Mmm...all kinds of knowledge and information.
Based on the definition of "learning organization" and Chris's opinion of one, there are a couple of ways in which the members of Team Sisyphus are part of an important yet fun learning organization. First, I think that as a group, the four of us work very well and efficiently with each other. Emily is an excellent (and understanding--shout outs to those who have naughty alarm clocks) supervisor, always making sure we understand the projects and explaining everything well when we don't. The processing assistants are fine communicators as well, discussing and resolving any problems with Emily in a timely and efficient manner. So how exactly do we share knowledge, you ask? Well, we share the quirky items we come across--giggling and pointing to the Y4's "Case of the Billion Dollar Stripper" (it turned out to be some sort of metaphor) and "Dumping of Human Waste from AmTrak Trains" (?!) are some fine examples.
Another way in which we share some information, both of what we find within our prestigious library and within the work environment, is through blogs. This ASR blog is one example, and its informal counterpart, "
Regenstein is for Lovers," is another. I started it to keep in touch with my former co-workers of the Bookstacks Department; in retrospect, we were a fine learning organization, sharing our individual Bookstacks knowledge and skills.
I have always been curious about the contents of a library, both in the books and in whatever comes our way as library employees. When I worked in Bookstacks, I used to keep a notebook of found objects in returned books--lost photos, letters, ticket stubs, etc. See below for a sample page.
I no longer check books back into the system, so I am unable to continue this fine collection of lost memories, but the Regenstein is for Lovers blog is one way to continue recording odd encounters. Who knew that one of the biggest university libraries owns a copy of
Tariq "K-Flex" Nasheed's The Art of Mackin'? Or that there are
huge Hilary Clinton fans in Nepal? In light of a recent safety (or lack thereof) incident in Hyde Park, contributor m.h.
writes about campus police, campus safety, and ultimately encourages us to
ride as often as possible--a bike, a bus--and to travel in packs. The safety of the library and its patrons are important too, so I shared a library newsbit on the
UCLA incident where an ID-less student was Tasered. The library isn't just about knowledge in the books sense--it's eccentric knowledge and knowledge for our safety, too.
You see, we may seem quiet and introverted in our mannerisms at work, especially since one of us *ahem* is located away from other team members. But in fact, Team Sisyphus and its colleagues in other departments work extremely well together in sharing a burgeoning culture of supporting the growth of knowledge and information. Keep blogging, everyone!
Benefits of working at a learning organization
Working at the University of Chicago Library affords its faculty and staff members an opportunity for continuous training and skills advancement. Through the University’s training website (https://training.uchicago.edu/index.cfm) staff and faculty members have a wide variety of courses to choose from. With encouragement from management to attend classes and the wide variety of classes offered, employees at the University are given the chance to learn and grow as individuals, which is vital to the growth of any organization.
Festive Office Environment
A human interest story brought to you by the good people of the ASR project.
[Preliminary note: No books were hurt in the making of this blogpost.]
Working on the ASR project can sometimes lead to doing odd things around the library. For example, yesterday we were given the task of shifting the left over books from the book sale into a central location. The purpose of this was to free up space for the books we are withdrawing in our "Reduce to One Best Copy" project. Those withdrawals are going to an upcoming book sale. In the past, the books have been piled high around our desks and other places in Technical Services until they could be moved into the book sale room. (See picture of Kei with her withdrawals.)
Now that the book sale room is in order, Kei doesn’t have to fear being crushed in an avalanche of books. (Thanks Emily!)
The point of this post, though, is to show off pictures of my newly decorated cubicle, which has been variously referred to as my “office,” “cubicle,” “cube,” and “cubbie” (circa kindergarten). All of the materials we shifted will be slowly making their way to some book trucks in the front lobby of the Reg, where they will be free for the taking. Yesterday, I took some of the homeless material in myself. It can now be admired by anyone who makes their way to the cataloging section of JRL 170. On to the pictures!
First up is Emily’s “office,” which was my inspiration.
Here are the before and after pictures of my cubicle.
Before: (baren wasteland)
After: (festive playground)
Going from right to left, top to bottom, the first “piece” is a 2006 map of Idaho.
Pour un Homme French “parfumeur” advertisement. This ad was taken from the back of an Air France long distance flights (itinéraires long-courriers) information booklet. As was the map just below it, featuring the Mer de Chine Meridionale, the Mer de Chine Orientale, and the Mer du Japon. Due to a disturbing lack of bibliographic information in this booklet, we can only date its publication to some time after 1984.
Shanghai Street Guide from 1985, pp.48-49. Some of the landmarks featured on this page are a tobacco factory, a bicycle plant, a textile plant, a rubber products plant, another bicycle plant, and an electric meter plant. So there you have it, pages 48 through 49.
Finally, we have the crown jewels of my cubicle paraphernalia. A reprint of a 1566 map of North America by Bolognino Zaltieri. It seems that in place of the Pacific, we have the Mare del Sur.
I no longer check books back into the system, so I am unable to continue this fine collection of lost memories, but the Regenstein is for Lovers blog is one way to continue recording odd encounters. Who knew that one of the biggest university libraries owns a copy of Tariq "K-Flex" Nasheed's The Art of Mackin'? Or that there are huge Hilary Clinton fans in Nepal? In light of a recent safety (or lack thereof) incident in Hyde Park, contributor m.h. writes about campus police, campus safety, and ultimately encourages us to ride as often as possible--a bike, a bus--and to travel in packs. The safety of the library and its patrons are important too, so I shared a library newsbit on the UCLA incident where an ID-less student was Tasered. The library isn't just about knowledge in the books sense--it's eccentric knowledge and knowledge for our safety, too.
