Paul Ponders: Lifelong Learning at 10 Years

With gladness, I celebrate the 10th anniversary of my MLIS graduation today. As I tell people, my degree doesn't give me all the answers to life's questions, but it has trained me in how to find them.

Even though I've been out of school for 10 years, I know there is so much to learn, and I'm in the business of lifelong learning, especially seeking greater Truth.

I also recognize the great wealth of resources in library, which is why it was great to visit the Library of Congress for my anniversary today and get my new Library of Congress reader's card.

One specific part of librarianship that piqued my interest early in graduate school was cataloging, in large part thanks to my professor Karen Snow.

Now I've been deep in the world of the integrated library system, working with the MARC records of items so that they can be accessed in the catalog.

Last summer, while visiting with my friends in southern California, we stopped inside the San Jacinto Public Library, where my friend Roy lives. I pulled up the catalog and went to staff view to show them the MARC records, giving them an insight into my work.

I gave a similar inside look into my work 2 week ago when I returned to middle school.

I found out 2 years ago that Julian was hosting a Career Exploration Day, and I was eager to participate as a presenter on my library work. Then I returned last year.

Back in January 2026, I saw that CED was expanding to Brooks, and I was excited about participating in both days.

So on April 22, I left work early and returned to Oak Park. After gathering my materials, I walked due east from homebase to Julian, arriving around noon. As I walked in, a fellow presenter noted the fire truck parked out front and said, "How can we compete with the fire truck?"

Following lunch with fellow presenters, I headed to the room for my presentation, B107.

Right around 1 PM, the first group of students arrived, a 6th grade group that was very well-mannered.

It has been particularly special for these three years to participate in Career Day and connect with current Julian students, especially when I mention that I was once a student there.

As I was setting up in my room at Julian, I noticed a sign near the door that said, "Having fun isn't hard when you've got a library card." It immediately reminded me of the wonderful song in Arthur. Toward the start of my presentations, I showed them my four library cards.

My 8 presentations over the course of the two days followed a similar format of introducing myself, sharing a little bit about libraries, and giving them an inside look at the catalog as seen in the Staff View available in the Aspen catalog display used by Addison and other SWAN libraries. I also showed them the Library of Congress Authority Files website that has the standardized versions of people, places, events, and other subjects that are used in cataloging. And I talked a little bit about the methods we use for organizing materials.

Toward the start of my presentations, I mentioned that librarianship is all about connecting people with information, which they can use in meaningful ways. Cataloging is about using methods to make library materials and resources available to patrons. MARC records compile information about a resource that is used to help patrons find materials in the catalog.

After telling them about my work, I gave them the chance to choose an activity to do in which they would think about these methods, just as I gave them the chance to tell me which Addison Public Library shirt I would wear during my presentation.

One activity was about organizing a random list of items, which I used as a way to explain how libraries organize materials, and two of the major classification schemes used are the Dewey Decimal System and the Library of Congress System.

Another activity I offered as an option was about determining a category for a book, based on two examples of books in which I had to think with extra effort when giving them a category, Mellon vs. Churchill, about the relationship of Andrew Mellon and Winston Churchill regarding money in the 1920s, and the cookbook Steak and Cake.

I gave four possibilities of categories and then assigned each category to a corner of the room and directed them to get up and go to the corner corresponding with their choice. Then I had them talk with someone nearby to discuss their reasons for their choice. When I solicited responses, there were some interesting ideas about categories to use for the books.

At the end, I had time for Q&A. I liked hearing questions from the students, seeing how they engaged with what I had presented.

During my presentation to a 7th grade group at Julian, we did the activity with the Steak and Cake book, and then a student got interested in the Mellon vs. Churchill book and even went so far as to ask if it was on shelf at the Oak Park Public Library.

One of my favorite parts of the two days was when I noticed a student at Brooks wearing a sweatshirt that said, "Reading is My Favorite Sport".

I'm glad that I was able to connect with the Brooks students so well, drawing upon the same content in my presentation.

It was such an energizing experience. Part of what motivated me to be part of Career Day at Julian 2 years ago was my connection to today's Oak Park middle schoolers through RE. I am so grateful for all who organized and faciliated this amazing opportunity for me and the other presents. I also am grateful for the students who volunteered to help and even escort me around Brooks.

I take great delight in imparting to others what I have to offer from my knowledge base. While I keep learning, I know that I have so much to share as I strive to fulfill my life's vocation.