Hi @michael

I had a question regarding the “participation” assignment on Canvas due on the 9th. The instructions say,
“please submit your activity URL to Canvas after you complete your final reflection.” Is that the same as just submitting the whole blog URL in general? Thanks!

Thank you for sharing Dempsey’s advice, @michaell
The “grow into your voice” section truly resonated with me the most.

@michael This was a very interesting read and is encouraging. My internship just ended, and I am at a tough spot where I don’t know where to go, what to do, or what I’m even good at. It’s a really scary and depressing feeling, and I hope I find my place in the library world.

Work in progress! https://i.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExd2c2bnNkNGlraW5mdG9wd2hkbWkyajJ1ZHpqZDZha2tia2JhYXByYiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9dg/nuufztgCvyJZIuSkgd/giphy.gif

@michael Oh my goodness… that picture is so ridiculous and cute

Working on my Inspiration Report… Norovirus shut our house down on Wednesday for about a week! I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy!

@Michael Yes, please! I was not able to attend the last two Zoom class chats, so I would love to attend a session. I think offering two sessions for that weekend is more than accommodating.

@michael Saturdays work so much better for me! I will come to the one on the 7th. : )

@michael Those two dates sound great, Dr. Stephens! Thank you so much for being so accommodating for us!

@michael I’d appreciate the Saturday as a possibility! I work my full time job during the week but also work a shift on Sundays at a private school so haven’t been able to make the other meetings.

@michael Like Monica, I also want to make it to a Zoom chat since I missed the previous ones. Saturday works for me!

I hate so much what’s happened to twitter these past couple of years. It used to be such a big source of happiness (fandom) and information for me. I hate that so many of us have felt the need to leave. : (

And I’m really struggling this semester, which makes me sad because this class and the other I’m taking were ones that I was very much looking forward to. It’s just really hard to focus. Thank you for the empathy, @michael .

Professor,

Thanks so much for the grace and understanding, as well as willingness to be so flexible. It is amazing and very appreciated.

Love the kilt! My family is of the Stewart lineage, with a couple of my great aunts lived in Orkney.

Take care,
Sara

These last few weeks have been a challenge for sure. I love the kilt it looks great. Thank you for your flexibility – it is appreciated.
Carlee

@michael Thank you for your kind words and for being such an amazing professor. This is my second class with you, and I just love the way you teach and how you care about all of your students. You embody the “librarian spirit” and inspire me to be a great librarian. Also, what an awesome picture – you look so majestic!!

@michael I second what Millicent said! Thank you Professor Stephens for being a light for us!

Dr. Stephens,
I cannot thank you enough for your inspirational and empathetic words. I admire the work that you do and your modules have honestly been the highlights of my day these past few weeks. That is an awesome kilt by the way! Thank you for always sharing pictures of your adventures away from class! 🙂 @michael

@michael Thank you for the check-in. This semester had me quite busy with life things outside of the course, and before I realize it Thanksgiving is here. I will do my best to get caught up on the backlog in time!

I agree with all the above comments that your kilt photo looks wonderful! Imagine if this was the About the Author photo in your next book! 😀

But I can also relate to the lament of Twitter, not just from a long-standing time of using the site, but how the changes are creating such a deterrent to the credibility of information. So many users and official entities were able to make use of the real-time update culture, but now that’s all being thrown into jeopardy. Migrating to another site is possible, but it also means starting up again.

@allofbethany Apologies for not replying to this! Thank you for there kind words on my kilt.

You are so right about Twitter and migrating. I’m on Blue Sky now but I am not feeling it as much as I thought I would.

@michael thank you for sharing! I won’t have to tackle my e-Portfolio until next fall, but I’ve already thought about it with a little trepidation. It’s reassuring to read this in advance!

@Michael Great Article! I love how it talks about how space itself is a service for users. It really is! Honestly, when I was in high school, I mainly went to my local library to cool down from the 100-degree weather. I didn’t go for the books or the computers (although checking my Myspace was a bonus); I just wanted to sit in a cool and safe place for a while. Space is a luxury and I’m glad libraries can provide that

I’m from Boston and the BPL was a huge part of my teen years.
I’m thankful for the librarians there and how they just let me and my weird friends exist.

A great article! And it plays nicely into my final paper for Collection Development!

Living / learning roof looks awesome! Do they allow dogs up there?

@michael Thank you for sharing – what an amazing library story! I’m so that they were able to rebuild, and make the space even better. I really like the auditorium, it’s so big – would be perfect for some movie or documentary screenings! Like @arthurkolat , I also think that the learning roof is so inventive and fun, and probably gets more folks out into the fresh air.

Congrats to those finishing up! To other fellow students who are, like me, still working on their degree, hang in there and enjoy the journey! I’m not graduating until Fall ’25, but I can’t wait!

I enrolled for the Spring 2025 e-portfolio class earlier this week! It’s the last class I will be taking and then I am done with my MLIS!

Congrats to everyone finishing up!! I’m in the same boat as those who said Fall 2025–see you all then. 😀

Just getting to this recording. What a great chat! Casey had a lot of great insights to offer. I have seen first hand how signing up k-12 students for cards increases patronage. I appreciate that he shared his honest opinion of social media marketing, he made a fair point when he mentioned that followers have already made the effort to seek out a library’s page.