The initial class culture and discussion last week provided me with a sense of welcoming and a general feeling that the entire course is going to be enjoyable this semester. The personality of a course is extremely important, especially when a group of individuals with very similar interests comes together. The learning opportunities from our varying experiences and interests, in a class with a positive culture, can shape us in ways I cannot wait to discover.
I often forget the many ways that people can go into the library profession, as I tunnel vision more often than not in my own quest for knowledge. Therefore, the introductions in the class where we discussed our interests in the library field and unique things we think of when defining libraries opened my eyes to many things I had previously not considered. Though I know the University of Michigan is known for some of its interesting collections, like the Computer and Video Game Archives (CVGA), and the research I have done in my past academic career can also be considered unorthodox (women’s baseball history and comic book history), I often forget just how unique some approaches to library collections can be. The sense of safe spaces and the later discussion on what libraries mean as being “for everyone” also piqued my interest, and I am intrigued on where that discussion will take us a few weeks from now when we address the issue at length.
These differing interests in libraries and their services were further highlighted in our discussion of Zingerman’s Guide to Giving Great Service, when the aspect of service and customer service were discussed at length about how varying positions in libraries may provide different opportunities for service. While I clearly see librarianship as a service industry where my interaction with clients and users are paramount to providing good information services, understanding other perspectives for positions that may not deal with the public face-to-face and their understanding of customer service was also enlightening. Kristin made an interesting point as well, when she stated that although there are positions where face-to-face customer service is not necessarily part of the job, understanding what the customer needs is essential, and, therefore, provides customer service without requiring the customer interaction.
Raven K 
Hi West Virginia Ravenclaw! I am back tracking to reply to some of the earlier posts for this class, since I did not have a chance to respond earlier.
I’m intrigued by your concept of the class as a whole having a “personality.” Although I had not thought of it this way before, this is an apt description. Truly, when a group of people come together, it could create a whole new personality different from each personality of the individual members. As a person with an anthropology background, I often describe these coherence of individuals into a group as the “culture” of the classroom. Whatever you want to call it, I too am enjoying learning what everyone has to contribute based on their differing backgrounds.
I also appreciate your mention of the professor’s highlighting of more behind the scenes library work as still being customer service oriented. This makes me think of my time spent in retail as well. Even the act of sitting behind a desk and choosing which products to order was based on serving the customer because the goal was to elect products that would delight the typical customer of our store. Similarly, the choosing of materials for a library and the organization of those materials should be directly related to what members of the community want and need in their library.
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