introducing:

x

signature,n.1. The name (†or special mark) of a person written with his or her

own hand as an authentication of some document or writing.

2. The action of impressing or stamping. Obs.

3. A distinguishing mark of any kind.

4. A letter or figure, a set or combination of letters or figures, etc., placed by the printer at the foot of the first page (and frequently on one or more of the succeeding pages) of every sheet in a book, for the purpose of showing the order in which these are to be placed or bound.

‐ From the Oxford English Dic onary

Does any of this interest you? At library schools across America, student organiza ons are making things happen. Some highlights: Simmons Graduate School of Library and Informa on Science awarded a “Most Dedicated Student” $500

and unlimited bragging rights. UNC Chapel Hill’s ILSSA group (analogous to LISSO) used their SLIS Town Hall Mee ng to address concerns

about incorpora ng more “project based instruc on” and to create a Community Hour and jobs database—it also served as an effec ve tool to communicate concerns to faculty and staff in the college.

Rutgers's LISSA group recently organized a trip to DC, a prison library tour, and end of the year party.

Don’t like the Blackboard technology? Want more face‐to‐face classes? Want friends to go have din‐

ner/drinks/coffee with? Want more faceted instruc on? Interested in fundraising (aka money for scholarships, dinners, events, speakers, trips, etc.)?

If you want to see things happen, GET INVOLVED!

Becoming an officer or par cipant automa cally increases your visibility among faculty and students = future references, job hun ng help, and collabora on among colleagues.

Get Involved on Facebook Get Involved at Mee ngs Get Involved in the Blog

Get Involved in the Newsle er Get Involved as a Regional Representa ve

To Make a Difference!

Organization

‐ Intercollege Communica on ‐ Fundraising ‐ University Advocacy ‐ Sports ‐ Job Hun ng ‐ Job References ‐ Socializing

‐ iSchool Status ‐ Internships ‐ Awards ‐ Libraries and Art

‐ Scholarship Taskforce ‐ Happy Hour

Free Offer!

‐ Library Advocacy ‐ Informa on Literacy ‐ Diversity in the Classroom ‐ Women in Technology and Science

Tel: 555 555 5555

LISSO

Inside this issue:

Congratula ons Gradu‐

ates

4

LISSO News 4

New Faculty Advisor

Spotlight

5

Student Spotlight: David

Jenkins

6

Calendar of Events 7

A View of Lexington by

Lisa Raney

8

et cetera: A Piece by Amber Surface

12

Quality hardback books are made up of several signatures that are sewn together to create the whole book. A signature is a por on of the book made up of folios with the number of pages being a mul ple of 16. Each signature is bound individually, and then all are bound together collec vely.

Not only do we want to make an impression and dis nguished mark as denoted on the cover, but we also want to create news‐le ers that when

‘bound’ collec vely create a quality chroni‐cle of SLIS and LISSO happenings through the years.

To do this effec vely, we need your input! Please send us your wri ngs, social events, complaints, praises, sugges ons, artwork, junk mail, ques ons, confessions, burning desires—we want to know what students are doing.

So why “the Signature” ?

the Signature April 21, 2011

the Signature

A picture of bound signa‐tures from The Couture

Book Blog [h p://www.couturebook.com ]

LISSO News

**Interested in car‐pooling to ALA Annual this summer? A few students have ex‐pressed interest—so send an email on the listserv or get on LISSO’s Facebook to start organizing a last minute trip if you’re interested!

**Don’t know if you want to do the por o‐lio or take comps? Tune into the Por o‐lio Discussion hosted by the ALA Student Chapter and co‐sponsored by LISSO and SLA. See Calendar of Events on page 7.

**T‐Shirt orders were taken over the past week and were a big success! Orders are being sent to Central Screen Printers this week, so expect your t‐shirt in the mail in a few weeks!

Page 4

the Signature

LISSO congratulates

all students who’ve

completed Comps

and are on the home

stretch to gradua on!

We recently held a

breakfast for the

Comps‐takers at

which we received

gracious dona ons

from Magee’s Bakery

and Coffea! Be sure to

stop by these great

local shops to show

thanks, grab a pastry,

and some coffee.

We’re sure the good

food played a part in

the essay‐writers’ suc‐

cess!

To all graduates:

Please keep in contact

with LISSO—send us

your news! We’d love

to keep current and

past students in con‐

tact to increase col‐

labora on and friend‐

ship in our profession.

Congratula ons Graduates!

LISSO is headed by five officers and a faculty advisor:

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Wade Bishop

Secretary: Stephanie Niemeyer

President: Chelsey Spencer

Vice President: Sara Wood

Treasurer: Leslie Kuhnen

Communica ons Manager:

LISSO News (cont’d from page 4)

and laughing, and we now introduce Dr.

Wade Bishop:

Favorite place in Lexington: Pazzo’s

Current read: Bertot, J. C., Jaeger, P. T., & McClure, C. R. (2011). Public libraries and the Internet: Roles, perspec ves, and implica ons. Santa Barbara, Calif: Libraries Unlimited.

Plans for summer: Dr. Bishop con nues to explore loca on‐based ques ons asked and their ques on‐nego a on. He will study ques ons asked at UK Libraries for the past three years in order to determine the typical ques ons asked in order to inform an applica on to assist students with FAQ around campus, such as finding a class, loca ng parking, or knowing the opera onal hours of different student services.

Sports interest: Florida Gators, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Lightning, and Rays

Favorite music of the moment: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dr. Johnny Skinz’s Dispropor‐onately Rambunc ous Polar Express Machine‐head

Can’t live without: Beer cheese, but also beer and cheese on their own

Past experience with student organiza ons: 2007‐2008: President, ALA Florida State University Student Chapter 2004‐2006: Treasurer, ALA University of South Florida Student Organiza ons

Favorite success with a student group (as a par cipant or leader): Raising 7k in four book sales at USF. With student volunteers and donated books from USF Libraries and USF SLIS Faculty, the organiza on had enough money to remain sus‐tainable, have more guest speakers, and throw more socials.

Goals for LISSO: Create an ac ve organiza on of current students that enriches the graduate school ex‐perience with addi onal speakers, socials, and networking opportuni es for all in‐volved. More informa on on his research may be found at his website: h p://www.uky.edu/~bwbi222/research.html

Thanks Dr. Bishop for your LISSO leadership!

**LISSO will be in

need of various

officer posi ons for

the fall and a er. So

get involved early, be‐

come an officer‐elect

through the fall, and

take leadership during

your graduate school

experience!

**Throughout the

summer, LISSO takes a

li le vaca on, too.

BUT—we are s ll ded‐

icated to scoping out

Happy Hours, parks,

restaurants, and out‐

door pa os with mar‐

garitas. So get on Fa‐

cebook, email us, text

us, and come join us

for summer fun.

**We now have a

new LISSO Faculty Ad‐

visory. We thank Dr.

Carrigan for his past

service and humor

that kept LISSO going

Page 5

the Signature

Page 6

the Signature

In an effort to get to

know people beyond

our Blackboard

names and discus‐

sion boards, we are

spotligh ng students

in each newsle er.

Thanks David!

David Jenkins

Birthdate: 4/5/1979 (Yes indeed, I just turned 32)

Current year: I’m in my se‐cond semester of the pro‐gram.

Work: Currently I work at a small print shop (think mom & pop Kinko’s), called Two Guys Prin ng in Shepherdsville, KY.

Can’t live without: Inspira on ‐ whether that’s from a good book, artwork, comic, mov‐ie, pod cast, blog, or conversa on.

Student Spotlight

Favorite quote: This is from one of my favorite author’s blogs concerning harassment for not finishing book two: And you know which comment I’d focus on? Yeah. The last one. It would sit there like a steaming turd in my bowl of cereal. It doesn’t ma er how delicious the cereal is. It could be Fruity Pebbles, or even Cookie Crisp. But in a situa on like this it doesn’t ma er. You can’t just eat around it. All you can do is focus on the turd.

‐ Patrick Rothfuss, Blog entry from February 26, 2009

Dream job: Realis cally an author/librarian/designer. Surrealis cally a mad scien st from a Steam Punk novel.

Any pets: Nope.

What are you reading right now: Aside from class readings, I’m reading ‘Echo in the Bone’ by Diana Gabaldon.

Favorite hangout in Lexington or Shepherdsville: Lexington – I like Pazzo’s or Joseph‐Beth Booksellers (although as a future librarian I should probably say the library). Shepherdsville – Not many hangout spots, there is a Go‐Cart/Mini‐Golf place though.

Best thing you’ve learned at UK thus far: From the Lunch/Learn Session and the management classes I’m taking this semester, I’ve learned some fundamentals about managing libraries and what it takes to gain experience for those posi ons.

Single?: Yes, however I’m trying to remedy that on eHarmony:)

Calendar of Events (for details on Lexington Events, see: h p://www.downtownlex.com)

Page 7

the Signature

May 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 20% Off Sale @ 1-5 pm, Friends Book Cellar in Central Branch Library

2 Common Grounds Open Mic Night @ 8:30-11:00 pm (go early if you want to perform)-

FREE!

3 Lexington Legends vs. Augusta Green-jackets @ 7:05pm—34 Cent Hotdog Night!

4 Pazzo’s Pint Night—KY Ale @ 6:30 pm (go early for a table)

5 Cinco de Mayo Buffet @ 11 am—8:00 pm, Good Foods Café

6 LISSO Spring Pic-nic, Loca-tion and Time TBD

7 Mayfest Arts Fair KY Writer Showcase and Book Fair @ 12-4:00 pm, Gratz Park-FREE!

8 2nd Sunday Monthly Bike Ride @ 2:00-4:00 pm, Meet at Gratz Park for Historic Downtown Tour

9 Common Grounds Open Mic Night @ 8:30-11:00 pm (go early if you want to perform)-FREE

10 UK Base-ball vs. Indi-ana @ 6:30, Cliff Hagan Stadium—FREE for UK Students!

11 Lexington Art League Gallery Talk @ 7-8 pm, LAL @ Loudon House—FREE!

12 Thursday Night Live @ 4:30—7:30 pm, Cheap-side Pavil-ion—FREE!

13 Learn to Contra Dance with caller Ken Gall and band @ 7:30—11 pm, Arts-Place $4—$6

14 Lexing-ton Legends vs. Ashville Tourists @ 7:05 pm

April 2011

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

17 18 19 20 21 22

24 25 27 28 Portfolio Discussion @ 11:30—1:00, Niles Gallery

29 SLIS Awards Ban-quet @ 6:00 pm, Embas-sy Suites

30 Arbor Day 2011, 'ReLeaf: Renewing Your Community Forest' @ 10-2, Tree Seedlings-FREE!

Hosted by ALA’s student chapter.

Co-Sponsored by SLA and LISSO. Lunch Provided!

Refreshments, tree seedlings-FREE! Cel-

ebrate Arbor Day with the Mayor at the

UK Arboretum. Family and educa-tional activities, too

(jewelry making, live animals, etc)

A View of Lexington

Page 8

the Signature

Lisa Raney, a December 2010 graduate, took Lexington under her lens during her me in graduate school. The next few pages highlight some of her photography. Thanks Lisa for sharing your view of Lexington for the newsle er!

Bright Star

Mad World

View of Typewriter Keys

Untitled

Have artwork of your own? Send it in the lissouk@gmail.com and we’ll publish it! Like these photos? Check out Lisa’s work at: h p://www.flickr.com/photos/jerkfacelisa/

Lady of the Dumpster

Egypt on the lawn where the Quidditch Team practices

Page 12

the Signature

et cetera

Our et cetera sec on contains comments,

opinions, and sugges ons from students.

Have something to say? Send it in!

This first piece comes from Amber Surface

and goes directly in line with a theme

throughout this edi on of the newsle er:

INVOLVEMENT!

Thanks Amber!

When I was offered the opportunity to write a piece for the newsle er, I tried to think of what I might want to impart to my fellow SLISers. Even though I was given free rein‐‐dangerous for me‐‐I could only think of one thing: Get involved. My classmates know that I can be out‐spoken, which might be an understatement. If I see a problem that I feel I can address, I will talk about it with my peers and try to find a solu on. However, that's only half the ba le. The other half is finding the courage to take ac on. Fascinated with archives? Join the recently revived UK student chap‐ter of the Society of American Archivists. (Seriously, please join. We're a great group, and we have cookies!) The same could go for the student chapters of ALA, ASIS&T, or SLA, depending on personal preferences.

Be warned that these organiza ons occasionally go out of vogue, but don't be afraid to revive them! All students should consider becoming involved in LISSO because those members know the pulse of the program and your involvement can let you have an opportunity to socialize without aca‐demic pressure. Graduate students have a tendency to fall into pa erns of solitude and some‐what an ‐social behavior. Many of us live in Lexington yet take online cours‐es due to a lack of face‐to‐face cours‐es. Personally, my last semester will be completely online; most of us will ex‐perience a similar semester. Of course, people will tell you that you should get involved in graduate school because you never know who might have a job opening or that join‐ing clubs will boost your vita, and those are true. But, there's so much more! When I began the program last semester, I was certain that everyone else was incredibly brilliant and had a strong handle on all the material. Here's a grad school secret: (most) everyone feels clueless at some point in graduate school. One of the bene‐fits of ge ng to know your classmates

et cetera

Page 13

the Signature

(cont’d from pg. 12)

is that you quickly realize that you are not alone in this wonderful mess. Alli‐ances form, and students learn to rely on one another. In me, that reliance turns to respect, and suddenly you have a dozen new friends. Ge ng involved is great for your mental and emo onal well‐being. Can't make it to campus for face‐to‐face classes or programs? That's perfectly understandable, par cularly for a pro‐gram that has such a large online popu‐la on. If you live in Louisville or Cincin‐na , I would not be surprised if you had enough students nearby that you might be able to start a weekly or even a monthly coffee session to socialize and commiserate. Take advantage of the listserv to get a feel for how many inter‐ested students you might gather. If you're especially lucky, you might have some alumni in the area who would be willing to meet and regale you with ta‐les of how they managed to make it out (rela vely) unscathed. So that's the secret I've found for grad school survival. Get involved. Join an or‐ganiza on, inside or outside SLIS. Talk to your peers. Make new friends. Above

all, remember that you joined this pro‐gram at this university for a reason; take advantage of your opportuni es here while you have the chance.

‐ Amber Surface Amber graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sociology from West Virginia State University in May 2010. She is a rebel and eats mint choco‐late chip mixed with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. She currently works in the Appalachi‐an Archives in the Special Collec ons Depart‐ment of the UK Libraries.

Involvement Opportuni es:

LISSO: h p://uklisso.blogspot.com

h p://www.facebook.com/UK.LISSO

ALA Student Chapter: Contact emi‐

lyrae.aldridge@gmail.com

SLA and ASIS&T: Click the links in Amber’s ar cle. These student organiza ons recently sponsored a resume discussion with pro‐fessionals in the area. Biggest advice they stressed: Get Involved! Join KLA, SLA, ALA, KPLA, BVD and any other acronym you can think of. They need students to sit on commi ees! Send an email on the listserv to ask for others’ interest. Do It!

Image from “Found in Mom’s Basement” Web log , May 13, 2008 [h p://pzrservices.typepad.com/vintageadver sing/2008/05/vintage‐ads‐f‐4.html ]