In our final class, we were asked to evaluate our mentor's library and plan a course of action to address standards that received lower grades with the idea that implementation of created programs could increase the standards level of achievement in the future. For this assignment, I chose to create a webpage to display the projects and their components. The topics focused on Copyright & Fair Use and establishing a Summer Reading program. 

This was probably one of my favorite classes I took in my master's program. I love books! Being asked to read books and write abstracts of them was so much fun and fit perfectly into my summer. It was fun to dive into genres that I'm not to wild about and read titles I wouldn't necessarily reach for. It really gave me insight into collection development and using existing tools like Kirkus Review to justify if books were a good fit for the library or not.  This class made me want to start a blog and keep all of the titles I read in one place so I could suggest books to students when they ask...What can I read next?

This was one of the first assignments I completed for my MLIS program. It was really inciteful (and overwhelming!) to talk to the librarian and find out about ALL of the things she does in the library. From the morning announcement video to helping work schoolwide events like Turkey Trot...she wears many hats.  It was neat to hear some of the tricks of the trade and she expressed how valuable volunteers and the PTA are to the library program. I really appreciated her honesty in letting me see the good and the bad of being a librarian.

Library budgets(and librarians for that matter!) are being cut left and right. In order to stretch your budget to create a collection that has patrons coming back on a regular basis, it is imperative that librarians write grants to get additional funds to support the measly budgets provided by the district. This class provided with a real-life example of what it would be to write a disaster grant because you never know when a pipe will burst and wipe out your non-fiction section or a tornado will rip your roof off. It's awesome to know that there are amazing businesses and foundations out there that are willing to help schools in need.

A good librarian knows who their patrons are and it is reflected in the library collection. This has been a statement that keeps popping up in conversations throughout our classes. The community where I live is very multicultural. For instance, in my culdesac, there are several different countries represented. We have neighbors from Northern India, Southern India, Turkey,  and Ukraine in addition to a couple of houses of native Texans. It's important for a librarian to update the library collection to reflect the changing demographics of a community as they happen(and as budget allows!).

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One assignment in LIS 524 was to look at the current collection and make suggestions for additional materials. Our library has a lack of Indian/Hindu cultural materials to reflect the rapid influx of Indians to our area. We have patrons that want to know more about India and customs as well as Indian patrons that would like to read materials that have main characters like themselves in stories.