Preparation Project

As part of my internship, I've been working on a few projects.  One of them that is perhaps closest to my heart is a Preparation Project/Pathfinder for the students that will attend the Interlochen Arts Academy during the school year.  It will give them an extensive list of resources for post-high school graduation academic resources.

You may think: but surely these lists are already compiled!  They are.  Indiana University's Music Department has put together a pretty intense list of scholarly groups and organizations.  But these lists are geared towards /professionals/.  My list is geared towards soon-to-be college students.

Thus, I added sections on Music Professional Societies (such as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Sigma Alpha Iota).  As a member of the latter, I think that having the opportunity to get one's feet wet in a society dedicated to the academic rigors and trials of being a musician can be extremely important.  Will it benefit them so much when they're 40?  Maybe not.  But it's something they can get excited about NOW.

As the project continues to grow, I think back to when I was that age, and how excited I was to go to college and be a musician.  I wish someone had started to guide me down these roads professionally, and I am proud to work at a library which is happy to do that for their students.

Ensemble Librarianship

Ensemble Librarianship is not a career I would be instantly drawn to within Music Librarianship.  It's still not.  But I have a new-found respect for those that do after being in this internship so far.

Ensemble Librarianship is a thankless job.  It requires constant diligence, attention to detail, and a great deal of tedium.  These are the people that erase (with magical electric erasers!), write in bowings (a series of symbols which tell how to play a note), fix errata (errors in music), and transport said music to all rehearsals.  It may seem like they are glorified pages.. but these people.. wow.

Admittedly, I was attracted to the Ensemble Librarian internship program because the pay was higher than the internship I'm currently in.  But I am /so/ thankful that I am doing Reference.  I really love working with people, and the young musicians here.. but I am not sure that I could literally devote my entire summer to assisting a musical ensemble.  It requires so much passion and dedication, combined with a liiiiiittle bit of crazy.

So here's to you, fellow interns.  You rock.  (Sometimes literally.)

Ensemble Librarian Interns and their Wagons

Adventures in Late Night Librarianship

One of the more interesting aspects of my job is my schedule (which rotates based on the week).  I either work a morning-afternoon shift of 8am-4:30pm with a half hour break for lunch somewhere in the noon hour, or an afternoon-evening shift which begins at 12:30pm and ends at 9pm with the closing of the library.  In previous years, the library was only open until 7pm, so both the campers and staff are getting used to the later hours.  I, obviously, am not used to working such long shifts (being that in my Archives job, I worked 4 hour shifts at most), so it's definitely taken some getting used to in general.

The first night I worked, it was literally dead from between 7 and 9pm.  No one seemed to know that we existed, let alone care to use us.  The shift consisted of myself and one of my bosses chitchatting at the reference desk, which I certainly don't MIND, but I really hope that the concept catches on as the weeks of camp go on, that way our time in the library can be justified. 

Otherwise, the shifts have been enjoyable, with few problem patrons (although we did have a person come in and ask us to pull all of the piano quintets that we have, which obviously didn't happen) and obviously eager and talented students excited about their music and craft.  It's really very inspiring to see these young people be so passionate about something that isn't on their phone or computer. 

Reference Interviews

Today is my first day actually working a full shift at the reference desk at the music library.  I'll admit that at first I was crazy intimidated (even though today was heinously slow in goings).  Making sure that one /says/ the right thing, and appears as helpful as possible when literally they've only been here for three days is a little jarring for anyone, I'm sure.  But at least my first time wasn't when we have over 3,000 campers lined up to ask for music and other things, right?

I was able to help a Bulgarian staff member find flute music, and instruct her on how to use the OPAC.  I had a lovely chat with one of the instructors who grew up in the Indiana, Pennsylvania area and knew all of the faculty I had worked with at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, including (and most importantly) my library mentor.  I continued to help the Ensemble Librarian Interns with their projects, as they work feverishly into all hours of the night to prepare for Monday's first day of rehearsals.  (Taping music and folding music may be my new favorite boredom activity, no lies.)

But most of all, I feel like I'm really settling in.  I'm getting used to being in uniform, which admittedly, in a camp setting, seems a bit of a shock to me.  I mean, I'm used to this at my old camp, as opposed to this here.

Lutherlyn Shirt and Tree Cookie

Interlochen Uniform and ID Badge

It's a bit of a culture difference, but thankfully it seems to align well with my new professional mindset, and will help me keep up with important real world things like job searching and finishing my final from Summer I.

Training Day #2

Today, instead of group building, I focused a lot more on the job at hand; which makes me, as a first-time Reference worker, feel a lot more comfortable being the face of the music library to Interlochen campers, faculty, and staff.  We spent the afternoon actually doing our job (albeit for very few patrons, as campers arrive tomorrow) and helping out the Ensemble Librarians with their immense amount of work in preparing their materials for all of the ensemble members.  I taped all of the music for "Variations on Happy Birthday," whilst Hope erased markings out of six miniature scores of Beethoven's ninth symphony which will be sung by the Festival Choir (the one group I actually get to be a part of!)

Besides this, we also got to take a tour of the Archive's massive historical instrument collection.  Having seen the instrument museum in Vienna, I'll admit to not perhaps being as overwhelmed by it all as my peers, but it was still incredibly impressive.  I am constantly amazed by the support and love Interlochen gets from its alums (both famous and otherwise).  Obviously this place does a great job of instructing and preparing their students for the real world of arts, and they would really like to give back.

The other "highlight" of the day was our health and safety training, which involved lovely videos on the dangers of bloodborne pathogens and a video entitled "Why don't we use the sleeve?" which detailed how to cough and sneeze properly.  At the conclusion of this training, we were all given free ice cream coupons, and then set free for the evening -- Martina McBride was having a concert on campus, and I could hear her perfectly from my dorm room.

Tomorrow is my first day of full "on the job" work.  Then I have two days off before beginning my full schedule as of Tuesday of next week.  Thus, this probably won't get updated again until Tuesday, even though I will likely explore Traverse City and the surrounding areas of Interlochen in the next few days.

Training Day #1

So starting this morning, I officially began my job training in the Fennell Music Library for a Music Reference Intern.  This meant, of course, going over things like the conduct handbook (basically: don't do anything stupid), learning about the ins and outs of the library (like opening and closing, software/hardware, etc.), and getting to interact with a few of the sparse patrons we have at this time.

Reference work is very different at this institution than my experience at the Archives of Traditional Music and Music Library, if only because they NEED us to access materials, since everything we have is in closed stacks.  This means that every piece of music, every sound recording, will have to go through my hands during my internship.  In a way, this is kind of awesome.  In another way, this is incredibly overwhelming.  It's one thing to just check something out for someone.  It's a complete other beast to look up, locate, and then check the item out.

Thankfully, I really love talking to people, and getting to interact with them helps greatly to pass the time.  My partner in crime, Hope, and I make a good team (we both really love music and organization) and we seem to get on really well.  This is especially good since we'll be working the Saturday shifts (8am-4:30pm) on our own after this week.

My Roommate "Traversing" the Cables

Today, we, as a library staff, also did both low and high ropes courses.  My camp experience has given me ample training on ropes courses, and Interlochen's version of Nitro Crossing (a rope swing + cup of water), so I had to do it blindfolded and mute.  Good times.  There was also a pretty sweet high ropes course which mimicked Lutherlyn's Tension Traverse only MUCH higher.  This is basically walking a tightrope whilst holding onto a rope anchored to the tree at one end of the course.  All of this was great team building, and I felt like I got to know everyone a little better.

After this, we all went to the Library Director's house for a cookout, which resulted in hours of amusing conversation and ridiculousness (and s'mores).  It's starting to feel like home.

The Arrival

Being that I do not drive (yet another life goal I'm currently working on), I came to Interlochen this morning by means of air travel.  I left my house at 3:30am in the van with my parents to arrive at Pittsburgh International Airport around 4:30am.  I checked my singular bag (which cost $25, since I flew American Airlines rather than my usual Southwest) and then made my way to security.  Saying goodbye to my parents was harder than usual, if only because this is the first time since my move to Bloomington that I don't know anyone on the onset.

Thankfully, the plane ride was smooth (even if my flight was delayed almost an hour from Chicago to Traverse City due to maintenance), and I arrived in the tiny Cherry Airport of Traverse City around 11am.  I was picked up by a lovely woman, along with two others that she wasn't expecting (apparently their online form isn't working.  Thank goodness I called ahead).  From there it was about a 20 minute drive to Interlochen.  Once there, I checked in, received my ID badge (photo to come) and got my room key for my room in TJ (Thor Johnson House) which is conveniently next to one of the cafeterias on camp.

Thor Johnson House Room (My side)

I literally threw my stuff down, knowing I had to pick up a large box that we'd shipped to camp last week from home, got lunch and met up with a few of the Ensemble Librarian Interns (one of whom I'd met at the Music Library Association's national conference in Dallas this past February) before heading to the Music Library to attempt to pick up said package.  Apparently there was a bit of a snaffu, so I got to chill (albeit exhaustedly) with my boss and a number of the music library staff before the mail department brought my package and graciously drove me via golf-cart back to my room.

After that adventure, I quickly set up my living space, as can be seen my the photo above.  Then I took a nap.  (I know, exhilarating..) I met my roommate, who I happened to know from Twitter (which is a fabulous surprise), and am looking forward to the start of my training tomorrow, the schedule for which is:

8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.  --- Introductions/Employee Handbook
8:30 – 9:00 a.m.  ---  Library Tour
9:00 – 9:30 a.m.  ---  Opening and Closing
9:30 - 10:15 a.m.  ---  Library Policies, OPAC, G-mail Site, Projects
10:15 – 10:30 a.m.  ---  Break
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.  ---  Workflows Training
11:30 a.m. – 12:15p.m. --- Lunch
12:15 – 1:00 p.m.  --- IT Training
1:00 – 3:00 p.m.  ---  Ropes Course
4:00 p.m.  ---  Cookout

Introduction

Hello world!  (Sorry, it's an old IT joke..)

But really, my name is Sarah, and this blog is dedicated to documenting my experiences at Interlochen Arts Camp in Interlochen, Michigan.  This summer I will be fulfilling my second internship requirement there as their Music Reference Intern at the Fennell Music Library towards my Master of Library Science degree with specialization in Music Librarianship from Indiana University Bloomington. At IUB I completed my first internship in Acquisitions and Collection Development at the William & Gayle Cook Music Library, and this second internship is the last piece needed to complete my degree.  

But first, a little about me.  I'm 25.  I'm from a very small town in Pennsylvania.  I went to undergrad at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA and obtained my first Master's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (no affiliation with my current institution) in Music History and Literature.  I spent a summer studying music history in Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Italy.  I came to librarianship (specifically my specialization) during my first Master's program, and have really enjoyed my education.  (Even if Forbes names it as the #1 field hardest to get a job in after graduation.)  I am currently on the job hunt, but have a back-up plan teaching STEPS classes for IUB's University IT Services upon the completion of this internship.

Camp Logo

My internship at Interlochen will involve working with campers, faculty, and staff as their Reference point-person within the Fennell Music Library.  Having never worked reference outside of the occasional patron to the Archives of Traditional Music (among my hourly positions as a student), I feel like this experience will be truly beneficial to my career.  The internship begins June 21st and ends August 5th, and I will work five eight-hour shifts each week at the reference desk.

This blog will archive my experiences whilst maintaining confidentiality in good faith for my patrons and fellow staff, and will likely also serve as a repository for my mandatory article summaries that are required in conjunction to this log.