The Clackamas print., January 28, 2004, Page 5, Image 5

J anuary
F eature
28, 2004
Clackamas welcomes
native Alaskan librarian
“I had a great elementary school
librarian,” said Flodin. “She taught
us how to find things that we want­
ed and was always available to help
us find things to read.”
Flodin now repays that service
by helping students here at CCC.
Her
official
title
is
the
cataloging/ technical systems librar­
ian and she works to keep things
organized.
“Cataloging is a two-part
process,” she explained. “The first
part is the process of describing an
item, such as the title, author, pub­
lisher, number of pages, height, etc
... the second part that a cataloger
does is assign a call number and sub­
ject heading.”
‘Tersonally, I really like cata­
loging,” she said. “I just like to do
that”
Another aspect of Flodin’s job is
to create records in “Cougar Cat,”
the library’s online catalog system,
allowing patrons to come into the
library and conduct a search of the
library’s offerings. Flodin also has a
hand in the technical side of the
library.
“The Technical Systems part of
my job involves working with oth­
ers to keep the online catalog up,
running updates and solving any
problems that may occur. I also
work with the vendors to keep
access to online products that the
library subscribes to,” she said.
Although Flodin may seem the
epitome of organization, she
admits that as a teenager, her room
didn’t always reflect the position
she now holds.
“[It was] a disaster,” she said.
“But I knew where everything
was!”
Thirty-two year-old Flodin was
born and raised in Fairbanks,
Karen Hill
F eature E ditor
The average American has at
some point or another experi­
enced a lengthy search, wandering
up and down the aisles of the local
library, attempting to decipher the
cryptic number and letters posted
on the binding of library books,
determined to find a particular
volume among the hundreds fill­
ing the shelves.
Although the task to find one
book among the many may seem a
litde daunting at times, there is a
method to this madness. And
Susanna Flodin, librarian at
Clackamas Community College, is
part of it—the method, that is.
FLODIN
Alaska. She received her master’s
degree in library science from the
University of British Columbia.
Library science, she explained, is a
general degree for anybody want­
ing to be a librarian.
“You can go anywhere and do
almost anything with it,” said Flodin.
Options in the field include market­
ing and competitive intelligence,
which involves researching the
advancements of competitors and,
well, competing.
Flodin moved to Oregon in
December 1999 to pursue a job as a
librarian at the Oregon Institute of
Technology in Klamath Falls. She
worked there for four years before
an opening at CCC caught her eye.
Her responsibilities are essentially
the same, except the position at the
community college allows for three
months of summer vacation. Flodin
jumped at the opportunity and
began at CCC in January 2003.
‘Tm slowly moving my way back
north,” said Flodin. She anticipates
to someday find a job in Fairbanks,
which currently offers no job open­
ings in her position. “Hopefully the
next move is all the way back [to
Fairbanks.] I don’t like moving.”
In the meantime, Flodin
offers a few suggestions to stu­
dents that are overwhelmed at
the sheer idea of locating a sin­
gle title among the hundreds fin­
ing the shelves.
“There are helpful, get-start­
ed information sheets near the
reference desk for a number of
different subjects,” said Flodin.
“A virtual tour and other infor­
mation about the-library is avail­
able off the library’s home page.
And ultimately, if you need help,
please ask a Reference Librarian;
that is what they’re there for.”
TH
1
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MS
T he C lackamas P rint
• 5
Grant offers free classes
for prospective teachers
years to 50 years.”
Thanks to the grant, teachers at
CCC can also enjoy the benefits of
A federally-financed program the program. The program offers
at CCC offers 25 students the courses to staff and faculty, pro­
opportunity to take classes which viding instruction to learn how to
introduce them to careers in edu­ fully, utilize the technology avail­
cation and provide hands-on expe­ able to them in the classroom.
rience in the classroom.
“We’re impacting a number of
Clackamas Community College people,” said Len Eaton, program
received a $900,000 federal grant director. “More than just teaching
from the U.S. Department of students to become teachers, we’re
Education’s
Preparing teaching teachers who currently
Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use teach now, as well as faculty, to use
Technology program. The grant technology.”
pays
for
the
Recently
the
tuition and fees
college activated a
for 25 students to
“The people who Help Desk for JIT
take eight courses
(“Just in Time”)
come out of here assistance,
over the three
a service
terms, a total of
know they want
funded through the
24 credits.
grant as well. The
to be teachers
The
courses’
Help Desk offers
and they feel
curriculum includes
over-the-phone
multicultural educa­
for
confident in that assistance
tion and teaching
Clackamas teachers
decision.”
strategies, as well as
needing help using
learning to apply
Laurette Scott
Word,
Excel,
the latest technolo­
PowerPoint,
Education and Human
gy to the classroom.
Photoshop and a
Services
Students learn to
number of other
use programs such
applications.
as PowerPoint for
Scott feels confident in the pro­
class presentations and Access for gram’s ability to introduce students
class databases.
to a teaching career where they will
The program also focuses on feel capable of making a career deci­
pairing students with a teacher from sion early in their schooling.
a Clackamas County schooL
“The people who come out of
This allows the student hands-on here know they want to be teachers,”
experience in the field; traditionally said Scott, “and they feel confident
students usually do work in the class­ in that decision.”
room until their junior or senior year,
Currently the program has 23
according to Laurette Scott, faculty students, which means possible
in Education and Human Services.
openings spring term. Students who
The courses cater to a wide begin the program this spring can
range of ages and abilities. There take the completion of the program
are people in the classes that next fall and winter term.
already have degrees, and some are
For more information on this
coming right out of high school, program, contact Laurette Scott at
Scott said.
(503) 657-6958, ext. 5195 or send an
“We’re very diverse,” she email to laurette@clackamas.edu.
added. “Students range from 18
Karen Hill
F eature E ditor