Fully in the swing of things now, I spent most of the week trying to remain as caught up on projects as I can. As is the nature of the summer in an academic-based library, there is a ton of people coming in and out of the office and staying caught up with everyone when it comes to projects can be difficult. The two big items I worked on this week were with the CRM project and a new project focused on Space Use Observation, but I also had my conversation meetings and meetings with other colleagues regarding their work in the library. There is also a reorganization going on in the library that has provided some last minute scheduling and cancellations this week.
Only one of my conversation classes met this week, but they provide a nice, relaxing atmosphere and get me out of the office, so I take what I can get. With a group of Turkish interns arriving next week, I may be adding a fourth group to my repertoire, so that will be interesting. The English of most students here is excellent, but they are often not confident in speaking. By providing this space to discuss with peers in English, it takes the pressure of academic English discussions, and allows them to get comfortable with their use of the language. I find it very interesting, especially when they get excited about a topic.
The big project that I started this week regarded Space Use Observation, which I am working on with a colleague 
that has a background in sociology. I think he has a much better grasp on the concept than I do, but we broke it down, developed a methodology, and began testing at the end of the week. A meeting with our supervisor on Monday followed by a meeting together will allow for changes in the methodology to make it work better for the library. Then, we can begin training others so that all information gathered is consistent. My colleague and I are both leaving at the end of the summer, so having someone to continue the project once we leave will be crucial.
Mock-ups, scripts, and more meetings are surrounding the CRM project. We are making a few changes and doing usability testing in the coming days for our meeting next Friday to discuss progress and next steps. It’s interesting to be a part of this and get some experience in the development and prototyping of such works.
I met a man passionate about scientific writing on Wednesday. He works in collaboration with one of the schools to provide presentation and writing classes. His passion for the academic written word is one I can’t say that I have ever seen before, but I think that is definitely something that we need. In a country that has English as a second language that must produce English work to remain competitive in the academic field, having a passionate teacher is crucial, I believe.
Thursday I got a tour of the library’s historical collection. Located in the third sub basement of the library, this 
collection contains books from the sixteenth-eighteenth centuries. Mostly rebound in the 1960s, the collection is in decent condition and the library is working on providing consistent conditions, although, sadly, not ideal. It was interesting to look at the books there. Although I cannot read any of them (most are written in Latin or German), it is awesome to see the tradition of scientific work in the Czech Republic.
I only spent the morning in the office on Friday. Preparing for the new interns, we met with other colleagues about 
potential projects for them. Then, I sat in on a presentation for a student before he goes to conference next week in Germany. I spent the rest of the day with my French colleague as we embarked on a WWII Tour of Prague. While I didn’t learn anything that was a complete revelation, the tour provided more details about my understanding of this area, especially the city during the war. The contrast between this guide and the one we had in Karlstejn were so different, and I wish I could have seen that kind of enthusiasm at the castle.
The tour took us over two hours of walking and learning. Important places in Prague’s history (from the balcony 
that the First Republic was announced to the catacombs under Old Town Hall) were shown along with stories accompanied by historical photographs (like Hitler addressing the people from Prague Castle after sneaking into the country ahead of the Czech president). The pride in the Czech story was clearly present, and, as my colleague noted, the significant points Czechs have in history, they hold onto with a fervor. It’s so nice to hear those stories though, because, often, the Central and Eastern European story is lost among others once you leave the area. One illustration of this comes from my colleague, who had no idea there was a Munich Agreement that is seen as a great betrayal to the Czech people that her government was apart of. Her knowledge of WWII doesn’t include the Central and Eastern European perspective, and, mine wouldn’t either if I hadn’t become interested in the region a few years ago. Now, I clamber to learn as much as I can, because their history, while often tragic, is so important when caught between these warring nations.
Raven K 