Librarian-in-Excellence

2007-07-09T12:59:00.001-05:00

THE END!

2007-07-09T12:51:00.000-05:00

What a fitting end to my Residency
& start of my Outreach Position!

My Pursuit of Employment in the New Millennium
article was published!

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I've searched for the perfect smiley face to express my excitement but
the above one was just classic.
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Thanks for playing!
Signing Off
The Librarian-in-Excellence!!

Tah Tah

ALA Annual

2007-06-28T17:50:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I finally returned from ALA's Annual Conference.
RefWorks executives told me they enjoy reading my BLOG. Ha!

I learned about this interesting Marketing blog.

We finished our Emerging Leaders poster session
*
*And I met Nikki Giovanni.

South Bend Tribune Photo

2007-06-27T17:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

Unbeknown to me, a photographer took a photo of me and my BFF. We were celebrating her receipt of a lovely bouquet of flowers from an admirer. This was an "AWWW How Sweet" head nudge.

And apparently the photographer snapped our picture and published it in our local newspaper the South Bend Tribune. Ha!

I am going to be famous yet!

BFFs

2007-06-27T09:34:00.000-05:00

Great Minds Think Alike...
even down to the exact same shoes!

Cat Lovers

2007-06-19T08:52:00.001-05:00

Dear Diary,

I love cats more than anything in the world, yes more than people. I have an incredibly low tolerance for pain and would never even consider giving birth to a human child and going through labor etc....but after watching this SNL clip...I thought "Hmmm... maybe I would give birth if I could give birth to a kitty!"

My favorite clip (giving birth to a cat) is at around 3 minutes into this clip. Also my BFF got the most beautiful flowers from an admirer delivered to work, and when I went in her office for my daily dose of free candy, I started imitating Penelope in this SNL clip. Someone in her office gave me a really nice Notre Dame lunch bag and so I tried bragging "Well I got candy and a bag, so I guess I'm better than you, cuz you on;y got flowers, so-o-o-o." Ha! Watch the clip then you'll get the joke.

RUSA Appointment

2007-06-19T08:48:00.001-05:00

Dear Diary,

I was appointed to the RUSA Access to Information Committee. YAY!

Just 'Cause It's Friday

2007-06-15T10:23:00.000-05:00

Human Skin Book Cover

2007-06-14T08:36:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

Yesterday during my Pirate Class for the Upward Bound students we toured Special Collections. We saw cool artifacts from sports, such as signed boxing gloves from Smoking Joe Frazier, and sequin covered wrestling gear. Ha!

But the main attraction by far had to be the book covered in HUMAN SKIN!
Yuck!

Web Layout Design Tutorial

2007-06-13T14:34:00.001-05:00

I'm teaching web layouts tomorrow using this interactive Web Design & Layout Tutorial.

Notice this tutorial does not work in Firefox.

Citation Cop - Test Embedding

2007-06-13T14:07:00.000-05:00

RefWorks Citation Cop

Jaime O'Hare the Faculty member who teaches FYC classes brought in her Upward Bound Students today. What a lively group they were. Jennifer our newest librarian sat in on my Pirate class. Jaime explained how she uses Blogger for the students to post their assignments for her and she explained how to EMBED YouTube videos instead of just providing the links. Yay!

Shout Out From Korey!

2007-06-08T15:17:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

Today I met a few more of the IMLS student workers and Korey by far is the most ugh...umm..how shall I put this...ugh SPECIAL! Ha! Ha!

I only had a chance to chat with him briefly but look forward to him joining my mentee Andrea and one of last year's IMLS workers, Tarrez at lunch next week. Tarrez actually knows him so this promises to be a blast!

Korey created his blog.
Even though he thinks I'm crazy, he gave me a Shout Out. Hey, Foreal Tho'
http://truelifeofkoreyjackson.blogspot.com/2007/06/felicia.html
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Oh yes and I had another request
for ...you guessed it
the PIRATE TEACHER.

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*
I told my manager, it could be worse and she agreed saying "Yes professors could be saying Keep that Pirate away from my class!" I told her one of the main reasons I created the Pirate was to create a minor stir on campus and get people talking about and interested in the class. Oh well, the phrase "Victim of your own success" comes to mind.

Oh my, Korey say my RefWorks Commercial, but I am sure he knows nothing of the Pirate. He'll really think I'm crazy then. Ha!

GRAND FINALE: JAWS Published!!

2007-06-04T16:28:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I wrote this article during my very first rotation
as a Resident in the Law Library in Fall 2005.

It seems most fitting to have it be the final substantive publication of my Residency Summer 2007).

This article took the most creative ability that I possess. Luckily the editor believed in it from the very beginning and therefore it has survived the countless iterations.

She challenged me to add more quotes and develop my theory deeper and always always more statistical justification for my opinions and premises.

But finally it is done and it is a million times improved.

So without further ado my pièce de résistance is now available for your viewing pleasure!
I present to you J.A.W.S: a Historical Perspective!

Curriculum Mapping

2007-06-03T11:46:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I am working with some faculty to introduce Curriculum Mapping as on Outreach project. There are many components to Curriculum Mapping but the part I am focusing on is

To help identify opportunities for integration among disciplines.

Engineering Classes

2007-06-02T11:28:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I taught my first few Engineering classes this week. I am convinced now there is nothing I cannot teach. Phew!

I was PEEPed as a result.
Privately Eyeing Excellent People nomination (PEEP).

My first time ever being peeped. Aww Shucks!!

Down Under

2007-05-31T22:50:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I was honored to receive a most gracious email from an Information Science student in Australia who read my Spiritual Literacy article and sent very flattering remarks. Aww Shucks! I was most impressed with their paper that they emailed me at my request.

One quote that stood out from their paper was

" Information literacy is the perception, reception and expression of information in all its dimensions with the intent of affecting and changing those to whom the information is expressed."

It's a Small World After All

2007-05-24T13:33:00.001-05:00

Dear Diary,

In my continued attempts to move this Blog project along, I found a blog with similarities to what we want. So I emailed the library to ask some technical customization questions and was stunned to get a reply from a former professor from Library School. YAY!! She was one of my three favorite.

She reminded me of what I have heard since I embarked on my library career, "It is a SMALL LIBRARY WORLD!"

Blog-Mania

2007-05-21T19:54:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I have had my fill of blogs today. I created a real Blogger blog for Electronic Resources to see if it really works. Naturally it does not allow me to add categorized lists, and you know how we librarians love our classifications. Although one team member said they would not browse a blog using "Categories" but the other team member said they would ONLY browse a blog that provided categories. Naturally!

So just when I thought today would be the first day of the rest of the life of my work blog...we decided to try yet another software--WordPress.

Luckily, WordPress allows for a
DIRECT IMPORT of other blogs.
YAY!!

So it took maybe 5 minutes
to import my Blogger content directly into WordPress.

And I still had ample time
to climb down off of that ledge! Phew!

MySpace Led to Job Loss

2007-05-21T08:37:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I am working on Privacy Issues with my Emerging Leader team and we are presenting a poster at ALA's Annual Conference next month. So I have been getting lots of information about MySpace and Facebook. Some students were outraged when Facebook added a Newsfeed to notify your friends of all of your activities on your account. I just think it is a nuance.

I've heard all the horror stories of potential employers hiring students as moles to befriend unsuspecting job applicants in MySpace or Facebook and gather clandestine information that may be used against them during the interview process. I think about things I did in college out at clubs and would not want that to be used against me when looking for a job.

But after reading about this one girl who lost out on a job because of her MySpace photos, I can empathize with employers worried when laws are broken such as under-age drinking. People sent me this article because the pictures were of her as a "DRUNKEN PIRATE" and she wanted to be a TEACHER....remind you of someone? Not the drunken part, the pirate - teacher part.

The article is on the Smoking Gun, titled College Sued Over "Drunken Pirate" Sanctions.

Uncyclopedias

2007-05-20T11:34:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

This is so funny. You gotta check out the Notre Dame Uncyclopedia. Much like Wikipedia, it informs the public that "Notre Dame was founded by God at the Dawn of Time in South Bend, Indiana. When the final stones of the campus were lain down, angels proclaimed its eternal glory. Notre Dame is a University for Real Christians only (catholics), which means that the Lord defends it with his own shield and sword. If you go to Notre Dame, you are automatically going to heaven." HA!

I am getting closer to finalizing my Electronic Resource News Blog. I fully intend to have a version up and running by mid-June if all goes as planned.

Marketing Program

2007-05-17T14:54:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

Me and Leslie presented on Marketing at today's May Institute. My program was developed after two successful marketing campaigns I worked on to bring attention to library services.

Marketing efforts targeted the entire Notre Dame community, including students, employees and peer institutions. Specific marketing was done for students making use of popular media such as YouTube for both the Pirate and the Police campaigns. YouTube was used to both show videos already created as well as to spread a video created by the library.

Positive reinforcement (bribery) was used such as treasures, candy grams, and raffle prizes. Faculty marketing methods include the use of more traditional direct marketing techniques such as newsletters and emails. This program ended with take-away tips for putting these simple principles into practice today!

I reinforced the most important principle of marketing in my opinion -- Identify and admit when you have a bad idea and make necessary changes. I asked "What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Gummi Candy? -- Exactly--RATS. BAD IDEA!" Ha!

I gave away more than 30 Gummi Rat Candies to serve as a gentle reminder. Some gave them back because they were gross. Others said their kids love them. To each his own. Ha! They liked our commercial the best. I showed them the other two:

University of Wisconsin's and
the Original Arizona State's

Good Times

2007-05-16T11:28:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I am finalizing my presentation for our library training May Institute tomorrow. My topic is "Marketing the Library: Pirates & Police Oh My!"

I have been talked into wearing the Pirate Costume. Ha! Ha! I am actually looking forward to it. I have learned a lot over the last few days. Especially our evolution toward being "Curator of Content" instead of more traditional roles. Yay!

Let The Sunshine In

2007-05-11T12:21:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I got an unexpected reaction to my lovely poetry I wrote to use for the clues in our Caching project. I was reading some aloud and some co-workers in adjacent cubicles started laughing as did the student who was doing our card sorting usability test. So after not one, not two but three people looked at me as if they were sizing me up for a straight jacket, I decided I'd go back to the drawing board. Ha!

In fairness one of the cubicle neighbors offered to give me a microphone and set me up inside of the ladies restroom so I could perform my poetry, ala the street preachers in Chicago. Hmmm...maybe that is a good option for a captive audience. Ha!

Oh well it is sunny and Friday and the students are finished with finals and preparing to leave.

Anywho, I stopped by for my daily visit to our Administration office. I go there to mingle with the lovely staff...for some reason they think I only come for the free cholocates in the candy dish. Ha! Really I think I go because they always greet me, thusly, "Hello SUNSHINE!"

Yes, Sunshine, I am that!

This is Why I'm Hot!

2007-05-09T20:41:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I attended a presentation on Second Life (SL) , hosted by the Kaneb Center. The presenter kept jokingly referring me to as his Ringer. While I have only played around with SL, I was actually able to answer some questions from the audience that he was not. Obviously I learned a great deal from him, so it worked perfectly. I managed to impress my manager who was there. She actually said that she was very proud to have me in her department. Aww Shucks.

"Second Life" is a multi-user online virtual world with nearly six million registered users; at any given time you can expect to find 30,000 people there! Its primary use to date has been as a social gathering place, but more and more universities are actively exploring the possibilities of Second Life as an art gallery, library, business venue, virtual laboratory, immersive language environment, and more. If you would like to see a demonstration of Second Life and participate in the ensuing discussion

Not only was I able to answer questions, I provided information about the CyberOne class that Harvard conducted in SL. That has been added to the SL resource page, already.

***Bonus, I am officially one of the select few to be part of Kaneb's Center Faculty Learning Communities (FLC) for their upcoming SL project. YAY! FLCs consist of a multidisciplinary mix of five or more faculty members. FLCs focus on specific instructional issues from technology to ethical behavior. I am going to join them at at Conference in August discussing Second Life and we are going to work with a speaker coming to campus to discuss their University class in SL.
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I have finished my Marketing presentation for the May Institute.
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I am beginning to work on our Caching in at the Library project wherein the students use GPS to locate hidden objects in the library. I will write the clues in prose. It should be a lot of fun.
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I am still working on my ERSA blog. Our Aystems Administrator added a WYSIWYG editor to Drupal which has added tremendous functionality for me. He removed the teaser module. It was not appropriate for our needs. I am finalizing our Measure of Success for a meeting with Systems that I have to lead in my manager's absence.
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I joined ALA's Reference and User Services (RUSA).
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I completed my first round of Card Sorting Usability testing today. Now I"m off to rest.

Meeting of the Minds

2007-05-09T00:36:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I had another fabulous day at work. We met with the Business Library and discussed shared marketing interests. I got an official tour of the Business Information Center and had a chance to marvel at all they do. We viewed some Librarian Trading Cards which we agree is a cool idea.

They seemed receptive to my "Info 4 Life" marketing idea. I introduced my idea for an Information Circus of sorts or a Notre Dame County-Fair type extravaganza. Perhaps use the circus "freaks" such as the bearded lady to introduce relevant branch libraries such as Life Sciences. Ha! I'm fleshing out the details but that is the initial thought. My co-resident has the attached cartoon on her door...even though she said it was not discussing me...I can't shake the feeling it does. Just Kidding, or am I? Ha!

ERB-avore

2007-04-26T15:39:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I have written my first ever Committee Charge. Yay! I am the Chair of the Electronic Resources Blog (ERB) Committee. We are at the stage in the process where we are evaluating the overall effectiveness of the Drupal Software. We are deciding if it is the best method to meet our goals. I have written the rough draft for the content and located corresponding images.
*
I also received a copy of the Library's Access Newsletter featuring my photo and the article about me as an ALA Emerging Leader.

24/7

2007-04-21T18:53:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I've been swamped as of late and have not had the time nor energy to update my blog. I am feverishly working on my Electronic Resources Blog, the content and terms for the links and playing in my newly created Drupal Sandbox. But hopefully we will be able to launch what we have within a week or two.

In preparation for my Outreach Librarian duties, I have created my very first ad, for the Spectrum Scholars 10th Anniversary booklet, that was approved and sent off to production within a 24-hour turn around. One of the new people I will be working closely with, suggested I slow down, since the deadline was not soon. Ha! She will learn that in my mind the deadline is always near. I like to think I am completion oriented. Yes, that is the nicest way to say I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

I am working on the poster session for my Emerging Leaders team to present at ALA Annual and I am also preparing for a presentation, Leslie and I are doing for our library's May Institute. The topic is Marketing which should be very fun. And of course there is my WPIT (Web Presence Improvement Team) Committee work.

Additionally, I have been conducting lots of card sorting usability tests which are time consuming. One day this week, I did usability testing in the morning, then went to a faculty meeting and was getting computer upgraded and there was an honest-to-goodness line outside of my door, at least 3 or 4 people were waiting to get in to talk to me. When the last one left they asked if I wanted me door closed? Yes, please or I would not have gotten any work done other than meetings. So I returned from a faculty meeting. I had literally 30 minutes free on my Corporate Time Calendar so while at the faculty meeting one of my teams requested I squeeze them into that 30 minute open time slot. Done. We left the faculty meeting 5 minutes early so I had 5 whole minutes to try to get some work done, and int hat 5 minutes my phone rang with another of my teams asking for that free 30 minutes. Ha! Ha! I told them it was already snatched up so they were kind enough to wait until my final meeting ended which was technically the end of the work day but they waited and we were also able to meet. When the staff person was upgrading my computer she said "When I looked at your calendar and saw you were booked solid every day, I thought it was a mistake...but now I see." She has agreed to vouch for me as she witnessed the line outside my door and the simultaneous phone conversations. It is all about Multi-tasking. I laugh when I think back to comments made to me by patrons, that "They wish they got paid to just sit down and read all day!" I wish I did too!

24/8

2007-04-21T13:44:00.000-05:00

This sums it up nicely!

Welcome Boiler Makers

2007-04-20T17:13:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I had quite an exciting day today. Leslie, my co-resident invited the Library Residents from Purdue to campus for a network opportunity. It was really great. They said they learned a lot from all of the librarians who offered advise and we shared our common experiences as Residents. It was a beautiful day outside and we spent a lot of time in the restaurant which is always a crowd pleaser.
*
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I left the lunch to attend a forum provided by G. David Moss whose speaker described an almost indescribable existence wherein she said there are roughly a million people in a square mile and there is no sanitation and this leads to what t is known as Flying Toilets. There is an interesting article on flying toilets available by clicking on that term.

*
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But then I returned in time to spend the rest of their time here with the residents. I briefly attended a lecture on God, the Government and the Ghetto. I met a fellow NEW Outreach Librarians from Purdue and I am looking forward to starting what I will call the Outreach Librarian Association (O.L.A.) Yay! We are both the first ones in these roles and have similar target audiences and similar ideas of community outreach we are interested in. I told her I'd been trying to find Hoosiers doing Prison Outreach and she was interested. I told her so far I've only talked to one who is at the Indiana State University, Dr. Laura Bates.

In Wabash Valley Correctional Institution in Indiana. The "Shakespeare in the SHU" (Security Housing Unit) program was highlighted in an MSNBC Investigates report on the prison that aired last year and repeats regularly. Dr. Laura Bates founded a program whose purpose is to have a segregated population there "come to terms with their crimes" by reading, discussing, and rewriting Shakespeare. At the time of the documentary, the prisoners were working on Macbeth, which one inmate describes as exhibiting "parallels that correlate with urban life." These segregated prisoners rewrite the play, and then observe and comment as another group of prisoners enact the revisioned text. It seemed an intriguing approach.MSNBC Investigates"Lockup: Inside Wabash"Narrator: John Seigenthaler

Under the guidance of Laura Bates, assistant professor of English at Indiana State University, inmates from the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility at Carlisle will perform scenes from the Shakespearian tragedy "Macbeth," time-honored tale of the politically ambitious title character and his strong-willed wife and co-conspirator, Lady Macbeth.

The program is designed to improve vocabulary and reading skills, improve self-esteem, increase awareness of emotional health, and increase respect for others and a growing awareness of the benefits of honesty in communication. Along with Bates, Diane Kondrat of Interaction Theater, a non-profit organization that develops interactive theater programs for at-risk youth and adults, has been working with the inmates as facilitator for the dramatic portion of the play.
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So, now I need to develop my outreach ideas but since technically I don't start that position until July 1st, I need to focus on my current work load which is far from waning. I love Notre Dame! I learn so much being here. Speaking of which, I need to get back to work.

From My Sister & Nephews

2007-04-13T12:45:00.000-05:00

Not Bad For FRIDAY the 13th
:-)

Love This Poster

2007-04-09T12:58:00.000-05:00

I am NOT tense.
Just terribly,

terribly alert!

Egyptian Blogger Arrested

2007-04-08T17:20:00.000-05:00

Egypt arrests another blog critic

Police in Cairo have detained a blogger whose posts have been critical of the Egyptian government.

Rami Siyam, who blogs under the name of Ayyoub, was detained along with three friends after leaving the house of a fellow blogger late at night.

No reasons have been given for Mr Siyam's detention. The other friends were released after being questioned.

Human rights groups have accused Egypt of eroding freedom of speech by arresting several bloggers recently.

BBC Arab Affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says blogging in Egypt is closely associated with political activism in a culture where democratic freedoms are severely restricted.

In recent weeks, bloggers have been exposing what they say was the sexual harassment of women at night in downtown Cairo in full view of police who did not intervene.

Mr Siyam's host on Saturday night, Muhammad Sharqawi, was detained for several weeks earlier this year.

The most recently detained blogger, Abdel Kareem Nabil, was detained in Alexandria on 6 November and was charged with disrupting public order, inciting religious hatred and defaming the president.

Amnesty International says Mr Amer appeared to have been detained for expressing critical views about Islam and Egypt's al-Azhar religious authorities.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6164798.stm

I Have Arrived!

2007-04-04T10:03:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I accepted a job at Notre Dame!!!

It is a newly created Outreach/Marketing position in order to keep both Residents.
YAY! I am so glad to get off of that Job Hunting Roller Coaster Ride!
*
*
*Bonus: I got 2 articles Published today as well:

“Pirate-Teacher.”
Click here to access the Journal of Academic Librarianship, v.33, no.2, March 2007.

“Games for Teaching Information Literacy Skills.”
Click here to access it at Library Philosophy and Practice v.9, no. 2, April 2007

Ready for My Close Up

2007-03-30T12:39:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

Today was the best way to spend a Friday. I attended a demonstration of teaching innovation and tools in the new Jordan Science Building and ran into my former co-star from the RefWorks commercial who was one of the presenters for the new WebCT Concourse. There were snacks and it is great weather out so that was nice.

Then I returned in time for my Photo Shoot for an upcoming article in our library newsletter, Access about my participation in the Emerging Leader program. It was in the library concourse during lunch time so I got a lot of co-worker attention. I wonder if they think this is really how I spend all of my time. Either shooting commercials or article photos. Ha! Ha!

Now I'm off to a retirement party filled with the most beautiful daffodils and more treats.

I really should stop eating so many snacks...
if I am going to continue being
America's Next Top Library Model.

Gutenberg offers 'In your home' support

2007-03-29T15:08:00.000-05:00

Introducing the book -- Gutenberg offers 'In your home' support

Technical Service Help Desk for the first books. Too Funny!

Once and For All

2007-03-29T11:24:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I usually try to view all situations in a positive light. To that end, I have been trying to convince my mentors of the merits of my latest "IDEA." I am sure it is a direct result of my exhaustion, but I am also trying to make the numerous interviews I'm conducting more EFFICIENT. So I propose instead of doing 3 phone interviews each day, perhaps I can create a webcast of a sort of Audition Tape. I am applying for similar library positions with similar requirements. I only apply to those that I feel I am qualified for. And as hard as this may be to hear, libraries are not that dis-similar. Neither are their interview questions. Unfortunately, the do differ greatly in the topics I have been required to present on during my campus interviews. It figures.

But I digress. Like I was saying, I can create a recording to be viewed at the interviewers' leisure. No longer would we have to coordinate schedules for 4 or 5 people for a phone conference call. Instead, I can answer some of the basics that they all ask:

1) What interested me in their position/ university?
2) What makes me qualified?
3) What is my approach/philosophy to instruction/reference?
4) Do I have good communication skills?
5) Am I innovative/creative?
6) Am I a team player, but am I also able to work independently?

Now imagine a body answering those same or slight variations of those same questions over and over and over and over, in the span of about a month. Not just on weekdays, or during work hours but continuing on weekends and evenings.

Now I ask you would it not save all parties involved considerable time to have those questions pre-recorded and they can view it and then if they have more questions or wish to continue they could contact each other after that time saving measure?

Just think of it, the possibilities are endless. I could don my pirate costume and do a demo. I could use this as an example of my innovative ideas and creative ability. My managers don't think it will fly. But oh well...

Tech Support for Gutenberg Era

2007-03-29T11:06:00.001-05:00

Dear Diary,

A brilliant man whom I admire immensely sent me this and for some reason it reminds me of him. Ha!

Technical Service / Help desk for the 1st book

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2007/introducing-the-book-p1.php

Notre Dame Interview

2007-03-28T11:44:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I finished my 3 days of interviews at Notre Dame this week. I think it went really well, we should know within a few weeks hopefully. It is a strange situation, not only being an internal candidate, but having the only other candidate be my co-resident. This is pretty awkward for most of our co-workers who have explicitly stated that we are both great but just extremely opposite from each other, whatever that means? But at least, this is a win-win because at least the tradition will continue of the residents having the option to stay.

I worked incredibly hard on my presentation. And thank God, it went off without a hitch! No technology snafus or mishaps. I half expected the audience to begin tossing Rose Petals over my head, at the end of my presentation. But of course, I ALWAYS expect my audience to toss rose petals in fact I expect perfect strangers to do that when I walk pass, as well. I have been at times concerned that I have an over-inflated self ego. Ha! Ha!

I have gotten really great feedback about my presentation. I got some helpful questions afterwards that actually helped me convey a more definitive explanation of my example of class activities. I actually pulled up my Pirate Teacher class slides and went through them and heard a lot of "Ohs and Ahs." I don't think until that moment that I realized the potential for people to misconstrue my instruction sessions with little more than glorified play time. So when they realized the level of detail and content that is involved in my class, I think that strengthened my overall presentation. One of my co-instructors for my Pirate Teacher class was in attendance and he vouched for me, but I had not appreciated that the majority of the others only see me walking around in a Pirate Costume with a screaming sword...so they would have no way of knowing that I cover the same if not more content as all other instructors. So that worked out.

Some people were unable to attend my presentation, so I vowed to go to anyone's office who did not attend and RE-DO my entire presentation in their office. And so I did just that. I think people believed I was kidding and that was an idle threat. They know better now. Ha! Ha! And while I am not usually a supporter of FORCIBLE INSTRUCTION...sometimes it cannot be avoided. I can't imagine why people think I am slightly insane. Ha!
*
*
But seriously, I was thinking about that car insurance commercial wherein the speaker gives someone some bad news but adds, "The good news is that I just saved up to 15% on my car insurance!" Well, I think even though I have been somewhat, just a wee bit stressed out with juggling work projects and interviews...the good news is that I just saved 50% on my THERAPY bill!"

I love Notre Dame for a whole host of reasons, not the least of which is the people who I work with. I have been blessed to have the most absolutely incredible mentors here. They not only challenge me professionally but they are always always there for me personally. And it is more than just a couple so it is a really wonderful support network. In addition to my work and interview and of course my publishing responsibilities, I have been steeped in personal and family crises. they never fail to keep my encouraged and always listen and give me a genuine smile and a big ole hug when needed. Aaawww Shucks!! I told them I can't imagine being somewhere else and not having them all within a few feet of my office. But we will see how this whole thing plays out.

I'm Back

2007-03-26T15:03:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I'm back. YAY!!

I've been off conducting
back-to-back campus interviews.

I'm utterly exhausted from:
traveling and interviewing
and doing presentations.

All interviews required I do very specific and very different presentation topics.

Naturally, all of the cities I visited shared the same weather as Notre Dame. Ha!

Did I mention that I still have a full time job? Oh well. It is just truly refreshing to be back home and have a few days before I fly out again for the next round of campus interviews in the first and second weeks of April.

I've been able to refine my selection criteria and have begun declining campus invitations which is pretty scary since I do not have an official offer. But "Leap of Faith" right?

Okay, time to catch up on my work.
Tah Tah For Now.

I'm on Vacation...

2007-03-10T14:31:00.000-06:00

Up, Up & Away!

2007-03-10T14:09:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

My Upward Bound Presentations went very well, especially since the first one was plagued by technical difficulties. My original big closing was derailed since I could not get sound on the computer which defeated the purpose. But I have suffered enough Technical Deaths to know how to be Reborn with a low-tech contingent plan.

So I had to rely on my quick thinking and so I piggybacked off of the wonderful keynote speaker points and ended with a powerful motivational poem by Les Brown called "Live Your Dreams." The keynote speaker was Attorney Cleo Washington.

One facilitator form Purdue said I need to make a recording of my presentation because it was so dynamic and I have an amazing personal story to share. So I invited him to follow me around with a video camera and we can make my life into a Reality TV show. Students asked me "How do I keep myself so motivated?" And I told them it is a daily struggle. I strive for balance because I tend to be an extremist, so I may watch Flavor of Love or some other "Mindless Entertainment Production." (Mindless Entertainment is actually the name of the company).

But for every hour I spend not using my mind, I double that amount of time spend doing something mentally challenging.

The keynote speaker spoke about Plato's Cave Analogy and tunnel limited vision. He also talked about the "Road Less Traveled" by Robert Frost.

My evaluations were very good and the audience reaction was overwhelmingly positive. I am on such a high. There is no comparable feeling than that of "Giving Back" to future generations. YAY!

This was just the boost I needed to get me over the hump for the intense few weeks that start in 18 hours.

Como Se Dice?

2007-03-08T14:39:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I just learned that a co-worker was awarded a research leave to study the Catalan language publishing industry.
I sure need someone to help translate Catalan, b/c when I visited Ibiza and Barcelona I noticed signs everywhere in graffiti that read:

"No volem autopista"

I was so saddened that the poor citizens were not allowed to have Autopsies.

Until my friend explained that "Autopista" means "Expressway." Doh!

But my friend got her new nickname on that same trip, My Banana!
Of course she later explained to me that they were calling her "Mi Hermana" which we all know means, Sister. But I decided I like Banana more. So there! Ha!

Refworks Commercial ... FEVER

2007-03-07T10:27:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I am proud to report that a few people have expressed interest in using our Citation Cop Commercial.

Even the company RefWorks may showcase it as a marketing tool idea for other customers. I have gotten a few flattering comments directly on YouTube.

In fact we are in talks right now with a librarian in another country who wants to use it in their library.

Aww Shucks!

Wabash Correctional Facility Book Donation Project

2007-03-07T10:09:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I am personally interested in doing an outreach project to correctional facilities. I don't have the time now, but I can donate, in the mean time:

The Black Cultural Center library at Purdue University accepts books for donation to the Wabash Correctional Facility.

The project is a collaborative effort between the Wabash Correctional Facility and the Black Cultural Center in response to inmates’ desire to have access to material relating to the Black experience.

In addition, the Center makes its collection available to the facility via Interlibrary Loan and donates withdrawn items from its collection to the facility.

You may send donations to the : Black Cultural Center library, Purdue University, 1100 3^rd, Lafayette, IN, 47906.

Clearly state that the donation is for the Wabash Correctional Facility to avoid confusion as possible donation to the Black Cultural Center library.

Trio Day Presentation this Saturday

2007-03-07T09:38:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I am still preparing for my presentation at Trio Day. I'm almost done, I've printed all 100 handouts and have rehearsed my presentation. Just adding some finishing touches. Below is an announcement that was on Notre Dame's Homepage today:

Upward Bound to host area students for Trio Day conference

The Upward Bound program at the University of Notre Dame will host students and parents from the local community on campus March 10 (Saturday) for a conference titled “Trio Scholars Embracing the Future.” In celebration of national Trio Day, which honors first-generation and low-income students who have successfully achieved a higher education, the leadership workshop will feature a keynote address by former state Sen. Cleo Washington.

High school and college students, including participants in Notre Dame’s Upward Bound program along with students from Purdue University Calumet, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, Indiana State University, Vincennes University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, the Robinson Community Learning Center and the 21^st Century Scholars program, will attend with their parents.

Representatives from the offices of U.S. Rep. Joseph Donnelly of the 2nd District of Indiana, South Bend Mayor Steve Luecke, and Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., will be present at the conference.

In addition to the address by Washington, a Notre Dame Upward Bound alumnus, activities will include a college fair, an awards luncheon and workshop sessions designed to help students and their parents embrace college life and their future. All events will take place on campus at McKenna Hall, with the college fair beginning the day at 8:30 a.m. Registration information and a detailed itinerary are available on the Web

A federally funded Trio initiative for enhancing postsecondary educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged young people, Notre Dame Upward Bound has been serving students from the South Bend Community School Corporation since 1966. Other Trio programs at Notre Dame include Educational Talent Search and the Ronald McNair Post-Baccalaureate Program.

Organization & Flexibility is Key

2007-03-06T12:53:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I am doing what feels like the world's greatest juggling act. I need a personal assistant to help me keep straight my schedule. I try to cram all my job-hunting activities into the few hours before or after work or over my lunch. So between scheduling phone interviews and next week beginning in person interviews, and refreshing my memory about each specific position and institution, in addition to my committee work, instruction, and blog project, it is quite a task.

I appreciate the variations in approaches to these interviews. One group was kind enough to forward me the list of questions they plan to ask in my phone interview. That was much appreciated.

Another phone interview was held in the most unconventional manner ever. It took some scheduling ping-pong back and forth so once we had a time and date, I was reluctant to re-schedule due to my Strep Throat. But I was getting worse so was actually still out running errands and trying to get my prescription filled during my interview. They were willing to postpone it but I figured it is just an opportunity to showcase how good I am at multitasking. Ha! Ha! Not recommended.

Because the next problem was my cell phone started breaking up so I went outside. Total strangers were considerate enough to voluntarily come get me to say they were calling my name to go get my prescription, but of course when I got to the counter, my name had not been called. The entire process lasted about 30 minutes and we managed to get through the interview just fine. They were actually very flexible and it was just funny once I look back on it. I did thank them for being "with me" while I was in the doctor's waiting room. It was actually quite comforting. My dad used to go and sit with me during long waits at the doctors so they made me feel as though I was not there all alone. Ha! Okay, so I can blame the medication for any lapses in judgment.

An extra fun interview was with a person who had to interview me during the evening because of my hectic schedule. They too were at home and had to referee a fight between their cat and dog. Ha! They have 4 cats. I am a cat-fanatic and of course I am terribly allergic. But I really enjoy living vicariously through people who have kitties! Awww. On the bright side, I am not hating these late night and weekend interviews. I have free nights and weekends, so it doesn't reduce my monthly minutes. I've had more and more scheduled after 7pm and on Friday and Sunday nights.

I am hoping that I am not a victim of my own success. By that I mean, it is becoming increasingly more complicated to schedule campus visits. One person told me during the phone interview they were afraid I would not be able to fit them into my hectic schedule. Luckily I have the best-EST managers in the world and so they have been incredibly flexible. But even that has just about run into it's limits. There are only so many days in a week to move meetings and classes to.

Oh well...I know...I know...There are worse problems to have. It is all pretty exciting. I just could really use a personal assistant, but then again who couldn't. I could also use a maid and a personal chef and a massage therapist and ugh...umm... well you get the idea.

It is funny because some of the people I interview with have either called me back when they meant to call the next candidate, or emailed me using another candidate's name. I point it out and they all apologize. But I totally understand how easy it is to make those mistakes and I pray to God that I do not get mixed up when communicating with potential employers. But we are only human right?

Time Travel

2007-03-01T17:47:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

Today I experienced the closest thing I ever have to time travel. Lately I have been spending a lot of time with the time and date.com website. I've had interviews with people in all different time zones and it is rather confusing because we tend to schedule in our personal time zones so there have been many clarifying emails specifying the times and the time zone.

Our Corporate Time electronic calendars had to be reset manually due to the Daylight Savings Time so I've just about had enough of time zones.

But on a more interesting note, today I had my first ever Video Conference.
It was so amazing. I love technology!

I interviewed with a potential employer in another country! WOW!! It was amazing because not only are they in a different time zone, but because of the time difference they are actually a DAY ahead of me.

So while I had an interview Thursday afternoon, it was actually Friday morning for them. Which makes me wonder: Were they interviewing me or my FUTURE SELF?
Whoa! That is profound! You have to think about that. Ha!

I do have a confession to make. The video conference was very cool, but can be fraught with pitfalls. I admit, I am truly vain and I enabled the "Picture in Picture" feature. This allowed me to see myself inside of the screen showing the interviewers. So at some points I found myself fixing my hair instead of giving my undivided attention to my answers. Doh!

I'm very much interested in Chakras and time-space continuum theorems, Black Existentialism, and other metaphysical principles etc. So I had an interview in another country on a future date at the same time I was in my office today. Well, sort of.

I am so honored that people in other countries are interested in me.
Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined I'd have these experiences.

All this while battling Strep Throat. I hope I'm not hallucinating as a result of the medicines I'm taking.

Warrior Librarian, Am I.

2007-02-27T17:46:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

Ouch!

I finally went to the doctor and I have a pretty severe case of Strep Tonsillitis. What fun! My co-worker taught our 2 hour RefWorks class yesterday and I just walked around to help students trouble shoot any problems. He was pretty sick as well, but he is a brave soul. So today it was my turn to suffer through and carry on. I said if he can teach while sick, so can I. Both of my wonderfully considerate managers offered to let me cancel my section, or reschedule but I would not hear of it.

I told them
"I am a "Soldier! ...
I am a Warrior-Librarian!"

My manager said "Well then Soldier On."
Ha! Ha!

Now this contradicts my previously unconvincing claims to my Law Library manager that
"I am a Delicate Flower!"

But he refuses to accept that I am a Delicate Anything
so that's neither here nor there. Ha!

Anyway, I made it through and I'm glad I did.

But now I must heal myself and so I'm off.

T.T.F.N.
Tah Tah For Now

WOW! I Have No Words!

2007-02-22T21:05:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

WOW!!

I can't think of any other term but WOW!

I have just been overwhelmed by the responses I've gotten from the positions I've applied for. I asked one of our Directors for a listserv that posts international jobs and have honestly been blown away by the extremely positive responses I've gotten.

I have always dreamed of working abroad. I travel abroad as a personal hobby.
But somehow corresponding with hiring professionals in other countries is just too awesome for words, I am amazed; speechless, flabbergasted; stunned; honored; encouraged; taken aback...well okay maybe I am not at a loss for words, but words cannot express how elated; ecstatic, delighted; overjoyed and exhilarated I feel.

Another pretty impressive experience is the emails I receive from people who I have never met in person, who read my Blog and find it rather interesting. I always share with my co-workers how flattered I am when I receive such kind emails. Especially since I disallow comments on my Blog, so they have to go through extra effort to email me. It truly means a lot. My most recent email came from my new e-friend who read my Blog and is at the University of the West Indies. I told her that sounds like Paradise especially since it was 4 degrees and snowing here that day. One of my supervisors said that is quote " Just too cool for school!"

I told her "I know it could only be cool-er if the next email is from a Handsome, Intelligent, Single, Heterosexual, Righteous, Independently-Wealthy Man, (not necessarily in that order)." Ha! Ha!

Hugs to all my viewers out that there in the blogosphere!
Without you...there is no me. :)

I repeat WOW!

Back Down Memory Lane

2007-02-21T17:00:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

No one has shown up for the Drop-in Sessions this week on how to search the Catalog. We are trying different topics and different time slots to see if this idea will work. My co-resident is having more luck as the Mobile Librarian. She actually goes to a student hot spot from 3-11pm on Sundays. God Bless Her! So today we took our publicity efforts up a notch. My co-resident was kind enough to offer to distribute bookmarks with my times and dates on them during her interactions with students. I have to create some. I revised my poster and sent it over to Adworks so that they can print and distribute 200 posters on the Student Activity Bulletin Boards around campus. We also got an eye-catching rotation graphic on the library's homepage.

It just doesn't seem like there are enough hours in the day, lately. I have been talking to a few hiring professionals on the telephone. Those I try to schedule before work, at the end of the day or over the lunch hour. So my evenings are packed with preparing for the telephone conversations. I have started making folders and trying to keep them all straight. I keep refining my preferences and my selection criteria. I have a couple of invitations to come for in-person interviews but I have absolutely no time. I printed out my calendar today to try to mentally note when I could reasonable tell potential employers I am available but in the midst of scheduling one interview, based on my electronic calendar, I happened to glance at my wall calendar and noticed a lot more dates and times filled up than was showing on my electronic calendar. Well wouldn't ya know I looked at my email to see that due to Daylight Savings Time, our calendars need to be "patched" and we are being asked to print out our calendar and after the patch go in and manually correct the times. What a hassle! DOH!

I realized I am booked solid through the next 6 weeks with classes and meetings and projects such as my Blog for Electronic Resources. This is way more cumbersome than I initially thought. But I have learned more than just the normal Techy stuff you'd expect to learn about. In our Electronic Resources meeting this week I learned the plural of the noun rhinoceros is rhinoceros or rhi·noc·er·os·es.

During one of my phone interviews I was asked what would I like to improve about myself. I said immediately, "I need to lose weight so when I step on people's toes, it won't be such a painful experience!" The person could relate. I said "I think I can somewhat get by with a slap on the wrist because 'I'm still new' and I didn't know!" I said but that is going to get old, real fast. Luckily, I do that unintentionally so that helps.

Speaking of interviewing...I was growing weary of the process. Job hunting is mentally draining at times. But luckily, I try to see the glass as Half Full whenever possible. So I was walking across campus to post some of my Drop-in Session fliers, and as I returned to our library, I glanced up in unison with some people on a Campus Tour. We were all admiring the mural of Touchdown Jesus. The sun was out finally after a really foggy start to the day. And I decided to "BE" in the moment. To stop preparing mental reminders and to do lists for next month, etc...and so I sat down on the same bench I sat on when we concluded my Job Interview for this Residency. It was like it was just yesterday!

I could remember the questions being asked by specific people. I can remember thinking what an absolutely amazing campus this is. I recalled how honored I was to be at the University of Notre Dame. I reminded myself that 5 minutes before my phone interview with Notre Dame, I was utterly at my wit's end as a result of a stressful workplace environment. I remembered sitting there with two of my best friends thinking "I should not even do the interview! They'll never hire me! I don't meet all the requirements, they are only being nice because they are Notre Dame." My friends forced me into the conference room and told me, "Just do this last phone interview. We'll leave you alone, if nothing comes of this LAST one!" So I picked up the telephone and there were all the people I've come to know and love. And I remembered Dwight asked, "Can we call you FAY?" And I don't know why to this day, that just TICKLED me! I could not for the life of me imagine why on God's Green Earth would they want to call me FAY? But he seemed so nice and as a general rule I could not care less about what people call me, or how they pronounce my name. So I instantly agreed that they could call me FAY. I am not sure if I explicitly stated or just thought to myself that "You can call me FRANK, as long as you hire me!" Later it hit me that I was ahem...COVERTLY applying for another job, so did not use my work email but rather my personal email which uses the signature "FE" as in Fe-Fe. But I thought perhaps they thought of it as Santa Fe (Fay). OOOHHHHH Ha! Ha!

So that went well, obviously. Because I was invited to campus for an interview. As I arrived at the Morris Inn, I thought "Aww how quaint." I was so amused to drive past "Main Street. In my mind all small towns have a Main Street. I love small towns. When Margaret picked me up for dinner, we drove over payment made of bricks! And I thought of the Wizard of Oz where the Yellow Brick Road was made of gold bricks. All very positive signs. I remember that Margaret and I discussed how low taxes are in Indiana compared to Illinois.

And just when I thought it could not get any more interesting, we approach the restaurant and Margaret said "Oh there is Dwight, now." I look to see a gentleman ride up on a Bicycle. I was completely surprised. At that moment, I knew....okay it can't get any more delightful. So we three enter the restaurant and there is an instant thunder of greetings and screams the kind you'd expect at a Rock Star's entrance. Being the ahem "modest gal" that I am, I naturally assumed all the fuss was over my entrance. But then I heard distinct chants of "Dwight...Dwight!" Laura was already seated and explained that those were some of Dwight's students and "They just love him!" I accompanied Dwight many places during my rotation in the Law Library and I quickly realized that happens everywhere he goes. And it is well-deserved. I am a card-carrying member of the Dwight-is-the-Greatest Fan Club and find myself screaming when he enters a room. But I digress.

As the evening went on, I am not clear how I ended up telling Laura and Andy about the first time I kissed a boy at age 14 I went to Confession to tell my priest that I was pregnant. Because my father, the "Good Reverend" as we call him since his a Baptist Minister, very clearly and in no uncertain terms drilled into me that "If I kiss I boy...I'll get pregnant!" So this first kiss, CLOSED-mouth mind you...convinced me that I was with child and my priest assured me that if I said 10 Hail Mary's and promised not to repeat it, I'd be fine! I thought he was the COOLEST man alive and decided at that point that I wanted to be a Nun when I grew up. Ha!

All that is to say that I was at the end of my "Interviewing Rope" once before and had I given up, instead of persevering I would not be here. I would not have had this amazing experience, in this most sacred location with the best co-workers and supervisors I've ever seen gathered in one place. My friends say I have a cartoon or a song for every moment in my life. So if that is the case, today's song would be one of my all-time favorites by Diana Ross from the movie Mahogany...

There is a video clip available by clicking here for YouTube, naturally.

Do You Know Where You're Going To?

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you
Where are you going to?
Do you know...?

Do you get
What you're hoping for
When you look behind you
There's no open door
What are you hoping for?
Do you know...?

Once we were standing still in time
Chasing the fantasies
That filled our minds
You knew how I loved you
But my spirit was free
Laughin' at the questions
That you once asked of me

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you
Where are you going to?
Do you know...?

Now looking back at all we've planned
We let so many dreams
Just slip through our hands
Why must we wait so long
Before we'll see
How sad the answers
To those questions can be

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you
Where are you going to?
Do you know...?

Do you get
What you're hoping for
When you look behind you
There's no open door
What are you hoping for?
Do you know...?

Testing -- Testing

2007-02-21T08:20:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I feel like I am doing a Microphone Check, "Testing, Testing." Ha!

Today I am doing another round of Usability Testing for my WPIT Committee. We agreed that this would be the last test for this phase and then we would make a decision to implement our proposed changes once and for all, or we will leave the contact form as is.

We are dedicated to making "User-Driven Decisions" even though we all like it, naturally since we created it. But this has gone on since October or August, either way for a while now. We did our log analysis to ascertain how many times the form was accessed, and it was a little over a hundred compared to Ask A Librarian which was accessed 6 times more often.

Anywho...after this we alternate meeting as a whole group and as a subgroup. I am in the Card Sorting subgroup and our deadline is the end of April. Since March is booked solid for me this should be fun.

I am still working on my presentation for my Information Literacy presentation in Mid-March, and trying to find way to publicize our new Drop-in Sessions. I am also doing instruction, I have 7 RefWorks classes in the next three weeks and 9 drop-in sessions. I am working on blog layout and content and so the hours just seem to disappear. Oh well, I can keep blogging about how hectic my life is or I can get to work and scratch some things off of my To Do List. Ciao.

Thankful!

2007-02-18T20:22:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I am extremely thankful and as my coworker used to say "Blessed and Highly Favored!" WoW! I have been working on my JAWS article for literally 16 months. Luckily, I've found an editor who completely understands and values my unconventional comparison of the rising cost of journals with the horror movie Jaws, about the Great White Shark.

I was under the impression that she fully intended to publish the final revised version, but had not been able to reach her for the last few months. So I decided to call her and she was at the airport. I felt as though I may be pestering her was really hoping that did not make her think I was like a psycho. She just said we'd discuss it over email and politely ended the call. I am completion oriented and dedicated to follow through. I was in a state of near panic after making that call, and kept second guessing myself. But I had not received any replies to a few emails which was uncharacteristic of her. So I was unsure if my emails were getting through.

Well today I got her latest revision and it was utterly complimentary. And I agreed with the revisions she suggested so hopefully Jaws is that much closer to being published. This has been an arduous process and I have definitely invested my maximum creative ability into drawing the parallels between the movie script in Jaws and my re-written Jaws which transplants the Great White Shark into the library. Phew!

Happy Accident

2007-02-17T15:46:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

While revising my Pirate class to include RefWorks I realized that it would be beneficial to demonstrate the tutorials but they are awfully slow-paced. So I recalled that I can make my own recordings on the SMART Board and Viola! I paused and resumed the recordings cutting out the down time. I was able to narrate the tutorials because I narrate them in my dreams. Ha! I happened to mention it to my manager and she sorta shared that with some of our fellow instructors who thought that was a helpful idea and a useful product, especially for a limited amount of time. Yay!

Another bit of (potentially) good news is that our library just posted a job limited to internal candidates. Wow! That is huge because all of the vacant positions have to go into a "pool" and be re-purposed to fit the overall needs of the library, etc... It is a very intense process. The timing it great so I applied for that position along with a few others. I have had a couple of telephone interviews and I have an actual on-campus interview in the next month. My friend warned me to stop discussing my job search so openly because my managers may find out! Ha!

I told her I appreciate her looking out for me, but that most of my managers have written a few Reference Letters for me this month, so if they don't know that I've been talking to other potential employers, I've got big problems. But I do recall the days of sneaking around trying to conduct covert interview operations. I prefer this way.

Everyone encourages me by saying that I want to keep all options open. But I am really impressed by a handful of the jobs I've spoken with hiring professionals about. So that leads to the inevitable...."What happens if/when I get multiple offers?" My manager keeps saying the real fun begins after I get my first offer....do I take it and run? Or do I wait? God-help me!

A Star is Born...

2007-02-12T09:23:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

One of my former supervisors from the Law Library emailed me and said "A Star Is Born." He saw my RefWorks Commercial and wanted to remind me not to forget the "Little People" once I make it big! Ha! Ha!

My co-star in the commercial said his young nephew was amazed quote "I didn't know my uncle was such a Great Actor at Notre Dame!"

And the fact that the Subject Line was "A Star is Born" reminded me of the very first poem I ever wrote! I think I was 5 years old. It was titled you guessed it, "A Star is Born!" and it goes:
*

"A star is born
Near by some corn.
Near by some a corn
A star is born!"

*
BRILLIANT I know! Please hold your applause!
My dad was the proudest father ever! He kept it on the refrigerator for an entire year! See the talent is limitless!!! But that did inspire me to submit a poem to the Spectrum Scholar 10th anniversary Zine.

My former supervisor also helped me remember a silly conversation we all had during the Law Library Conference in 2005. We were discussing silly old TV shows, such as Soap. They were talking about one exceptionally funny episode, but I had forgot it. Luckily he remembered.

He thinks it was Billy Crystal telling his mother that there were a lot of famous gay people in history.
His character says"Plato was gay."
His mom's character says, "Mickey Mouse's dog was gay?!"
Ha!

This is the type of interaction that helps me relax and makes me love this place.

"My Precious"

2007-02-12T08:57:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I am working on my Blog for Electronic Resources creating the content and learning a lot about the numerous resources we offer. Additionally, I am glad that I was able to join the WPIT (Web Presence Improvement Team) subgroup "Card Sorting" that I had hoped to work on. I did Usability Testing last week and am excited by the prospect of making our library website better and more user-focused.

I joined the Communication Task Force for my ACRL committee at Midwinter and that involves the website and archives, etc. I am looking forward to that. I am working with my Emerging Leaders team on our Intellectual Freedom project that we will present during a poster session at ALA Annual.

I am working on my Information Literacy: Beyond Google speech for the Trio Day sponsored by Notre Dame's Project Upward Bound next month.

I am working on my Pirate Teacher instruction sessions this week. I added RefWorks to my session and I created a video of the Tutorials highlighting only those sections I wanted to show quickly. Their tutorials move at a painfully slow pace so with my video recording made using the Smart Board, I sped it up.

I also submitted another review to be published. I verified with the publisher that my other 2 are going to be published in the next two months. I only have 2 more scheduled to write.

I am preparing for my Drop-in Sessions (WorldCat, ND Catalog, Online Journal Articles and RefWorks). I am finalizing my RefWorks instruction sessions. I am attending meetings in the mean time. For example today I am attending a meeting on Quick Search and then a meeting discussing Indiana's Light Archives. Tomorrow I have an 8:30 meeting for the Reference Department, and then I'll leave to attend Electronic Resources 10:00 meeting and then I'll get out at 11:30 and attend an 11:30 Midwinter Recap meeting and then it will be afternoon. So I stay plenty busy. It makes me laugh to recall what a patron told me once, "I wish I had your job and got paid to just sit and read all day!" Ha!

I don't get stressed because I amuse myself with toys that people have given me, such as the Librarian Action Figure my friend's mom gave me. Her mom works in the Math Library and is a huge part of the reason I love Notre Dame. My manager has helped me develop selection criteria for my post-Notre Dame career search.

I reflected on the aspects of my Residency that have brought me the most joy. Top on that list is the people! I told my friend that the people I have worked with are all so PRECIOUS! I said it in the voice of Smeagol from Lord of the Rings. The employees at Notre Dame are MY PRECIOUS!

I had to make a very very difficult decision to decline an offer to go to a Campus interview. It sounded like a great position, but it was not keeping with my newly created criteria. I have never been much of a gambler. I am convinced a Bird in the Hand, etc... But my counsel encourages me to be more fastidiously selective. UGH!! But this experience is helping to clearly identify what I want to do long-term. Phew!

Busy Little Bee

2007-02-09T13:09:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

Well today has been sort of hectic but in a good way. I have been working with my Emerging Leaders team on our project and I volunteered to head the Poster Session we need to present at ALA's Annual Conference in June.

We are in the research phase and reviewing a few blogs in addition to conducting Lit Reviews, such as the Office for Intellectual Freedom Blog as well as the Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters blog.

I proctored a two-hour workshop on RefWorks today and have a lot more of those in the next few weeks. But the participants really see the value in RefWorks and that is fantastic.

I finally posted our RefWorks commercial on YouTube.

Oh and I was invited for an interview! Yippee!
That is exciting and scary at the same time. I am flattered that the interviewing process has been rather fast paced, but at the same time it reminds me of the reality that my Residency is coming to an end. So it is bittersweet. On the bright side, the weather where my interview will be held is currently 56 degrees compared to Notre Dame's 5 degrees and snowing...Just trying to look on the bright side of everything :)
*
After further communication, I learned that the maximum I could be reimbursed by the proposed interview personnel was well below the amount of expenses I would incur. So I will be unable to interview for that position.
*
But in the mean time, I scheduled another phone interview with another hiring professional at a 3rd institution.

Fun Experience at Midwinter

2007-02-08T18:19:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

You have to click on the link and watch this funny clip March of the Librarians.

It is inspired by March of the Penguins and shows my Robot friend that I kept telling people about but no-one believed me. In this clip he is shaking someone's hand. It is during the Vendor shots of LexisNexis and ProQuest.

This was a Robot that is what I believe was Artificially Intelligent. Either that or there was a man behind a curtain that I could not spot. The vendor was Emery Pratt.

Way to go RefWorkers!

2007-02-07T14:47:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

Great News! First I received another complimentary email from a position I applied to. The email said that I have an outstanding resume. WOW! I've been smiling all day long. It is so wonderful when people realize how hard you work.

And speaking of working hard, our statistics show that before our big Roll out there, our library had 31 RefWorks users. After the Roll out, a whopping 465 (increased by 165 in the last week) that is HUGE! It also serves as encouragement when we have classes. Knowing that people are really learning about one of our latest acquisitions is very rewarding.

Way to go RefWorkers!

Baghdad Day to Day: Librarian’s Journal

2007-02-07T14:33:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,
A friend sent me this interesting NY Times article:

Baghdad Day to Day: Librarian’s Journal

By PATRICIA COHEN

Saad Eskander, the director of Iraq’s National Library and Archive in Baghdad, finally had some time to catch up on his diary after a couple of very busy weeks. As he wrote in his latest entry, he was having trouble repairing the Internet system; the Restoration Laboratory “was hit by 5 bullets”; and “another librarian, who works at the Periodical Department, received a death threat. He has to leave his house and look for another one, as soon as he can; otherwise, he will be murdered.”

For a month now, Dr. Eskander’s intermittent diary entries have been appearing on the Web site of the British Library (bl.uk/iraqdiary.html), and they detail the daily hurdles of keeping Iraq’s central library open, preserving the surviving archives and books and, oh yes, staying alive.

“We thought it would be a good opportunity to highlight the conditions Dr. Eskander and his staff are really facing and that they are risking their lives to provide this service,” said Catriona Finlayson, a spokeswoman for the British Library.

Written in a flat, unemotional style, the entries relate the bombings, blockades, shootings, threats, shortages and petty frustrations that make up everyday life for the cadre of civil servants working at Iraq’s main cultural and literary storehouse. A complaint that heating fuel prices are 40 times higher than in the fall is followed by a report on the assassination of one of the library’s bright young Web designers and the need to ask the government to keep the electricity on.

Dr. Eskander said that a friend who works at the National Archives in Britain suggested he write a diary for an archivists’ Web site. “I was hesitant,” he wrote in an e-mail exchange yesterday. “I feared that people would not believe what I would say about our daily life and the state of total chaos and destruction prevailing in Baghdad.”

Finally, he agreed, because “I was in debt to my librarians and archivists, who have been working very hard and making all sorts of sacrifices to serve the cultural needs of the educated class of the country.”

The British Library started publishing his journal on Dec. 30, the day of Saddam Hussein’s execution. It includes material beginning in mid-November, right before Dr. Eskander decided to close his library for three weeks after a frightening series of bombings, shootings and death threats. The mostly unedited entries retain their typos, missing words and mistakes in English, contributing to a sense of immediacy and intimacy.

Tuesday, Jan. 23, began well enough, Dr. Eskander wrote: “The staff received their monthly salaries after two days delay.” But by 11:30 a.m., “One window was smashed as a result of the explosions. I was informed on the same day that two of our technicians were kidnapped by unknown armed men.” Both were later released unharmed, but then Dr. Eskander learned that “Mr. C, the head of the Restoration Laboratory, received a death threat. He and his family left their house.” After visiting the laboratory, Dr. Eskander wrote: “One of the restorers told me that her brother was murdered ten days a go for sectarian reasons. Another restorer told me that he cousin, who lived in Mosul, in northern Iraq, was also murdered for sectarian reasons. I did not know about these two incidents. I discovered that a number of my staff do not inform the administration about their ordeals for fear of reprisals.”

In mid-January, he published a chart on the impact of sectarian violence on his staff for just the month of December. It included 4 assassinations of employees and 2 kidnappings, 66 murders of staff members’ relatives, 58 death threats and 51 displacements.

The newest entries, posted on Thursday, take readers through Wednesday, Jan. 31. Dr. Eskander writes that the week started off quietly: Most of the staff couldn’t get to work because of blockades and military checkpoints. “On Wednesday, 31 Jan., a huge explosion shock our building. I hurriedly went to the second floor and saw a thick black smockrising from a car in al-Bab al-Mudham round-about (200 meters away from the NLA). I asked the security to prevent all members of staff from going outside the building, fearing that there might be another car-bomb.”

Working to replace rare books and documents that have been destroyed, Dr. Eskander has been in touch with the British Library ever since the Iraq Library and Archive was burned and looted in 2003 when Mr. Hussein’s regime fell. The British Library is trying to send another shipment of microfilm and books, Ms. Finlayson said, although, she added: “Our contact is quite sporadic — it’s difficult to get material there. It’s hard for him to keep in touch.”

The response to the diary has been very moving, said Andy Stephens, secretary to the British Library Board. “To me, why it’s so powerful is these are people doing exactly the same job we are here, and we can relate to them.” He said there has been some interest in dramatizing the excerpts on the radio.

Two weeks ago the library gave people an opportunity to send in comments. Most offered support and prayers, and expressed frustration about being unable to help. “I just want to say how important I think it is both that the BL supports its colleagues in crisis in the ways it is doing,” Andrew King of Canterbury Christ Church University wrote in an e-mail message to the British Library, “and that the Web site allows BL users like me to reflect on the consequences of war for an educated elite who in other, less troubled, countries might not think it possible that they might be subject to terror such as Saad Eskander is going through.”

In the e-mail exchange, Dr. Eskander wrote: “I used to be very optimistic. But, the security situation is getting worse daily.”

Although all available resources have been directed to keeping the collections safe, “terrorists attacks, especially mortars shelling represent a considerable threat,” he wrote. “It is extremely difficult for my staff, including me, to work in a normal way. Many roads and bridges are often blocked. Hundreds of checkpoints are responsible for the daily heavy traffic. There is always the possibility of daily car-bomb attacks, assassinations, kidnapping and so on. Sometimes our drivers refuse to go to dangerous districts. All these ‘tiny things’ affect our works on daily basis.”

Even Better Sign

2007-02-06T17:59:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I got a call requesting Letters of Reference pursuant to my phone interview yesterday. That is step 2 of 3 in this particular library's interview process. The 3rd step is a campus visit for an interview.
So far so good.

I met with my Chemistry supervisor to correct some historical facts for my article that will be published either next month or the following month. Good thing he proofed it prior to publication. The main goal is to make sure to present my Active Learning Games in a positive light without casting any unpropitious insinuations.

I did Usability testing in the lobby today to ascertain how users would "Contact Us" to report a problem or make a suggestion. We have spent a great deal of time and energy making the Contact forms easier to use. Now we are trying to position them where users would look for them. Surprisingly, most equate "Contact Us" with "Ask a Librarian." Very interesting.

Flood in the Library

2007-02-06T12:56:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

WSBT) The extreme cold has been causing problems for people inside as well as outside. At Notre Dame's Hesburgh Library, a pipe burst Monday -- creating a big mess.

It all started at about 9:00am when a pipe on the third floor burst, sending water through the ceilings of the floors below. The second floor had the most damage, library staff worked through the afternoon to dry off the books and mop up the water.

The library reopened at about 3:30pm, except for the second floor where water is still dripping through the ceiling. University officials say they won't reopen it until they're sure the dripping has stopped.

There's no monetary estimate of damage yet. Library officials say they will look at what happened and make sure it doesn't happen again.

Good Sign : )

2007-02-02T20:48:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I sent out my first handful of resumes yesterday and today I got a very encouraging call for a phone interview. I was flattered and it helped ease some of the angst of the unknown. It helped that he said they had already begun phone interviews but when my application arrive all five members on the search committee decided to squeeze me into the interview schedule. YAY!

And last night I got a similar reply from a library I applied to. They said if I can get my letters of reference to them by Thursday they would consider my application even though the deadline had passed a few weeks ago. Phew! So all in all I'd say I'm off to a good start.

15 Minute Drop-in Sessions

2007-01-31T18:38:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

Today I finalized my schedule for my 15 minute Drop-in Sessions for Notre Dame's Online Catalog, Online Journal Articles, WorldCat and of course RefWorks! These will contribute to my 25% Library Instruction responsibilities.

My manager for Instruction, said that I am fast and find great graphics like this one I used for my flier.

Aww Shucks!

154 Days and Counting

2007-01-26T18:28:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

Yay! Today was another great day. I was able to work out a reimbursement plan that effectively coordinated the travel funds provided from the University in addition to the $1,000 I get from ALA for the Emerging Leaders program. Phew! That was no small feat. But everyone was incredibly helpful and patient as I repeatedly filled out the expense forms incorrectly. But that is done so I'm all set for the next ALA Annual Conference in June.
*
I cannot believe I only have a mere 154 days left in my Contract! I can't imagine not being here.
*
But I see my latest review has been published:

Title: Cuban Heritage Collection
Author(s): Felicia Smith
Journal: Reference Reviews Year: 2007 Vol : 21 Issue: 1
ISSN 0950-4125
*
*
We received encouragement to begin applying for other jobs since our time is coming to a close and there is not currently any positions at our library to apply for.

Today's the BIG DAY!

2007-01-25T11:58:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary

The Refworks reference management service was officially launched last week as a joint OIT/Libraries service. As you may have noticed, today is a full-day concourse demo of RefWorks, especially targeted to students.

The RefWorks Commercial is playing on a projection screen in the concourse, but is also a click away from the library homepage in the spotlight area.
*
It is also available on YouTube
Click on the word YouTube to access
the RefWorks Citation Cop video.
*
My mentor called and asked me "Have you NO SHAME?"
If I had a dime for every time someone has asked me that....Ha! Ha!

Sleepless in Seattle

2007-01-20T13:59:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I have the worse hotel in the city. Chalk it up to last minute reservations. I mean no clock, no radio, no cable, only 4 basic television channels and 2 of those are all static, no controllable heat (only a radiator) and no room service, etc...I have the pleasure of listening to car alarms going off all night and it is just all too much!

But my Emerging Leaders program was even more eventful. Someone suggested we walk instead of taking the shuttle and so I did....only 10 minutes...no problem! But they failed to mention it was all uphill! Oh Dear God! Soon after arriving there, we were treated to a fire scare. Complete with 3 fire trucks and so it has been an eventful trip to say the least.

The morning program was interesting but at lunch my group decided it would be a better use of our time to skip the afternoon wrap-up discussion with the other 95 Emerging Leaders and instead attend our Division Meeting and ask for guidance on our project. That was indeed the best use of our time. We bonded over lunch and on the walk to and from the Division Meeting. We were able to meet our sponsors and get very clear directions. We returned to the Emerging Leaders reception and mingled with the rest of the group.

I saw one of my managers and we went for a snack and then I got some goodies at the exhibit hall and returned to my room and tried to sleep.

Emerging Leaders

2007-01-19T18:30:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

We have a Wiki to replace the Blog.
This was taken during our program, after the Fire! Ha!

Can you find me?
It is not as difficult as "Where's Waldo?"

3rd Times a Charm

2007-01-18T17:08:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

It is the last day at work before we leave for the conference and we had a last minute re-shoot.
I was scrambling to re re-arrange my day that was already packed with things to do before I go and meetings I'd crammed in. But I made it work and got the re-shoot done. Now we are getting feedback from students. Hopefully the filming is done. Who knew acting was so draining! Ha!

Latest Publication

2007-01-16T15:48:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I am excited to see my latest article has been published in the IFRT Report. The Report also discusses my selection for the Emerging Leaders program which I will attend this Friday in Seattle! I am super excited: For your viewing pleasure, click on the IFRT hyper link.

Also it was announced that ALA has an account in Second Life featuring Midwinter information. It is on the info island in cybrary city. I'm going to have to check it out. I have not been visited my Second Life in a while. I told my manager today that this is the funnest job I've ever had. Who said Libraries aren't cool?

Take 2

2007-01-12T17:41:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

We re-shot the RefWorks commercial. A co-worker correctly said that the reason we call this project Refworks is because it is a lot of WORK! Oh well, I think the fact that we play up the parody angle more is better. Our first test audience had some difficulty with our 2 competing themes. So hopefully it is almost done. We are preparing for the big roll out day and I have a lot of planning to do. Who knew there would be so much involved.

My blog project is coming along. I am working on Automated Usability Tests to present my findings. I leave for my Emerging Leaders program and ALA Mid-winter next week. So I have to be done with all of my Refworks tasks by then because when I return from the conference, our roll out is the next day.

It's Official...I'm a Star!

2007-01-04T16:17:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I made my very first movie this morning. We shot our RefWorks commercial. Yipee! Now I can say we are halfway through. It is in editing. I think this may have been the funniest filming session ever. The camera man fell off of the dolly we were trying to create the illusion of moving. There were some who did not study their lines or run their lines as we say in the business....like I had done so we had a few re-takes. It should be noted that the entire commercial had maybe 8 (1-line) scripts. So there was no real need to study the lines. We muddled through and one cast member suggested we keep the out takes and send them to America's Funniest Home Videos or use them in our DVD set as Special Features.

Naturally, I came down the Flu yesterday and had to get up early and be in character... as they say, "The show must go on!" I still think the actor who played the Citation Cop could have played all the characters. We are all quite silly but he is really silly!

My nephew is still on winter break so he had the pleasure of attending the 8 am filming. He is actually an extra in the commercial which he is very excited about. He is convinced that this is a "TYPICAL DAY in the LIFE of a LIBRARIAN! "

I am now able to concentrate some more of my energy on my next pet project, my Blog! No not this Blog, my Blog for "New" Electronic Resources.

Cool Blue!

2006-12-30T11:20:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

OK...OK...I know I said I would not work over the Holiday but what can I say -- I love my job and so this is fun and technically not work, per se. Anyway, I found this really cool flexible keyboard and I had not seen one before so this can help me with my project so I had to post it so I would not forget ...you know...when I go back to work ;0)

Phew! Performance Evalutation Done!

2006-12-20T13:06:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I just finished my evaluation. I get myself worked up before these every year. But I got an incredibly positive review, which I expected but still I get so anxious. But I am doing a Bang-Up job, "YAY!"

I emailed all of my rotation managers and thanked them for their wonderfully positive feedback. I added a special note of thanks to Dwight, for omitting his oft repeated comments "She is a great worker...but ...CRIES A LOT!" Ha! Ha! He still refuses to accept my claims that I am a delicate flower.

I have gotten my posters and badges from Kinkos. I told them, "We don't need no stinking Badges!" but oh well. Now I am jumping into my Blog project.

This RefWorks project is just so fun. It is a lot easier to order posters when the conversation goes:

Caller: "Hi again, it's ME."
Kinkos Rep: "Felicia?"

Caller: "Yes. You guys did such a wonderful job on our last 2 orders...guess
what?"
Kinkos Rep: "You want 10 more?"

Caller: " Yes."
Kinkos Rep: "You got it."

Ha! Ha!

Tomorrow is our last work day before Christmas break. I will try to stay out of the office unlike over Thanksgiving Break.

1 Down ...1 to Go

2006-12-13T14:08:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

Today I taught one of my two Smart Board classes. It was really fun. I had to keep the energy level up since it was after lunch so I added Music to some tasks and got a lot of willing volunteers. It was a lot of fun and the participants seemed very impressed by the capabilities of the Smart Board. Some did not know you could use Microsoft Office applications with it. And those who have used Power Point with it before still learned a lot.

They were all very impressed by the Recorder and Video Player. Another crowd pleaser was my beloved Spotlight and Creative Pen options. Yippee.

Simultaneously I am working with the team on the script and storyboard. We have finalized the script so now mainly focused on the "Non-copyrighted, roylaty-free" sounds and effects and props and locations. I will be starring in the commercial, ugh...umm...OKAY??? And I will be filmed atop a flatbed dolly being wheeled down the hall....It promises to be quite insane.

I declare, when I was in Library School, I had absolutely no idea I'd ever be doing any of this stuff. This is the Best-EST and Fun-EST (new word) Residency in the world!

Someone asked if I enjoy having so much holiday time off. I said "Most definitely!" Especially because my former boss was convinced that it was vital to human existence that we stay open regular hours on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.

Oh yes, and the bonuses at Notre Dame didn't hurt either!!

I swear I am having way too much fun to be getting paid for this stuff! Shhh! That is our little secret.

Lunch with Father Hesburgh

2006-12-07T12:57:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

Today I sat at our
Christmas Lunch table
with our Library Director
and THE Father Hesburgh.
Click on his name for his Biography.

Wow!! What an honor!!

Also I learned about this very useful Drupal site. I am still working on creating an ERSA news Blog.

The only way I could love NOTRE DAME more was if it were relocated to South Beach or Miami!

I Have Possibly the Most Exciting Job in the World!

2006-11-25T18:40:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I am writing my first official commercial script complete with storyboard. This is an incredibly new experience and it is amazingly interesting. I am learning so much, so fast, from so many resourceful people. In Library School, I never in my wildest dreams envisioned being able to do the type of work I have done at Notre Dame.

I found the attached great image on the Library's website and it perfectly captures the essence of storyboarding. You have to list each detail, including the setting, the timing of each, etc....Good thing I am a highly visual person so I already visualized each scene prior to writing the script.

I love my JOB!

Twice in 1 Week!! I'ma Play the Lotto ...Not!

2006-11-17T14:30:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

This is my Lucky Week. I won tickets to the Army vs. Notre Dame game. Yippee!! It is very exciting for a couple of reasons:
*
(1) I've never watched an ND game in the stadium.
*
(2) It is the last HOME GAME and so the last time the library will give away tickets. Phew!

GO IRISH!!

The game was awesome!! Especially when the Army Parachutists came flying into the stadium. Talk about an entrance. Too bad they lost.

You May Already Be A Winner!!!

2006-11-15T15:35:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

Weird day to say the least. My co-resident Leslie sent me a Congrats email for being selected for the Emerging Leaders Program at ALA's Midwinter meeting. I waited and waited and checked the mail and my email and my voicemail...but ugh...umm...no notification? So while I was excited that she congratulated me....I ugh..umm...had not...still have not been officially notified by anyone at the E.L. Program?

I emailed them asking for confirmation, after Leslie sent me the Press Release as well as the list of those selected.

So my A.D. said that I have notification...on that PDF list...so they emailed the faculty and so I guess I am glad to have been selected...although....I sure would appreciate some type of official notification.

***Oh well. ****YAY ME! ***I guess?

WPIT

2006-11-14T17:18:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I conducted an online survey by the Reference Desk for an hour his afternoon. We gave away Big Chocolate bars for volunteers who answered a WPIT Committee, 6 question survey on Zoomerang.

Also my co-worker and I completed the UL@ND about our Focus Group and I continued working on four articles. It is truly difficult getting feedback on my articles. But I clearly see how it is developing into a much better writing. The funny part is, having an independent opinion shows how easy it is to omit necessary information simply because I know it, and it is all in my head.

So I am learning a whole lot and am truly humbled!

Self-Evaluation by a Narcissist

2006-11-09T15:19:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

I have completed my self-evals for both the overall residency program and my immediate supervisor. Phew! I have done quite a bit in this residency which was my plan. Today alone, I conducted my first ever Focus Group. It went offf without a hitch. Yay!! Big thanks to my fanatastic ERSA-Minor Committee. It was a lot more work than anticipated so the extra help was invaluable.

I had a hard time at first recalling all I'd accomplished. But then I remembered that I am my #1 Fan so I just wrote a lot of:

I am the Greatest!

I am the Smartest!

I am the Best-est!

I am so Wonderful!

I am Fabulous!

I am a hard-worker!

I am reliable!

I am creative!

I am enthusiastic!

I am Terrific!

Basically, like on the skit from SNL...

"I am good enough...

I am smart enough and

doggone it...

People like me!"

* Oh yes...and we can't forget, most of all

"I am MODEST!" ;)

T.T.F.N.

Not Going Anywhere!

2006-11-08T15:29:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary,

YIPPEEE!!!!!!

I am bursting! Laura told me today I could stay in my current rotation throughout the remainder of my Residency!! I absolutely adore the departments I am currently working in. The Electronic Resources department is the absolute perfect fit and is definitely something I am passionate about.

The split with the Instruction is similarly pleasing. I guess that means the Pirate will return. It is exhausting but completely worthwhile. I was not hopeful because I was invited to repeat my Chemistry Rotation but that was not allowed. Phew!! I am so happy!

I received a print copy of my 1st Review. 6+ more to go. I ordered my 12 Crazy Rainbow Striped Top Hats and 1,100 Mini-Roll Life-Savers for my RefWorks is a Life-Saver Marketing Campaign.

I am just bursting! I have to prepare for my Focus Group tomorrow. I have so much to do, including but not limited to:

1) Facilitate Focus Group

2) Conduct Environmental Scan of Peer Websites - WPIT Committee

3) Prepare Lesson Plan for SmartBoard Tips & Tricks Class

4) Communicate IDR Final Report & Proposals to Staff

5) Continue with RefWorks marketing (I wrote a script for a possible commercial) and

6) Continue usability tests for Internet Explorer 7

Next Generation of Librarians

2006-10-26T16:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

Meet Ms. Dewey

www.msdewey.com

Call it the anti-Google: the background's a futuristic cityscape, the site's all in Flash, and it's hosted by an animated, wisecracking character named Ms. Dewey.

Ms. Dewey is pre-loaded with clever and often cheeky responses to search queries --ask for her phone number, for instance, and see what happens. Ms. Dewey pulls her results from Windows Live Search, and seems like a big fan of Microsoft's hit video game Halo --not surprising, since she's an employee of Microsoft.

The site, put together by San Francisco-based design shop Evolution Bureau, is part of a Microsoft ad campaign, according to the company, although Microsoft is not currently mentioned anywhere on the site.

Ms. Dewey is reminiscent of previously popular viral ad sites like Burger King's Subservient Chicken, but considerably slicker, and actress Janina Gavankar is a lot more appealing than a guy in a chicken suit. http://blogs.forbes.com/digitaldownload/2006/10/meet_ms_dewey.html

(We have found a few other shall we say "Ahem...interesting responses" using keywords that will not be posted on this blog) But one cool keyword phrase was "video games" she starts playing one. When I first pulled it up she was jamming to her iPod. Too funny!

Breaking & Entering

2006-10-25T06:58:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I am by no means a MORNING PERSON!!! So when I made a concentrated effort to get to work early only to discover the automatic doors were locked; I was a bit miffed. Some other ladies explained they don't open until 7:30? Ugh...ummm...that is over a half hour from now. So I paced back and forth and recalled how when I worked in the Law Library, students and faculty, with an I.D. could get in 24 hours a day. And the same with all of my other library jobs; I could get in anytime day or night with the key and/or alarm code.

Since I am not a morning person, my brain was sleep trying to get 5 more minutes of rest so it was not helping. I paced back and forth and considered returning home. Thought about going over to the Law Library, then remembered a special skill I possess of breaking and entering. I grew up in "Da Hood" it was a survival technique. That is my story and I am sticking to it. So Viola! Once in my office I did leave messages for my managers asking if there is an accepted manner to gain entry after hours to our office.

It would be rather embarrassing to get fired for Breaking into your Job!
I love this place what can I say?

Verbots, Chatbot & African Library Automations

2006-10-24T13:45:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

Busy busy day. I have learned a lot today and shared a lot of information as well. Most interesting thing I learned today was about Chatbots. This is a 35 minute podcast about a german chatbot service by Anne Christensen discussed at an ACCESS conference. This chatbot is named Stella and has gotten marriage proposals, been asked to remove her clothes to which she asks if the user is a medical student and if they would like to be directed to medical sites? Ha! http://www.access2006.uottawa.ca/?page_id=10
*
The above has had been greatly helpful as a MARKETING TOOL even though it was originally planned to help with Information Literacy.
*
I had written about Verbots in 2000. So I shared that information with my co-workers. Verbots in the Library" presented by David Bennett of Robert Morris College Library, Pittsburgh. A "verbot" is a verbal robot, and, in this case, the verbot is a computer animation with speech synthesis that understands natural language queries.

Bennett talked Virtual Personalities Inc. into giving his library a free copy of their verbot software, including the character Sylvie, a sassy young woman with attitude. Bennett set her up on a PC with dual monitors near the reference area to answer directional questions.

Because Sylvie can open Windows-based programs, she goes beyond giving verbal replies to queries; she can respond to a policy question by opening a Word document or to a request for a Pittsburgh map by opening a Web page from MapQuest. Bennett showed how easy it is to script questions and answers into Sylvie's database and how to change her facial expressions.

When asked what impact Sylvie has had on his library, Bennett said that no workflow study had been done, but the staff had had a lot of fun scripting Sylvie and the library's image on campus had been enhanced. Click this link for more information.

For more current information on Verbots,
see here: http://www.verbots.com/products.php
*
*
Also, I shared information on a Tanzanian library automation project.
African Countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, and Tanzania

The Mortenson Center for International Library Programs at the University of Illinois Library at Urbana- Champaign has received a three-year, $499,900 grant from the Carnegie Corporation. Seven African grantee university institutions have been chosen to receive funds and assistance with incorporating fully automated online catalog and computer- based library management system through trainings and set- up of technical support and communication systems: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/mortenson/Documents/Carnegie_Press.htm

One Potato ...Two Potato...

2006-10-20T18:56:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I volunteered to test all of the electronic resources using the Internet Explorer 7 Browser. In theory, it seemed like a wonderful idea. I explained that it would be a great learning experience for me to ensure that I get experience with the collection and become more familiar with the available resources.

I would like to stress the "in theory" portion in the above entry.
I checked 50 today. I am starting with the e-journals. I have scheduled a meeting with people in my department to discuss how to go about testing the databases. God help me. I must be insane because outher than my eyes getting crossed...I am actually learning a lot and identifying useful resources.

Luckily, the team has agreed that I can just check groups by providers since the same providers will have the same problems regardless of the journal/database. Phew!

Blogs, Blogs and More Blogs

2006-10-19T14:04:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

Been cheating on you with other blogs. I am creating a blog for my department and there is a lot more involved in making sure all the users' needs are met and the level of professionalism is guarded and the templates can be customized, etc....

So basically after blogging all day long, I have not been blogging for fun. But these are some of the ones I have narrowed the choices down to:

From Wordpress
On the above website, I like the 2 examples:
Like the TOP images here and
3D effect here.
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The team loves the layout here.
But it is a webpage, and we are more interested in the ease of updating offered by blogs.
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Separately, I have been working on Marketing Ideas for RefWorks. I plan to combine a few concepts the team likes:

We like the puzzle piece ideathat RefWorks uses but they don't allow us to edit the posters:

So instead I want to create my own poster using my theme "Refworks to the Rescue" keeping with our lifesaver theme. So I thought it would cool to use the puzzle pieces concept but have the image be a Life Saver. I found this really cute puzzle piece image on the Web Group's site. We want to do something like this.
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In a separate Blogosphere I found this link that discusses Cost Benefit Analysis of Institutional Repositories. I passed it along to our IDR team, since they are drafting the final report replete with a "Chinese Menu of Choices A, B & C."
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Also, I am working on my focus group. Since I am Chair of the ERSA-Minor Committee, I have been learning a lot about how complex planning is. I have these grand ideas that are labor-intensive. For example we wanted to offer $20 gift certificates for the Bookstore. Well, who knew I'd have to report the names and S.S.N.s of all recipients and then they'd have to pay taxes on them. Good Grief. One alternative is the buy sweatshirts, hats or T-shirts that can be exchanged at the Bookstore, but then that requires deciding on colors and sizes and then they may need to exchange it which is more like a dis-incentive if you ask me. Ugh!!

So now I am trying to figure out the payment methods and delivery options. Again, that seems like it would be a simple task, but if we use a restaurant that is not part of a national chain, I need to complete a Food Permit request that will need to be aapproved by Risk Management to ensure that restaurant has not had any health incidents, etc...I reserved the room, that was about the only simple task so far. Oh well, I am gaining lots of experience. This has been an incredible learning exercise. And it helps to know that a lot of faculty I ask for assistance have not dealt with these issues so it is encouraging to know I can now serve as a resource for someone considering a similar venture in the future.
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In addition, I have to prepare for my annual review. I had to print a copy of my 5 articles I have published since I began here. And I added copies of emails pertaining to future publication dates for 7 more.

It's a Plane...It's a Bird...It's Priests on Trikes!

2006-10-10T13:07:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I absolutely love this place and not just because of the impressive season of our Football team, but our priests are pretty impressive.

This article was on the news:

Priests Peddle For Cancer Research

A new twist in the fight against Cancer as people gather for an unusual competition on the campus of Notre Dame.

Those taking part, priests, who put their pride aside to raise money for Relay For Life.

Complete with their own pace car and checkered flag at the finish line, a handful of Notre Dame priests put their peddle power to the test Monday on tricycles.

Fr. Jerry Neyrey says, "I expect to come in last."Neyrey is one of the racers raising money for Relay For Life.

Neyrey says, "I'm a cancer survivor, so I have extra interest in raising money for fighting cancer."

This creative fund raiser called "Priests on Wheels" was quite funny for those in the crowd.

Sister Ann Joggin got quite a kick watching these "holy rollers" cut across campus on three wheels.

Sister Joggin says, "Some of these were my teachers when I studied in Boston that now teach here and some are my colleagues. They're willing to make fools of themselves for a good cause and have fun doing it."

Fr. Dan Parrish, C.S.C. says, "I guess it's rather odd."Parrish, the priest with the fastest feet, says this race will help them connect with students on campus.

Fr. Parrish, C.S.C. says, "They see us around in other things, on the altar in the Basilica, see us presiding mass, and then come and see us on a tricycle, a little disconnect there but it's good. It's for a good cause."

Thomas Mueller, a Notre Dame student says, "It's great entertainment. These are all guys that we see around campus and teaching classes and everything. It's nice to see them outside the classroom."

The woman behind this friendly tricycle competition among fathers, Deb Patterson, is a throat Cancer survivor. The manager of the campus coffeehouse is happy everyone had so much fun while raising much needed money for Cancer research at the same time.

Deb Patterson says, "These priests are the greatest."Patterson says she will continue raising money for Relay For Life the next couple months. But by far, this was her most unique and talked about fund raiser.http://www.fox28.com/News/index.php?ID=5835

1st of Many

2006-10-10T12:06:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

Reference Reviews
Volume 20 Number 7
2006 pp. 21-22

I got my first review published. Yippee!

Day 2...Classes Love PirRRRate TeacherRRR

2006-09-20T22:09:00.000-05:00

Pirate Teacher Debut

2006-09-19T18:24:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

Today Pascal and I teamed up and co-taught our first First Year Composition Library Instruction classes and what a gRRRReat class. I got very positive Evaluations. I created my own to determine which things were "engaging" and what was "distracting." I was asked for this type of feedback for my "Pirate-Teacher's Active Learning Exercises" article that will be published in the Journal of Academic Librarianship in March 2007.Needless to say, I got a LOT of attention, especially while taking my students on a tour of the first three floors of the library. After both 75 minute classes which were one after the other, I walked to LaFun to grab a bite and oh my gosh, what an experience! I had gotten a lot of practice with a "quick explanation" about teaching topics such as "Net Piracy" and "Use if Pirated Materials" blah blah blah because I had the good fortune to have our Director walk past the room while we were setting up and naturally she came to ask why I was dressed like a pirate? Anywho...the students I encountered on the God-Quad loved the idea. Some asked if they could "Request my class session" since all First Year Students have to take such a library class. Awww. I was flattered. A few students yelled out jokes for me to answer which I got wrong, such as:

Q: What is a Pirate's favorite animal?
A: aaRRRRRRdvark

Q: What is a Pirate's favorie mode of transportation?
I guess RRRRR V ...wrong!
A: A Ship.

I tell ya the fun never stops when you walk across campus in a Pirate outfit!

Fellow librarians told me about this great Pirate teaching resources: http://www.talklikeapirate.com/teachers.html
My students were aware that today was International Talk Like a Pirate Day. http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

Try, Try, Try, Try Again and Again and Again

2006-09-10T19:04:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I have finished my PowerPoint outline for my Pirate Teacher classes next week. I have begun researching marketing ideas for electronic resources. I have revised my JAWS - library horror article for the 4th time. I really like the suggestions this editor gave me. But that means that I had to start from scratch, yet again. I am not giving up on this article. It is now officially the one I have worked the hardest and longest on.

This quote just seemed appropriate:

"You'll never find what you're looking for, until you know what you're looking for,before you go looking for it."~~Philosphy Instructor

Commitments and Publications and Publicity

2006-09-07T17:03:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

While I love everything about this Residency, the only complication is the uncertainty of having only a 2-year contract. For example, we were asked to present again at the next Indiana Library Federation Conference but it is not taking place until November 2007. But my contract ends August 2007. So I had to decline the offer to present. I just can't honestly commit to present in Indiana when I may be forced to seek employment in another city. That was really hard but I feel that was the only realistic decision.

I offered to assist if I am still a Hoosier, next year. But that is just part of the experience. Gotta take the good with the not so good.

Also, we had a reception at the main library and I ran into a lady I had helped when I worked in the Law Library. She was a server at the reception and came up to thank me again for all the helpful information I gave her. That really made me feel good because she was one of the first legal research questions I received and it took me a long time to find the answers she needed. Phew! But it reminds me of why I became a Librarian.

**BONUS** I got a funny but flattering email from the editor of the Journal of Academic Librarianship. He said he does not know if I am more nuts for writing the Pirate Teacher Active Learning Exercises' article or if he is more nuts for deciding to publish it! Ha! Ha! That also made me feel really good. I worked hard on that article and he said he could clearly see the "considerable content" even with all the humor. THANK YOU!!! Finally! He said it should be published in March.

I was notified that my 4th Reference Review will be published next year, maybe in February. Yippee!!

I re-submitted my Cheminformatics' article for Peer-Review. This is a hard process. I had to submit a "Revision Outline" highlighting all the changes I made to the original. Luckily I had created a rough draft of just such a document before I knew I would need an outline like that. So now it has been accepted again for consideration along with my Revision Outline. We learn as we go, eh?

Speaking of my publications, I have gotten a couple of odd phone calls following the publication of my "Weary Helper" article wherein I compare Librarianship to my stent as a Private Investigator. I have gotten requests from fellow Librarians to work on "cases" for them. And today I got a request from someone to investigate people at Notre Dame or who claim to have been at Notre Dame...I decline all requests for 2 good reasons. 1st, my manager told me when I first arrived that I am contractually prohibited from other employment and 2nd, I have not worked as an Investigator in over 8 years. All of my contacts have switched careers or moved out of the city.

Also, I met with my manager and she reviewed the timeline for my "marketing projects" for electronic resources in general and Refworks, in particular. I am really excited about coming up with marketing ideas and she has agreed to let me begin a committee focused on publicity. We will discuss it in greater details next week. I have already come up with a name for it. Since the The Electronic Resources and Serials Access Department is called "ERSA" I shall call my mini-committee ERSA-Minor...Get it? It is a play on words; the constellation Ursa Minor contains the group of stars commonly called the Little Dipper.

2006-09-05T09:31:00.000-05:00

Sisters AND Strength

2006-09-03T19:01:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

One of the really helpful aspects of this Residency is the camaraderie of the previous and simultaneous other Residents. The former African-American female and my co-Resident and I went to lunch and it was truly empowering. It is comparable to a support group in that we have dealt with the same issues and concerns and we are able to truly understand this experience as others are not able to. I am grateful that I have them to keep me encouraged and to inspire me.
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I used some of the leadership skills I learned at the Purdue Workshops to solve a problem. Basically, I ABSOLUTELY love my job....utterly disliked my cubicle. But I vowed to not complain about anything, and to only focus on the positive. I am truly blessed to be working at Notre Dame and so everything else must be put in perspective. Well one of my co-workers came to install my new email and asked about the scotch tape covering my keyboard tray. I explained that the wood is ragged and I literally bleed every time I put my hands on the tray to type. I put a scarf over the tray, problem solved.

She asked about the collage of brightly colored papers and Arizona Iced Tea bottles strewn about my cube. I explained that I suffer from S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) *SAD is a mood disorder associated with depression episodes and related to seasonal variations of light. So being confined to the grey cubicle is quite depressing and counter productive to creative process and efficiency.

She asked how long my light was out above my desk, "Who knows?" She asked about a few other shall we say ergonomically-incorrect features of my cube and strongly encouraged me to ask those things be changed.

I decided why stop there. I am not necessarily greedy but I try to think big. So I thought about one role-playing exercise we did at the workshop and decided to apply those tools to requesting an office on the other side of the hall with a Window! I would not have ordinarily had the courage to make such a request. But after framing my request using the guidelines I learned at the workshop, I felt confident in the logic and the requisite power strategy. Yippee!
I am proud to annouce that our Director agreed to my request.

I now have a seemingly bigger office (technically not) and a window with a view but not just any view....but a view of the GOLDEN DOME!!!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE MY JOB??

Hey I Didn't Say It...Alice Did!

2006-09-03T14:40:00.000-05:00

Refworks & Webinar

2006-08-30T16:20:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I have had a few meetings on Refworks. I will meet with Jim Cope from OIT next to discuss marketing. I've done the tutorials and learned of the differences between Refworks and Endnote. Basically, Refworks does not have as steep of a learning curve and is more user-friendly and better for Undergraduates. So my job will be to convince people who don't know that they need this...that they need it.

View a silly, 30-second Student Commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MFTvX5PqQ8
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This has it listed across the top Navigation bar
http://www.welch.jhu.edu/index.cfm

This has a link under Managing Citations
http://www.lib.umich.edu/

This has a box added under the A-Z list
http://www.gwumc.edu/library/eresources/search.cfm?i=5766

This has a link for Reference Resources
http://www.library.arizona.edu/search/reference/citation.html

This link is not working currently but it was one we liked
www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/db/eresources.html

This was a separate webpage but has a nice design and information
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/refworks/
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I attended a MARCit Webinar today. My first Webinar. It was interesting, I learned a lot. But the setup itself was interesting. My co-worker used our manager's office to present on the Webinar, while my manager and I walked over to the Business Library to watch the presentation...it was truly a unique experience. It was a novel approach though. They said over 19 countries were taking part. It was dark in the room, and after lunch. Ugh...okay. But it was only 45 minutes of presentation.

I had lunch with my co-worker (who presented at the Webinar) and my manager. She told me that she is so glad to have me in her department and she wants me to stay past the usual rotation of six months, if I would like. I told her I would love that! She said "You are just what our department needed and wanted!" I asked her to make me a sign that states that!

We also discussed some issues involving different opinions and I told her that while we all admit to being "contrary-librarians" we have a purpose. I told her "We are 'Contrarians for the Greater Good'" She loved that and so I suggested we get some Team Shirts made. Ha!

In our Reference meeting, we discussed a little known ZoomText feature that reads to patrons, just like a program called JAWS. JAWS For Windows/JFW Screen Readers for People Who are Blind or Vision Impaired http://www.nanopac.com/JAWS.htm.

Today I did a New International Graduate Student Orientation. Only one showed up so there were 4 librarians present, ha!
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Speaking of students, I saw 2 of our High School Student workers from this summer about town, separately; Saba (my Mentee) and Tarrez. I was pleasantly surprised to see each one.

Podcasting?

2006-08-15T17:39:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

In our reference meeting we discussed the possibility of my working on a podcasting project involving either Library Instruction or some other function. I told them while I am the uncontested champion on all things electronic, I firmly contend that the purpose must be clear, the medium (podcast) must be a good fit and
if it is an Audio versus Video-podcast...
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for the love of GOD...
make it engaging, entertaining, interesting, something!
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But most of all ... MAKE IT CONCISE!!!

One idea mentioned was this:

Alden Library now has a new way for you to learn about the library. Now you can listen to a tour on your mp3 player or iPOD. Simply download the audio file of the tour to your mp3 player or iPOD, and listen as you walk around the library. The tour hits all seven floors of the library and takes about 30 minutes. You can download the entire tour below (about 15 minutes of audio) to take the entire tour all at once, or visit the Podcast Tour Page to download each floor separately. For the podcast, click here http://www.library.ohiou.edu/newsblog/?p=131

Not Always Easy

2006-08-15T16:40:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

While I appreciate when people congratulate me on having published a lot in a short time, it is not as easy as it seems.

For every article published there is another one waiting. I have just received some harsh yet needed revision suggestions. I am incredibly overly sensitive when it comes to people reviewing my writing. In fact, that is why I quit my job in Public Relations. I just physically could not tolerate red ink on my (what I considered to be) "masterpiece."

So it is really hard to suck it up and make the requested revisions. But in the end, I am more pleased with the final product. Basically I've been forced to add more statistics and studies corroborating my premises which will make it more "scholarly" and thus more likely to pass this rigorous PEER-REVIEW process...Good Grief Man!!!

But I have learned a lot and the comments weren't all bad. A few were quite flattering and complimentary!

Funny how I only focus on those that were though.
Oh well...back to work.

Looking Forward to Being the "Pirate Teacher"

2006-08-11T08:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I am really looking forward to working with my new departments. I have total creative control over my instruction sessions without limitations and I do not have to stick to conventional methods. Watch Out! Ha!

I met with my manager from Collection Development yesterday at 9 to finalize the changes they suggested to out Evaluation Report. Done!

Next I met with my new team members and manager in the Electronic Resources Department and I am gonna love this group. We are kindred spirits, what they call "Contrarians." It will be so nice to have others who love to be "contrary" to the group. Phew!

Finally I met with my manager in Library Instruction to go over the basics I will need to cover for the first year students. Piece of cake. I just learned how to use the SmartBoard and couldn't be more excited. I can hardly wait to flesh out my Pirate & Searching for Buried Treasure (information) Themed-activities!
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RRRRR ... I love my job!

Hoarders vs. Deleters: What Your Inbox Says About You

2006-08-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary,

I got an interesting email titled:
Hoarders vs. Deleters: What your inbox says about you.
By JEFFREY ZASLOW Wall Street Journal 2006-08-10

(AP) - You are your inbox.

Take a clear-eyed look at how you answer or file each email. Notice what you choose to keep or delete. Consider your anxiety when your inbox is jammed with unanswered messages.
The makeup and tidiness of your inbox is a reflection of your habits, your mental health and, yes, even the way Mom and Dad raised you.

"If you keep your inbox full rather than empty, it may mean you keep your life cluttered in other ways," says psychologist Dave Greenfield, who founded the Center for Internet Behavior in West Hartford, Conn.
"Do you cling to the past? Do you have a lot of unfinished business in your life?"
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Librarian-in-Excellence says, "Not I"

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On the other hand, if you obsessively clean your inbox every 10 minutes, you may be so quick to move on that you miss opportunities and ignore nuances. Or your compulsion for order may be sapping your energy from other endeavors, such as your family.
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Librarian-in-Excellence says, "Hmmm..could be?"
:(

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Email addiction, of course, is now a cultural given. But a less-noticed byproduct of that is the impulse of the inbox. Some of us are obsessed with moving every email to an appropriate folder while killing junk "spam" on arrival and making sure Mom knows that we got her email and still love her. Meanwhile, others among us are e-procrastinators, modern-day Scarlett O'Haras who figure we'll deal with old email tomorrow. We're discovering that the disorder in our inboxes mirrors the disorder in our homes, marriages and checkbooks.

Those who are too nice in other areas of their lives may be more likely to struggle with unwieldy inboxes, says Merlin Mann, creator of 43folders.com, a Web site about personal productivity. Polite people (or those who want to be liked) feel obliged to participate in ping-pong correspondences with chatty friends. They haven't the heart to give anyone the no-response brush-off. But Mr. Mann says such ruthlessness is necessary.
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Librarian-in-Excellence says, "Suckers!"

Ha!

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In Greensboro, N.C., Internet consultant Wally Bock keeps his inbox down to a manageable few dozen messages. He credits his sense of order to "having disciplined parents who made that a value." Still, he recognizes the downside. Many "Inbox Zero" zealots interrupt their work every time they hear a ping announcing incoming email. "Multitasking is a misnomer," says Mr. Bock. "What you're really doing is switching rapidly between tasks. And every time you switch, you have to start up again. Over the course of a day, you lose a chunk of efficiency."

University of Toronto instructor Christina Cavanagh studied hundreds of office workers for her book "Managing Your Email: Thinking Outside the Inbox." One of her subjects, a finance executive, had 10,000 emails in his inbox. She advised him to simply delete the oldest 9,000. Busy people, drowning in email, may have no choice but to kill old messages and suffer the consequences. (Mr. Mann calls this "euthanasia.")

Because "inboxes are metaphors for our lives," Dr. Greenfield says, there's no cure-all solution to inbox management. We're all too different. But he believes an awareness of our inbox behavior can help us better understand other areas of our lives.

"If you have 1,000 emails in your inbox, it may mean you don't want to miss an opportunity, but there are things you can't pull the trigger on," Dr. Greenfield says.

"If you have only 10 emails in your inbox, you may be pulling the trigger too fast and missing the richness of life."
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Librarian-in-Excellence says, "Says You!"

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**Cartoon image from http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/i/inboxes.asp