a girl who grew up in The Land of Sky Blue Waters
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Library 2.0 for L&P
I've been fascinated by what computers and technology can do for libraries since I started work back in the mid-1980's, when I dragged my Brother WP into work to use instead of that stupid electric typewriter. Am I embracing Lib 2.0? I did, and am incredibly excited that our library system has recognized the necessity. M. Stephen's statement of making the library a social and emotionally engaging center for learning and experience is just so right, and that we should be trendspotters "reading outside the profession and watching for the impact of technology on users and new thinking on business." Right on, brother! (Preaching to the choir) People in the library profession have for so long held the belief that it was we, really, who knew what people needed. It was difficult for so many librarians to switch to the "give'em what they want" idea in the early 90's, and many are probably reviling the need to move so quickly into the future and respond so quickly to what we anticipate our customers will use. It's a good time for those librarians to retire, and tell stories of the good ol' days. We know that those old fashioned libraries had to change, that we had to really redefine our concept of what a library is. Funding problems emphasized that. A library is not just a building with a collection of books, or other media. It is simply (or not) a concept of the exploration and access to human knowledge and information. The easier it is to access and spread knowledge, the better we've done our job.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
I am remodeling my office
Instead of being a good CML worker, and trying to finish my Learn & Play by next week, so I can get that marvelous CML flash drive!...I am reverting to nature and procrastinating. I'm remodeling my office. This place is so small we needed a conference area for two to four people to get together, and my office was the last holdout for space. I had the original office desk taken out and am now working on a small table with my laptop. The phone is hung on the wall, I have weeded my paper files down to almost zero, and the Container Store has provided me with some multi-functional drawers to keep things like pencils and pens, and post-its in. We've added a small octagonal table for conferences, and I rescued 4 wooden chairs from the warehouse. PM has said it may be possible to repaint before Christmas, as I have a lot of repair patches on the walls. I've also purchased a lovely quilt off EBay which will match the color on my office walls, beautifully. The quilt will match the theme of the branch, which already has several art quilts on its walls. It will be sooo cool, and I just KNOW I'll be more productive in the long run. Don't you think?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
10 Random Facts About Me
I have taken up the HB challenge....as it were.
1. I grew up in International Falls, MN, a small town on the U.S.- Canadian Border. It is often mentioned on the Weather Channel. It holds the official title of "Icebox of the Nation." It was portrayed as Frostbite Falls on the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Yes, it was cold and there was a lot of snow. But one dealt with it, and we didn't have many snow days. Winters were glorious; white and crisp, and summers non-humid and mid-70's. We had Rainy River (glacier fed) and the lakes for boating, water skiing and fishing. Many nights we could see the Aurora Borealis. It's a wonderful, friendly little town.
2. I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. While I just discovered this a little over a year ago, it has explained so many things about my personality and behavior. Some people advise that mentioning something that is a recognized disability will keep my career stalled. Hah! Don't care. I'm not afraid to take a risk, I'm creative, and I can think outside of the box like nobody's business. ADHD may have a downside, but it really has an upside. To keep it simple, it has to do with dopamine transporters and receptors in the brain. Don't you love it when it really, truly isn't your fault?
3. I LOVE dark chocolate, and especially frozen 3 Musketeer bars. I really, really dislike milk chocolate. I'm not a big sugar buff, but give me fresh bread and hot butter, and I swoon..
4. I am a very good photographer. I've been told I have a talent for it. Personally, I don't see it, I just do it - I like how it turns out.
5. I've encountered only one famous person: Tom Baker, the fifth Doctor Who. The weekend before I came to Columbus and to work for CML (Feb 1985), I attended a Dr.W convention in Champaign, IL. I have a picture somewhere.
6. I once called my mother from a non-collecting pay phone (only phone in the village) from a mountaintop in France, and the first words out of her mouth after I said hello, was "Are you in jail?" Odd, since I've never been in jail.
7. If I couldn't have made it as a librarian, I would have been a landscape architect.
8. My first car was a jacked up Plymouth Fury III, formerly a state patrol car. And yes, I was known to drag race a couple of times. Nothing like having a car full of girls, and outdistance a couple of unsuspecting guys at a stop light. Do remember this was over 40 years ago.
9. My most productive hours are from 10:00 until 2:00. I have never been an early morning person. Catch me when I come in to work, and you'll know it is true. I need at least two cups of strong coffee to 'wake me up.'
10. I married a CML security officer. Our first date was the Christmas performance of The Nutcraker Ballet. We were engaged by Valentine's Day. He had to ask the director at the time if it was ok for us to get married. The director said we'd make a cute couple. How embarassing. But at least we didn't have to get permission from the Board, as was previous policy. However, I did hear later that the Board also gave their informal permission. There was a cartoon drawn about it in the staff newspaper. I still have it somewhere.
That's it, folks. Now you know everything about me.
1. I grew up in International Falls, MN, a small town on the U.S.- Canadian Border. It is often mentioned on the Weather Channel. It holds the official title of "Icebox of the Nation." It was portrayed as Frostbite Falls on the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Yes, it was cold and there was a lot of snow. But one dealt with it, and we didn't have many snow days. Winters were glorious; white and crisp, and summers non-humid and mid-70's. We had Rainy River (glacier fed) and the lakes for boating, water skiing and fishing. Many nights we could see the Aurora Borealis. It's a wonderful, friendly little town.
2. I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. While I just discovered this a little over a year ago, it has explained so many things about my personality and behavior. Some people advise that mentioning something that is a recognized disability will keep my career stalled. Hah! Don't care. I'm not afraid to take a risk, I'm creative, and I can think outside of the box like nobody's business. ADHD may have a downside, but it really has an upside. To keep it simple, it has to do with dopamine transporters and receptors in the brain. Don't you love it when it really, truly isn't your fault?
3. I LOVE dark chocolate, and especially frozen 3 Musketeer bars. I really, really dislike milk chocolate. I'm not a big sugar buff, but give me fresh bread and hot butter, and I swoon..
4. I am a very good photographer. I've been told I have a talent for it. Personally, I don't see it, I just do it - I like how it turns out.
5. I've encountered only one famous person: Tom Baker, the fifth Doctor Who. The weekend before I came to Columbus and to work for CML (Feb 1985), I attended a Dr.W convention in Champaign, IL. I have a picture somewhere.
6. I once called my mother from a non-collecting pay phone (only phone in the village) from a mountaintop in France, and the first words out of her mouth after I said hello, was "Are you in jail?" Odd, since I've never been in jail.
7. If I couldn't have made it as a librarian, I would have been a landscape architect.
8. My first car was a jacked up Plymouth Fury III, formerly a state patrol car. And yes, I was known to drag race a couple of times. Nothing like having a car full of girls, and outdistance a couple of unsuspecting guys at a stop light. Do remember this was over 40 years ago.
9. My most productive hours are from 10:00 until 2:00. I have never been an early morning person. Catch me when I come in to work, and you'll know it is true. I need at least two cups of strong coffee to 'wake me up.'
10. I married a CML security officer. Our first date was the Christmas performance of The Nutcraker Ballet. We were engaged by Valentine's Day. He had to ask the director at the time if it was ok for us to get married. The director said we'd make a cute couple. How embarassing. But at least we didn't have to get permission from the Board, as was previous policy. However, I did hear later that the Board also gave their informal permission. There was a cartoon drawn about it in the staff newspaper. I still have it somewhere.
That's it, folks. Now you know everything about me.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
When I'm wrong, I'm wrong
OK, I like Twitter...alot. With just a little encouragement I could become a Twitter addict. There's talk around CML about starting a Twitter Addict Support Group. I may be in line. I guess what it does is give me a sense of community. Last night, while supervising my daughter's homework, I tweeted back and forth about the election, and what was happening, and people's thoughts. It made me feel connected in a small non-overwhelming way. I could walk away from it when it was time to go to bed, and I could answer anything as I chose or chose not to. My DH is planning on buying me a BlackBerry Storm, and that may just push me over the edge into Twitter-fanaticism.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Library Link of the Day
I've subscribed to Library Link for some time now. It usually brings me something interesting, like today from yesterday's Wired blog: Google settles BookScan lawsuit: Everybody Wins! http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/10/google-settles.html
Google has settled the three year old lawsuit for $125 million dollars. They will pay publishers and authors for any books they scan that are currently out of print, but still under copyright. The article notes that these are books that probably never will be reprinted anyway. And they are establishing a non-profit Book Rights Registry to manage the royalties. "Publishers now have the option of activating a Buy Now button for readers to download a copy of the book. Google will take a 37% share of the profits, and the remaining 63% will go to authors and publishers." It goes on to state "Universities and institutions can also buy a subscription service for unlimited viewing of the entire collection, and U.S. public libraries will have terminals for students and researchers to view the catalog for free."
I LOVE the fact that Google worked this out so that everybody wins. Sure, there are going to be quibbles about different issues - but the larger picture is that less information will be lost and the people of the entire world benefit because they can all have ACCESS. It's not often you can make that statement and not sound goofy.
Google has settled the three year old lawsuit for $125 million dollars. They will pay publishers and authors for any books they scan that are currently out of print, but still under copyright. The article notes that these are books that probably never will be reprinted anyway. And they are establishing a non-profit Book Rights Registry to manage the royalties. "Publishers now have the option of activating a Buy Now button for readers to download a copy of the book. Google will take a 37% share of the profits, and the remaining 63% will go to authors and publishers." It goes on to state "Universities and institutions can also buy a subscription service for unlimited viewing of the entire collection, and U.S. public libraries will have terminals for students and researchers to view the catalog for free."
I LOVE the fact that Google worked this out so that everybody wins. Sure, there are going to be quibbles about different issues - but the larger picture is that less information will be lost and the people of the entire world benefit because they can all have ACCESS. It's not often you can make that statement and not sound goofy.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Del.icio.us
Love Delicious! Reviewing back over my account, it looks like I've had it open since Sept 2007. I took today's opportunity to add a few more sites. The problem is, of course, once I get into it - it takes me hours to get out. My discipline is not that good. Probably it should have some type of timer you can put on it for self-control purposes.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Techno-paganism and the concept of Twitter
From the Urban Dictionary: "Techno-pagan - Someone who blends modern technology with their pagan or witchcraft practice. Alternately, someone with a pagan spirituality who believes that mechanical and electronic devices, such as cars and computers, have a spirit or soul of their own."
As with all discussions I have on religion, this is tongue-in-cheek. I don't want to get into any in-depth discussions on personal religious belief. It's a good way to make enemies, or expose oneself to public prayer sessions - both of which I'd like to avoid.
I've begun to consider myself a techno-pagan, perhaps through default, more than a participating member of any established religion. (Yes, lapsed Catholic - thank you) Consider - Every day of the week, I seat myself at the altar of techno-paganism - the desktop or laptop computer. I place my hands in the approved position (for the qwerty keyboard) and I begin to make my obeisance to my daily email. I have clipped my divine token to the front of my outfit (Vocera) so that all participants may reach me throughout my work day. And the ear plug cord (to hear its secrets better) is wrapped around my neck. Like all religious tokens they never match what you're wearing - they are all black. Black, according to Color Wheel Pro is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. Hmm...how appropriate. And you know, it speaks to me, too. And in different genders. When I touch it's magic button it announces its presence in sepulchral tones. Of course, often it doesn't understand me, but then I'm a mystery to my husband, too.
But! are technological gadgets and appliances even alive? you ask. Doesn't matter. We treat them as if they were. How many of us have prayed and waived our arms, or cursed the machine we hold, if it skips a beat (is that 25 page report due tomorrow - Lost? Oh, MY god!) or just up and quits? And after Columbus' windstorm and subsequent power outage a few weeks ago, people were haunting my branch looking for power outlets to recharge their phones, the UPS', their laptops, etc. And it wasn't reverently. These people were on the edge. I bet they weren't half as worried about feeding themselves or their children.
So what does this have to do with Twitter? I signed up yesterday, and read over some of the 'tweet's of Columbus, Ohio participants - and frankly, I wasn't impressed. Much of it was totally inane, feeding the pagan god even if it means nothing. And a lot of it was being used as advertising, read evangelizing (as if we need much more of that) Even Barack Obama's twitter site was blatant self promotion - and I bet he's not even typing it. Really, I don't care to tell the world or even my best friends every move I'm making. Let them have a little mystery in their life. I really don't care what they're doing either. Maybe when I was sixteen, and I had a crush on some guy - then I really cared what he was doing every second of every day ( picking out my socks now. think I'll wear the blue ones - Oh, baby!) But now, there's already too much information in my life. What I'd really like is a little down time: 'no phone, no lights, no motor cars' to quote an old tv theme song - guess which one.
Final analysis: For some people I can see that this would be a great deal of fun, even an obsession. I can see that it might be used on a larger scale, but I think there are better venues. OH, and if you really want to 'tweet' me and prove me wrong or misguided, I'm at twitter.com/replogle.
As with all discussions I have on religion, this is tongue-in-cheek. I don't want to get into any in-depth discussions on personal religious belief. It's a good way to make enemies, or expose oneself to public prayer sessions - both of which I'd like to avoid.
I've begun to consider myself a techno-pagan, perhaps through default, more than a participating member of any established religion. (Yes, lapsed Catholic - thank you) Consider - Every day of the week, I seat myself at the altar of techno-paganism - the desktop or laptop computer. I place my hands in the approved position (for the qwerty keyboard) and I begin to make my obeisance to my daily email. I have clipped my divine token to the front of my outfit (Vocera) so that all participants may reach me throughout my work day. And the ear plug cord (to hear its secrets better) is wrapped around my neck. Like all religious tokens they never match what you're wearing - they are all black. Black, according to Color Wheel Pro is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. Hmm...how appropriate. And you know, it speaks to me, too. And in different genders. When I touch it's magic button it announces its presence in sepulchral tones. Of course, often it doesn't understand me, but then I'm a mystery to my husband, too.
But! are technological gadgets and appliances even alive? you ask. Doesn't matter. We treat them as if they were. How many of us have prayed and waived our arms, or cursed the machine we hold, if it skips a beat (is that 25 page report due tomorrow - Lost? Oh, MY god!) or just up and quits? And after Columbus' windstorm and subsequent power outage a few weeks ago, people were haunting my branch looking for power outlets to recharge their phones, the UPS', their laptops, etc. And it wasn't reverently. These people were on the edge. I bet they weren't half as worried about feeding themselves or their children.
So what does this have to do with Twitter? I signed up yesterday, and read over some of the 'tweet's of Columbus, Ohio participants - and frankly, I wasn't impressed. Much of it was totally inane, feeding the pagan god even if it means nothing. And a lot of it was being used as advertising, read evangelizing (as if we need much more of that) Even Barack Obama's twitter site was blatant self promotion - and I bet he's not even typing it. Really, I don't care to tell the world or even my best friends every move I'm making. Let them have a little mystery in their life. I really don't care what they're doing either. Maybe when I was sixteen, and I had a crush on some guy - then I really cared what he was doing every second of every day ( picking out my socks now. think I'll wear the blue ones - Oh, baby!) But now, there's already too much information in my life. What I'd really like is a little down time: 'no phone, no lights, no motor cars' to quote an old tv theme song - guess which one.
Final analysis: For some people I can see that this would be a great deal of fun, even an obsession. I can see that it might be used on a larger scale, but I think there are better venues. OH, and if you really want to 'tweet' me and prove me wrong or misguided, I'm at twitter.com/replogle.
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