Resume

ARDITH OHKA

EXPERIENCE                                                                                                                      

2010- Present       Indian River Library                                              Chesapeake, VA

                                                Library Assistant I

-        Performing youth department duties as well as planning and implementing teen programs, ordering young adult materials for the branch and manga and anime for the system

-       General circulation duties including circulation, library card processing and customer service

                        

2007 – 2009      Walter Cecil Rawls Library                                             Courtland, VA

                                                Children and Young Adult Programmer

-        Planning and implementation of all children and young adult programs, including Summer Reading program

-       General circulation duties including circulation, library card processing and customer service

2005                AAA Minneapolis                                                   St. Louis Park, MN

                                                Travel Consultant

-       Planning and arranging international and domestic travel

2004                Globe Aviation Services                                              Bloomington, MN

                                                Ticket Verifier

-       Verifying documents and identification of passengers

2003-2004       Geos Language School                                                   Zentsuji, Japan

                                                English teacher

-        Taught English and American culture to students ages 3 to adult

2001-2002       Infinite Lives Video Games                                            Shoreview, MN

                                                Owner/Manager

-        Start up and daily operation of a retail store

-        Sales and customer service

1999-2000       Hamline University Bookstore                                         St. Paul, MN

                                                Sale Clerk

 -        Sales and customer service

EDUCATION                                                                                                                      

                        Travel Academy                                                                 Bloomington, MN

-        Graduated January 2005 with a score of 99%

                        Hamline University                                                                     St. Paul, MN

-    B.A., Major in English, Minor in Education, Graduated Magna Cum Laude

TRAVEL                                                                                                                            

Japan for 9 months, Korea, Thailand, Scotland, France, Monaco, India, Ecuador, Canada and more

Who is Ardith Ohka (Miss Ardith to the kids)?

Indroduction:
Libraries have always fascinated me. As a child, we moved often. One of the constants in my life was libraries and the amazing people who would let me borrow free books and took the time to talk to me about them. Libraries were amazing; cool air, quiet spaces, and all the books I could imagine. I couldn't imagine a nicer place then, and I still have a hard time doing so.

When I was in college, choosing a minor in English was never in question. Having a reading list of books hand chosen by someone who loved them was exciting. Having an hour, sometimes many hours, to talk about those books was my favorite part. I would get so excited I often felt as if I should sit on my hand to balance the discussion.

Almost three years ago, I moved to a small town called Franklin, Virginia from Minneapolis. I was tired of the winters and wanted to move somewhere where the weather and the people were full of sunshine. I was worried about finding a job I would like as I lived over an hour from a big city, but that's where I wanted to be. Imagine my surprise when, shortly after I arrived, I saw an advertisement for a job in the local four page paper that was better than I could have wished for. The library one even smaller town over was looking for a Youth Programmer, essentially a youth librarian. I would have the opportunity to be to the local children what those amazing librarians in the past had been to me.

I was in charge of planning programming for youth from babies to teens all the way to age 19. I have always enjoyed planning parties, and now I had the perfect space, an open guest list, and someone else's money to spend doing it. I planned events from super hero parties, petting baby farm animals, an overnight murder mystery party, and a Rennaisance festival. The best part was that local young adults had something to do and somewhere safe to go. My last main duty was managing the youth collection of materials. Our younger patrons were shocked that someone actually cared what they were interested in, and that the library would actually order it. It was a wonderful job, but unfortunately the library staff was cut from 6 to 3 people due to county budget cuts in July 2009, and they were forced to eliminate my position.

I was lucky enough to find another position as a Library Assistant I in a bigger library in Chesapeake, Virginia where I work in circulation and youth services. I love my job and would like to continue to work in a library system, however, I realize that to progress farther, I need a MLIS degree. I have a passion for public libraries and would like to opportunity to find my career in one. I know that my degree from Wayne State will help me do this.
 
I have written for our young adult blog for the Chesapeake Library at:
http://thebottomlinebookreviews.blogspot.com/

Interests:
I have three main passions, reading, traveling and my pets.  I also enjoy planning parties and genealogy.

My favorite things to read are Japanese manga, young adult and non-fiction books. The books I've enjoyed most this year are the Library Wars series of manga, Mockingjay and Little Princes.

It is my goal to go to 100 counties before I die. Sadly, I am only to around 20. I lived in Japan for 9 months and would love the opportunity to go back.

This is me and my friend Syana in Thailand.

This is me and my new friend in the Caribbean.

















My pets are like children to me and I love them dearly.  I have two dogs and a cat.  I also often foster tiny animal babies for our local SPCA.

This is Minmei, Iggy and Rosie.  Iggy is actually my Grandfather's dog visiting for Christmas.  Sadly, I don't have a picture of Link, our cat and the newest addition to our family.








My love of event planning will be coming in handy soon, as I am engaged and will be getting married October of 2012.  We are people who enjoy fun and games so we are planning a carnival instead of a traditional wedding.

Goals:
My main goal for this class is to really figure out where I want to go from here.  I have worked in two different public libraries and have enjoyed it, but I'm interested in finding out what other options are out there for me for my future career.  I hope that wherever I end up, I can work towards eliminating the digital divide and helping under-served demographics.

Teams:
I enjoy teamwork.  Working with a group is often challenging, and the online format will add a new element to that.  However, group work can be very fun and rewarding once the goals of the group are achieved.  I feel that I am a hard worker who is supportive of others.  I think that a team works best when the members can maintain a positive attitude, respect for one another and a sense of humor.