It is hard for me to believe that it has been ten years since I started this blog. But, yesterday, marked the 10th anniversary of the blog. I have published 584 posts - there are some still in draft mode which may, or may not see the light of day.
I am in my third job, and state, since starting. I have had a lot of changes in my life which I could never have imagined ten years ago. Some are good. Some were much more painful.
The blog has varied in purpose. Originally, it had a good deal of library content - including reflections on my day job, and information/thoughts about ALA. I was serving on the ALA Executive Board - actually, I was more than half way through.
There was a time when the blog was just a parking place for links - mostly library related.
More recently it has become a more personal and philosophical forum, but still with a focus on libraries.
I don't get many comments, but I do get a lot of views. I guess, I don't worry about that any more. It amazes me to see that ALA 101, written in 2006, still gets traffic. I did go and look at it last year, and it is still pretty accurate.
Anyway, thanks for reading!
Showing posts with label Blog (this one). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog (this one). Show all posts
Tuesday, July 07, 2015
Sunday, July 06, 2014
Happy Birthday, Blog
It was nine years ago that I started this blog. Wow. #568. A great deal has happened to me since then.
One thing which has not changed for me was the subject of my second blog post ever, on July 7, 2005. The title of that blog was: "Driving, Weather, and 'ALA Post-Partum Blues'". The first two are not issues for me today, but the third still is. Here is part of what I said then:
(Oh, and Happy Birthday to Brian, my younger son, whose name is often mistyped by my clumsy fingers as "Brain.")
One thing which has not changed for me was the subject of my second blog post ever, on July 7, 2005. The title of that blog was: "Driving, Weather, and 'ALA Post-Partum Blues'". The first two are not issues for me today, but the third still is. Here is part of what I said then:
For many of us, we get to spend some concentrated time together working on important issues, thinking thoughts about the big picture and enjoying working hard on the process. We get to vote and make decisions. Now we are back home. For me, that means the every day realities... While we email back and forth between conferences, that personal contact is really important. ... I am very much in favor of having technology help us to do our work, but this "blues" I am feeling are clearly related to a sense of missing the personal interaction.(I did edit some of the text.) While we have tools to use which are different than we did nine years ago, I am still a firm believer in the importance of personal contact. At this conference, I got to meet some friends whom I had only interacted with using tools like Facebook. Our future relationship will be able to be deeper having had personal interaction.
(Oh, and Happy Birthday to Brian, my younger son, whose name is often mistyped by my clumsy fingers as "Brain.")
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Hiatus?
If anyone still reads this, you may have noticed that my posting frequency has declined quite a bit. Only 37 posts in the first ten months of the year. Of those, 4 were vacation notes in July, 3 were "Library Day in the Life" posts (2 for round 6, one for round 7), and 7 were related to ALA (midwinter, annual, and the LITA "kerfluffle").
While one of the recent uses has been for me to track some interesting blog posts from others (by including links here), I am considering a hiatus. Most of the posts during this calendar year (12 of 20) were collections of links. That is an average of "only" one per week for the non-special topics.
So, maybe I no longer have much to say. Or maybe I don't have the time and burning desire to say it. How long long will the hiatus last? I don't know.
Permanent death? Maybe, we will see.
While one of the recent uses has been for me to track some interesting blog posts from others (by including links here), I am considering a hiatus. Most of the posts during this calendar year (12 of 20) were collections of links. That is an average of "only" one per week for the non-special topics.
So, maybe I no longer have much to say. Or maybe I don't have the time and burning desire to say it. How long long will the hiatus last? I don't know.
Permanent death? Maybe, we will see.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Searching v. Discovery (and ALA) [Post #500]
In looking at my list of posts as I edited this one and a couple others, I noticed that this is post number 500.[Actually there are three older posts in draft form that I need to edit...this weekend, I hope.] I started on July 5, 2005. At that time I never thought I would get this far, and certainly not in 5 1/2 years.
Andromeda Yelton, in her ... blog, talks about these topics. In chronological order, she starts with "The structure of ALA seems to me like a controlled vocabulary." In that post, she admits that she understands the strength and power of controlled vocabulary, but in moving the analogy to ALA she shows some insight:
And finally, she gives her answers to some of the questions Andy Woodworth raises about ALA.
Andromeda Yelton, in her ... blog, talks about these topics. In chronological order, she starts with "The structure of ALA seems to me like a controlled vocabulary." In that post, she admits that she understands the strength and power of controlled vocabulary, but in moving the analogy to ALA she shows some insight:
I see people (including, but not only, Gen Xers) talking about the disconnect between ALA and younger librarians, they’re talking about the divide between a slow vetting process and a system that’s nimble, fast, long-tail-friendly, decentralized — chaotic, uncertain, unpredictable, emergent.She ends with a great question:
You want to know what I spend a lot of time thinking about these days, it’s this: how do you cultivate the metaphoric parallels of tagging in a controlled-vocabulary world? How do you get there from here?A day later she talks more about the fallacies of tagging (i.e. discovery) and less about ALA.
And finally, she gives her answers to some of the questions Andy Woodworth raises about ALA.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Writing/Blogging
As I pulled into the parking lot at work today my almost 3 year old car turned 98,000 miles exactly.
What does that have to do with writing and blogging?
I got to thinking about some of the work-related writing I have done over the years, and this blog as well. Back when I was first a library director, I had not yet begun the habit of writing monthly reports for my Board, but I did have to write for the Annual Report. It was not a difficult task, and only occurred once a year. But then, after almost a decade I changed jobs.
I became the Executive Director of the Southern Connecticut Library Council (SCLC), a multi-type, cooperative library organization with schools, academic, public, and "special" libraries as members. [SCLC no longer exists.] There were two parts to the writing. First was a monthly report to the board. That was not so difficult, and my audience was only a dozen or so. However the monthly newsletter was different. The Director's column was on the front, and we printed multiple copies to send to our 300+ members. It scared me at first. However, I soon got used to it.
It was interesting to find out what people reacted to. During that time I also served a year as the president of the Connecticut Library Association. For the newsletter I had to write a column also, and it had to be different than the SCLC one, since most of the SCLC members were also CLA members. That is where we loop back to the opening of this post about my car. In both of the columns I wrote that year, I included occasional persona snippets including about the car which I was then driving, and turned 100,000 miles. I told stories about driving and the car at the end of some of my columns (in both publications). I was amazed at how many people commented on those remarks.
It occurs to me, that the reason is that so many own a car that they can really identify with the situations I described. (BTW, I did talk about driving in earlier posts (in chronological order): July 2005, and again, June 2008, August 2008, March 2009, and August 2009.
Now, in thinking about the writing thing, it occurs to me that blogging has helped to channel what has become a need to write. It was stirred by my SCLC/CLA experience. What I did not note is that starting with the SCLC job, and continuing through my next two directorships, I instituted a monthly written directors report. In both of those cases, I wrote the initial part, and then compiled from the reports which I requested from each of my "direct reports."
Interestingly, I was recently catching up on links and blogs and found that Andy Woodworth also wrestled with the issue of "why do I write" in a recent post.
Unlike some colleagues, I am not a trained writer. [I am thinking in particular of Karen Schneider who has an MFA in writing.] And I would note that I am not even as talented a writer as Walt Crawford who often downplays his talent in this area. Here is a link to his "writing and blogging" category. In so many ways I am a hacker at this writing thing. I know that I am more unpolished as a blogger than I was as a column writer or even as a library director reporting. In all those cases I had editors and someone to review and make suggestions for editorial revisions. At the same time, for me, and many others, this is a great outlet.
What does that have to do with writing and blogging?
I got to thinking about some of the work-related writing I have done over the years, and this blog as well. Back when I was first a library director, I had not yet begun the habit of writing monthly reports for my Board, but I did have to write for the Annual Report. It was not a difficult task, and only occurred once a year. But then, after almost a decade I changed jobs.
I became the Executive Director of the Southern Connecticut Library Council (SCLC), a multi-type, cooperative library organization with schools, academic, public, and "special" libraries as members. [SCLC no longer exists.] There were two parts to the writing. First was a monthly report to the board. That was not so difficult, and my audience was only a dozen or so. However the monthly newsletter was different. The Director's column was on the front, and we printed multiple copies to send to our 300+ members. It scared me at first. However, I soon got used to it.
It was interesting to find out what people reacted to. During that time I also served a year as the president of the Connecticut Library Association. For the newsletter I had to write a column also, and it had to be different than the SCLC one, since most of the SCLC members were also CLA members. That is where we loop back to the opening of this post about my car. In both of the columns I wrote that year, I included occasional persona snippets including about the car which I was then driving, and turned 100,000 miles. I told stories about driving and the car at the end of some of my columns (in both publications). I was amazed at how many people commented on those remarks.
It occurs to me, that the reason is that so many own a car that they can really identify with the situations I described. (BTW, I did talk about driving in earlier posts (in chronological order): July 2005, and again, June 2008, August 2008, March 2009, and August 2009.
Now, in thinking about the writing thing, it occurs to me that blogging has helped to channel what has become a need to write. It was stirred by my SCLC/CLA experience. What I did not note is that starting with the SCLC job, and continuing through my next two directorships, I instituted a monthly written directors report. In both of those cases, I wrote the initial part, and then compiled from the reports which I requested from each of my "direct reports."
Interestingly, I was recently catching up on links and blogs and found that Andy Woodworth also wrestled with the issue of "why do I write" in a recent post.
Unlike some colleagues, I am not a trained writer. [I am thinking in particular of Karen Schneider who has an MFA in writing.] And I would note that I am not even as talented a writer as Walt Crawford who often downplays his talent in this area. Here is a link to his "writing and blogging" category. In so many ways I am a hacker at this writing thing. I know that I am more unpolished as a blogger than I was as a column writer or even as a library director reporting. In all those cases I had editors and someone to review and make suggestions for editorial revisions. At the same time, for me, and many others, this is a great outlet.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Blogger - How the hell do you give them feed back
Ok...I know that this is a free service. But, did you know that it is next to impossible to find a way to send them a message???
It may be one of the few places on the web where there is no way to give input on changes.
Today when I logged in, I find that I am required to use my Google/gmail account. This is even though, I established this blog with a different email.
Why does that matter? Well, if I want to log out of editing the blog, I am automatically, and unceremoniously dumped out of my gmail account.
As with so many Google "enhancements" (and similar to the "features" provided in Microsoft upgrades), it was unannounced (even though they *do* have my email address...or two!).
What is up with that? Look at what happened to Jstor.
Wordpress is beginning to look good.....
It may be one of the few places on the web where there is no way to give input on changes.
Today when I logged in, I find that I am required to use my Google/gmail account. This is even though, I established this blog with a different email.
Why does that matter? Well, if I want to log out of editing the blog, I am automatically, and unceremoniously dumped out of my gmail account.
As with so many Google "enhancements" (and similar to the "features" provided in Microsoft upgrades), it was unannounced (even though they *do* have my email address...or two!).
What is up with that? Look at what happened to Jstor.
Wordpress is beginning to look good.....
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Blog Anniversary, etc.
Well, it is my son's birthday (again), and it also means that my blog is having its anniversary also. I started this five years ago today. And, no, I did not do it on my son's birthday on purpose.
This year was the first time in a very long time that I did not attend ALA Annual, and as a result I don't have the same kind of "post-ALA blues" which I wrote about in my first "real" post on July 7, 2005.
My posting patterns have changed over the years, as has the content. I am about to head out on vacation, and for the blog I have two goals: 1) finish editing three posts from April 2009 to wrap up the PLA Spring Symposium; and 2) to spend some time reflecting on where this blog is going to go.
We will be in Northern Minnesota, and have been told that cell service is "spotty" but that the resort has wi-fi.
Stay tuned....
This year was the first time in a very long time that I did not attend ALA Annual, and as a result I don't have the same kind of "post-ALA blues" which I wrote about in my first "real" post on July 7, 2005.
My posting patterns have changed over the years, as has the content. I am about to head out on vacation, and for the blog I have two goals: 1) finish editing three posts from April 2009 to wrap up the PLA Spring Symposium; and 2) to spend some time reflecting on where this blog is going to go.
We will be in Northern Minnesota, and have been told that cell service is "spotty" but that the resort has wi-fi.
Stay tuned....
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Travel "issues"
Prelude: Back in the summer of 2007, I wrote about our Road Trip from Hell which started at ALA Annual in DC. It was a two part story, with Part 2 here. On that trip, the airline was American Airlines
The Story: Christmas brought us another adventure. We left on Christmas Eve morning to go to Jamaica. We were flying on US Airways [aka Useless Airways]. Now, remember that we are leaving New Orleans, and going to Montego Bay. Which airport is not in a fairly logical route to Jamaica?
Of course the ticket counter was outside security, and folks with checked luggage were expected to collect their luggage. (After the aforementioned adventure, we rarely check luggage ... never on vacation.) We were #4 in line. There were two agents when we got to the counter. Remember, it is now 4 pm on Christmas Eve, and we were supposed to be in Jamaica, at the pre-paid resort several hours ago (even after the 90 minute bus ride). We overheard the first agent say to the person, "Well, I think I can get you there on the 27th." My companion nearly lost it then. More agents arrived, and we got to the counter. The agent got us confirmed seats on a noon-time flight, on (ironically) American Airlines the next day.....from Miami. However, the flights to Miami were full, and we were #3 and #4 on the standby lists.
We went back through security and to the Miami gate. We looked at the board to see what other options there were. Once the flight was announced, they were looking for volunteers to be bumped to a later flight (first class) or a flight to Fort Lauderdale. As the boarding proceeded, we went to the gate. The gate agent, Philip B [yes, I wrote a complimentary note] worked very hard. First he said, I can get one of you on this flight for sure. So we said, what about getting us to Ft. Lauderdale. He said it was full, but there was a seat to West Palm Beach. Then, he said, there is a train which costs about $7 and goes from West Palm to Miami. We said we would take it!
So, I get to go to West Palm Beach. First Class. That part was fine. Then I got there and talked to the agent. He said, yes, there is a train, but it is not real close to the airport. He said there is a bus, or you can take a cab. I asked if US Airways would pay. He said he thought so, and gave me a sheet about how to contact them. I went down to the ground transportation desk. They sent me to the bus stop, but the last bus had left about 20 minutes before. So cab it was. $29 including tip! Not real close was true! Got to the train station, and boarded a train that was much like the double-decker commuter trains in Chicago, after buying a ticket at the station. The train left.....but it was not a short ride. It was almost 90 minutes!
Meanwhile, my companion got to Miami, got the hotel and meal vouchers, and got to the hotel. We chatted on the phone and said, don't take the shuttle to the airport and then the hotel shuttle, just take a cab. I walked out of the station, towards the cabs, and looked up...there was the hotel across the street! Life was good.
The next morning was uneventful, and we arrived in Jamaica. We had contacted the resort, and while they would not refund our room cost, because we had been in contact, they did give us a voucher for a free night for another stay.
Now comes the fight with US Airways. Remember that I was told that they would pay for me to get from West Palm airport to Miami? Well, I followed all their directions. After several days I received an email. No, they would not pay. Instead? Two $100 certificates for travel. But wait, there are restrictions.....they cannot be used on the Internet, you have to call them. Well, on a later leg of the trip, I tried to call to change date of departure, after three calls and three hours on hold, I never did talk to an agent!!!
Here is the lesson. In our first disaster, we chose to fly through the airport which is the major hub and headquarters of the airline. In the second disaster, yes, we flew through the airport which is the major hub and headquarters of the airline.
So....When in doubt, don't fly through the airline's major hub and headquarters!!
A final note. We came home after the Christmas attempted bombing fiasco. In the airport US Airways was announcing that "TSA Policy now requires that each passenger be limited to one carry on item." Well, that pissed me off. Even more so, when, at work, I received a document which included the note below:
I did have an "A-Ha" moment. Useless Airways (US Airways) was formed from Allegheny Airlines. In certain circles, Allegheny was known as "Agony Airlines."
[I hope this does not "jinx" my trip tomorrow.]
The Story: Christmas brought us another adventure. We left on Christmas Eve morning to go to Jamaica. We were flying on US Airways [aka Useless Airways]. Now, remember that we are leaving New Orleans, and going to Montego Bay. Which airport is not in a fairly logical route to Jamaica?
- Atlanta
- Miami
- Memphis
- Charlotte
- Dallas
Of course the ticket counter was outside security, and folks with checked luggage were expected to collect their luggage. (After the aforementioned adventure, we rarely check luggage ... never on vacation.) We were #4 in line. There were two agents when we got to the counter. Remember, it is now 4 pm on Christmas Eve, and we were supposed to be in Jamaica, at the pre-paid resort several hours ago (even after the 90 minute bus ride). We overheard the first agent say to the person, "Well, I think I can get you there on the 27th." My companion nearly lost it then. More agents arrived, and we got to the counter. The agent got us confirmed seats on a noon-time flight, on (ironically) American Airlines the next day.....from Miami. However, the flights to Miami were full, and we were #3 and #4 on the standby lists.
We went back through security and to the Miami gate. We looked at the board to see what other options there were. Once the flight was announced, they were looking for volunteers to be bumped to a later flight (first class) or a flight to Fort Lauderdale. As the boarding proceeded, we went to the gate. The gate agent, Philip B [yes, I wrote a complimentary note] worked very hard. First he said, I can get one of you on this flight for sure. So we said, what about getting us to Ft. Lauderdale. He said it was full, but there was a seat to West Palm Beach. Then, he said, there is a train which costs about $7 and goes from West Palm to Miami. We said we would take it!
So, I get to go to West Palm Beach. First Class. That part was fine. Then I got there and talked to the agent. He said, yes, there is a train, but it is not real close to the airport. He said there is a bus, or you can take a cab. I asked if US Airways would pay. He said he thought so, and gave me a sheet about how to contact them. I went down to the ground transportation desk. They sent me to the bus stop, but the last bus had left about 20 minutes before. So cab it was. $29 including tip! Not real close was true! Got to the train station, and boarded a train that was much like the double-decker commuter trains in Chicago, after buying a ticket at the station. The train left.....but it was not a short ride. It was almost 90 minutes!
Meanwhile, my companion got to Miami, got the hotel and meal vouchers, and got to the hotel. We chatted on the phone and said, don't take the shuttle to the airport and then the hotel shuttle, just take a cab. I walked out of the station, towards the cabs, and looked up...there was the hotel across the street! Life was good.
The next morning was uneventful, and we arrived in Jamaica. We had contacted the resort, and while they would not refund our room cost, because we had been in contact, they did give us a voucher for a free night for another stay.
Now comes the fight with US Airways. Remember that I was told that they would pay for me to get from West Palm airport to Miami? Well, I followed all their directions. After several days I received an email. No, they would not pay. Instead? Two $100 certificates for travel. But wait, there are restrictions.....they cannot be used on the Internet, you have to call them. Well, on a later leg of the trip, I tried to call to change date of departure, after three calls and three hours on hold, I never did talk to an agent!!!
Here is the lesson. In our first disaster, we chose to fly through the airport which is the major hub and headquarters of the airline. In the second disaster, yes, we flew through the airport which is the major hub and headquarters of the airline.
So....When in doubt, don't fly through the airline's major hub and headquarters!!
A final note. We came home after the Christmas attempted bombing fiasco. In the airport US Airways was announcing that "TSA Policy now requires that each passenger be limited to one carry on item." Well, that pissed me off. Even more so, when, at work, I received a document which included the note below:
US Airways: Temporary policy effective immediately (updated December 26, 2009): To better comply with new industry security requirements issued by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), US Airways will temporarily amend its baggage policies on all in-bound flights to the United States from foreign destinations. Each passenger will be limited to one carry-on item per person, and first and second checked bag fees will temporarily be waived. These changes do not apply to flights from San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Croix.It is really clear to me, that the rule is not a TSA rule. It is the way the US Airways has chosen to deal with the new (silly) rules. If it is your rule, US Airways, own it. Don't blame someone else. No other airline is using this rule.
I did have an "A-Ha" moment. Useless Airways (US Airways) was formed from Allegheny Airlines. In certain circles, Allegheny was known as "Agony Airlines."
[I hope this does not "jinx" my trip tomorrow.]
Monday, July 27, 2009
Milestones
This one is personal. If you don't care, this is time to move along.
I chatted with my eldest son tonight because it is his 29th birthday. I guess I am feeling old. Along with my younger son's 25th (on the same day as this blog's 4th anniversary), it sure seems that time is flying by.
On the other hand, it was great to see a bunch of blogger friends at the Blog Salon in Chicago this year.
A simple reflection after an "adult beverage."
I chatted with my eldest son tonight because it is his
On the other hand, it was great to see a bunch of blogger friends at the Blog Salon in Chicago this year.
A simple reflection after an "adult beverage."
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Happy Blog Anniversary
A recent post from Stephen Abram reminded me that I started this blog four years ago, upon my return from ALA in Chicago.
I started on July 6, 2005, my younger son's 21th birthday. He is now 25, this blog is 4.
This is also post #400! So that is an average of 100 posts per year, or just under 2 posts per week (for those who pay attention to that kind of statistics). This is not a high comment blog, and I suspect that most of you are reading this through a feed aggregator of some sort. The site counter (from 10/31/2005) says over 40,000 hits. According to Google Analytics, 40% are referred from other sites, 40% are from search engine searches, and 20% are direct traffic.
You will see more blogging soon, from ALA.
I started on July 6, 2005, my younger son's 21th birthday. He is now 25, this blog is 4.
This is also post #400! So that is an average of 100 posts per year, or just under 2 posts per week (for those who pay attention to that kind of statistics). This is not a high comment blog, and I suspect that most of you are reading this through a feed aggregator of some sort. The site counter (from 10/31/2005) says over 40,000 hits. According to Google Analytics, 40% are referred from other sites, 40% are from search engine searches, and 20% are direct traffic.
You will see more blogging soon, from ALA.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Reading/Listening Patterns
It is probably not obvious if you read using an aggregator, but my reading/listening patterns have changed a great deal recently. While I always enjoyed listening to books, my last two jobs had such short drives, that it simply was not practical. However, in my new position, I drive about 90 minutes each way, every day. In addition, the State Library of Louisiana has a great collection of books on CD. So, I regularly wander downstairs to pick up a title or two. (I don't listen on tape because my car does not have a tape player, just a 6-disc changer.)
So, if you visit the blog itself, you will note that while I have read eight (8) books so far this year, I have listened to another twelve (12).
How do I choose? Well, the collection is organized in acquisition order, so browsing is "interesting." Generally, I look for things that I would not normally read in print. Therefore there is more non-fiction, even though this spring has been pretty heavy non-fiction print reading. I also tend to choose titles from vendors which I recognize and remember from my past -- Recorded Books and Blackstone Audio are among my favorites -- because I know that it will be a quality production with good narrators.
That is it for now. Tomorrow I go to a Louisiana Library Association pre-conference, and then two days at the conference. Look for some increased blogging. (It will help me focus.)
So, if you visit the blog itself, you will note that while I have read eight (8) books so far this year, I have listened to another twelve (12).
How do I choose? Well, the collection is organized in acquisition order, so browsing is "interesting." Generally, I look for things that I would not normally read in print. Therefore there is more non-fiction, even though this spring has been pretty heavy non-fiction print reading. I also tend to choose titles from vendors which I recognize and remember from my past -- Recorded Books and Blackstone Audio are among my favorites -- because I know that it will be a quality production with good narrators.
That is it for now. Tomorrow I go to a Louisiana Library Association pre-conference, and then two days at the conference. Look for some increased blogging. (It will help me focus.)
Monday, January 14, 2008
ALA Midwinter
When I got here I thought I could do it.
I thought I could both post here and do some PLA Blogging. Well, that is not working. I did one post here because I had some difficulty logging into the PLA writing portion of the Blog, but now that I am there, I am posting primarily there.
So....see the PLA Blog for my notes and the notes of others. I will do some social reflections and outside items here -- ex post facto.
I thought I could both post here and do some PLA Blogging. Well, that is not working. I did one post here because I had some difficulty logging into the PLA writing portion of the Blog, but now that I am there, I am posting primarily there.
So....see the PLA Blog for my notes and the notes of others. I will do some social reflections and outside items here -- ex post facto.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Monday, July 11, 2005
It's Public
Well, I guess it is now official. In her web log, Rochelle noted this humble offering. It is in large part thanks to Rochelle, that I did this. (There are other of my colleagues whose web logs I have been sporadically reading including Karen Schneider, Jessamyn West, and Walt Crawford. Reading them helped me to decide to create my own.)
This weekend was primarily related to fatherly and scouting activities. In two weeks I'll be at the 2005 National Jamboree at Fort A.P.Hill in Virginia. (The web site even has a countdown clock.) Saturday my troop (Troop 437, Nathan Hale) was doing a dry run of assembling our gateway. Here is a photo. I love the fact that it has a book. It was designed by several fathers, without my input. Note that the group is not particularly tall (or old). It is a good group (and there are a number of scouts missing from this photo.) We repeat this one more time before leaving for Virginia on July 22.
Note, that means that there will be a brief hiatus of 13 or so days while I am more or less incommunicado.
I promise the next post will be library related and cover the current Council discussion on Chapter Councilors and at least two of the resolutions discussed this past conference.
This weekend was primarily related to fatherly and scouting activities. In two weeks I'll be at the 2005 National Jamboree at Fort A.P.Hill in Virginia. (The web site even has a countdown clock.) Saturday my troop (Troop 437, Nathan Hale) was doing a dry run of assembling our gateway. Here is a photo. I love the fact that it has a book. It was designed by several fathers, without my input. Note that the group is not particularly tall (or old). It is a good group (and there are a number of scouts missing from this photo.) We repeat this one more time before leaving for Virginia on July 22.
Note, that means that there will be a brief hiatus of 13 or so days while I am more or less incommunicado.
I promise the next post will be library related and cover the current Council discussion on Chapter Councilors and at least two of the resolutions discussed this past conference.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Home Work
This is my first post from home, to test my dial-up connection. Moments from now, I head to pick up the two kids from camp (where they are working), on the way I will begin shopping for a new furnace for the house. I have done the math to calcualte the size of the house (about 1100 square feet), and am slightly scared about this. But the old furnace was installed in 1969, did not work well last winter, and the water heater has a leak, so it is time.
Once the kids are here, no time at the computer for me!
Happy weekend
Once the kids are here, no time at the computer for me!
Happy weekend
Friday, July 08, 2005
Fourth Literacy
The nice folks at "It's all good" alerted me to this move by ETS. It is called Fourth Literacy. Librarians have been talking about this for years. What is scary is the stats which the ETS folks cite about web usage. It shows that the Digital Divide is still around [Scroll down the page to the indents....someday I'll be good enough to paste a more exact link]. Based on the public computer usage here, it is true!
London and more
When I drive, I think. That can be good and bad. There have been times when I have been driving a familiar route, and gotten to a point where I don't remember driving the previous couple minutes.
Last night I was driving to a meeting and got thinking about the days events in London. First, ALA Exec Board members have heard from our President (Michael Gorman) that he is safe in London. He is there at the CLIP meeting representing ALA. That was good news.
The events there had me first thinking about the four days I spent at the Rotary International Convention in Chicago just ahead of ALA. London is a diverse community with folks from all over the globe, not unlike the Rotary Convention which had folks from 162 countries around the world. Many dressed in the clothes native to their countries so there were folks from Africa in colorful dresses and shirts (many with a colorful print which included the Rotary wheel), from various Asian countries, and a bunch of Scotsmen in kilts.
It got me to thinking about who was likely to be on the subways and buses of London: Britishers on their way to work; immigrants from the former British colonies in Africa and Asia; tourists from the Continent and the U.S.; in other words, it looked just like the crowds in McCormick Place from June 18 - 22.
Why do people do the horrible things like setting off bombs. The backlash against the people or groups responsible is not going to help the presumed cause.
I was driving by the Hemlock and Aspetuck Resevoirs. They are the source of drinking water for the greater Bridgeport area, and are owned by the Aquarion Company (founded originally by P.T. Barnum). It is a beautiful drive along the shore, and I got to thinking about human nature.
Over the years I have noticed that people who are truly happy, are accepting of others they way they are. Happy people don't care about the color of your skin, the religion you practice/don't practice, who you love. They accept each individual. It is the people who are unhappy who seem to be driven to have everyone be like them. They want everyone else in the world to think and act they way that they think and act. I have to admit....I try to be like those who are happy.
Last night I was driving to a meeting and got thinking about the days events in London. First, ALA Exec Board members have heard from our President (Michael Gorman) that he is safe in London. He is there at the CLIP meeting representing ALA. That was good news.
The events there had me first thinking about the four days I spent at the Rotary International Convention in Chicago just ahead of ALA. London is a diverse community with folks from all over the globe, not unlike the Rotary Convention which had folks from 162 countries around the world. Many dressed in the clothes native to their countries so there were folks from Africa in colorful dresses and shirts (many with a colorful print which included the Rotary wheel), from various Asian countries, and a bunch of Scotsmen in kilts.
It got me to thinking about who was likely to be on the subways and buses of London: Britishers on their way to work; immigrants from the former British colonies in Africa and Asia; tourists from the Continent and the U.S.; in other words, it looked just like the crowds in McCormick Place from June 18 - 22.
Why do people do the horrible things like setting off bombs. The backlash against the people or groups responsible is not going to help the presumed cause.
I was driving by the Hemlock and Aspetuck Resevoirs. They are the source of drinking water for the greater Bridgeport area, and are owned by the Aquarion Company (founded originally by P.T. Barnum). It is a beautiful drive along the shore, and I got to thinking about human nature.
Over the years I have noticed that people who are truly happy, are accepting of others they way they are. Happy people don't care about the color of your skin, the religion you practice/don't practice, who you love. They accept each individual. It is the people who are unhappy who seem to be driven to have everyone be like them. They want everyone else in the world to think and act they way that they think and act. I have to admit....I try to be like those who are happy.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Driving, Weather, and "ALA Post-Partum Blues"
Monday, I headed out to visit one of the branches. To get there I usually get on I-95 and go a couple of exits before heading down to the streets. When I did that, I suddenly realized that I had not driven on a limited access highway in over two weeks! It was almost un-nerving.
For those not familiar with I-95 in Bridgeport, it is an overcrowded, very high traffic highway which has been undergoing re-construction through Bridgeport since 1998! Someday it will be done, I hope. For this project they are widening the shoulders, installing new dividers and re-building every bridge. Of course, every bridge means most of the road through the city. As part of my drive to work in the morning, I am under parts of it as it goes over the harbor, train station, and stays above ground for almost a mile. It is quite a project.
Yesterday evening, I left the office to go to a meeting at a different branch. It was cloudy, gray, and humid. (Actually a little bit of a relief from the unrelenting sun I had during my two weeks in Chicago.) When I got to the branch (in the north part of the city), the sun was shining (and I regretted that my sunglasses were in the back of the car). Leaving the meeting, the sun was still shining, but the clouds to the east were ominous. They stayed that way. After a quick dinner I headed out to some errands, driving further east as the clouds glowered even more threateningly. Finally at about 9, it started to mist. Unfortunately that is all we got, and while it is cooler today, it is still humid.
I have had several emails from ALA friends, and think that we are all in the "ALA Post-Partum Blues." For many of us, we get to spend some concentrated time together working on important issues, thinking thoughts about the big picture and enjoying working hard on the process. We get to vote and make decisions. Now we are back home. For me, that means the every day realities of things like building problems, staff issues, and even a less-structured schedule. While we email back and forth between conferences, that personal contact is really important. I am looking forward to seeing how ALA's community software works. I am very much in favor of having technology help us to do our work, but this "blues" I am feeling are clearly related to a sense of missing the personal interaction.
For those not familiar with I-95 in Bridgeport, it is an overcrowded, very high traffic highway which has been undergoing re-construction through Bridgeport since 1998! Someday it will be done, I hope. For this project they are widening the shoulders, installing new dividers and re-building every bridge. Of course, every bridge means most of the road through the city. As part of my drive to work in the morning, I am under parts of it as it goes over the harbor, train station, and stays above ground for almost a mile. It is quite a project.
Yesterday evening, I left the office to go to a meeting at a different branch. It was cloudy, gray, and humid. (Actually a little bit of a relief from the unrelenting sun I had during my two weeks in Chicago.) When I got to the branch (in the north part of the city), the sun was shining (and I regretted that my sunglasses were in the back of the car). Leaving the meeting, the sun was still shining, but the clouds to the east were ominous. They stayed that way. After a quick dinner I headed out to some errands, driving further east as the clouds glowered even more threateningly. Finally at about 9, it started to mist. Unfortunately that is all we got, and while it is cooler today, it is still humid.
I have had several emails from ALA friends, and think that we are all in the "ALA Post-Partum Blues." For many of us, we get to spend some concentrated time together working on important issues, thinking thoughts about the big picture and enjoying working hard on the process. We get to vote and make decisions. Now we are back home. For me, that means the every day realities of things like building problems, staff issues, and even a less-structured schedule. While we email back and forth between conferences, that personal contact is really important. I am looking forward to seeing how ALA's community software works. I am very much in favor of having technology help us to do our work, but this "blues" I am feeling are clearly related to a sense of missing the personal interaction.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
First Posting
Welcome. We are half a decade into the 21st Century, and it is about time for me to create a blog. We'll see how well this goes. At least this starts as a free service (therefore there is no cost, a scout is thrifty after all).
Michael
Michael
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