by Well, the new year has not seen much on this blog but what better way than to try to get back into the swing of things than by participating in the next round of Library Day in the Life! If my to-do list is any indication, it should be an interesting, if not full, week of my library life. This round will be a combination of tweets and blogs, so stay tuned for the excitement!
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LibPunk
Interested in LibPunk? Originally, I think the idea came out of the EduPunk movement and was applied to libraries. Now there’s a group of people re-examining the idea. You can follow the blog, the podcast or the FriendFeed room. Join the conversation!
More conferencing
Another late conference post. I recently attended and presented at Computers in Libraries. It was another great conference (despite the fact that my laptop died while I was there). Mobile was one of the hot topics – so hot in fact, that I didn’t get to one of the sessions because the room was so packed. I’m particularly interested in hearing about what people are saying about mobile as OLITA’s Digital Odyssey theme is Going Mobile (June 11 at Ryerson). There were also great sessions on ebooks, infolit and too many others to remember. There was so much good stuff that at one point, I wanted to attend 4 out of the 5 sessions in one time slot. There were great conversations, in the lobby and in via twitter. One of the more interesting conversations I had with people (virtual and real) revolved around gen X leaders. While I have my own issues with stereotyping generations, there does seem to be a trend where people around my age aren’t stepping into the management roles. We’ve got lots of great leaders but people seem to be shunning management in a lot of cases and I haven’t pinned down why exactly. I’m a full believer that leadership and management aren’t necessarily exclusive, but what will this apparent apprehension to take leadership roles mean for the future of librarianship?
So, one conference down, four more to go (and a bunch of others I wish I was going to, like LOEX and STHLE). Up next week is a talk at the Ontario Association of Library Technicians conference. I teach a distance course for Library Techs and I’m looking forward to seeing them and their conference. Then, we’re hosting WILU at Mac May 12-14. This will be followed by the CACAL great debate at CLA in June and finally OLITA’s Digital Odyssey which I’ve been planning. Then vacation – I’ll need a rest after all of this!
Day 5
Final day for Library day in the Life. Today was budget day. Started the day with a meeting on the state of my library budget. This was followed by email, rss feed time. Then a teleconference on OLA’s budget. I spent the rest of the day getting a lot of email done, recorded teaching stats and other fiddly things. It doesn’t sound like much but it takes time.
Day 4
A little late, but here’s how day 4 went. Meeting to debrief on an instruction session I helped out with. Met with my blended services mentee (we’re training library staff to go on the reference desk, removing librarians from the desk to allow for more instruction, etc. and moving services to a single service point). Lunchtime meeting. Taught blended services staff the basics of database searching. Tried to catch up a bit on email, feeds, etc. And that’s that.
Day 3
Another busy day. At work first thing for another 3 hour instruction session (tech still working!). Caught up on some emails, feeds and lunch while I did IM reference for an hour. Followed a bit of the Apple news of the iPad before offering another 3 hour instruction session. This was the last of the set. Unfortunately, minutes into the first session of the afternoon, the fire alarm went off. Surprisingly and most impressively, the students all returned once we were allowed in the building. The session was rushed, but we got all of the material covered. Obviously, these sessions make for one of my more intensive courses. As an inquiry course, they place a lot of value in the library sessions (I get 2 sessions with each class, 1.5 hours each and I give a quiz worth 15% of their final mark). Lots of work but I love working with this class. Each year it gets better. Went home and checked in on my distance students, checked the survey I gave the inquiry students and that’s where this day ends.
Day 2
Yesterday was just too busy to post, so I’m playing catch up. Here’s how the day went.
Came in early to prepare for an iClicker session the Teaching with Technology group presented to the liaison (it went well). This was followed by a brief break before a Blended Services Training Team meeting. Worked on instruction prep over lunch at my desk. One hour on the reference desk (shadowed by a blended service member). Went to a last minute meeting. This was followed by a 3 hour instruction session (2 1.5 hour classes). These sessions were my first go with using iclickers in a session – too bad the tech didn’t work. Spent the next half hour with a colleague who fixed the problem. Quick supper, followed by another 3 hours of an instruction (the tech worked!). A very long day indeed!
Day 1
Well, my day started the way it usually does – checking email and catching up on my feeds. This was followed by a Teaching with Technology meeting, where we prepared for a session we’re offering tomorrow on iClickers. Some more catching up followed by a lovely lunch with a colleague. Part networking, part fun – some of the best info sharing and catching up times. I then went to my regular office hours in the Classics department. While these are often quiet times, today proved quite different. I chatted with a number of profs, answering questions, learning what’s happening in the department, helping a grad student and meeting a job candidate. I then headed back to my office, where I called a fellow OLITA council member (I’m OLITA president this year and looking forward to a great year working with some amazing people) and worked on securing a space for Digital Odyssey (stay tuned for more info on this conference). I then worked a bit on an instruction session which I’ll be giving 8 times over the next 2 days. Phew, then it was time to go home.
My day doesn’t end here. Tired, I came home, ate and rested a bit. Then it was time to put on hat #2 – I teach a distance course for library technicians at Mohawk College. I answered a bunch of student questions and posted the latest lecture. Caught up on some more feeds and I still have a little work to do on the instruction sessions. Sometime soon I hope to sleep!
Library Day in the Life 4
It’s that time of year again! I thought I would partake in the Library Day in the Life round 4. I learned a lot about what my colleagues were doing in the last one and it’s a nice chance for me to reflect on what it is I’m doing. So, be warned, you’re gonna hear a lot about my work life this week! I’ll also be posting updates on twitter (#libday4)
Thank You
Remembrance Day is one of the few days that I find I can get quite emotional, thinking of all of the brave men and women who have sacrificed themselves, their time, or their loved ones. Thanks is not enough but it is all I can offer. We will not forget your sacrifice.