IST 511-Day 3

I don't think I'm cut out to be a library systems person. Today's professional panel was comprised of 5 very interesting folks who work in various aspects of library systems. They clearly love what they do, but seemed to speak a language that I'm not sure I could (or want to) master. Their work is very technical (not my strength) yet is also quite rewarding for them. If I ever did change my mind about being a school librarian, I could see myself doing preservation and restoration. We visited the Rare Books collection on the 6th floor of Bird Library today and got to see exactly how books are painstakingly restored and preserved. Now that looked right up my alley! We also spent time in the book repair shop where books are quickly reconditioned with the goal of getting back into circulation as soon as possible. Think of it as a M*A*S*H* unit for books. Lastly, Professor Lavender spent some time with us--surrounded by a few of the gems from the Rare Books Collection of Syracuse University. And when I say gems, I am being literal as one of the books he shared with us actually had emeralds and sapphires embedded into the cover. He had some truly amazing artifacts, and even better stories to accompany them. There is a lot to librarianship (much more than I thought) and I'm enjoying learning about the many aspects of this interesting and exciting profession.