Graduation!

I graduated with my MLS/School Media Specialist degree from CUNY Queens College on May 31st, 2012! I’m so excited to be through with all the demands of taking classes and writing my thesis. A few days later, I was happy to see my grades come through the registrar, and I did very well, if I may so so myself.

I’m hoping to get back in the swing of things on the blogosphere once I get settled in my post-grad-school life.

Now, I’m looking for a school librarian/media specialist position or a youth services position in a public library.  Tell me if you hear anything 😉

Update – MLS/Library Media Specialist

So, over the last month, I’ve decided to pursue the Library Media Specialist (school librarian) track for my Master of Library Science program.  I’m excited about this because it will widen my possible job outlook greatly – I’ll be qualified not only for public and academic librarianship, but for public school librarianship as well.  Yay!

Recently, the Queens College GSLIS added a new program to allow non-certified teachers to obtain the Library Media Specialist certification.  So, I began doing some research into feasibility, and I realized that actually, I’d be able to complete the LMS coursework.  Moreover, I’m able to do it through the classic program, provided I obtain my initial NYS teaching certificate before doing my student teaching.  Of course, I’ll be taking very particular courses, many of which will include school observation and teaching hours.

So, in coming months, I’ll be tackling the NYS teacher certification tests, including two covering teaching basics and one covering Physics.  Yes, Physics.  My undergraduate major was Physics Teaching.  Although I completed my degree with honors and taught high school science and Physics after graduating, I am quite rusty in this discipline.  I’ve borrowed some study books for this exam, and I have about a month to prepare.  Wish me good luck!

Done and done! [with my first MLS class]

Three exams…check.
Class presentation…check.
Final paper…check.
[insert happy dance]

I’ve finished my summer course, and it feels good to have my first MLS class under my belt. Depending on how the 3rd exam grade goes, I should have earned somewhere in the A-vicinity in this course [yay!!].

I got back comments for my final paper (topic=graphic novels and literacy), and they were a bit unnerving. Although I was satisfied with the grade, I was a bit unsettled by what the professor had a problem with. It seems that I had too many citations in each paragraph.  Perhaps it just got tedious to read.

Regardless, I’ll be posting most of my assignments on my online portfolio here.  Now, all that has been posted is my powerpoint presentation.  I hope to post my final paper and my annotated bibliography  in the coming week, so if you’re interested in graphic novels, check again in a few days.

I have about two weeks of relaxation and pleasure reading before the fall semester begins.  Then, I’ll be taking two courses for my MLS, which should work out to be as much of a workload as one summer course [I hope].  Enjoy the summer break, all you QCers out there!

After Week One of Library School

This week marks the official beginning of my graduate school career.  I had my 701 “Fundamentals of Library & Information Science” class twice this week.  So far, we’ve only covered the history of libraries, a topic I find very interesting.  Unfortunately, the professor (and presumably most library students) are bored by illuminated manuscripts and the rise of literacy, so the professor just read aloud from her notes from the text.  On the bright side, I’ve been reading The Library, a new volume that includes a written history of libraries (albeit written without subtle sophistication I’d expect from an academic work), coupled with beautiful photographs of the written word through the ages.

Anyway, I was assigned my first project in class: an annotated bibliography.  Sadly, I made it through a rigorous undergraduate program without ever having done intense research, a skill that will be of utmost importance in my library career.   So, I’ll be learning so much about research as I complete this project and continue in my classwork.  The professor introduced us to two databases last night: Academic Search Complete (formerly Academic Search Premier, which I’ve used before) and Library Literature & Information Science Full Text.  In class, she also had us create accounts on RefWorks, a bibliography-building tool that allows importation of references from other databases.  So far, the research aspect of this 701 class seems very useful to my needs for assignments.

Oh, and back to the topic I’ve chosen for the assignment: how graphic novels can be used by libraries to promote children’s literacy and engagement in reading.  I found a handful of electronic journal articles and brick-and-mortar books in the Queens College library.  I hope to begin really delving into these on Saturday, because I like to let out my wild side on the weekends.

What is your opinion of graphic novels? Have you read any?  What are your favorites? (I’ve only read the adaptation of Twilight and hybrid graphic novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.).  Please share your thoughts – thanks