Week 12

You know, I’ve never understand why someone wants to be friends with complete strangers on Facebook or any Internet social networker really. Goodness, it drives me insane when people that I did not associate with in high school ask to be my friend. Did we talk to each other when we sat next to each other in math? No? Then why would I want you to know all the information that I share with my friends?  People are too trusting of people they meet on the Internet, really I think they are too trusting of the Internet in general, but it certainly has its uses doesn’t it? 

Positive deviance seems to be something that could be utilized within the United States as well and something that can extend to the library, not just be focused in the health care community. Children’s early literacy practices are ones that can be implemented through a program like this.  It seems common sense to read to a child or to actively engage with your infant while doing standard tasks like changing a diaper, but there are many families (low income in particular) who are not aware of these simple tasks. But if we reach out to these families and teach them the practice of simple interaction with their child and stress the importance of reading at a very young age the next generation will start out even stronger than the previous.

Week 10

My husband has often wondered why my career requires a master’s degree; he strongly believes that I would learn much more from on the job training instead of taking a class. I’ve tried explaining it to him, but he’s quite sure work-based learning makes more sense. I like the idea of work based learning, but only if it’s coupled with traditional classroom based education. The only issue with work based learning is you need to have a rich environment to take advantage of. If the area is based on a county structure a student would have to make sure to go outside of the county to get additional input. I don’t think it would serve very well to focus all learning from the exact same library system. Why flit around to the different branches in my system to learn about collection development when 95% of our material is handpicked by 2 bibliographers who are in the administration wing at the Main library? So I think a hybrid program would be very beneficial, as long as there is a good sized pool of libraries to observe.

It’s not a shock to anyone when they hear that the library is a female heavy occupation and then within the library there are naturally different areas that the male workers gravitate towards. Our Business and Technology department is primarily men, our IT team is primarily men, our “big wigs” are primarily men, and we only have one male children’s librarian in the entire system.  So why aren’t there that many men in the library field? Do they not want to work in a field that is filled with women? Do they not like the idea of the stereotypes that are attached to librarians (male and female)? Or is it simply because the library is a service industry and even worse it’s a service industry where the workers do not reap high monetary rewards? I think it might be a little bit of all of those, but I think the income plays a huge role. Librarians aren’t out to get rich, we go into it knowing that our cost of education does not mean we’re going to make the big bucks and I think that scares men. We’re still in the age when many men feel they need to bring in more money and $45,000(if you’re lucky) is not a high salary to many people.  My friends and family still think I’m crazy that I gave up a career of $60,000+ and decided to become a librarian. They didn’t understand that I wanted to be happy in my career, not make a lot of money.

Week 9

Wann’s article was certainly interesting. I get the feeling that she has always been a diary writer because there were elements that I was wondering why she bothered mentioning them. I would have like to see more actual reflection on how she changed as a leader as a result of the experience, but perhaps she didn’t go in depth with this because she felt it would include too much of what goes on at the Institute. But it was very disappointing to only learn that she was in the lap of luxury, this was repeated over and over, and that she loved all the food that was there. We didn’t even hear that much about her Straight from the Heart talk. 

Hailey is certainly right, we develop that library so that it is accepting of everyone and can provide the residents of the community with a haven, a place where they can go and feel accepted.  But this acceptance goes out to visitors as well. While my library system will not allow a visitor to check out material without buying into the library system, we do allow them access to our computers. I’m also one of those librarians that visit other libraries on my vacation; it’s great for getting ideas from other parts of the country. And if you happen to get in a discussion with one of the librarians there, all the better! Observing the public library and its services gives one a good idea of how the community stands.

Week 8

Ah, ethics. One of my favorite classes in undergrad was my Medical Ethics class, there were some heated debates there, but so exciting! Now, while I agree that practice can change a person I think the reason for the action influences it more. Giving to the poor is well and good and certainly signifies a good person, but if someone then thinks that they are better than other because of that action they’ve lost all good from it.

I definitely see the issue with Burns’ idea of good leadership and Hitler is a great example of the flaw, kudos to Northouse for mentioning it. Who can argue that Hitler was not a strong leader? Who took a country that was floundering thanks to WWI and the Great Depression and he turned it into a powerhouse. An evil powerhouse, but a powerhouse. Exceptional leadership. You can argue that he was ethically egoism, but Hitler in his mind was altruistic.

Hmm, which leaders do better, those who put themselves first or their employees? I would hope that those who do more for others do better. I would think that the works would naturally work hard and thus the leader would go further too. But I have a feeling that most CEOs in the power companies today got there but stepping on some people and only looking out for themselves.

I like the mention of white lies, the fact that even those there were good intentions it can fracture the relationship. I think this is an issue with so many, but at work you must be honest with people. Don’t skate around the truth. No half truths!

Joe’s most ethical choice would be the first one, although the second one is really close to me; definitely NOT the third choice. Egoism plays a role depending on whether it’s more important for the company to stay in business or for Joe to have a strong name. What’s it going to be Joe? I think his best option is the first one, there’s got to be something that he’s doing wrong, time for him to step down.

Management at PPI definitely has a high level of morals, their actions support this and there’s proof that it works. They have a duty based approach. They feel it is their duty to provide workers with the best environment possible. While their lawyers have a slight point, if they’re good lawyers than they can point out that the audits were optional and entirely beneficial  to the company and the workers. Being proactive is better than plugging your ears and saying “La la la, I can’t hear you.”

That PLIS quiz was kind of crazy, though I guess lately I’ve just had really trustworthy bosses. Or maybe I’m just too trusting.

Week 7

I will admit to being someone who has “conversations in an upward spiral of increasing defensiveness.” But I’m getting better, I swear! Why is that? Because I hate how I feel afterwards, you can’t come back from it, mostly I end up going to bed angry and who likes that? Hmm, I’ve never heard of the arsenic hour, but that makes sense. You’re hungry, you’ve finally gotten off of work but then had to drive home through traffic and you come home and it’s like a match to a dry field. Perhaps I shouldn’t communicate with anyone (husband in particular) between 3 and 6:30.

Ooo, the step of being silent should be accompanied by open posture, otherwise you appear very closed off.

Well now I’m just confused. I thought I wasn’t assertive at all, but the “natural assertions” that Bolton talks about are phrases that I use all the time. Perhaps it’s my tone, it has to be my tone, since clearly I’m working everything right. Oh yeah, being assertive after an attack is very challenging, especially after a passive aggressive attack. Shut down city for Rachael.

Ooo, toxic relationship, I’ve had two and severed both of them, one a couple years ago and another a couple months ago. They were different levels of toxicity, yet they both thought they knew more than me in every matter and thus felt the need to control my life and were extremely judgmental. I didn’t need that in my life so those individuals are gone from it. It would take a lot to go back to that person and try again.

I have such a hard time saying no, both for my personal life and at work. Which is proof to why I get bogged down by so much stuff. Not surprising that my mind is in the state that it is. Why do people have such a hard time saying no? I should realize that I’m taking on too much, right? But I keep insisting to myself that I can add another thing to my to-do list, no problem! In the end everything seems to suffer, or the majority of it is very eh but I have one good thing. At this point in my life I just keep saying to myself “You’ll be done in December, you’ll be done in December,” but who am I kidding? I’m just going to take on even more stuff to replace all of my school work.