I made a schedule change, folks. See, my backup plan, should I end up hating academia in five years (look, I know I would like to be some flavor of academic librarian, certainly, but I’m also aware that I have yet to fight my way through real-life academic politics; Masters students–even research-based ones–are shielded from all that, particularly if they’re lucky enough to have the least dramatastic advisor of all time), is to be a Young Adult Librarian. So I figured it wouldn’t hurt to take one class in that, particularly since the one semi-high-workload class I thought I’d take was likely to have some repeat content in it, for me. Analyzing massive amounts of data and presenting it coherently? Yeah, been there. <\/p>\n
Here’s my new schedule:<\/span> I have trouble believing that the [first] volunteer position I mention above is actually going to work out, because it’s just too good to be true. You see, if you said to me, “Coral, if there were any place in Pittsburgh–any place at all, and forget what your degrees are in–where you could work, where would it be?”, I would name this place. I’m e-mailing back and forth with their acting librarian (he has fantastic credentials, but none of them are specifically library-related, other than his caring for their collection up until now), and we have a meeting set up for the week after next. He makes it sound like he’s not so much interviewing me as showing me what I would be working on and letting me decide whether or not I’m up to it. To which, of course, the response is “Hell yes!” … Only, you know, more professionally phrased. I am unbelievably psyched about this position. But I really shouldn’t even say as much as I have, until I’m really sure it’ll happen. I really, really, really want for it to happen. When\/If it’s for sure, I’ll post with more details… like the name of the place.<\/p>\n The CMU Field Placement is also, I guess, not 100% definite? It’s likely. My would- or will-be boss has collected my demographic information and described the project at a high level, and I have the ideal faculty advisor for the project, as well. … I’ll wait and describe that better when I have a clearer handle on what I would\/will be doing. But it’s digital library (repository) stuff, and there’s an intellectual property\/copyright aspect to it. It’s exciting. <\/p>\n I’m seriously psyched about next semester. Nervous, too, because wow will I be busy. (Then again, I won’t be hopped up on Ny-\/Dayquil, or running on decreased oxygen, we hope, so my capacity for work will be higher. Also, I don’t think any of my classes require weekly essays on multiple books and articles, like my one class this semester did. So that’s a win.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I made a schedule change, folks. See, my backup plan, should I end up hating academia in five years (look, I know I would like to be some flavor of academic librarian, certainly, but I’m also aware that I have yet to fight my way through real-life academic politics; Masters…<\/p>\n
Monday 3-6:<\/span> Academic Librarianship
Tuesday 6-9:<\/span> Resources for Young Adults
Wednesday 11-3:<\/span> Work, 6-9:<\/span> Retrieving Information
Rotating\/Online:<\/span> Introduction to Cataloging and Classification
Friday 11-4:<\/span> Work
Alternating Saturday 1-5 and Sunday 4-8:<\/span> Work
Hopefully one day a week (Thursday, if possible):<\/span> Volunteering
5 hours a week, somewhere in there:<\/span> Field Placement at CMU
One Saturday a month, 7:30-10:30am:<\/span> Volunteering at Planned Parenthood<\/p>\n