Reflections

Before I began this exercise, I knew from my dabbling that MARVEL was an important resource that I should know more about. What most surprised me was the breadth and depth of MARVEL. Perhaps it is these very qualities which make it so unknown and under-appreciated. To be honest, even after going through the tutorials and the discovery exercises, I am still intimidated by MARVEL.

Telling someone to "log on to MARVEL" is not a very helpful suggestion. Guidance and teaching are essential if a patron is to become a MARVEL maven.With that in mind, I have three MARVEL goals for 2013.

1.  Other than putting more shortcuts on the PA computers (to the Britannica, etc.), I will hold a "discovery" session for my board members. They are my best community ambassadors and can spread the word about this wonderful resource that is there for the taking for all Maine residents. Ultimately, I would like to entice one or two of them to teach small groups of our patrons about MARVEL.

2.  One of my monthly newspaper articles will highlight MARVEL.

3.  Rather than "googling" a question, I will use MARVEL to look for at least one answer each week. This will force me to use what I have learned and, I hope, make me more proficient with MARVEL. If I am more comfortable and adept with the databases and searches, I should be better equipped to teach my patrons about MARVEL and the world of information that lies at all our fingertips.

I began this process because I thought I "should." As the weeks went by I found myself really enjoying the exercises and the actual learning process. I believe this is an incredibly powerful, efficient way for all of us to improve our "professionalism."  I feel that those of us who don't have degrees in library science have been given a wonderful opportunity to "up our game" and help our patrons in this fast-changing world of information and digital literacy. Thank you to all who worked so hard to make this continuing education opportunity possible.