245 10 $aThe adventure begins.

500 __ $aI have just completed my second week of work and have pretty much adjusted to the new schedule. Week one was a doozy, waking up at 6:45 am was not something my body understood. But now that it's been two weeks, things are beginning to normalize. My first two weeks have been a whirlwind of learning, laughing, and getting to know my new coworkers. Everyone is great so far. Although I'm told that will change "once the honeymoon is over". 

For now, I am only cataloging books for the Juvenile and Youth collections. My supervisor is kindly introducing me to the collection with small steps so I don't get overwhelmed. MUCH APPRECIATED. However, I have managed to make a few mistakes:

1. I found, and fixed, and typo in a subject heading authority record (yay!), however, I did not alter any records attached to that record, so now we have a duplicate record, which is unnecessary and results in me, somewhere down the road, having to spend half a day adjusting everything. 

2. I put the spine labels on crooked! An embarrassing mistake that took several hours to remedy.    

Aside from that I've been fairly successful, and have really enjoyed getting a sneak peek at the new acquisitions. Youth Fiction (YF) has been my favorite collection so far, although I put myself on the reserve list for Colin Meloy's new book:

245 10 $aWildwood

520 __ $aWhen her baby brother is kidnapped by crows, seventh-grader Prue McKeel ventures into the forbidden Impassable Wilderness--a dangerous and magical forest in the middle of Portland, Oregon--and soon finds herself involved in a war among the various inhabitants.

521 __ $aAges 9 and up.

655 _0 $aFantasy fiction

- I can't wait to read it!

Each post I will try to include an "interesting" photo from work. This photo is of a book I cataloged last week. All that type that's covered with black graphics? Yeah, I had to make up what it says. 

Stand out. Stand proud.

Because my start date is still a few weeks away, I thought I would take a moment to share with you exactly what got me the job (I think).


My cover letter.

After six months of submitting my resume into the void of interwebs across this great country I knew it was time to shake things up. If I wanted this job, I had to do something different. I began reading a book:

245 00 $a Use your head to get your foot in the door $h [text] : $b Job search secrets no one else will tell you / $c Harvey Mackay.

This book presented some interesting ideas for generating excitement about yourself from the get go. For example, send a picture of yourself standing next to a sign that reads "I'm the one". I know it seems cheesy, but it displays a level of creativity that (no doubt) other cover letters won't, and most potential employers are more interested in who you are than what you have done. I stewed on this for a while and this is what I came up with:

Dear ______:

Please allow me to introduce myself:

Now that you have a copy of my record, how about adding me to your catalog? I look forward to meeting you and discussing ways in which my education and experience match the needs of the library now, and into the future.

Sincerely,

Brenna Normann

This is a catalog record of myself. It demonstrates that I am capable of doing the job, and also able to "get creative and think outside the box." For any of you out there who are trudging through the swamps of job lists and losing hope of ever finding the job for you, pep up! Take your skills and make them work for you. I hope this post inspires you to approach your own job hunt the same way, with a new perspective and a willingness to take chances on being different and standing out.

In closing:

• this is the only job I had fun applying for
• the only interview where I was myself
• the only job I got