Accurate description of my work day

I was asked just now to prepare a bulleted list of what I do -- part of my department's introduction to our new director. Here's what I came up with:

• attend meetings
  
• email
  
• more meetings
  
• more email
  
• write stuff (usually email)
  

Yes, I did a real one afterward, but I think this one is an accurate summary of most of my work days.

8:00 in Boise, Idaho

OK, it isn't 8:00, but I've been dying to work that Lynyrd Skynyrd lyric into a blog post ever since I touched down in Boise. Let's just call it journalistic license. Oh, and I had to look up the spelling of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Let's just call that pathetic.

I'm here for a library meeting on the next generation of integrated library systems (that's library catalogs to those of you who didn't get your library school indoctrination). It's been a good meeting, a nice mix of presentations and group discussions. I've been impressed with the energy and ideas of the attendees, all of whom seem ready to make some big changes to deliver better services. I'll be interested to see if the momentum generated at this meeting translates into anything real. I think it just might.

Interesting though the meeting has been, two days of butt planted in chair makes me restless, so I'll be glad to get off the airplane in Portland and get moving. At least I got out of the hotel last night. It turns out that there are a few graduates of my high school here in Boise (interesting since I went to high school in Northern California). Last night I had dinner with one of them and his family. I hadn't seen this guy since about 1983, so it was a lot of fun to chat and share old stories. I love reconnecting with old friends, and I always come away with new insights on life, growing up, aging, adolescence, and how we all got to where we are now. It's funny how a bunch of small-town kids have traveled some twisted roads in life. There's fodder for at least two books in the lives of my friends and me, though I have no talent for writing fiction, so someone else will have to do the honors or let these stories go untold.

I've spent two days in a meeting devoted to the effects of technological change in libraries. That, along with getting reacquainted with a bunch of old friends over the last couple years, has me reflecting on the connections that are possible through today's technology that were virtually unthinkable 20 years ago. Twenty years ago, I would have kept in touch with two or three old friends, and my only option for reconnecting with the others would have been a high school reunion. We would have sat around the table, drinking and reminiscing and promising to keep in touch. Then we would go back to our lives and forget to call, write, or visit. Then 10 years later we'd repeat the process at the next reunion. Now, each time I find someone online (or he/she finds me), we can keep in touch easily and connect each other with other people we know from back in the day. There are very few people I hung out with in high school that I haven't had some contact with over the last few years -- and I live 700 miles away from my hometown. Sure, Classmates has tacky web ads and makes you pay to contact someone -- but they also provide a valuable service for millions of users. Yes, MySpace and Facebook are in the news regularly, portrayed by blow-dried local newscasters as havens for pedophiles and cyberbullies. But they also provide a way for us to be part of our friends' lives, even when those friends are far away. Now we can share the kind information we used to share while dashing to our lockers or hanging out at lunch: the movie we just saw, the latest news about our families, what we're reading or listening to. Trivial? Sure. But that kind of smalltalk builds connections between people, whether face-to-face or online, separated by a few city blocks or a few states.

As I write this, people are talking about how libraries can build communities--and use technology to do it. I suppose that's the theme of my trip: building community through technology. Lately I've been griping about how my generation was sold a bill of goods, with movies, TV shows, and magazine articles promising us the ultimate in futuristic technology: hover cars, teleportation, and time machines. I'm still waiting for those--especially the time machine and teleportation. Boy, I could get in trouble with those! But I have to admit, no one predicted a global computing network that would link us together across space and time, enabling me to hang out in person with an old friend I could never have found otherwise. I still want my time machine and transporter, but I don't think I'd trade away the internet to get 'em.

The end of an era

Today was strange. It snowed most of the day. Yes, it snowed at the end of March in Portland. One of the local TV stations said this is the latest snowfall on record, the previous record being March 10, I think. We're supposed to have more snow this weekend too. Guess I won't be gardening.

Today was also the day I said goodbye to my boss, who's retiring after 32 years as our library director. 32 years. Wow. He was hired in 1976, when I was a freckly 10-year-old making red, white, and blue candles at Girl Scout camp. It's hard to imagine the library without him. The first time I worked at the library, in the early 90s, I was a student assistant, hired to catalog some historical books during the summer between years of library school. I was a freckly 24-year-old at the bottom of the org chart. Library Administration was a suite of offices on the top floor of the library, and I knew the people who worked up there must be important because a) they wore suits, and b) they had the only air-conditioned offices in the building. One day I was hunched in front of my OCLC terminal (you library types might remember those old dedicated terminals with the green text on a black background), cataloging away, when Jim came down to tell me that he was glad I was there, and my supervisor was pleased with my work. I learned my first management lesson that day: show you appreciate your staff, even (maybe especially) the ones at the bottom of the org chart.

Several years later, after my sojourn in Georgia, I returned to the library, this time as a librarian. I worked for a wonderful supervisor who could turn a freckly, rough-around-the-edges 29-year-old into a somewhat competent professional. A few years later, we went through one of our many reorganizations, and I ended up reporting to The Boss. I was a bit intimidated, but I soon realized I had a new mentor. Jim helped me gain confidence as a new manager (still freckly and rough around the edges, in case you were wondering, but not quite so young) and was endlessly patient with my questions, insecurities, and frustrations. I always knew I could go to him for advice or a reality check, and I often needed both.

We gave Jim a fine send-off. In addition to the official retirement party, a group of us filled his office with balloons and streamers last night, and we pulled together an impromptu farewell lunch today. All too soon, though, it was time for goodbye. As someone wrote on the whiteboard, it is the end of an era. I don't know what the new era will bring, but I know I'll miss Jim's part in the old one.

The book is out!

I spent the summer and fall of 2006 slaving over an article on electronic journals, which I was writing for a reference book. I submitted it at the end of November 2006, got it back with some requested changes in February 2007, made the changes, and waited. And waited. And waited even longer. A few months ago I got the author proofs for a final review, sent in my changes... and waited.

This afternoon I strolled into my office after a half-day meeting across town to find a package waiting for me. A heavy rectangular package. From my publisher. Could it be? Yes! The book is finally published! Even better, they sent me a free copy. The cover price is something like $175, and the publisher originally said that authors wouldn't get any free copies but would have to pay half price, still a chunk of change. Apparently they decided to be a bit more generous, because there was no bill enclosed with the book.

I've been showing it off all afternoon to anyone who will stand still long enough, whipping it out the way other people whip out baby pictures -- which is challenging to do with a large, hardbound reference book. Too bad it won't fit in my purse. Then I could tote it around all weekend and really annoy people. Since I can't do that, I'll show it off here:



My chapter:




Now don't you want to run out and buy a copy for a little light reading? If you do, be sure to use this link, so I can have a cut of the sale.

We academics rarely get paid for our writing. We do all that work out of sheer dedication to our field... and a line on our CVs... and the ego trip of seeing our names in print. I think I've illustrated that last point thoroughly with this post. If any of you are still reading this, thank you for indulging me. I'm going to shove my overinflated ego back in its place now, before it runs amuck and starts accosting the neighbors.

Online Class: Social Bookmarking Resources

I don't usually blog about work stuff, but I'm going to make an exception. Some colleagues and I are teaching an online class for library staff on Web 2.0 tools and resources. The content is divided into modules, each one lasting a week. I've been teaching for the last couple of weeks, and I have a couple more weeks to go. Because of the online format, I've created quite a bit of written documentation for the students, stuff I would normally cover with face-to-face instruction. I'm going to share some of that material here on my blog, in case someone might find it useful.

My first module dealt with social bookmarking services: del.icio.us, Furl, and StumbleUpon, as well as the social news sites Digg and Reddit. For that module, I created the following materials:

Lessons

1. Goals and Schedule: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcgtqhm3_169qw3fg7g2
   
2. Introduction to Social Bookmarking: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcgtqhm3_170fn8nfxgb
   
3. Social Bookmarking Exercises: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcgtqhm3_171fkx2q3d2
   

Presentations and Other Materials

• Introduction to Social Bookmarking - presentation for optional in-person session: http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dcgtqhm3_94c87r79
  
• Chart comparing social bookmarking sites: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pJLcfxUjOH3rNQbTE41V3MA
  

If you're a librarian or trainer and want to use these materials in your own instruction, you're welcome to do so. Just please give me credit and link back to the original documents.

Queen of the couch

I don't have anything important to say (yeah, I know... Do I ever?) It's been an exhausting week. I started the week with a mild head cold. Then, Wednesday afternoon I fell off a curb and landed on my knees in the road. The damage isn't too bad--big ol' knot below one knee and some bruising and fluid around the other one. They don't really hurt that bad, but they feel gimpy and unsteady, and I can't walk very fast. I sort of trudge around like I did when I was pregnant, only I'm a lot smaller, thank goodness. But by this morning, I was wiped out. So I spent this afternoon telecommuting from my couch, which is a pretty nice gig. In case you're thinking of doing the same thing, here are Janet's Tips for Using Your Couch as an Office:

Note for my co-workers and employees: This list is purely for entertainment value. And it'll explain why I rarely telecommute... too many distractions!

1. Assemble the necessary equipment:
   
   
   
   • Laptop with wireless internet access
     
   • Pillow(s)
     
   • Blanket (if necessary)
     
   • Junk food
     
   • Drink
     
   • Phone (regular and cell, so you don't have to get up once you're comfortable)
     
   • Entertainment: TV remote, iPod, etc.
     
   • More junk food
     
   • Chocolate
     
   • Someone to wait on you hand and foot, so you don't have to get up
     
   • Couch-side table to hold all this stuff
     
   
   
2. If you're telecommuting because you have a cold that you don't want to share with your co-workers, you'll need some additional supplies:
   
   
   
   • Case of Kleenex (I recommend the kind with lotion unless you want to look like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer)
     
   • Selection of cold medicines to treat your various symptoms. If the box says, "May cause drowsiness," be sure to put your laptop away before they take effect, so the drool doesn't short out your keyboard.
     
   
   
3. Next, dress appropriately. Remember, even though you're on the couch, you're working, so wear your good sweatpants (the ones without mysterious stains on the butt) and a clean t-shirt. Strong BO can distract you from your MySpace survey... er, I mean spreadsheet.
   
4. Use the bathroom. Otherwise, you'll just get comfortable, settled into an IM session... I mean report... when you'll have to get up to pee. Advanced couch commuters, especially males, may want to consider a portable urinal to avoid bladder-related distractions. A catheter, however, is not recommended, no matter how lazy you are.
   

Now get on that couch and get to work!

The Future of Work

Interesting piece on how work may change in response to globalization, demographics, and technology:
The Future of Work. The author proposes that left-brain activities like data analysis will either be outsourced or automated, leaving right-brain creative types with a big advantage in the job market. He also notes that work could become more playful as a result, because playful people who love what they do are more innovative. And finally, he provides the perfect explanation for all of us who refuse to grow up: "the increased level of immaturity among adults is an evolutionary response to increased change and uncertainty. "

See? I'm not just immature. I'm responding to increasing change and uncertainty. So there!