Project 3: Final

This is the final project of the class and I have learned a lot about the library. Before this class I did not know how many uses there were to the library besides checking out a book. Now after this class I know there is so much more. That is the reason I created a PowerPoint presentation describing and displaying all the uses the library has to offer. Hopefully after someone looks at this presentation it will encourage them to go to the library and find out that the library is a lot more than just a building with bricks full of books.

Season Greetings
Richard Spara

Project 3: The Patron Act

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

BLOG REFLECTION #7 TOPIC

I know I haven’t been blogging for a while, it’s good to be back. If a patron wanted to see me for advice about how to use internet resources for researching their topic I would tell me that www.encyclopeida.com and www.wikipeida.com are great research websites. At www.encylopeida.com you can look up many topics that you typically find in any encyclopedia. At www.wikipedia.com you can find a topic about almost anything you can imagine.

Here is my list of electronic and internet resources
1. www.encylopeida.com
2. www.brittanica.com
3. www.wikipedia.com
4. www.proquest.com
5. www.lli.org
6. Subscription research databases
7. Government Sponsored websites
8. Favorite search engines

Project 2: Proposal to create Reference Library

Lib 204 - Intro to Reference Services
Project 2: Proposal to create Reference Library

The city that I am choosing for my public library is in Tustin because this community needs more resources and reference for the public. The library I intend now does not have a reference center, and I think the citizens of Tustin deserve a library that has a reference center, this will help students study. There is only one public library in Tustin, we need another Library in this city. My library will be free to the public and welcomes everyone. That is why we need funding so I can create a public library for Tustin.

Demographics of Tustin
Population: In 2000 there were a total of 67,504 citizens in Tustin. Tustin’s land area is 11.40 square miles.
Sex: In 2000 there were 33,044 males and 34,460 females.
Age in the year 2000:
Under 5 years – 5,815 (8.60%)
5 to 17 years – 12,307 (18.20%)
18 to 24 years – 6,294 (9.30%)
25 to 44 years – 25,728 (38.10%)
45 to 64 years – 12,556 (18.60%)
65 – 74 years – 2,745 (4.10%)
85 years and over – 483 (0.70%)
Median age – 31.80 years old


Race in the year 2000:
Caucasian (White) – 39,639 (58.70%)
Hispanic/Latino – 23,110 (34.20%),
Population by some other race – 12,113 (17.90%)
Asian – 10,058 (14.90%)
Population by two or more races – 3,073 (4.60%)
African American (Black) – 1,970 (2.90%)
American Indian and Alaska Native – 448 (0.70%)
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander – 203 (0.30%)
This information is from http://www.uscitycounty.com/california-state/orange-county/tustin-city-demography.htm#c2
Libraries in Tustin
Tustin Library http://www.ocpl.org/brnch.asp?b=tu
Tustin Library is located at 345 E. Main Street Tustin, CA. 92780
Business/Financial Reference
• Wall Street Journal
• Financial Times
• Investors Business Daily
• OC Business Journal
• Business Week
• Consumer Reports
• Economist
• Fast Company
• Forbes
• Fortune
• Home Business
• Kiplinger's
• Small Business Opportunities
• Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities
• ValueLine
• Morningstar 500 Funds

Career and Job Information
• Vocational guides
• Occupational study guides
• Entrance exam study guides
• School reviews & ratings
• College Blue Book
• Local college & education catalogs

Santa Ana Public Library http://www.ci.santa-ana.ca.us/library/
Santa Ana Public Library is located at 26 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA. 92701
The reference area of my Library will be in the middle of the library near the information area. There will be a total of 6 tables for patrons to study and read. There will be 16 computers for adults and 8 computers for children. All of the computers will have internet access. The computers will have online electronic resources like book search, online catalogs, and web and library 2.0 services.
The reference area will have shelves full of reference books that are categorizes into subjects. The subjects will be Audio books, Auto Biography, Culture, CD’s, DVD’s, Fiction, Foreign Languages, Geography, History, World History, Science, and more.

Blog Reflection #3

I am one of those students who head straight to my computer and research on the internet. I usually google or go to Wikipedia to do my research. I think this is an easier way to look up research than looking through books and encyclopedias. But I do believe that researching through books and encyclopedias are a more accurate than the internet. So if you want your research that is reliable you should go through books instead of the internet.

Project 1: Reference Observation (Patrons, Librarians, and Books Oh My!)

The library that I chose was Tustin Library which is a branch library located in Orange County. It’s a small library located at 345 E. Main Street Tustin, CA. 92780. The hours that the library is open are Monday - Thursday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm, Friday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, and Sunday – 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm.

This library has very friendly staff that welcomes you as you walk through the door. Their staff is made up of younger gentlemen and two older ladies that check out the books, at the information desk there were two ladies to help you out, one was a librarian and the other one was the librarian’s assistant. The librarian was often busy which made her seem unapproachable, but the librarian’s assistant was eager to help the patron out. There is also three different staff personal that are located throughout the library, they are there to help to patron when in need.

As I surveyed the library I noticed four different sections to sit at. The library also has two sections of computers to use. One of the sections is unfiltered for adults, and the other is for children. Both need a library card and can only be use one hour per a day. Not only does this library have a place to read books, it also has a very cozy section to relax by the fireplace and read current magazines and newspapers.

The book sections consist of:

· Reference books

· Auto biographies

· Concept books

· Fiction/Non-fiction

· Foreign languages

· Parenting books

· Books for teens

· Picture books for children

· Audio books

· DVD’s, CD’s, and VHS’s for your viewing and listening pleasure

· Oversized books

· Large print books

· Books for young adults

As I look around I see a lot of different people or patrons that are here for different reasons. There are children reading picture books along with parents, and there are also older people sitting back relaxing reading magazines. There are patrons that are here for reading and they’re here to use the internet as well. Some are planning out their trips and some are just goofing around like playing video games.

Another type of patron I see is the one that is here for research for school assignments. Students make up for most of the people that are filling the seats in the library. They are probably here for the extensive amount of reference tools that the library offers. The library offers reference services that are mainly textbooks and encyclopedias, magazines, and newspapers but unfortunately the reference books must remain in the library at all times. There is no reference area because it was a waste of time to have to walk back and forth to refer to the book and then find the book. So they separated the reference books into the sections that related to the books. The librarians made it easier to find the reference books by marking them with a green label.

The Tustin Library has business/financial references that are available as well. The different references are Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Investor’s Business Daily, OC Business Journal, Business Week, Consumer Reports, Economist, Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune, Home Business, Kiplinger's, Small Business Opportunities, Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities, ValueLine, and, Morningstar 500 Funds.

If you choose to visit the Tustin Library website you will find that they have a reference/resource webpage (http://www.ocpl.org/randr.asp). On that webpage it has three different services which are books, research/resource, and local information.

The research/resource area has:

· World Book Encyclopedia

· Mergent Online

· California Libraries Catalog

· Full Text General

· Business and Health Magazines-EbscoHost

· Greenwood Daily Life Online/World Cultures Today

· Newspaper Articles-Newsbank

· Literature Resources-Literature Resource Center

· Proquest/LA Times

· Reference USA, and California Statistics-Rand

Tustin Library workshops consist of children, teens, and adults programs. The children’s program provides story times for preschool children, evening PJ Story times presented by storytellers, and an annual Summer Reading Celebration with a "Read Aloud/Read Along" component for pre-readers, and other book-related programs throughout the year.

The Teen program consists of many different things based on the teen’s interests. They provide art programs, game nights, and for the future college student S.A.T. practice tests. Teens can also offer their service by participating on the Teen Advisory Board. A teen can also help by volunteering to be a part of the program Homework Helpers. Finally they provide a wonderful service titled Teen Services which aims to educate, entertain, and encourage teens to make the library an important part of their life.

Tustin Library has a book discussion club for adults which is every month. Members choose the books they will read and discuss. Topics-on-Demand workshops are offered periodically. The most recent was an Ikebana flower arranging workshop, accompanied by Japanese tea and treats. The Tustin Library staff also will respond to patron interests and requests.

Tustin Library’s online catalog system is available to patrons on two computers that are in the middle of the library and also available on line at http://orca.ocpl.org/uhtbin/cgisirsi/X/0/0/57/49?user_id=webserver which provides a quick search that makes easy to look up books at the Tustin Library.

The strengths this library had were the librarians were there to help at ease and were very approachable. They offered a lot of services for children, teens, young adults, and parents that helped reach out to the community. This library wasn’t just a building, but a place for the community to gather. They organized the library with the patron in mind which created an easy but effective experience. The library created a safe place for children to learn and interact with other children. They made you feel like you were at home except instead of my mom saying be quiet the librarian would say it. All in all this was a great and educational experience I won’t forget. Now the next time I think of the library I won’t just think of books it has so much more to offer.

Blog Reflection 2

I learned a lot in this class so far. Blogging was never in my life until I took this class, now I would like to blog more often in my free time. I'll probably blog about how messed up our society is. I know that sounded kinda harsh but it's true.
Lib. 02 and Web 0.2 was not familiar to me at all, I was kinda shocked that I didn't know this because I know a lot about the web and computers.
Being a librarian is not as easy as many people think, you actually need education and training to be one.

BLOG REFLECTION #1 TOPIC

Hello my name is Richard Spara. This is the first time I have ever setup a blog and also it is the first time I ever wrote in one. Because this the first time I have written in one I do not have one I use on regular basis. What I think of blogging so far is that it seems like a nice way to to put your thoughts out there so others could see.

Maybe one way a blog could be utilized in a Library environment is to give people ideas on any good books to read and why. I came to learn new things in this class and already I have learned something such as blogging in the first week. Based on that I feel this class will be a great learning experience.