Unclassifiable Librarian

2012-01-25T13:02:00.003-05:00

The Inaugural Book 'Em North Carolina event will take place on Saturday, February 25, 2012. The doors open to the public at 9:30 am and close at 4:00 pm. The event is free.

I'm really looking forward to this event as a librarian, as a parent, and as a member of the community. Our county is the poorest in the state of NC and has one of the worst education systems. It's not that the teachers don't care - but the resources just aren't available for them to work with.

For an event like this to come to our little neck of the woods is exciting. I can't wait to take my daughter, who just started kindergarten this year, and to my great joy has discovered her own love of reading and books. For those of you with kids there will be a full day of readings - every hour on the hour - as well as crafts, face painting, book characters and more. The local Kiwanis group will also be giving out free books to some of the first children to arrive.

Adults can meet and listen to authors, participate in book talks, learn about writing and publishing- and much more.

Book Em was started as a community effort by law enforcement in answer to the correlation between illiteracy and crime rates.

I do hope that this event has a good turn out. I often am saddened by the lack of such events close to this area, but when such things are held turnout isn't always good. How does one fight apathy? I'm going to stay positive though, and continue to spread the word about this wonderful program and hope that many more like it will find their way through our little neck of the woods to the benefit of all.

http://bookemnc.org/

Mysterious Paper Sculptures

2011-12-08T15:38:00.002-05:00

The mysterious paper sculptures showing up in Scottish locales are truly amazing works of art. Even though the librarian in me shivers a little at the mutilation of any book, I think these are fitting literary tributes and absolutely stunning. More information and pictures can be found on the blog below or through my Pinterest.

http://community.thisiscentralstation.com/_Mysterious-paper-sculptures/blog/4991767/126249.html

A Veteran's Tribute

2011-11-02T14:34:00.005-04:00

It's a little early for Veteran's Day, but I wanted to share this poem for several reasons.

First - Veteran's Day is coming up, and I believe in honoring our troops. Even when I don't agree with the politics of the this nation, I will always support the men and women that put themselves in harm's way to protect others. Sadly, Veteran's Day I think is becoming more of a day for car sales and getting out of work rather than honoring our nation's heros.

Secondly - In honor of the men of my family that have fought in ever war in this nation, saving the current generation. My father was in the Navy for close to 30 years - fighting through Desert Storm and the Cold War. His father was Army during Vietnam. My mother's father ran away to join the Marines at 16 and fought in the South Pacific during WWII, during which time my grandmother served as an airplane spotter. Mom's stepfather was in the Air Force during WWII. Our family tree contains many more Patriots that have supported this country in times of trouble.

Thirdly - to raise awareness as an archivist of the need to preserve history. So much of what we have learned about the past has come from documents, stories, ephemera, relia, and other means. Sadly, today with so much being digital in origin, we are losing a vital part of our historical record. How much of our history is being deleted? Some may laugh at my email archive going back to the early 90s - but who knows. Maybe one day it will provide insight for someone studying our time in history. I hope others will join me in preserving our digital information for posterity - ensuring our voices continue to tell our stories to those that come after.

Amplify’d from www.theveteranssite.com

Warriors (a poem)

Oct 29, 2011 8:47:00 PM

by Dan Doyle, Vietnam Veteran

In those halcyon days of our youth

     When we donned our armor
     And went off to war, singing,
     We felt ourselves heroes,
     Brave enough to vie with gods.
     We believed ourselves men
     Whose names would live
     Long after our noble victories.
     But such dreams never last.
     Soon the day comes when fear,
     Or some crushing defeat,
     Or craven death claims a comrade
     And we are changed forever.
     War, then, is no longer a game,
     Or some fancified dream.
     Then the warrior cannot doubt
     War’s terrible reality—
     And it is very hard
     To be bravely borne,
     For it enfolds death
     And makes the going on,
     Seem unendurable.

      If we survive war’s reality
     And come home again
     To live among friends,
     To wander again the familiar environs,
     We no longer feel at home,
     For we who left can not return.
     Our spirits have been touched.
     Though our bodies are still young,
     They are scarred and broken.
     They have grown old
     And those who loved who we had been
     May no longer recognize us,
     May not understand our nightmares,
     Our impatience with the mundane.
     We who have gone to wars
     Walk with death at our side.
     We know what you do not yet see.
     But we can teach you much
     About life and death,
     Comradeship and duty,
     If you listen…

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1gdqp

Funny Friday Freaks

2011-10-14T13:01:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh...Fall Break. Though we are still here and open, it is so lovely and quiet today. A day to catch up and not stress.

Or so I thought.

But it seems the closeness to Halloween is bringing some of the crazies out of the closet. These anecdotes highlight the typical type of patron interactions that always seem to come my way. As a supervisor and manager, I try to minimize the amount of time my front line staff have to deal with such issues. Which tends to make my days interesting, to say the least.

Freaky Crazy #1

Patron loses her glasses in early summer. She was called immediately and the glasses were placed in lost and found. She comes in this week and complains because now, many months later, the glasses cannot be found. We do not inventory our lost and found and regularly send items over to the main lost and found on campus. We try to make sure that expensive things like phones or personal items like wallets are put in our safe, but the remaining misc. items get dumped in our lost and found bin and are often forgotten until disposed of. She was rather upset that after so many months she could not find her glasses. So upset she has gone to the Dean about it. However, despite the fact that this lady is on a pointless crusade, it has led us to decide to add a specific lost and found policy to the library's policies and procedures just for CYA purposes. We'll be citing the University policy that says after 30 days the items are disposed of, or after two weeks if the individual has been notified.

Freaky Crazy #2

Gentleman enters the library and asks my staff person at the front desk, "Do you know anything about cell phones? Because my phone never works in here. Don't you know it's a federal violation to block the airwaves? That you're actions are illegal under the FCC?" Apparently he missed the part of the FCC rulings that say that using cell phone jammers is illegal; however, passive blocking due to construction materials is not covered under the law as it is perfectly legal. I don't trip every time my phone cuts out at Food Lion. Walk outside dude, is it that hard? And by the way, my phone works in here fine so it must be you.

Libraries Aren't Dying, They're Evolving

2011-09-23T16:38:00.002-04:00

Libraries are no longer just that place you go to find books - but we are the navigators of the overwhelming overload that this massive information world needs. While google can find you a million answers, librarians can find you the right one. And you can check out a lot more than books at a library - electronics, video games, movies, bikes...hell Yale even has a circulating dog. Patrons need to let us know what they want from us yes, but we also have to do a better job of letting patrons know what we already do that they may not expect. We need to market ourselves as the information gurus that we are. We need to let them know how we can make their hectic lives easier and more convenient, as well as cost efficient. We have to bring our continued meaningfulness to them, and let them rediscover all that a contemporary library can be.

Amplify’d from shareable.net

“People who talk about libraries dying out are the ones who remember the libraries of their childhood,” says American Library Association (ALA) President, Molly Raphael, from her home in Portland, Ore. “But the library of today is not the library of our childhood, and the library that children see today is not the library we’ll see in 20 years.”

These days, librarians need to not only be tech-savvy, but also play the role of teacher, research guide, electronic-information navigator and employment counselor. As communication and information become increasingly digital, libraries and librarians help people to keep up with what has become the norm.

in economically challenging times such as these, library use increases significantly

While the increase in usage can be attributed to people having less discretionary income for books and magazines, it is also due to libraries’ continued evolution. Offering musical scores, toys, art, CDs and DVDs, radiation detectors, portable smoke detectors, tools, kilowatt-measuring devices, zines, seeds and more, libraries have become lenders of a variety of useful items. Some even offer ways for patrons to contribute to collections through reviews, comments, the transcription of materials into digital format, uploading computer programs of their own design, and more.

Libraries in general are pioneers of the sharing movement. Long before organizations were “going green,” libraries were there, showing us how it’s done. In fact, libraries are a perfect introduction for people who are wary of the whole sharing economy. One can simply say, “It’s like a library, but for cars (or bikes or tools etc.).”

In general, libraries are working diligently to keep up with, and push ahead of, society’s curve. If we hold on to our nostalgic notions of what libraries once were, we deem them relics of a time gone by. However, if we support libraries through their evolutionary process, they remain vital community resources and hubs; unwavering providers of information to all, whatever form that information may take.

Read more at shareable.net

What Students Don't Know

2011-09-23T11:45:00.006-04:00

This is a philosophical argument that is not new, but is definitely a topic of current discussion. Do you give them the fish or do you teach them how to fish? Are all people meant to be researchers? Do you try to force them to love learning or just give them what they need for the assignment? While I as an individual much prefer to delve into research and revel in my nerdy side, I also have enough common sense to realize that most undergraduates just want to get their degree, finish school, and get a job. They are not necessarily academics by nature. I try, when I do my librarian thing, to assess each patron individually. Some you can tell really do care about the research - and those I teach to fish. But for other students, you can tell they just want to complete the assignment and get on with the million other things they have going on in life. For those students, is it really so bad to just give them the fish?

Amplify’d from http://www.insidehighered.com/ article of 8/22/11

This is one of the sobering truths these librarians

have learned

students rarely ask librarians for help, even when they need it. The idea of a librarian as an academic expert who is available to talk about assignments and hold their hands through the research process is, in fact, foreign to most students. Those who even have the word “librarian” in their vocabularies often think library staff are only good for pointing to different sections of the stacks.

One thing the librarians now know is that their students' research habits are worse than they thought.

“The majority of students -- of all levels -- exhibited significant difficulties that ranged across nearly every aspect of the search process,”

They tended to overuse Google and misuse scholarly databases. They preferred simple database searches to other methods of discovery, but generally exhibited “a lack of understanding of search logic” that often foiled their attempts to find good sources.

If we quietly hope to convert all students to the liberal ideals of higher education, we may miss opportunities to connect with a pragmatic student body,

“Now more than ever, academic librarians should seek to ‘save time for the reader.’

“the extent to which students appeared to lack even some of the most basic information literacy skills that we assumed they would have mastered in high school.” Even students who were high achievers in high school suffered from these deficiencies

In other words: Today’s college students might have grown up with the language of the information age, but they do not necessarily know the grammar.

databases

Even when students turned to more scholarly resources, that did not necessarily solve the problem. Many seemed confused about where in the constellation of library databases they should turn to locate sources for their particular research topic: Half wound up using databases a librarian “would most likely never recommend for their topic.”

Years of conditioning on Google

instilled them with a stunted understanding of how to finely tune a search in order to home in on usable sources

“Students generally treated all search boxes as the equivalent of a Google search box, and searched ‘Google-style,’ using the ‘any word anywhere’ keyword as a default,” they wrote.

Unsurprisingly, students using this method got either too many search results or too few. Frequently, students would be so discouraged they would change their research topic to something more amenable to a simple search.

not one asked a librarian for help.

students were just as unaware of the extent of their own information illiteracy as everyone else

Another possible reason was that students seek help from sources they know and trust, and they do not know librarians. Many do not even know what the librarians are there for. "I don't think I would see them and say, 'Well, this is my research, how can I do this and that?' " one senior psychology major told the researchers. "I don't see them that way. I see them more like, 'Where's the bathroom?' " Other students imagined librarians to have more research-oriented knowledge of the library but still thought of them as glorified ushers.

Unfortunately, professors are not necessarily any more knowledgeable about library resources than their students are.

And many professors, like many librarians, overestimate the research fluency of their students.

, “One of the professors said, ‘You mean they come to the library without the assignment?’

“Yes. Yes, they do.

In her contribution to the ERIAL tome, called “Pragmatism and Idealism in the Academic Library,” Thill wrote about the tension between library pragmatism -- the desire to satisfy the minimum requirements of a research assignment -- and library idealism, which glorifies the tedious unearthing and meticulous poring-over of texts. Unsurprisingly, most students tacked toward pragmatism, while “librarians and professors [repeatedly] wished that students could invest more time in contemplation and discovery, painting an idealized portrait of students leisurely wandering the stacks or pensively sitting down to await inspiration.”

“satisfice”

Teaching efficiency is not a compromise of librarianship,

understanding the limitations of library idealism in practice, and acting pragmatically when necessary.
Read more at www.insidehighered.com

I Don't Just Read All Day

2011-09-12T12:08:00.003-04:00

There is nothing more frustrating for a librarian than to have someone tell us what an awesome job we have since we get to read all day. Real librarians are so busy wearing dozens of different hats, reading is often a luxury.

What People Don't Get About Working in a Library

Aug 9 2011, 5:00 PM ET

The Librarian #1

"We are not mere cart pushers. This job requires a Masters degree for a reason."

The Librarian #2

"I am an aggregator, a citation machine, a curator, a specialist."

The Cataloger

"Even within the library profession my job is very under-appreciated."

The Librarian #3

"I am not your doormat. Make your own copies."

The Librarian #4

"I am not a babysitter for teachers' planning periods."

Read more at www.theatlantic.com

I Have No Mercy

2011-09-08T15:45:00.003-04:00

"I returned two DVDs two weeks late. They had no educational value and no one missed them for as long as they were gone. I shouldn't be penalized because I already pay too much money to go to this school and don't have the money for bogus fees. I am usually very punctual with returning books because I know of their importance to other students. I can't pay this fee and I need to borrow a book for class. I need your help and mercy..." - Student

“Hmmmmm….maybe you’d get merciful if your attitude were better. Want to rethink that tone?” – Me as I stamp fine appeal denied all over the form.

Seriously, if you are asking someone for something and you are in the wrong, shouldn’t you at least make an effort to be positive and pleasant?

Well at least I got a laugh for the day.

Hooked on Books!

2011-09-08T15:14:00.002-04:00

Now that Katy is in kindergarten, reading time is going to be even more important. While I have done reading activities using some of the suggestions below, this article gave me even more ideas to use when reading at home.

Amplify’d from long-island.newsday.com

Originally published: August 23, 2011 11:25 AM

Updated: September 6, 2011 8:41 AM

By JENNIFER BERGER
http://long-island.newsday.com/kids/mailto:jennifer.berger@newsday.com?subject=Newsday.com Article

As a parent, you strive
to help your children succeed in school, and that often means encouraging them to do their homework and study for tests. But one of the most important things you can do for your child's development is to read together.

1. Incorporate technology

2. Share your favorite children's book

3. Be silly

4. Make a game of it

5. Participate in story time

6. Set a good example

7. Get comfy

8. Store books where you store toys

9. Take turns reading

10. Schedule daily family reading time

11. Join a kids book club

12. Start a family book club

13. Let your child run the show

14. Use books as a reward

15. Go for non-fiction books

16. Read a book, watch the movie

17. Don't limit reading to fiction

18. Build a playlist

19. Find topics your kids love

20. Let your child be the author

21. Check it off

22. Choose your own adventure

23. Quiz your kids

24. Act it out

25. Make books easily accessible
Read more at long-island.newsday.com

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Copyright, Fair Use, and Electronic Materials: Three Tips

2011-09-02T16:25:00.001-04:00

A constant battle...

Amplify’d from www.academicimpressions.com

Copyright, Fair Use, and Electronic Materials: Three Tips

September 1, 2011

Daniel Fusch, Academic Impressions

The recent slew of intellectual property rights lawsuits against institutions of higher education -- such as the lawsuit filed against Georgia State University over e-reserves, or the lawsuit over video streaming at UCLA -- make two things clear: how little is understood on campus about what "fair use" entails, and how critical it is to plan for risk mitigation as your campus community increasingly makes use of digital content.

Smith and McDonald offer three tips for addressing fair use at your institution proactively rather than reactively.

1. Read and Negotiate the License

2. Establish a Campus-Wide Fair Use Policy

3. Educate Your Campus
Read more at www.academicimpressions.com

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The Tao of Librarianship

2011-07-20T15:21:00.001-04:00

Librarians are typically stereotyped as afraid of change, and change often comes slowly. In today's ever changing world, this model will quickly leave us antiquated and purposeless. We have to find ways of keeping ourselves meaningful to our patrons so that they will continue to see the relevance of libraries in helping them to navigate through the overwhelming wealth of information.

Amplify’d from andyburkhardt.com

The Tao of Librarianship

There is a wealth of wisdom from the Taoist philosophy that could be applied in librarianship.

Laws Create Lawbreakers

Bend, Don’t Break

Realize When Enough is Enough

Be Like Water

Librarians need the ability to be in touch with reality and not be blind or naive. The job of a librarian does not have to be a struggle against obsolescence or a constant proving of their value to stakeholders and administrators. Instead librarians can try to understand what is actually of value to our patrons and be leading the parade instead of fighting against it.
Read more at andyburkhardt.com

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Copyright in a Nutshell

2011-06-15T16:08:00.001-04:00

Though the University has an attorney, I as the librarian that oversees reserves and interlibrary loan, have become the default copyright guru on campus. When people have a copyright question, they often hit me up, and I also try to educate the community through presentations and such when possible. This article by Jennifer Howard goes over some really good basic facts that I too wish more people knew.

Amplify’d from chronicle.com

What You Don't Know About Copyright, but Should

By Jennifer Howard

If you think you don't own any copyrights, think again.

Know your rights when you sign contracts with publishers or others to distribute your work

Fair use is complicated—but you can also call on the principle of "classroom use."

Don't be ruled by fear.

"A risk-oriented, compliance-oriented mind-set is one of the things that makes fair use smaller and helps us not innovate around copyright law in other ways," Ms. Sims says.

Ask for help. And make a difference.
Read more at chronicle.com

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Reading Project

2011-06-15T14:20:00.001-04:00

Though I've read a number of these books, I have not read as many as I would have liked. I'm going to set this as a reading goal for myself. I was going to say it would be my summer project, but I think I may need to allot a bit more time. Let's see how long it takes me to get through the list.

Amplify’d from www.guardian.co.uk

The 100 greatest non-fiction books

After keen debate at the Guardian's books desk, this is our list of the very best factual writing, organised by category, and then by date.

See how closely it matches yours and tell us what we've missed

The greatest non-fiction books live here ... the British Museum Reading Room.
Read more at www.guardian.co.uk

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Bill Gates v. Ford Motor Company

2011-04-19T09:28:00.008-04:00

(From my MIL - I really needed this laugh!)

For those of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated,

'If Ford had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.'

In response to Bill 's comments, Ford issued a press release stating:

If Ford had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash.........Twice a day.

2.. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3... Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason.. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single 'This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation' warning light.

I love the next one!!!

7. The airbag system would ask 'Are you sure?' before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the 'Start' button to turn the engine off.

PS - I 'd like to add that when all else fails, you could call ' customer service ' in some foreign country and be instructed in some foreign language how to fix your car yourself!!!!

Please share this with your friends who love - but sometimes hate - their computer!

Common Sense

2011-03-28T14:53:00.000-04:00

Over the past few years I seem to sense a decline in basic common sense. I see it in the ridiculous lawsuits for products resulting in labeling that is even more ridiculous (i.e. do not iron clothes on body), watching people drive (left hand turn from the right hand lane - nice), and a myriad of other examples in every day life. Has the ability to think for oneself been completely lost? Not to mention the lack of ability to take responsibility for oneself when consequences arise from such no-brainer incidents.

Today, I experienced another example of a complete lack of common sense - this time regarding using library materials. First, let me explain how libraries work for those of you that are unfamiliar. You borrow materials that belong to other people for a short time and then bring them back so that others may do the same. Seems a simple premise, yet it seems to be quite difficult for many library patrons to understand. Due dates, fines, and much more cause substantial consternation among library users who seem to not understand that these materials do not belong to them to use however and for as long as they want.

Today, I received a complaint from a patron that was being charged a replacement fee for an interlibrary loan book she had decided to highlight. Not only was it not her book, but it wasn't even our book. I'd have felt bad enough if it had belonged in our library, but the fact that it was the property of another library made me feel even worse. Her complaint was that she didn't feel entirely responsible as she had not been informed of a policy stating that patrons could not write in books. Really???? Seriously???? This is something they have to be told???? Borrowing books that don't belong to you and you need this spelled out???? That's like saying hey you told me I could borrow your car but you didn't say I couldn't wreck it. Is this not common sense? I am used to the lack of responsibility exhibited in fine waiver requests (it's not my fault because....fill in the blank) but this goes far beyond that to the complete realm of WTF?!?! Apparently common sense is becoming less and less common (whoever named it that was definitely an optimist) - maybe the phrase should be changed to the romantic languages translation of the phrase - "good sense."

Where oh where can my outlet be?

2011-03-18T14:12:00.002-04:00

This is a problem for our library as well. I feel the pain myself often searching for a plug or having too many things to plug in and not enough outlets, not to mention the bag of power cords I have to carry around with me. You see people sitting on the floor, cords snaked here and yon waiting for unsuspecting ankles, furniture moved to accommodate outlets - who knew a simple thing like power could be such a big problem. Glad to know we're not the only place dealing with this issue - hell it's even a problem at the Pentagon. The furniture options mentioned is a great alternative for those places that can't magically make a new building or reconstruction happen. I would also love seeing the longer lasting batteries developed. In the meantime, I wonder what other creative solutions are hovering out there.

Amplify’d from http://www.libraryjournal.com/

A Digital Generation Scours the Library for a Plug

By Michael Kelley

Dec 30, 2010

Thirty years ago, the only person in a library looking for an electrical outlet was a blue-smocked cleaning person who had to plug in a vacuum cleaner with a very long cord.

Times have changed.

Universities struggle to keep up
The problem cuts across all library sectors.

"The lack of adequate power is a fairly big issue for [the Dimond Library]," Tracey Lauder, the assistant dean for library administration at the University of New Hampshire, told LJ. "Students frequently move large tables and soft seating closer to walls with outlets, or they bring their own extension cords, which obviously can be a hazard," she said.

"Plugs are popular" was number four on the list, because without them the digital generation cannot power the connection to information or with one another.

"It extends the social network, where students can sit and talk and collaborate," Stephens told UAB Magazine.

To complicate matters, installing new outlets is considered an extra, and Dimond Library has to dip into its operating budget to pay for them. And they aren't cheap. The recent installation of six wall and six floor receptacles would have cost $10,568, but the decision was made to install the wall receptacles only during the library's redesign since the floor outlets would have required drilling.

Redburn also noted that at public libraries it's not so much the collaborative nature of work, as it is at universities, but the hard economic times that drive more people to the library in search of an interface for their media.

"People can't afford Internet service at home anymore, they can't afford a print cartridge, so there's a causal relationship between the economy and the growth of people using the library," she said.

"Consider the need for additional floor electrical outlets at circulation and reference desks, workrooms, offices for staff use, audiovisual areas, and in reading areas for customer use," reads one example in section 3-5.4.

But when a library wants to raise the bar on its electrical infrastructure, the answer is two words: raised floor.

The main benefit with raised floors is that the power distribution does not run in a fixed conduit, so the library can change the configuration of outlets.

Still, the ultimate answer, several sources said, may be longer lasting batteries, a part of the natural evolution of technology and the many curious problems it brings. Down the road, the question may be what to do with all the unused outlets.
Read more at www.libraryjournal.com

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A Librarian's Niche

2011-03-18T10:43:00.002-04:00

This was a very interesting article, and I think underscores the need for librarians to really market our niche in information management. It is not that students can't find what they want (though many times it is and they don't realize it), but that they find so much they don't know how to parse the good from the bad. Critical thinking and resource evaluation are critical skills that we as librarians need to be focusing on in our work with students.

Amplify’d from http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/communityacademiclibraries/887833-265/survey_finds_students_often_use.html.csp?goback=%2Egde_1825084_news_406138424

Survey Finds Students Often Use Library Resources, But Not Services

A new report released this month from Project Information Literacy at the University of Washington (UW), "Truth Be Told: How College Students Evaluate and Use Information in the Digital Age," [PDF] finds that many higher-ed students struggle with sorting through the vast amounts of information available when doing research, but they tend not to ask librarians for assistance. Indeed, to keep the research process as simple as possible, many appear to fall back on predictable routines that may not produce the best results.

The report's authors, Alison Head and Michael Eisenberg, recommended that academic librarians emphasize teaching research strategies to students, rather than simply helping to find sources for a particular assignment.
Read more at www.libraryjournal.com

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Libraries - More than just books

2011-03-18T09:36:00.002-04:00

I came across this story this week while cataloging iPads that UNCP will begin circulating next week. Not only do I like the idea of the poochie, but I love that the library is doing something so unique. It makes me wonder what other types of unique items libraries circulate, and I would love to do some research on this topic. Probably the most interesting thing we circulate are some biology reserve items - namely the box of bones.

Amplify’d from http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/mar/11/law-library-offers-dog-check-out/?popup=true

Law library offers dog for check-out

By Nikita Lalwani
Friday, March 11, 2011

Soon Yale Law School students studying at their library may be able to check out a dog in addition to books on Constitutional law.

In an email sent to students Thursday, librarian Blair Kauffman announced that the law library will run a three-day pilot program in which students can "check out" the certified library therapy dog — Monty — for thirty minute periods. He wrote that he hopes the program, which will begin March 28, will reduce student stress.

"We hope that making a therapy dog available to our students will prove to be a positive addition to current services offered by the library," he said in the e-mail. "It is well documented that visits from therapy dogs have resulted in increased happiness, calmness, and overall emotional well-being."

Kauffman added that although Monty is hypoallergenic, visits will be confined to a "dedicated non-public space in the library" to alleviate concerns other library users may have about dogs. Additional information regarding the program will be available with a sign-up sheet that will be released March 21.

If students respond well to the program, the library may institute it permanently during stressful periods of the semester. Law School Director of Public Affairs Janet Conroy said that no more information is currently available about the future of the program.

Two students interviewed said the therapy dog pilot program exemplifies the creativity and originality of Yale Law.

"I think it's a really fun idea and I'm sure that a lot of people will take advantage," Stephanie Turner LAW '12 said. "I definitely hope that they extend the program beyond the pilot period."

According to Therapy Dogs International, a volunteer organization dedicated to regulating and testing therapy dogs, studies have indicated that visits with therapy dogs help decrease blood pressure and stress levels, while providing a nice break from daily routine.

Aside from providing comfort to students, therapy dogs are most often used in hospitals, retirement homes, and nursing homes.
Read more at www.yaledailynews.com

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The LISNews Blogs To Read in 2011

2011-02-25T16:13:00.000-05:00

I love to see the wide variety of writing topics of librarians - especially the ones that break the stereotypical molds. This is always a good list.

The LISNews Blogs To Read in 2011

Just as I was learning FBML

2011-02-24T13:07:00.002-05:00

Seems that every time I learn a new skill like FBML, a major change comes along making it obsolete. Facebook is especially guilty of constant mandated changes, and I'll be looking to see how this affects the Library's Facebook page. I wonder if the FBML I've already done will transfer over or have to be redone. I'm curious to experiment with the iFrames now. I hope this means designing in Dreamweaver first will be an option.

Amplify’d from sixrevisions.com

Ultimate Guide to the New Facebook Page Design

No More "Standard" Tabs

Note: the new tabs will appear in the form of a list (there will be a maximum of 6 above the fold).

New Photo Strip

Profile Picture

The maximum size for the profile picture has been reduced from 200x600px to 180x540px.

User Interface Changes

Admin View of Wall (See Hidden Posts)

Post as Your Brand

Your Brand Can "Like" Other Pages

Fans Count Has Changed

Categories

Now displayed on Facebook Pages is your organization’s category (which can be adjusted). We recently changed ours from "Local Business" to "Internet/Software".

Development Changes

Facebook iframes Now on Tabs

From a web developer’s standpoint, this is the biggest and best change Facebook has rolled out. What does this mean? No more Facebook Markup Language (FBML)!

To use iframes, you need the most up-to-date layout. First and foremost: in order to use iframes, the page must be using the new Facebook Page layout.

Custom HTML and JavaScript

Facebook API for Facebook Pages

Saving User Sessions

Summary

With the changes scheduled to take full effect March 10, 2011, you should now be ready to take full advantage of the changes.

Profile photo now has a max size of 180x540px.
Display page category.
Photo strip shows most recent tagged or posted photos. They are randomized. Watch out for inappropriate photos tagged with your Facebook Page. The dimensions of thumbnails are 96x67px.
Admin view.
Filter wall posts by your Facebook Page only or by everyone.
Tabs are now on the left (under the profile photo) in the form of a list (maximum of 6 above the fold). Also, switch to Admin View to see hidden posts.
If you’re an admin, you can view the people who have "Liked" your brand. We noticed it’s in order of most recent Likes. If you’re not an admin, you can no longer view those who have "Liked" the brand page.
Your brand page can Like other pages. They’ll show up on your brand page.

Other changes not shown in the image above:

You can see a Newsfeed of updates from Liked Pages on your home page when using Facebook under your Facebook Page name.
Pages now support iframed tab applications.
Email notifications when users post or comment.
Read more at sixrevisions.com

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Facebook Customizations

2011-02-23T13:45:00.005-05:00

As part of my work with the Library's Social Networking Committee, I've been playing around with FBML to customize our Facebook page. I've managed to add custom tabs for our IM widget, a WorldCat search, and a stream to our Youtube channel and am now ready to tackle adding a new landing page with a customized image look. I've seen some really nice customized pages. Hoping I can do it in Dreamweaver first then add the FBML bits. Once I get this done, it's on to figuring out how to create a search widget for III to use on Facebook. This web page I found very useful as a start - but always on the look out for other sources of sample code.

I'd like to think the following libraries whose pages gave me ideas:

NYPL

Plainfield Public Library

Appleton Public Library

Southfield Public Library

WCPL

Kent District Library

Amplify’d from socialmediaseo.net

Customize Your Facebook Fan Page With FBML

Add Images To Facebook Fan Pages using FBML

1) Installing the Static FBML App

2) Working with FBML

3) Defining Application Settings

4) Adding Your Image & Custom Naming Your Tab

And that’s it!

Like I said, FBML is the key to really bringing your Facebook Fan Page to life and defining your brand on Facebook.

Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions! As always, feel free to contact me directly with questions.

See more at socialmediaseo.net

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Things I Don't Have to Think About Today

2011-02-23T13:03:00.005-05:00

A fan of the blog and the author, I have long loved this reminder to not complain of life's little inconveniences and be thankful for all that I have.

Also really love his blog's appearance...may have to do some redesign on mine.

Amplify’d from whatever.scalzi.com

Things I Don’t Have to Think About Today

Today I don’t have to think about those who hear “terrorist” when I speak my faith.

Today I don’t have to think about men who don’t believe no means no.

Today I don’t have to think about how the world is made for people who move differently than I do.

Today I don’t have to think about whether I’m married, depending on what state I’m in.

Today I don’t have to think about how I’m going to hail a cab past midnight.

Today I don’t have to think about whether store security is tailing me.

Today I don’t have to think about the look on the face of the person about to sit next to me on a plane.

Today I don’t have to think about eyes going to my chest first.

Today I don’t have to think about what people might think if they knew the medicines I took.

Today I don’t have to think about getting kicked out of a mall when I kiss my beloved hello.

Today I don’t have to think about if it’s safe to hold my beloved’s hand.

Today I don’t have to think about whether I’m being pulled over for anything other than speeding.

Today I don’t have to think about being classified as one of “those people.”

Today I don’t have to think about making less than someone else for the same job at the same place.

Today I don’t have to think about the people who stare, or the people who pretend I don’t exist.

Today I don’t have to think about managing pain that never goes away.

Today I don’t have to think about whether a stranger’s opinion of me would change if I showed them a picture of who I love.

Today I don’t have to think about the chance a store salesmen will ignore me to help someone else.

Today I don’t have to think about the people who’d consider torching my house of prayer a patriotic act.

Today I don’t have to think about a pharmacist telling me his conscience keeps him from filling my prescription.

Today I don’t have to think about being asked if I’m bleeding when I’m just having a bad day.

Today I don’t have to think about whether the one drug that lets me live my life will be taken off the market.

Today I don’t have to think about the odds of getting jumped at the bar I like to go to.

Today I don’t have to think about “vote fraud” theater showing up at my poll station.

Today I don’t have to think about turning on the news to see people planning to burn my holy book.

Today I don’t have to think about others demanding I apologize for hateful people who have nothing to do with me.

Today I don’t have to think about my child being seen as a detriment to my career.

Today I don’t have to think about the irony of people thinking I’m lucky because I can park close to the door.

Today I don’t have to think about memories of being bullied in high school.

Today I don’t have to think about being told to relax, it was just a joke.

Today I don’t have to think about whether someone thinks I’m in this country illegally.

Today I don’t have to think about those who believe that freedom of religion ends with mine.

Today I don’t have to think about how a half-starved 23-year-old being a cultural ideal affects my life.

Today I don’t have to think about how much my life is circumscribed by my body.

Today I don’t have to think about people wanting me cured of loving who I love.

Today I don’t have to think about those who view me an unfit parent because of who I love.

Today I don’t have to think about being told my kind don’t assimilate.

Today I don’t have to think about people blind to the intolerance of their belief lecturing me about my own.

Today I don’t have to think about my body as a political football.

Today I don’t have to think about how much my own needs wear on those I love.

Today I don’t have to think about explaining to others “what happened to me.”

Today I don’t have to think about politicians saying bigoted things about me to win votes.

Today I don’t have to think about those worried that one day people like me will be the majority.

Today I don’t have to think about someone using the name of my religion as a slur.

Today I don’t have to think about so many of the words for me controlling my own life being negatives.

Today I don’t have to think about still not being equal.

Today I don’t have to think about what it takes to keep going.

Today I don’t have to think about how much I still have to hide.

Today I don’t have to think about how much prejudice keeps hold.

Today I don’t have to think about how I’m meant to be grateful that people tolerate my kind.

Today I don’t have to think about all the things I don’t have to think about.

But today I will.
Read more at whatever.scalzi.com

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Second Life virtual-reality game: It's not time travel, but it's close

2011-02-22T00:03:00.002-05:00

It's good to see SL get some good press. It's a very timely exhibit, but the principles hold true in other teaching and learning situations as well. With such immersion, learning possibilities are endless. As the article does point out, this is still very much in the exploratory phase for much of academia, but definitely worth the experiment in order to open new worlds not before possible to access.

Amplify’d from http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleynewsdispatch/s_723607.html

Second Life virtual-reality game: It's not time travel, but it's close

By Mary Ann Thomas, FOR THE VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
Monday, February 21, 2011

Not just an excursion into computer geek territory, Second Life is a computer-based tool that takes students into a virtual world where history comes alive.

"You're giving people an opportunity to time travel," Partridge says. "You put them into an environment to move around in a space where they can understand these places and what it feels like to be there."

Participating in a simulation such as Second Life can be a more interesting alternative to experiencing history than listening to a lecture or memorizing names and dates, he says.

The virtual world seems like a natural venue to provide new learning technologies and opportunities, for example, to learn a new language or meet with people sitting in different places around the world. But, according to Partridge, the technology hasn't gone mainstream yet; it still is in the developmental phase. For example, students need special software to access Second Life and other virtual-reality programs.

"Rather than just look at a picture in a book, you can get in and walk around," he says.
Read more at www.pittsburghlive.com

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Delicious

2011-02-21T23:52:00.002-05:00

As a long time user of delicious - both for sharing bookmarks and simply for organizing my bookmarks across browsers, platforms, and workstations - the possible loss of the software leaves me wondering which alternative I would turn to. I truly hope Yahoo decides to keep it up. However, if not, then like every other time I have become dependent on software or a piece of hardware and it is ripped away from me suddenly, I will move on to something for better or worse.

Amplify’d from web.vivavip.com

'Delicious' leaves a bad taste

Joanna Ptolomey

It seems that the rumours are true and that the social bookmarking site Delicious is to close, or perhaps just change. Whilst generally being regarded as a good product (by users) Yahoo! do not find it a ‘strategic fit’ for them and are seeking a life outside the organisation – i.e. they are looking to sell it (http://blog.delicious.com/index.htm).

Last week on many social media platforms the conversations followed with outrage and ‘what now’? Social bookmarking has become popular for storing, tagging, sharing and mashing community collaborations. Many users commented that Delicious was one of their favourite tools – including me.

So what now? Where to go from here? Well Yahoo! have announced that they're maintaining Delicious for the time being so bookmarks will not disappear overnight. But what are the alternatives?

Pinboard

Stumbleupon

Xmarks

So with Delicious possibly on its way out, if Yahoo! does not find a buyer, then I will plan for moving on.
Read more at web.vivavip.com

Gaming for Success

2011-02-21T23:09:00.003-05:00

Based on some of the quotes in the summary, I really would like to read this book and explore these ideas more fully. I'd also be interesting in seeing also whether social networking and non game virtual environments, such as Second Life, are included in this study of video gaming, or if the construct of gaming is limited to those avenues that are strictly a gaming format. I can definitely agree that virtual worlds, online social networking, and gaming can be useful, depending on context and application.

Amplify’d from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-mcgonigal/video-games_b_823208.html

Video Games: An Hour A Day Is Key To Success In Life

Jane McGonigal

The single biggest misconception about games is that they're an escapist waste of time. But more than a decade's worth of scientific research shows that gaming is actually one of the most productive ways we can spend time.

That's what I mean when I say -- in the title of my new book -- that Reality is Broken." The fact that so many people of all ages, all over the world, are choosing to spend so much time in game worlds is a sign of something important, a truth that we urgently need to recognize.

Fortunately, however, this temporary exodus is not a complete waste of time!

When we play a good game, we get to practice being the best version of ourselves: We become more optimistic, more creative, more focused, more likely to set ambitious goals, and more resilient in the face of failure. And when we play multiplayer games, we become more collaborative and more likely to help others. In fact, we like and trust each other more after we play a game together -- even if we lose! And more importantly, playing a game with someone is an incredibly effective way to get to know their strengths and weaknesses--as well as what motivates them. This is exactly the kind of social knowledge we need to be able to cooperate and collaborate with people to tackle real-world challenges.

So what's the optimal level of gaming? For most people, an hour a day playing our favorite games will power up our ability to engage whole-heartedly with difficult challenges, strengthen our relationships with the people we care about most -- while still letting us notice when it's time to stop playing in virtual worlds and bring our gamer strengths back to real life.

To find out more about the scientific tudies and games described here, read Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World (Penguin Press).
Read more at www.huffingtonpost.com

Generations and their gadgets

2011-02-21T22:28:00.003-05:00

The full study is very interesting and I believe has a great impact on Access Services. Not only will these technologies impact how library services are sought and delivered, but the perceptions and attitudes of library patrons toward the applications of these technologies in service situations will greatly influence these trends.

Amplify’d from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Generations-and-gadgets/Overview.aspx

Main findings

Many devices have become popular across generations, with a majority now owning cell phones, laptops and desktop computers. Younger adults are leading the way in increased mobility, preferring laptops to desktops and using their cell phones for a variety of functions, including internet, email, music, games, and video.

See more at www.pewinternet.org

Blame Game

2011-02-14T16:47:00.000-05:00

As the supervisor of Access Services, I am the one that gets to handle the complaints that come in from patrons - mostly concerning fines for late or lost materials. They always have a reason, and seem quite offended that we dare charge them at all. As the patron I describe below said, they "take it personally." Well, so do I.

A patron came in recently to agrue over a fine for an overdue laptop. I explained to him the reason for the fine and my decision not to waive the $10 charge. His library record was not blocked, but he was still very unhappy. I told him he could appeal to the Dean of the Library if he so desired, but that I didn't think he had grounds for a successful appeal. His parting words to me were - "It's ridiculous, I know I'm right. And I think you know it too!!" He then went on to write the university provost concerning his fine, in an effort to go "above the heads of those who run the library in order to get this matter resolved." He ranted and raved about how this small fine for his negligence in returning a laptop on time were "against the founding principals of democracy in America,and plainly ridiculous." He continues saying that "to be disregarded in such a way, and processed as "automatically guilty" makes [him] sick to [his] stomach."

Well you know what makes me sick? The constant stream of students in and out of my office who are unwilling to take even the slightest responsibility for their actions. "I didn't know they had to be back at a ccertain time." (No libraries just let you keep stuff as long as you want.) "No one told me when they were due back." (Staff do this, and you can check online, and we send you courtesy notices and three overdue notices before you are fined.) "The fine is too high." (You sign the agreement form for laptops before you borrow them which clearly states the fine.)

Seriously people it's not that hard. Turn the materials in or renew them to extend your checkout or pay the fine already - but please stop coming to me blaming everyone but yourself for your own choices. This is a university - time to act like a grown up.

Epilogue: Thankfully, the Dean of the Library and the Provost supported my decision in the above case. I truly appreciate such supportive backing.

_____________________________

"How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?"

2011 Begins as a Blur

2011-02-04T16:13:00.000-05:00

We're well underway into a new year, and what an interesting one it has been. Getting the semester off late due to more snow than I've ever seen in NC was just the beginning. The month was a rush, and I can't believe we've hit February already. Well per my normal MO, I am late starting the reinvention of this blog yet again. I'm back to random posts about the day in the life of a librarian who does a little bit of everything.

This past month was a perfect example of jsut that. I worked with another library to begin implementing the circulation of iPads here at the library. We're starting with a pilot project of 5 iPads. Our desk is already so busy I worry how much this will affect workload and morale. It often seems that circulation is the default place to start new projects, and while I like to explore new ways of serving our patrons, I also want to balance it with the needs of already overworked staff.

Wore my HR hat far too often in January, but that was to be expected with having to do new contracts for some of our assistants. There always seems to be a problem with one or two at the very beginning of the semester, but things have all smoothed out now. The online time reporting and fingerprint time clock have made it a lot easier to do time reporting for assistants, but it is still a big job and now done far more frequently.

I also have been working a lot on our virtual services - both in Facebook and Second Life. Have practiced my FBML and added some custom tabs to the Library's Facebook page, but I still want to work on customizing the look of the page via FBML. The newest tab I've added is a WorldCat search widget. I really wanted it to be a local catalog search widget, but that is going to take some serious studying of programming. I also began preparations for our African American History Book Club series for Second Life. Getting a lot more interest on this one than the one we did in November, which is encouraging. I hope for a decent turn out. I'm marketing it everywhere I can - Facebook, internal and external lists, print flyers, and within Second Life itself.

Another big project I had this month was working with my reserves staff member to finally get all the Mass Communication equipment records entered into Millennium in order to bring them into the system. I presented at the end of the month at SIUG (www.siug.org) on bringing campus departmental collections into a shared ILS system. This is our third department we've added to III - preceded by Music and Education. I can't blame them for wanting a satisfactory way of tracking such expensive equipment, but boy are we glad to have the hard part behind us. The loan rules are up and running, and they should be in operation sometime this semester.

Aside from my regular campus committee meetings (Faculty Development and Welfare and SPARC - Strategic Planning) I worked closely with my student group SAGA (Sexuality and Gender Alliance) in planning our event for February. Our Hands Over Hearts Gala will be held to bring awareness in the community about AIDS/HIV and other STDs. Working with the Robeson County Health Department, I feel this is one of the most worthwhile projects I tackled this month. I have high hopes for the event, and am glad for the chance to show that SAGA can tackle the serious topics as well as be fun.

In my "spare" time (lol) away from reference and access services duties, I managed to squeeze out two articles (late of course) for my editor for The Journal of Access Services and my last two submissions came out in publication. Time to start working on the next issue.

I did treat myself to an evening out seeing the Color Purple on campus - it was absolutely fabulous. Have been singing it ever since - especially "Hell No" - for which I also have the tshirt. =) There are some days that shirt will come in really handy.

Where Has the Summer Gone?

2010-08-04T16:18:00.000-04:00

Hours of planning, implementation, and hard work over the spring and summer semesters were condensed into this article for my library's newsletter.

The summer months are often thought to be a quiet and peaceful time in academic libraries, a time to catch up from the frenzy of the fall and spring semesters. Since there are fewer students on campus, one might think there should be less to do. However, this was far from the case this summer at Access Services in the Library. New shelving and the shifting of thousands of volumes were just the beginning of the many transformations and modifications that took place over the summer months. Changes were also made to expand and improve our existing services to benefit both library patrons and staff.

Circulation Services updated several of its policies in order to keep current with the needs of the campus community and the trends of peer university libraries. The first of these updates was to eliminate renewals by phone. Today’s privacy concerns and the legal requirement that Social Security numbers not be used for identification purposes made this policy amendment necessary. Library patrons wishing to renew items now may do so online by logging in with their secure PIN or by coming by the Circulation Desk with their BravesOne card. Once the Banner system has been fully implemented and patrons know their Banner ID, we will revisit our phone renewals policy.

A huge transformation in Circulation Services was an overhaul of the fines and fees. The Library is eliminating daily overdue fines on certain items. The Library is more interested in having library materials returned than in collecting overdue fines. However, patrons and students will not be allowed to keep materials indefinitely at no charge. Instead of fines, replacement bills will be issued for severely overdue materials. A bill for a General Collection item will be issued 28 days after the item was due back to the Library. A bill for a media or bestseller item will be sent 12 days after the due date of the item. Each bill will include a nonrefundable $15.00 processing fee.

Because of this new system, and the desire to bring the Library in congruence with our peer libraries, the level of fines at which patrons are blocked from using library services and will have a hold placed on their student account was raised to $25.00. Previously, patrons were blocked when fines reached $5.00. This new level will be fairer to patrons and reduce the amount of staff time used in placing and removing blocks on patron accounts. All existing blocks for fees and fines involving less than $25.00 were removed from students’ accounts.

Interlibrary Loan Services also saw a number of modifications. The first is a new name – Document Delivery Services. Interlibrary loan, the lending and borrowing of materials between libraries, is still included in Document Delivery Services, but is only one component of the services now offered. Over the spring and summer sessions, an electronic delivery system was implemented that will now allow us to deliver requested articles electronically, rather than having patrons come in to pick up paper copies. Patrons can specify their delivery preference in their ILLiad account, the web interface used to make requests for materials.

Document Delivery Services expands this fall to include delivery of items owned by the Library. All library patrons may now place holds on available items in the Library’s online catalog, whereas they were previously limited to holds on checked-out items and items available elsewhere in our consortium. Library staff will now retrieve these items for patrons. Materials will be mailed to faculty and staff through campus mail, and to the home addresses of graduate and distance education students. Materials retrieved for undergraduates will be kept on the hold shelf at the Circulation Desk for one week before being reshelved. However, patrons should be aware that the pull slips take 24 hours to generate in the Library’s computer system, and materials needed sooner than 24 hours should still be retrieved in person by the individual needing the materials. Additionally, using an ILLiad account, article requesting is also now available. Faculty, staff, and graduate and distance education students may request electronic document delivery of articles owned by the Library. Library staff will retrieve, and digitize as necessary, requested articles for electronic delivery through ILLiad. This service is not available to undergraduate students. Undergraduates needing assistance retrieving articles owned by the Library should contact the Reference Desk.

Service expansions continued in Document Delivery with an extension of interlibrary loan services to Friends of the Library members. Previously limited in the use of this service through their local public library, Friends of the Library may now sign up online for an ILLiad account to request materials. Friends of the Library will be limited to the document delivery services currently available for undergraduates. This means that they will be eligible for electronic delivery of interlibrary loan articles and will be responsible for any costs incurred, but will have to come to the Library to pick up returnables and will not be eligible for local article delivery. Friends of the Library needing assistance retrieving articles owned by the Library should also contact the Reference Desk.

Access Services staff members think the recently implemented changes will be beneficial for our patrons and make the use of library resources more efficient and productive. If additional information is needed about any of the changes contact June Power, Access Services/Reference Librarian at unclassifiablelibrarian@gmail.com.

SRP 2007 - Eighth Book Review

2007-07-13T17:58:00.000-04:00

Murder at the Feast of Rejoicing
Lynda S. Robinson
229 pages

I enjoyed the change of scenery in this installment of the Lord Meren series, as the Eyes and Ears of Pharaoh takes some time "off" at his "quiet" country plantation. Of course, if it were quiet, there wouldn't be much of a story, and this time Meren's family is involved. Not only do we get a change of scenery, but also a glimpse into Meren's past. It was refreshing to finally get some back story for this reserved character.

Totals
Books: 8
Pages: 1754

SRP 2007 - Seventh Book Review

2007-07-06T17:35:00.000-04:00

Beatrice Letters
Lemony Snicket
72 pages

Before re-reading Lemony Snicket, including some of the Series of Unfortunate Events that I haven't read yet, I decided to read the Beatrice Letters because I was very interested in he love interest of Mr. Snicket, whom the series is addressed to. However, I was disappointed to find that this book raises more questions than it answers. I would discuss them but don't want to ruin the remainder of the series for anyone since the book is full of series spoilers. Frankly, there wasn't much too this book and I was hoping for more than what I found. Hopefully, reading The End will make it all clear. Wasn't at all sure what the picture inside the book is all about, or the letters cut out in the pages. I really felt like the whole thing was geared towards getting you to get the other books, which I don't mind reading, but was unsatisfying in its own right.

Totals
Books: 7
Pages: 1525

SRP 2007 - Sixth Book Review

2007-06-29T17:34:00.000-04:00

Murder at the God's Gate
Lynda S. Robinson
280 pages

The dead bodies just kept coming with this book with a plot based around political intrigue. The Eyes and Ears of Pharaoh (Lord Meren's soubriquet in the novels) was hard at work with all of the political backstabbing in this book. However, it has me well-prepared for the upcoming presidential elections. =) I found this story a bit more predictable than the last, and still with many historical inaccuracies, but I still really enjoyed the story. I already have ordered the rest of the series through ILL, since the books are so good they only take me about a day to read.

Totals
Books: 6
Pages: 1453

SRP 2007 - Fifth Book Review

2007-06-29T17:33:00.000-04:00

Murder in the Place of Anubis
Lynda S. Robinson
224 pages

This series immediately sucked me right in. It combines a lot of the elements I like in fiction - a historical setting in the court of King Tut (though the historical details are not all accurate), murders to resolve, interesting (though not deep) characters, and a lot of intrigue. As I anticipated, it was very similar to the Amelia Peabody series, only with the events actually occurring in antiquity instead of just an archaeological view. The mystery was very suspenseful, keeping me guessing until the end, though regular mystery readers may find it more predicatible. I kept thinking I had it figured out, then another plot twist would prove me wrong. Can't wait to read the next one.

Totals
Books: 6
Pages: 1173

SRP 2007 - Fourth Book Review

2007-06-22T07:34:00.000-04:00

Dogbert's Top Secret Management Handbook
Scott Adams
192 pages

I wanted to hone my management skills over the summer, and since I was so empowered by The Dilbert Principle during library school that I thought I would revisit the genius that is Scott Adams. Chapters like "Forced Interaction with Unpleasant People," "Artificial Compliance," and "Identifying Suck-ups" made me laugh while helping me to understand the mystery that is management. An incredibly fun read.

Totals
Books: 5
Pages: 949

SRP 2007 - Third Book Review

2007-06-15T06:07:00.000-04:00

All Together Dead
Charlaine Harris
323 pages

I was eagerly awaiting this next installment in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I love vampire stories and other stories of the supernatural, and the humor, action, and great characters of this series is just my type of good fiction. This story, in which the telepathic Sookie accompanies some of her vampire cronies to a vamp conference, was just as riveting as the previous books in the series.

However, just like Pirates of the Caribbean 2, I felt let down by the end - as if this installment just couldn't stand on it's own and has a big to be continued implied. I mean, I understand it's a series, and loose ends are necessary in order to keep the ball rolling. However, I felt this story just stopped, leaving me completely hanging. I'd like a little bit of resolution here please. Alas, the next book in the series will not be out until May 2008, so I'll be hanging until then to see where the drama will lead to next.

Totals
Books: 4
Pages: 757

SRP 2007 - First Book Non-Review

2007-06-15T05:18:00.000-04:00

Empowering Your Library: A Guide to Improving Service, Productivity, & Participation
Connie Christopher
71 pages

I attempted to read this book, I really did. I was hoping it would give me some practical ideas for improving customer service and motivating my staff. I was sorely disappointed to find it dry as toast - sort of like a really long reserve article for a library management class based solely on theory. After flipping through a couple of sections and reading bits and pieces, I gave up, feeling less than empowered.

Totals
Books: 3
Pages: 434

SRP 2007 - Second Book Review

2007-06-08T17:42:00.001-04:00

The Truth About Catalogers and The Truth About Reference Librarians

By Will Manley with illustrations by Richard Lee

129 and 152 pages respectively

I was trolling our library's collection of books about ourselves to see if I could find any that might be of professional interest to read. These books were exactly what I was looking for - a bit of light, comic reading perfect for advancing me down the road to tenure. OK, maybe that last bit was a stretch. These books are really only good for a laugh, and I read them in brief bits, since they are a mix of book and comic. It was nice to just read a few pages and not have to really invest in a plot, like while I had a moment waiting for a meeting to start. I have a toddler, and the smaller sections like "Theories on the Origin of Catalogers" and "Passages: Ten Stages in the Life of a Reference Librarian" enabled me to enjoy the books even if I got interrupted twenty times while reading it. I had quite a few laugh out loud moments while reading, so be careful not to drink milk while reading these books or the results could be problematic. =) If you are a librarian, or know one they'll make for good take to the beach reading.

Totals
Books: 3
Pages: 434

SRP 2007 - First Book Review

2007-06-01T01:34:00.000-04:00

Moccasin Thunder
Edited by Lori Marie Carlson
153 pages

I found this book on the shelves of our American Indian Studies department, while looking for books I could review for American Indian Quarterly, something the librarians have assisted in doing at this historically Native American institution. I picked this book because it was a series of short stories, which I felt would be a nice introduction for my summer reading, and also because it would be easier to read during the hubbub surrounding the end of the semester.

Ten well known Native American authors offer stories not of the history of native peoples, but stories of young adult Native Americans with modern topics such as alcoholism, poverty, divorce, and the continued importance of family. These stories were a much welcome alternative to the usual portrayal of stereotypical images forever marooned in yesteryear. A grocery store checkout, a freezing rowboad ride, a drunken gym dance, and a public-access TV fiasco serve to remind us that the story of Native Americans is not one of the past, but is on-going. Written in styles from serious to humorous to sarcastic, the stories are fresh and engaging.

The stories include:

How to Get to the Planet Venus
Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock
A Real-Live Blond Cherokee and His Equally Annoyed Soul Mat
The Last Snow of the Virgin MAry
Crow
Ice
Wild Geese
The Magic Pony
Summer Wind
Drum Kiss

My favorite was Drum Kiss by Susan Power, and the story of Fawn who checks Grandma's closet every night to see if she can find the magical world of Narnia in an attempt to escape the poverty surrounding her. It was incredibly touching and I would definitely recommend it.

Totals
Books: 1
Pages: 153

Summer Reading Program 2007

2007-05-25T22:50:00.000-04:00

Remember what it was like when you were a little kid and your library had summer reading contests? I participated in many over the years, including the Virginia Beach Public Library's program every year in junior high and high school. I especially loved the prizes - which were more books! For every book you wrote a review of you got a free book, as well as for reading a book in each subject category, and for completing certain numbers of books. I have fond memories of trying to out-read my brother.

Well, thankfully those years are not completely over. An online group of librarians have been hosting an online summer reading program for the past several years. I haven't participated before, but am going to this year. All you have to do is set yourself a reading goal, and write little reviews of what you are reading. You don't have to have your own blog to participate, as your reviews can be posted to the Summer Reading Program directly.

I'm really excited, and hope I can get lots of summer reading in with this motivation. I am setting a goal of ten books, and will post my reviews here.

If you are interested in joining us or would like to see the reviews already completed to get some summer reading ideas, you can find more information at:

http://summerreadingonline.blogspot.com

or

http://www.myspace.com/weirdlibrarian

Happy summer reading!

Learning Css and Other Things I Did This Week

2007-05-18T01:48:00.000-04:00

Since I spent so much time last week doing managerial paperwork, I spent a lot of this week catching up on some of my own work.

I spent a great deal of time finalizing changes to our new ILLiad 7.2 web pages. Our old ILLiad web pages were pretty much straight out of the box, so I enjoyed getting these new pages customized. One challenge, was that the new pages are controlled by cascading style sheets (css) which I was much less familiar with than straight html. Luckily, there was a librarian here who helped me out with a lot of the css and saved me hours and hours of work. And other than adding a few blocks of text to the FAQ, those bad boys are now done.

I was able to make progress in implementing Odyssey - which is now sending and receiving. Still having some problems with patron email and Odyssey/Ariel communications, but we've made major progress.

Our inventory scanning was finally completed!! YAY!! I still have beaucoup inventory reports to process though, so I know what I'll be doing when I'm working this weekend. And even in the midst of finishing inventory, we were able to begin carting books up for our shifting project to begin next week when our new shelving will (hopefully) arrive.

And people think we're less busy in the summer. ;)

So Busy...

2007-05-11T21:39:00.000-04:00

...staff evaluations...

...staff work plans for the upcoming year...

...major changes to job descriptions...department overhaul...

...adding new document delivery services...

...so much writing...

...so glad it's Friday...

The Semester's Over?

2007-05-04T20:13:00.000-04:00

I just can't believe that it's already the end of the semester! Graduation is Saturday and while several legacy student assistants have graduated over the past couple of years, the first student that I hired after beginning work at the Library is graduating this year. It makes me realize just how long I've been here. The time has just flown by, which you don't realize in the day to day flurry of activities that can at times seem unending.

So surrounded by the stacks and carts of returned books, the flurry of clearing patron records, and the end of the semester rush of meetings and social events, I am pausing just a moment to reflect on the larger picture - to appreciate what has been accomplished in that time. We've upgraded three major software systems, had numerous changes to policies and procedures, overhauled job descriptions, added a position, hired another individual, developed a student worker training program, conducted the first inventory in twelve years, and added circulating library equipment to the long list of tasks we already had to keep an Access Services department running smoothly. My staff have been patient, flexible, and worth their weight in gold through all of these changes. (If only I could pay them that way.)

So much was accomplished and at times it seemed grueling and the hours long. But with my first student graduating I am taken by surprise that not only is the semester over, but that now looking back those long hours seem shorter and seeing the results makes them more meaningful and less backbreaking. So while I am at graduation Saturday, I will take the time to appreciate the past several years and refresh myself for the hours ahead.

Things I'm Tired of Saying This Week

2007-04-27T00:51:00.000-04:00

NO! I will NOT waive your fines!

I'm sorry, but you're going to have to pay your fines.

Yes, you DO have to pay your fines.

I'm sorry for your trouble with (insert excuse here), but that does not relieve you from the responsibility of paying for your fines.

Yes you may speak to my supervisor. But I am positive that she won't waive your fines either.

If you lost them, you have to pay to replace them. That's just how it works.

NO! I will NOT waive your fines!

Committees, Meetings, and Service - Oh My!

2007-04-20T23:20:00.000-04:00

This was a short week for me as I spent most of it at the beach on a retreat. While I dug my toes into the sand this afternoon I gave some thought to work (briefly - I was at the beach after all) and the meeting I had Monday of the Faculty Copyright Education and Policy Committee. With the multitude of projects, committees, and other things I am involved in, why I would take on additional responsibilities voluntarily?

The first is obvious - I am a non-teaching tenure-track faculty member, with all the responsibilities for service and publication that teaching faculty have. So, be offering service on a University committee, I am meeting fulfilling the service component of my position. However, deciding to serve on the committee came from much more than a desire to pad my promotion and tenure portfolio. I have served on other University committees for just that reason, but have not felt the same desire to serve nor the same level of interest in the work of the committee.

However, the second reason is the far more important reason. I also volunteered to serve on the committee because, as chair of the library's Copyright Committee and working in a department that deals with many copyright transactions, I feel that my knowledge makes me a valuable asset to the University committee. I felt it was important to share this with the University committee, not just so that the newly formed committee would not repeat work already done by the Library, but to advocate for the Library on a University level. Also, it is an area that I truly have an interest in, which will make my service on the committee both more meaningful and more productive.

I am grateful that my particular institution treats librarians the same as every other faculty member, but I know that this is not the case at every institution. Opportunities like this are a chance to demonstrate that librarians are as deserving of promotion and tenure as teaching faculty. So yes, it's one more thing on my long list of things to do, but it's an important opportunity and opportunities don't always pass by a second time.

Living at the Reference Desk

2007-04-13T22:24:00.000-04:00

Though technically an Access Services Librarian, I am also one of the library's reference librarians. While all of the librarians take part in the rotating evening and weekend coverage, four of us are responsible for the main portion of daytime coverage at the Reference Desk. Some weeks I work as few as 8 hours at Reference, but this week I worked 20 hours at Reference. This is a very difficult balance for me, as being the head of Access Services doesn't cease while I am at the Reference Desk, which ends up becoming a satellite branch of the Circulation Desk when I am over there. Add to that the hustle and bustle this week from preparations for the annual Friends of the Library benefit, a Staff Council meeting, and it's surprising that I was able to squeeze in any "real" work.

However, I did manage some squeezing and got quite a bit accomplished this week. I managed to completely catch up on processing our automated inventory reports - over 200 of them! We are making excellent progress in our first automated inventory, but keeping up with the pace of the scanners is not an easy feat. The students doing the scanning have been hard at work, and we should finish the entire collection by the end of the semester.

Additionally, I managed to spend a modicum of time on my ILL projects - consulting with another librarian here about the editing of cascading style sheets in order to change the header/logo at the top of the web pages and beginning to edit the content of the pages per the customizations my staff and I agreed upon. I also performed the first test of my Odyssey set-up - sadly unsuccessful. I am now waiting on hearing from IT about a port issue before contacting technical support for assistance - god I love being hosted.

Not bad for a week spent living at the Reference Desk.

Fine Free!

2007-04-06T22:50:00.000-04:00

Today is Good Friday and indeed a four day weekend is good - as I took yesterday off in addition to today's holiday. The week, therefore, has been very short, but not uneventful.

The biggest happening of the week was the consortial meeting I attended on Tuesday. My library is in a three school constortium, which met this week to discuss loan rules, fines/fees, and circulation notices. It was very exciting, especially as one of the biggest topics was going fine free. This has long be a hope of mine since coming to my current institution, as I have felt that these daily penalties are no longer adequately serving their original purpose of getting the items back and deterring patron misuse of materials. Instead, we are discussing converting to a system of billing for overdue items, and when the items are returned the billing fee will remain as the penalty. Fines would remain only on short term items, such as reserve materials.

Of course making this happen is a lot easier said than done. We are going to be meeting next month about some of the logistics - mainly the editing of our system loan rules. This is not something you do on a whim! Editing loan rules truly gives you an understanding of the complexity of an ILS and how all of the different parts of it interact. Even something that seems as simple as adding a patron type or changing the number of days between overdue notices, becomes a lot more complicated when loan rules come into play. A healthy understanding of the system and handy access to your ILS manual are definite prerequisites before playing in this arena. However, once you are finished, it always seems worth it.

I'm very excited about this project, and will post about it more as we progress.

Things I worked on this week....

2007-03-30T19:37:00.000-04:00

...processed more automated inventory reports than I care to remember.

...spent 8 hrs at the Reference Desk

...attended training for two different Banner modules (Student and HR) as our campus makes the transition to the new system

...consulted with my staff in customizing the ILLiad 7.2 webpages in preparation for our upgrade in early May.

...end of the month administrivia....timesheets, monthly report, and statistics - oh my!

...trying to catch up with everything else I'm behind on.

...but the bonus - I got my reimbursement check for the money I spent for the ILLiad Conference...YAY!

Travel Has Its Paybacks

2007-03-23T21:19:00.000-04:00

While I love to travel and attend conferences and network, there is always the return to my regular job that I must face. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy what I do, but after a week of being gone it's often hard to come back. Not only are you back in your routine, which is always nice to get a break from, but you have to face the mounds of work that multiplied like bunny rabbits in your absence. Wading through the papers left for you, the email, and the phone messages seems to take an eternity. Then there is just getting caught up in general on all the work you would have been doing had you been in the office. And don't even mention unpacking.

I do make efforts to minimize this effect - halting listserv email, changing my voice mail greeting to redirect persons needing immediate assistance, and doing as much as I can while traveling to keep up - such as checking email and checking in periodically with the home front to put out fires that have cropped up so that they aren't awaiting me upon my return.

Still, the advantages of professional travel and involvement far outweigh these inconveniences. Growing always involves a few pains.

Free Trip to the Beach

2007-03-16T17:55:00.000-04:00

I am here in what was beautiful, sunny Virginia Beach, where I attended the 3rd Annual ILLiad International Meeting. Not only did OCLC/Atlas pick a beautiful place to have the conference, but Virginia Beach is also my hometown, so I was greatly looking forward to attending. It didn't hurt that because this is a professional conference, work is paying for travel, hotel, and food.

I got into the Norfolk airport on Tuesday and had a nice dinner and checked into the Oceanfront Hilton, where the conference is being held. I arrived early, as I attended one of the pre-conference workshops.

The Wednesday workshop I attended was on maximizing ILLiad. ILLiad is a very robust software system, and I wanted to make sure we were using it to its fullest potential. This was an interesting session, as we touched very briefly on a multitude of topics. Since most of the conference attendees weren't around yet, I hit the beach for some surfing. The water was a bit tingly, but that just adds to the rush.

Thursday, things really got into full swing. We ate the most delicious food, and the sessions I attended were thought-provoking, but more abstract than I usually go for. I tend to prefer hands-on workshops that I can immediately apply to my job - theory only goes so far. But one thing I like about the ILLiad conference is that all the handouts for all the sessions are given to all of the conference attendees. So since I was going to be able to read about all of the sessions, I enjoyed getting a theoretical approach for a change while I was there. I'm going to read about all the hands-on stuff on the trip home and next week, so I'll get the best of both worlds.

Thursday night was my favorite part of the conference ... I always say that you learn more over dinner with your colleagues than in any official session. I went out with about 7 other librarians, some I had just met and some I knew, to my favorite seafood restaurant in town - Harpoon Larry's. It was fabulous.

The conference finished up with more eating and a few more sessions on Friday, before we all went our respective ways. The weather was empathetic...having turned from sunny and warm to cold and rainy overnight. The trip home was rather dismal, because the weather was so nasty, and also because it's always so nice to have a change of pace and always a little bit of a let down to return to the "real world."

If you work with ILLiad and haven't been to one of the conferences, I highly recommend it! I think it is one of the best professional events I have ever attended...and not just because they fed us so well.

Sessions I attended:
"The Long Tail" and the Growing Social Nature of Information
The $64,000 Questions Answered: Why do patrons place requests for items the library already owns?
The Tao of ILLiad
ILLiad is Everywhere
Campus Document Delivery: Centralization and Collaboration

Special Projects

2007-03-09T18:37:00.001-05:00

Our students and faculty are on Spring Break this week. I am trying to get work done on my special projects, since only during break times am I able to go 10 minutes without an interruption.

Usually, though I attempt to plan my time and schedule things that need to be done so they aren't forgotten, I never seem to be able to do it all simply because Access Services - and public services in general - make that virtually impossible to accomplish.

I always get a kick out of those non-public-services types who believe all library staff can plan their day's activities and stick to a schedule. Don't I wish? Unfortunately, patrons are not as predictable as materials.

In addition to the usual tasks you would find in Access Services, administrivia, and the scholarly work I need to complete as a tenure track faculty member, I have to squeeze in between interruptions my work on special projects. Right now my big circulation project is a complete automated inventory of the collection - the first automated inventory and the first inventory in a decade for my institution. I'm busy in interlibrary loan too implementing document delivery, Odyssey, and getting ready for the ILLiad 7.2 upgrade. Not to mention I have two publications in process that I need to complete by the end of the month.

So I finally get some uninterrupted time to work on my projects...and wouldn't you know it? I get sick and miss three days. Murphy's law at work.

One day I'll get the hang of how to balance all of these different hats. Maybe cloning myself would be easier!

The Odyssey of Odyssey

2007-03-02T18:30:00.000-05:00

The Odyssey of Odyssey - Google Video

I found this video while doing some research for a current project. I found it an amusing diversion from the software documentation I was reading, and thought I would share.

Odyssey is the document delivery portion of Atlas's ILLiad software for interlibrary loan proccessing. I am in the process of implementing this software for my library - which is much more complicated than it would first appear. Not only does the software have to be set up and customizations configured, but I am also looking at work flow from the ground up, as this is an area where my ILL staff and circulation staff are going to overlap. I realized that, since we did not previously have document delivery, there was a lot of duplication in the tasks being done, and am trying to smooth out the process. Setting the software up was very easy - I just asked Atlas to turn it on for me, and they completed the set-up, leaving me to handle only the customizations. While this project is taking many hours of work, in the end it will pay off with additional services to patrons and a simpler work flow in the department. Add direct request and automated delivery, and we reduce the request load as well.

Why implement Odyssey when we have Ariel? Well, for one Odyssey will fully integrate with ILLiad, which we already use for interlibrary loan processing, and it is open source programming. Secondly, because Ariel is just not the software it once was. Problematic functionality and poor technical support are leading the anti-Ariel revolution, as the caustic comments on the Arie-l discussion list serve to underscore. And since the stand alone version of Odyssey (which works without having to purchase ILLiad) is absolutely free - it's all the more reason to make the switch - and many libraries are either switching completely or running both systems. The more libraries that join in this venture, the less Ariel with it's non-open source programming will be needed, as many libraries are hanging on to it only so they can supply other libraries who have only Ariel. Vive la revolution!!

Unclassifiable Librarian 2.0

2007-03-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the new beginning of the Unclassifiable Librarian blog.

I started this blog back in August 2004 and for the past two and a half years have included random ramblings on a number of topics whenever it was convenient.

Since that time I have learned two very important things. First - the need to keep my personal and work life separate - which can be easier said than done for Millennials and Xers who tend to chunk those aspects of life together. As such, this site is now dedicated solely to professional discussion. Second - a blog is a lot of work, and a focused topic makes it much easier to maintain, and the simpler the better. I wanted a focus that would take very little of my time to develop and that would benefit other librarians. I am also going to make an effort to be more regular in my postings - starting with Fridays, and hopefully expanding on that base once I see that I can do at least a weekly post.

So what is my new focus? I am an Access Services Librarian - I don't have to try to be unclassifiable, it's part of my job description. I am going to post weekly summaries on the projects I am working on, interesting things that have happened during the week, and all those little activities that unexpectedly fall in the realm of access services.

While catalogers and tech folks and other groups of library personnel have a large web presence, you don't often hear much about access services. Of course, this could be because we are so busy working at the front lines. This is my attempt to change that, and generate discussion on topics pertinent to access services.

For those of you that are interested in the 1.0 postings, you may be wondering what has become of my archive. They have been migrated to my LiveJournal personal blog, which has friends only access. If you don't know where it is, send me a personal email and I will be happy to send you the link.

Goodbye 2004-2006 and hello Unclassifiable Librarian 2.0

The Unclassifiable Librarian

2004-08-10T13:25:00.000-04:00

Refusing to be categorized or cataloged