On a visit to Vancouver last winter, I fell in love with their new downtown library, especially the children's department. So I told the librarian at the desk -- who turned out to be the head of the department -- about the UW field study program, and about my interest in children's and young adult services and in possibly doing fieldwork at VPL. After some back-and-forth between VPL and UW, I ended up doing my field study there last summer and having a terrific time. I spent 6 weeks there, working on a variety of projects involving children's and young adult services and collections.

I had taken a class in the spring on Public Library Services for Youth, and was full of ideas for improving the library's Young Adult area, which had received much less attention in the new building than the splendiferously designed Children's Library downstairs. I had to scale down my notions due to some real-world considerations, such as the architect's restrictions on posting anything on the wall space, and the realization that whatever I started would have to be maintained after I left by a regular staff person, all of whom were busy enough already. Fortunately, my supervisors were supportive, and I set up an experimental suggestion box and graffiti board, which were well-used, [despite my fears that the graffiti board's "Question Of the Week" would just sit there forlornly staring at me, unanswered.] At the end of my field work my supervisor told me that they were going to continue both displays after I left, and also continue staffing the Young Adult desk part-time (it hadn't been staffed before). It was really satisfying to feel like what I'd learned in class wasn't just theory -- I could use it to create something that would improve the library.

In addition to getting experience with everything from compiling a resource list to putting together a storytime to assisting with paperback-buying (we actually went down to the bookstore with a list and tossed paperbacks into a shopping cart), I got a chance to see the everyday workings and policies of a large public library that I didn't already know well, as a patron or an employee, and that was actually in a foreign country. While VPL's structure was familiar enough to be comfortable for me, its "Canadian-ness" came through in everything from the strong union to a collection development policy that emphasized British and Canadian as well as U.S.-published books. I'm sure my fieldwork experience helped me to land the job I have now, in another downtown children's department, and that I'll be able to draw on it wherever I end up after I graduate as well.

I should mention a couple of things you'll want to know if you plan to do field work in Canada: this is a fairly expensive option, as non-Canadians can't legally supplement their unpaid fieldwork with paid work while they're there. I managed by subletting my room in Seattle, finding a cheap place to stay through friends of friends (the exchange rate was helpful here), and compressing my fieldwork into a relatively short time so that I could work in Seattle for part of the summer. Also, you'll want to clear yourself ahead of time with Canadian immigration. When you call Immigration, the phrase to use when explaining what you're planning to do is "unpaid practicum," not "internship." Internships are presumed to be paid positions (even if you insist that this one isn't) and are governed by very strict rules. I found this out the hard way.

In spite of glitches like these, I would recommend "getting out of town" for fieldwork -- to a different library system than the one you work in or plan to work in, if not actually to a different part of the world -- to anyone who can manage it. While the advantage of getting your foot in the door at a place where you already want to work can be compelling, fieldwork can also be an opportunity to experiment and get a different perspective, or just to work someplace where you might not get a chance to otherwise. After all, they're not paying you; you might as well go somewhere you've always dreamed of.

Unfortunately, VPL has had some budget cuts this year and isn't taking any student placements until 1998. If you're interested in doing field work there next year, in Children's or any other department, the person to talk to is Sue Yates, the regional manager, at (604) 331-4009.

Since I am from Portland, I did my fieldwork at Portland State University during the summer of 1996. I wanted to work on the Business/Government Documents desk but that department already had someone, so I ended up on the Social Science/Education desk. I was nervous about that because I hadn't taken a reference course in that area.

It ended up being a great experience! My supervisor was working on a database of archaeological site reports for Portland State students; I helped her update it by evaluating publications and getting data from them. We are still working together toward putting the database up on the Web for public access. When that happens I will have a publication under my belt. I spent the first three weeks of my fieldwork performing that task and the next two weeks putting together a website of resources for distance-education students in the Social Work program. My supervisor and the other librarians I worked with were as happy with me as I was with them, and they claim they will support me if a position ever comes open at Portland State. That's a bonus of fieldwork; it's sort of a trial-run for both you and the institution, and if it works out you have an "in" because the people know you. I heartily recommend fieldwork, and I especially encourage you to branch out into a library that doesn't get many fieldwork participants if at all possible. You never know how it will work out.

Any questions? Feel free to send me e-mail: hsenior@u.washington.edu

Cataloging -- United States -- 20th Century
Cats -- Psychology -- Seattle (Wash.)
Junior High -- Insanity -- Burkina Faso

In an effort to acquaint you all with new faculty members, we decided to grill new faculty member and cataloging maven Allyson Carlyle on the past, present and future. She kindly obliged me in an email interview, of which this is an excerpt.

1. What was your undergrad major?

English Lit. and History, with a minor in French.

2. What made you move from that to LIS?

I've worked in libraries since I was in the 6th grade, the only break being my Peace Corps work. And now, if you consider being a faculty member non-library work. Actually, I worked for so long in libraries that I had a pretty awful attitude about profess ional librarians and thought I'd never be one. One of my college professors talked me into it. I was swayed by the argument that I'd get more vacation time and more money.

3. What did you do while in the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso?

I taught English to junior high school students, who are the same all over the world! They were great, but they drove me nuts. I decided I'd never teach again.... Not the last time my predictions for the future will be wrong, I'm sure.

4. Married? Significant others? Pets? How do you like Seattle?

Not married. Many significant others, but not of the sort you are asking about, I suspect. I have 2 cats, Emma & Kadi. Both girls, and they hate each other.

I love Seattle. I used to work in technical services at the Seattle Public Library so I've lived here before. It's nice to be back. Not to mention that most of my good friends from LA now live here. (Oops, I'm not supposed to admit that I used to live in California, am I???)

5. What's your teaching background?

Teaching English as a second language in Africa. Teaching assistant and TA coordinator for the undergraduate library course offered by the library school at UCLA. Faculty at Kent State Univ. for 2.5 years (taught the usual cataloging courses + a bibliogra phic instruction course). I'm quite interested in teaching as a discipline. I enjoy studying teaching and trying out different methodologies, as my students will discover.

6. What do you think is the most important thing to teach LIS students? (a purposely vague question)

I think it is important for students to get a sense of the profession of librarianship. It is a profession whose primary purpose is service to users. I don't know if it is possible to TEACH dedication to user needs, but it is the most important thing that students leave library school with, I think.

7. Do you see the current cataloging curriculum expanding, contracting, or changing any way?

Don't know. I think my teaching of cataloging is different from other people's teaching of cataloging, and so the curriculum will change because I am in it. I'd like to see a nonbook cataloging course added to the permanent curriculum, but that depends on who we fill vacant faculty slots with.

8. What is the most exciting thing about cataloging?

There is little that is not exciting about cataloging, in my book! I think it is the most intellectually rich and challenging part of library & info science. Little research has been done, so one can dig right in and do very important work. I make the ana logy to English lit: it is as if only a few articles and books had ever been published about Shakespeare--that is where we are in cataloging. I feel privileged to be working in this area right now. I also think it is great fun to teach.

9. Are you involved in any kind of research now? If so, what is it?

At the moment I'm writing a paper for the 6th International Study Conference on Classification Research to be held in London in June. It's an investigation into how classification can be used to organize author and work displays. Then I'm also writing up some research I did last summer at Kent. This is a study of how people organize documents related to a particular work. I had people put 47 different documents related to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol into groups. They also had to give each group a n ame and write a description of it. I'm looking both at what kinds of groups people made and what characteristics they used to group as well as how closely the groups and characteristics match traditional library groupings.

10. Overall, do you think that libraries/librarians will play a larger or smaller part in people's lives? Why or why not?

I have no idea. But I'm not a library doomsday sayer. Just visit a public library in almost any community on the weekend. Then say they're going away, or they're going to play a smaller part in people's lives! I worked as a children's librarian to suppor t myself when I was working on my Ph.D. We would be so busy sometimes I couldn't believe that anyone who made predictions of the library's downfall had actually visited one lately. Did those kids use the Internet? Sure. Did that mean they spent less time in the library? Not that I could tell!

Project Network will be on Friday, May 2nd, 1997 at approximately 6pm.

Project Network is an evening where representatives of different types of libraries come and talk. In addition, people who participate will have an opportunity to fill out a form ahead of time that will hook them up with a "mentor" of sorts in the field of library work that they request. At Project Network, they will meet their "mentor".

A more definite time will be set soon. For more information, please e-mail Cass Shettleroe at cshettle@u.washington.edu.