Caroline Moran
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Practical Experience

Below are descriptions of my practical experiences during and after my time at SI. Links are provided where possible.

Alternative Spring Break (Winter 2010)

I participated in SI's Alternative Spring Break in 2010, which had students spending one week working on a project in either Detroit, Chicago, New York City, or Washington, DC. I was assigned to the "Cookery" Subject Term Revision project at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. This project involved editing and updating MARC authority records to reflect the change in the subject headings from using "Cookery" to "Cooking." I finished the location-based cooking subject headings and started in on the ingredient-based headings. If you search the cooking headings' authority records at the Library of Congress Authorities and see "|b th38" in the 953 field, that means I edited that particular authority record. After returning, each of us was required to put together a slide summarizing our experiences during ASB for a presentation. My slide can be viewed here.

Internship at FDERC (Fall 2010 - Summer 2011)

One of the requirements for the MSI program is to complete a certain number of hours of practical experience in our chosen fields, typically through internships. I completed this requirement through my internship at the U-M Depression Center's FRIENDS Depression Education Resource Center (FDERC). FDERC provides eduational resources on depression and other related illnesses in order to help improve awareness and understanding of these illnesses. This increased understanding would encourage people to seek treatment and help to reduce the stigma associated with these illnesses. Materials in the resource center are made available patients, family and friends, and Depression Center staff. I earned course credit for my work during the Fall 2010 semester, and continued to volunteer there as an intern through the Winter 2011 semester and after graduation. I was responsible for many of FDERC's day-to-day operations, which are described below:

Circulation of Materials

  • I processed incoming and outgoing items. This was initially done manually via checkout cards. I also sent out email notices for overdue items.
  • Integration of the collections of UMHS Resource Centers into one network during Summer 2011 led to a change in circulation practices, including a move to using a web-based catalog system whose website can be viewed here.
  • I helped edit the new circulation sheet to be used in order to make it more appropriate to FDERC patrons' usage, particularly when it came to protecting their privacy.

Consolidation of the FDERC Collection Inventory File

  • I took the information from the original Circulation Excel file and consolidated it to produce a comprehensive listing of materials in the FDERC collection in terms of titles and the number of copies of each title. This new Excel file listed materials by title, author, ISBN/ASIN, subject category, and accession number.
  • Accession numbers were color-coded by status (on the shelf, checked out, overdue, missing/lost, withdrawn) to indicate availability. This color-coding was also applied to the Circulation file.
  • This consolidated list made it easier to see what titles FDERC currently owned and had owned at some point, as well as what was really popular in terms of how many copies had been owned over time.

Collection Management and Development of Lendable Resources

  • I assessed subject areas' coverage within the lendable materials and ordered materials to bolster weak spots.
  • I used the consolidated inventory file, resource guides, reviews, recommendations from Depression Center staff, and requests from patrons to decide what to buy.
  • I also processed new materials by assigning accession numbers, subject categories, labeling them, and adding circulation cards.

Collection Management and Development of Pamphlets and Brochures

  • I organized and stocked the many pamphlets and brochures FDERC made available to its patrons for free by ordering new copies as needed and keeping an eye on stored inventory.
  • I helped update the file that lists the pamphlet and brochure titles ordered and offered by FDERC. Titles were organized by publisher and listed alphabetically by title. The list also included the titles' subject categories, the number of copies out on the shelves for patrons, the number stored as inventory, the number on order, and any relevant notes.
  • I also found replacements for discontinued titles and new titles as needed.

Revised and Updated All of the Subject Resource Guides

  • FDERC offers several resource guides on a wide variety of related subjects, such as depression, eating disorders, addiction, and local health service providers. These all needed to updated as well as reformatted to match one another, and a few new guides were also added.
  • Each guide lists several print (books and pamphlets/brochures), audio/visual, and online resources for its particular subject.
  • While these guides' primary purpose is for patrons' use, I also updated them with the intention that future FDERC volunteers would be able to use them to help determine what materials to order.
Samples:

Provided Reference Services

  • I helped find resources on various topics (e.g. panic disorder, depression as it relates to MS, etc.) for patrons and staff members.
  • Reference services were provided in person or by email. Reference interviews were not provided by phone as there was no phone available at the FDERC desk.

Trained Other FDERC Volunteers

  • I helped train new FDERC volunteers by providing a tour of the resource center and giving an overview of its resources and services.
  • I created guides with notes on how things are done, indicating where supplies are kept, and other things worth knowing. I also answered questions as they came up.

Dreamweaver Workshops (Summer 2011)

In order to add to and further develop my skills, I took a series of five workshops in August 2011 that were offered by U-M's ITS Education Services. These workshops covered how to use Adobe Dreamweaver to create and maintain websites. I already knew how to use some HTML and CSS from learning it on my own and from SI 502, and these workshops built upon it by adding in the use of Dreamweaver to create and edit pages. I used Dreamweaver to build this portfolio. Below is a list of the workshops I took along with links to their pages with descriptions of what each workshop covered:

Dreamweaver I

Introduction

Dreamweaver II

Advanced Layout Techniques

Dreamweaver III

Advanced CSS

Dreamweaver IV

Forms, Searches, and CGIs

Dreamweaver V

Templates, Extensions, Advanced Features