Thing #5 Libraries

1. What is your experience with public libraries?
I had a public library a few blocks from my house as I was growing up. I used it quite a bit. These were the days before comuputers. In college I worked at one of the Univ. of Minnesota's libraries, which I loved. I learned the dewey decimal system quite well and also checked out books to users, etc. Once again, there was no internet service, so we had the little cards we placed in the back of the book that indicated the due date. I did become aware of the interlibrary loan service and also Minitex through my work at the library and subsequently used these services when I wrote some of my research papers.

Today, I still use the library in my neighborhood (for my chilren mostly.) Although, they have many more books at home than I did when I was a kid. A few weeks ago we were there and my ten year old son informed me as we were leaving that he had ordered two books from another library. I was impressed that he had navigated that without my help. The books arrived within the week as well!

2. What would you improve about your library card and its services?
It is hard to say. They are valid in all of Minnesota (am I right?), or at least where I would need to get a book or service (that would be Hennepin, Ramsey or Carver counties. And through this class I have become aware of the many online services that are available to me. There seem to be so many different ways to access information from the various state libraries, and university services that I could spend a year trying them all out. I guess the one thing that is worrisome to me is the reduction of library hours during the tough budget times over the last few years. This is when people use the libraries even more, and many users need to use the computers and internet service available, indicating that they do not have internet access at home.

3. How do you use the public library to support your teaching?
I have not used them enough. In the past, when a research paper of some sort was assigned, I would encourage students to use their local libararies to find books, since sometimes there were not enough in the Chaska High library to go around. I have used them to check out videos for use in class,as well as particular magazines and magazine articles for use in class as well. I have not used the many online sources of information as well as I could have.

4. How will you use MnLINK to help your students?
I think that exposing MNlink to my students will provide them with another valuable tool to use to access materials for projects without having to worry about whether or not a particular book is checked out.

5. How can you help students plan for ILL for completing their projects?
Under the current block scheduling at Chaska, I think that it is difficult for them to use ILL for projects, since the timelines on projects are so quick. I foresee a better opportunity next year, when we transition to a 7 period day. Even then, I think that students should be exposed to this at the beginning of the school year. I think that it should be included in presentations the media specialists do when they introduce students to the various online resources, and reinforced as teachers assign research projects throughout the school year.

6. Have you used MnLINK before? No, I am sorry to say that I have not used this service before.