Like out of Tolstoy!

I thought I would not get here through the drifts today. Being too cheap to buy a parking pass and having a difficult time with the environmental impact of driving when I live two blocks, sometimes those two blocks feel like two miles. This is especially burdensome when people do not shovel their walks- a violation of city ordinance. So rude! Maybe the city can sound a siren to get people out of bed and to the shovels! I wonder if our students from Wallowa and Baker counties will get here today. Drive safely all!

Caldecott and Newbery Awards announced!

Why would I be concerned about children's book awards? Well, you don't set aside 30 years of being a youth librarian!

Here is a link to the announcement:
http://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/?p=193.

Print Station moved again!

We moved it --again! The Print Station did not like going through three hubs to get your documents so we moved it so that documents go directly through to the Print Station. This should work better by having reduced down times! Thanks so much for your patience as we work toward making services better! Josh did a fine job with the move.

Recalled to life!

As many of you know (because I have made your life miserable from one time or another regaling you with tales of academic woe!) I have been in grad school for two years. Coursework ended on December 7th! I am just now realizing what that means. I can lay on the couch and read a book that I chose. I can sew up a project. I can knit a hat. I can watch The Sopranos. I can spend an hour being entertained by stupid cat videos on YouTube. I can go shopping. I can cook a meal. I can do the laundry. I can go visit a friend. I can practice music without watching the clock. I can write in my journal. I can go for coffee on weekends and do the NY Times crosswords (at least up to Wednesday!) I can write more to my sister. The list is getting longer and more glorious! I had no idea how much sacrifice was made for my degree program until it was over. That is fodder for thought.

New! Quick Search feature on the webpage

Over the Winter Break, the Pierce Library web page got a new look with the addition of the Quick Search box. This search box invites the patron to enter a subject or keyword and then retrieves journal articles and books from the OPAC. A results list is generated with links to those resources. Pretty slick! (Not unlike the weather today!!!!!!!!!!!!) I've been playing around with it to discover just how thorough the search is. More about the results later.

We're Baaaack!

Look who the wind blew in! Frozen students all happy and relaxed from winter break! It is great to see so many faces (even though lots of noses are red from the nippy weather!) that we had in the library last term. The library webpage has a new look, the entire collection has been shifted, and we have a new law database so that should keep us hopping for a while! Welcome back! It is NO fun without you!

One happy cat. . . "A" in Research Class

I am one happy cat! Dr. Brown graded our research papers, portfolios, and special project work already. That's a lot of reading. Now, it is my job to hawk the research to a publisher!

I had surgery in Portland on Tuesday and am very sore. More so that I dreamed. I can't even bend over and put on my own shoes. I wasn't expecting the pain to be so severe. I figured out a way to sleep in our bed that does not slam me when I try to get out. Last night I rested better than any night so far. So, I am doing light work--Christmas card addressing, writing email, journaling, and knitting some Christmas presents. I have Matt conned into moving some knitting books downstairs to make room for my professional books amassed these last two years. Whadda guy!!!!!!

The end is near!

Just three more days of Finals Week and we are free birds for a bit. As usual, our students handled the pressure with grace and aplomb! Best wishes for good marks this term. Relax on break, be safe traveling, and enjoy some fun things! You deserve it.

I will be finishing my graduate work on Friday. Last night, after staring at periods, commas, citations, and the last paragraph so many times that I was second-guessing every little squiggle, I decided to end my misery and file my last two final projects. I think at some point you become ineffective as your own editor. So, those weights are off my shoulders and onto my profs. I hope they are charitable people! Now, the next step.....what to do with the rest of my life.

More about that later...when I start to breathe easier and really realize that the pressure is over.

Location is everything!

Patrons are having a lot of trouble finding materials on their own. They get the call number and title down just great! They don't check to see WHERE the material is housed. With all the special collections and various mediums in the library, the call number means very little without the location of the material being sought. I wonder if we should change the field on the OPAC to a flashing box or some sort of signal to get the patron's' attention. Maybe an audible "Hey! Do you know where you are going?" Something! If you have any ideas, let's hear them!

Getting Organized--Another Chance!

I know...I know..who wants to think of the new term when we are in the throes of finishing this one? But...over the winter break is a good time to let your stress seep out and renew your body and spirit! I am using the break to clear my head and organize my life in different ways now that graduate school is over (next Friday!) I have become a devotee of David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done (GTD). His methods of organization are designed to clear the stuff that keeps you awake at night, out of your head and into a "system." I have been working on perfecting my system but I still mess up now and again. More tweaking is in order!

Check him out on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-lvJAXZNmE and his website is found here: http://www.davidco.com/

Lest you think his ideas are just for corporate geeks, think again. He can teach you to develop a system that can be designed to aesthetically appeal to you and you alone. It can be the thing you need to get it all together. It need not cost you money to buy an expensive planner, etc. There are people who devise all types of hacks to make their own systems. They are called DIYers (Do It Yourselfers) and their forums are found at: http://www.diyplanner.com/

Take some time to kick back over the break and think of ways to make life less stressful by getting organized. After all, the time you save is your own!

The FINAL stretch!

We are waiting for the final barrage of students to frantically throw together those last minute assignments. I saw poster boards yesterday all ready to go for a presentation, some heads together working on group projects. We are open until midnight over the next two weeks so come and get 'er done! Our staff awaits your bidding!

On Wednesday at 11 AM to 1:30 PM we are feeding our student workers in Room 114 to say "Thanks!" We appreciate their dedication to Pierce Library.

Oh, and 13 more days until Graduate School is over----not that I am counting or anything! Best of luck to all of us as we wind down the days until Winter Holiday!

Something's A-foot! Oh, it's me!

Last Wednesday's surgery on my left foot to correct a hammertoe and bunion went well. At least from what I could see in my twilight sleep! I heard the saws but figured it was happening to someone else, somewhere else. Amazing what drugs can do to make these procedures so do-able. Anyway, I overestimated my ability to bear pain and the prescription that I had did not cut it. Miserable night. I got better stuff the next day and all was well. I have had two nights of better sleep. Goofed today, though. I created a foolproof way to take a shower AND keep my foot dry. I don't know what happened except it did. I got out of the shower with a bag of water around my foot. Yikers! I quickly dried it off with a hair dryer but the boot is still dampish. I hope I do not get foot rot, or some such dreadful condition. I just have to get through until Monday's checkup. I want to go back to work!!!!!!!!!!!

One more month of Grad School!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While this may be exhilarating to be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, Dr. Kusack reminded me once that the light could be a train coming at you! I can't afford to let down until December 7th so I am working every available free moment. Projects are still being assembled, readings still coming at me, and so much more to cram into my head. It IS exciting to look over the last two years while I create my portfolio to see all the work that has been finished and the topics that I have learned about. It is amazing that that much work has been amassed and it gives me a clear picture of my strengths of content and areas I would like to continue to grow in. I am so fortunate to have had so much support from colleagues, friends, and family to succeed these last two years in my studies. More accolades later. I owe so much to my profs and classmates at Southern Connecticut State.

Campus Re-Organization

Beyond the crazy!

Last full month of graduate school coming up...working like a demon on final projects. My research stats are finished and graphs made. Just the writing remains...JUST! I have learned one thing...writing a literature review is a bear. There is not much published in my interest area (small academic libraries and digital projects) so I had to think hard to make much sense of what was there. Now, I am concentrating on getting all the periods and captions and italics in the correct places in APA format to produce a publishable research paper. Yikes.

My Acquisitions class is going well. Love the material and the chance to ruminate about the philosophy of collection and deselection, policies for development...all manner of practical processes to be learned for the real world of being a librarian.

All this, though, against the backdrop of what is happening at our university this coming week-- layoffs. We will get called in on Monday or Tuesday if our position is eliminated. Then, if you don't get a call, you may still be bumped by someone who has. The entire restructuring plan will be announced to the public on Wednesday- Halloween. Maybe we can all come to work dressed as the Grim Reaper to add a bit of levity to all the craziness!

So, if stress were a surplus item, it would be ON SALE at my house!

Another paper turned in!

Ever get so frazzled that you just stand in the middle of the room and disappear into thoughts that are unfocused and off-topic? I guess that is what is called hitting the wall. Luckily, a friend rescued me and made me go to a movie just to change the pace. I had been working on a serials paper for so long that I was no longer making sense. So, last night we went to see Michael Clayton at the local theatre. Just the ticket (so to speak) that I needed to come home and finish writing the sucker! It is not my best assignment but as Theresa says "A good project is a finished project." I learned a lot in the research about the status of serials acquisition (it is controlled chaos with lots of competing models) and so the assignment fulfilled its purpose. I am much better prepared to choose a subscription agent and to work my way through the morass of subscriptions and the balance of print to electronic formats.

Now, I have to re-write my research paper's literature review so that it resembles work from a human being instead of the random typings of a primate!

Idea Mapping

Everyone has moments (and mine are occurring more often these days!) when decisions have to be made, or I want to pause and gather thoughts, or work out all the elements of a project. There is a process called idea mapping, or mind mapping. I won't go into the history of the process but I can tell you that I would not be as successful in grad school without it. It is a process of brainstorming that gets all the ideas out and then helps you put them in a semblance of order leading to ACTION and COMPLETION of a task. Two worthy goals!

Here is a link to some explanation of it and some links to software to help. I am not advocating a commercial product because mind-mapping can be done with just pencil and paper but along with the ads come some great ideas on how to apply this process to your life. Pretty soon you will be so organized that you will know why and how you are coming and going!

Tony Buzan, the guru
Idea Mapping
Free Mind
Nova Mind
Inspiration-30 day free trial!
MindManager

Pocket Agenda for Free

Have a planner but too big to carry around? Wanna be more mobile?

In my never-ending quest to get organized, I have hit on a system that works for me, Getting Things Done by David Allen. More about that later. In the process, I have met lots of fellow geeksters who are mad to figure out how to get through the day without missing something. One of them told me about this website: http://repocketmod.com/

It is a way to construct a mobile agenda, shopping list, formula list, to do list, etc. You put in eight mini-pages, by dragging in an order that makes sense to you, and print them out. Using the folding instructions, it makes a little book to slip in your pocket or purse. It is very cool! No more lugging around your big planner but yet it keeps your appointments, lists, to do list very close to you!

You can even download the PC software and customize it to fit your needs.

Conversion Experience!

No, no, no----not a religious experience---a file conversion experience. Zamzar is a web utility that allows you to upload a file to their server in one format and get it emailed to you in another---for FREE!!!!!!!! So, what is the big deal about that? Ever get a pdf form to fill out but you can't write on it? Zamzar! Converted so that you can and then email it to the agency, prospective employer, or whoever as a Word document! No more faxing those pesky pdfs that can't be edited! YES!

Here's the BEST part- it will convert WordPerfect to Word! That will save much heartache in the ERC this school year. Many students come in with WordPerfect files and we can't convert them. Now, we can. This will be wonderful!

The link is: http://www.zamzar.com/

Getting it Together!

Ah! The smell of carpet glue, the pssst of the coffee cart's milk frother, the students rushing about looking for Loso or Inlow....it is that time of year! I can't wait to see all the new student library assistants on Saturday for our training day. It is new start....a time to initiate lasting friendships and kick up some fun at work! We are soooooooooooo dedicated to exceptional customer service. I will be hammering that home constantly!

Ryan and David came in for coffee cart training and they are doing well. Kathleen comes in for training on the Observer Project and the archive work tomorrow. It begins!