-
Rachel Syme commented on the post, Reflecting on hyperlinked communities: Library sleepovers, on the site 15 hours, 17 minutes ago
@nicole287 Your post speaks to my soul! I too would have absolutely loved a sleepover at the library as a child. My family was not big on sleepovers, especially since most of them were Friday to Saturday (which is when my family went to synagogue and celebrated Sabbath). So, the idea that I could have a sanctioned library sleepover would have…[Read more]
-
Rachel Syme commented on the post, Fluid Dates, on the site 17 hours, 50 minutes ago
Thanks for the flexibility!
-
Rachel Syme wrote a new post on the site Rachel in Hyperspace 3 days, 19 hours ago
Meditations on civility in the library
Reflection #1: Meditations on civility in the library While exploring Module 5 this week, I was drawn to Dixon’s (2017) article on fa […]
-
Rachel Syme commented on the post, Radical Trust – Assignment X, on the site 3 days, 19 hours ago
Hi Ashley! Oof, I had some nice nostalgia reading your slideshow; I was obsessed with my Xanga. When I was a tween/teen, it felt so vital to post my thoughts and feelings and have those validated by friends (or even just have them out in the universe). Now, as a 30-year-old, I have taken a big step back from social media and it has helped improve…[Read more]
-
Rachel Syme posted a new activity comment 3 days, 19 hours ago
Great! Thanks!
-
@rcsyme 👍
-
-
Rachel Syme posted an update in the group
Ask A Question! 3 days, 20 hours ago
Hi Dr. Stephens! Are you okay if our reflection blogs are slightly longer than the 200-300 word limit? I’m hovering around 400 words and want to know whether I should undertake more editing.
-
Rachel Syme commented on the post, Assignment X, on the site 4 days, 22 hours ago
@carlys Yowzers! That is an almost comical level of beaurocracy. I’m so sorry you have to deal with all of that; it sounds like it must be so frustrating!
-
Carly Scarberry and
Rachel Syme are now friends 4 days, 22 hours ago
-
Rachel Syme commented on the post, About me, on the site 5 days, 1 hours ago
Hi Nicole! I don’t think I have ever heard the term “toy library” before! My current public library (and a few others I have worked at in the past) have a “library of things” collection. This collection includes games, children’s toys, dementia kits, and other objects that vary a bit from our traditional materials (books, DVDs, music ect…). This…[Read more]
-
Rachel Syme commented on the post, Assignment X, on the site 5 days, 5 hours ago
Hi @carlys! I really enjoyed your presentation on the flat organization model. I think that this is one of those terms that a lot of workplaces like to claim, but few actually implement. In my limited experience, school districts, libraries, and other government organizations seem to suffer from an excess of hierarchy. This hierarchy can make…[Read more]
-
Rachel Syme commented on the post, Assignment X: The fearless library, on the site 5 days, 22 hours ago
@alana42 Thanks for the comment Alana! That sounds like a hilarious and wonderful program. Also, it’s so cool that your mom worked at North York; it looks like a beautiful library building!
I think it would be amazing if more public libraries could design spaces and programs that fit their community needs, no matter how niche. Besides…[Read more]
-
Rachel Syme wrote a new post on the site Rachel in Hyperspace 6 days, 23 hours ago
Assignment X: The fearless library
The fearless library What would a fearless library look like? How does our fear influence our services and our spaces? Do our libraries cleave […]
-
@alana42 Thanks for the comment Alana! That sounds like a hilarious and wonderful program. Also, it’s so cool that your mom worked at North York; it looks like a beautiful library building!
I think it would be amazing if more public libraries could design spaces and programs that fit their community needs, no matter how niche. Besides benefitting the community members, it is also a great way to prompt patrons to become library advocates.
-
-
Rachel Syme commented on the post, Hey there, hyperlinked folks!, on the site 1 weeks, 5 days ago
@michael Thanks Dr. Stephens! I am looking forward to the class and yes, Gunner is a stunner!
-
Rachel Syme commented on the post, About me, on the site 2 weeks, 2 days ago
Hey Jennifer, I definitely agree that multi-tasking seems to be an everday facet of library work! My job title is cataloging, acquisitions, and metadata librarian, but I also spend time doing displays, merchandising the collection, helping with strategic planning, and conducting usability tests. On the one hand, this type of flexibility can be…[Read more]
-
Rachel Syme commented on the post, About me, on the site 2 weeks, 3 days ago
Hi Jennifer. I am in awe that you are able to balance full-time work, the MLIS program, a one-year-old, and a high-schooler. That is some top-level multitasking! It sounds like you also have to do a lot of multitasking in your library assistant job. Once you complete your MLIS are you hoping to stay on in your public library, or do you have a…[Read more]
-
Rachel Syme commented on the post, About me, on the site 2 weeks, 4 days ago
Hi again Caroline! I actually have never played my ukulele as part of storytime, but some of my coworkers do! Musical instruments are a big hit with most of our patrons (of all ages). We are actually going to be adding some ukuleles to our “library of things” collection soon, so I’ll likely be in charge of tuning and restringing them when they…[Read more]
-
Rachel Syme commented on the post, About me, on the site 2 weeks, 4 days ago
Thanks! Yes, Colorado is a wonderful place for tons of fun outdoor adventures! We’ve been here for six years now and don’t have any plans of moving. The idea of living in one place for too long is strange to me (especially after living in five states in five years), but we are really enjoying it so far. The community and outdoor recreation here…[Read more]
-
Caroline and
Rachel Syme are now friends 2 weeks, 4 days ago
-
Rachel Syme commented on the post, About me, on the site 2 weeks, 5 days ago
Hi Caroline! You will definitely have the opportunity to continue teaching in public libraries! I know it won’t be quite the same as running your own school, but with your background in education I am sure that any public library would be thrilled to have you. Between daily programs, literacy classes, computer tutoring, storytimes, citizenship…[Read more]
-
Rachel Syme posted a new activity comment 2 weeks, 5 days ago
Great; thanks!
-
@rcsyme 👍
-
- Load More
Hi Rachel,
Ooo this is a fantastic pondering. As a conflict-averse person by nature, I, too, do not feel ready to do such a thing; I would want ample training. But it is such an important topic. And my hope would be that I and our communities can get there.
While doing my Assignment X (about oral stories), I ran into a creative interview collection that created conversations that centered humanity and relatedness between community members with different political views. The conversation series is by StoryCorps and is called “One Small Step.” They describe it as “strangers with different political views together to record a 50-minute conversation—not to debate politics, but to learn who we are as people.” https://storycorps.org/discover/onesmallstep/conversations/
Just as it is called, it is “one small step” in the direction of civil conversation despite differences; programs like this are in-the-direction-of those harder conversations for those of us that have a harder time jumping into the deep end.
And side note, I live in Nashville — I should check out the conversations referenced in Dixon’s article if they’re still going on!
@rcsyme You ask some ood questions in this post. I am leaning toward the idea that we are not completetly neutral. We can surely offer collections with diverse viewpoints but we can also speak out against anything that impededs an individual’s access to information (in every way we might define that term!).