AnnMarie Hurtado, MLIS

(Me with my husband and daughter on graduation day, May 21, 2011.)

My School Library

I recently began a new part-time job (in addition to my librarian assistant job) as a school librarian for a public elementary school. I'm working very hard to maximize my ten hours a week there to provide an inviting and organized library for the students and their teachers. I have also been learning Spanish and putting on a Bilingual Preschool Storytime for people in the community. We do songs and fingerplays in Spanish, read books in both Spanish and English, and make crafts. Right now, this storytime is on hold so that I can address some of the problems in the collection and provide more catalog support and organization for the Accelerated Reader program.

Marketing Library Services

After all my work with the Library Marketing Survey, I am pleased to share that my findings have been published in a library newsletter called Marketing Library Services published by Information Today. My article is the "Special Report: Perceptions and Results of Direct Marketing in Libraries" on page one. The article condenses the findings I discussed in my report and powerpoint presentation, and makes them available to a wider professional audience. You can read a PDF copy of my article here.

SJSU Library Faculty Research Forum

On June 9th, 2011, I presented to the SJSU Library Faculty Research Forum the results of my research on how public libraries do direct marketing. I presented it remotely via Elluminate, and discussed how libraries collect patron contact information, what they do with it, what they choose to contact patrons about, and what their feelings and attitudes are toward direct marketing.

A total of 68 librarians from 52 libraries around the state of California responded to my online survey. Some of the most fascinating and relevant responses came from librarians who do not do direct marketing, explaining the many obstacles and drawbacks posed to libraries who are underfunded and understaffed in this difficult economy.

You can download and view my powerpoint slides, and if you'd like to read my full report, you can download it here. Please note: the report is 42 pages long, and the pages are different sizes. You may need to zoom in to read the report in Adobe Reader.

Recipient of the Begun Scholarship, 2010

I started library school in Spring 2008, taking classes online through San Jose State's School of Library and Information Science. In Spring 2011 I graduated with my master's. I'm so grateful for this program. My website is evidence of the technology and information skills I learned there. I met some great people in my work as an officer of LISSTEN, our student organization. I helped plan programs that support the club's goals of connecting students to each other and a wider network of professional librarians, and I created a digital archive of 15 years of club history.

I was lucky to get a job as a part-time librarian assistant in a public library at a time when jobs where becoming harder to get. I've worked there three years now, assisting the patrons who come to the reference desk, and planning and marketing adult programs.

I am a member of several professional library associations, including ALA, CLA, and OCLA. In 2010 I was awarded several scholarships, including a $500 scholarship from OCLA, and a $3,000 scholarship (the Begun Scholarship) from CLA. I am committed to becoming a public librarian, and I would like to develop services and collections that motivate and inspire young readers.