a few side jobs (ie. tutoring, retail, sign-waving, elections work) to fill in my budget gaps.
At some point within that time frame, I really thought I should just become a full-time teacher and enrolled in the University of Phoenix's master's program in elementary education. I ended up quitting last year, which I described in more detail at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/06/change-in-direction.html
And you know what? I have NO REGRETS about my change in direction!
2) My new-found appreciation for the UH campus life
I did plan on attending UH-Manoa since I was a little kid. But when I first entered UH-Manoa coming out of high school, I didn't fully appreciate that opportunity like I do now.
For one thing, I wanted another year in high school. No, I wasn't going to flunk any classes just to do that. I'm not that crazy!
But at the time, I felt that I didn't take full advantage of my extra-curricular opportunities in high school and I wanted more time to explore them. Part of it was my crazy living situation in which I moved around several homes between my parent's home (out of district) and my grandma's home (in school's district) that made doing some extra-curricular harder than it might be for some other teens with more residential stability.
Don't get me wrong, I did do some extra-curriculars in my senior year (just ask anyone who saw me at the pep rallies, talent shows and senior parties). But I left high school wanting more.
So yeah, I spent my first few years at UH-Manoa "looking in the rear-view mirror" instead of "looking forward"
And of course, I was going through the usual 18-year old insecurities. You know, the former classmates drifting away, but not fitting in with the new people coming in. Not wanting to be asked "why you by yourself" if I go to a public event by myself.
But you know what? By the time I was 65% with my undergrad years, I began to feel "Screw all that worrying about insecurities, I'm too old for that crap!"
Years of adulthood can do a lot to wash your adolescent insecurities away. (well, most of them, LOL!)
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So now that I'm 32-years old, and I'm back at UH-Manoa as a graduate student, I no longer let old insecurities, nor regrets about missed opportunities hold me back!
And you know what? Even with all the controversies over UH mis-management, UH-Manoa is a great place to be!
Big campus!
Lots of open space, green grass and beautiful scenery!
Lots of campus eateries!
Big libraries with computer labs!
Places to chill!
New buildings being built and old buildings getting modernized (finally)
There's always something going on there, ranging from guest speakers, art displays, parties, sports, and so much more!
There's none of that at the University of Phoenix, that's for sure!
Even more reason I'm glad I left UPhx and went back to UH-Manoa :)
Learn more about the campus at http://blogs.newzealand.usembassy.gov/ambassador/2012/10/welcome-to-the-university-of-hawaii-at-manoa/ (Lots of nice photos and great info there)
3) The academic program itself
As I mentioned earlier, I'm in the Library and Information Science (LIS) program.
Being that I did some student helper work in the libraries, I do have some familiarity with the library environment.
Now, I want to become a full-time librarian. Ideally, I want to be a public librarian, but I'm willing to check other opportunities too!
And this semester confirmed my career path towards librarianship!
I took 2 classes!
One was LIS 601: Introduction to Reference Services. That class focused on learning about reference sources, ranging from the traditional (ie. print indexes, encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs) to the digital (websites, databases, online bibliographies).
We also had some focus on becoming a professional librarian, with lessons on ethics, dealing with crazy patrons, and of course, how to use the many resources available.
The other course was LIS 605 : Introduction to Cataloging and Classification! We learned how sources (ie books, other print materials, video and audio materials) are cataloged.
We learned the formulas to come up with call numbers for the Library of Congress Classification (used at academic libraries) and the Dewey Decimal system.(used at public libraries)
Yeah, most of you are familiar with the Dewey Decimal system at the public library.
You think they put random numbers after the decimals? Think again! There's a whole formula that goes into making sure we have the right numbers before AND after the decimal. The manual itself for that has 4 volumes!
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Of courses, there are more classes to take!
There are classes focusing on library materials for children and young adults. There are classes on library collection management. There are classes on library management itself. There are classes on archives, preservations, Hawaii-Pacific materials, and databases. There are classes on intellectual freedom. There are more classes on the library profession.
And towards the end of the program (for me, it is most likely to be Spring 2015), there is the internship program.
Lots to look forward too.
I'm really in a phase of my life where I'm more about "looking forward" instead of "looking at the rearview mirror"
4) Comparisons of generations
Usually, in a room full of graduate students, you will find people of various age groups.
Some are young adults who didn't want to stop school after receiving their bachelor's degree.
Others have been out of school for decades and are now coming back.
That means you will have classmates with different life experiences and different frames of reference
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First, I want to talk about the older group.
One student got her bachelor's degree two decades ago! Obviously, a lot has changed within that time.
When she graduated, it was a few years before the Internet became popular with the general public. Computers were just used for typing and playing games (no 3D games in those days). In fact, she mentioned that many students still used typewriters to type their papers. Students stood in line to register for class instead of the online system we use today.
After her undergrad years, she had a job and had kids.
But she never got a chance to keep up with the latest technology. She admitted that she rarely goes online. She didn't try the popular online social networks.
And this is a program in which you are expected to know at least the basic online technologies, especially since you will be introduced to some of the more advanced educational technologies in class.
Yep, it was like she was waking up after 2 decades of hibernation. She felt so overwhelmed and lost that she quit after 2 weeks.
To make things worse, she registered for class last minute (as in the actual 1st day of class). She just walked into the LIS office to ask questions, and they were like "you can sign up for this class that starts today".
Whereas when I applied, I decided to do so months before my 1st class. This gave me time to mentally adjust before starting. Plus, I had months to think about tech knowledge requirements. I already knew the basic (ie. extensive use of Microsoft Word, Yahoo, Google, Blogger and facebook) as well as stuff I learned in my short time at UPhx (ie. power-points, databases), so learning additional stuff in the LIS program (ie Jing, uhunix html program) wasn't as overwhelming.
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Anyways, on the other side of things, the younger generation tend to be digital natives.
One of my younger classmate expects EVERYTHING to be in a digital format! In fact, he didn't even bring his textbook to class, because he scanned the book's pages into a PDF file (must've took hours) just so he can look at it on a computer screen.
Well, I don't want to talk too much trash about that guy, since he's a nice person.
However, there was this other younger classmate who I consider to be poison for any class/work environment. (Her name is Candice Tuosto.)
Even though she is a Library and Information Science major, she was offended when I (gasp, omg ......................... noooooooooooooo) suggested that she visit the main public library in downtown Honolulu.
She wants to do every assignment hiding behind a computer instead of actually visiting a library. And did I mention she was a LIBRARY and Information Science major?
And in a class group discussion, she was also offended when I mention that librarians should (gasp) walk with their patrons to show where the items they want are. She thinks librarians should hide behind the desk and stare at the computer!
Oh, she says, why walk with a patron to show them where items are, when librarians have to deal with many customers?
Well, any Macy's employee (who deal with WAY MORE CUSTOMERS in an hour than a librarian deals with in a day) who thinks they shouldn't stop what they're doing when a customer wants to be shown where an items is .....................................................is an employee asking for trouble from the bosses!
After all, at Macy's (and libraries) CUSTOMERS COME FIRST!
When I mention that same point again in the next class, and the professor agreed, guess what Candice Tuosto did afterwards?
She quit that class! She also quit her other class! She quit the program and went back to California.
As you can see Candice Tuosto is someone who is offended when asked to do more than the bare minimum.
Plus, she was always last to arrive, first to leave at every class!
This is the type of library service you would get from someone with Candice T's attitude
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Niac-sIGd8g&list=PL160723BDF8BD51AB
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XvAakX__cQ&list=PL160723BDF8BD51AB
Well, Good Riddance to someone like that!
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5) Special Activities
Being in the LIS programs, I was able to take part in some special activities. I wasn't able to do all that was offered, but I did a few including
a) Guest speakers .
One was a university librarian from French Polynesia. Their only library is a university library in Tahiti. That's it! No public library system there! (If France wants to consider itself "enlightened", they could do a lot more for their territories than that)
Another was a local archivist who graduated a few years ago. She talked about the job market.
b) field trips
The only I could make it to was this trip to a library on the Schofield Army base in Wahiawa. The ride itself was amazing, since you're going from the city to a small town in Central Oahu. But once you get on base, you'll find they have their own library for the soldiers and their families. It's almost like any public library.
c) volunteering for the book fair
There was a book fair for children's literature on the UH campus last month. While it might seem strange to have children's books being sold on a college campus, let's remember that professors and students are parents too. Plus, the younger college students have younger siblings they can buy books for. Plus, going through the children's books collection can give you memories of your childhood.
I only volunteered for a few hours and I wish I had more time. But it was a very fun experience. I get to meet new people and talk about stuff I'm interested in. Also, it was fun re-organizing the book collection after the shoppers made it un-organized. For some reason, I consider that kind of work fun. (just ask any Macy's staff who saw me folding shirts and organizing messy piles there)
I hope I have time to do more of such volunteering soon.
d) Banquets
I love going to banquets.
We had one retirement party for a semi-retired professor Dr Violet Harada on February. She happened to be the first person I talked to when I was considering applying for the LIS program. This semester, she's mostly mentoring a new professor teaching his first class.
When I went to her retirement party, I was surprised how many people showed up. There were librarians from all over the island. There were past students and past colleagues there. And off course, a potluck too :)
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And earlier this week, there was a banquet for the latest group of students graduating from the LIS program this summer.
Good thing we get assigned tables, since it allowed me to meet students I only seen around but didn't have a previous change to socialize with.
It was a fun night, with good food, good feelings and good photos taken.
The graduates get to eat for free, whereas everyone has to pay $35.
I can't wait to be one of the graduates and eat for free :)
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The UH graduation ceremony for graduate students is a few hours away as I'm typing this.
Congratulations and good luck to all of them!
