It is that time of year again! The ALA Nominating Committee has chosen Kent Oliver and Roberta Stevens to run for ALA President.
I am strongly endorsing Kent for President.
Kent was the Kansas Chapter Councilor when I first joined Council. He was an incredible mentor to me in my early years. He also co-convened what was then called the Council Caucus. In that role he was also a role model for organizing the group, and an excellent example of fairness and listening. He encouraged/cajoled me into following in his footsteps in that group as well.
While Kent is no longer in Kansas (he got a great job in Ohio), I know that one of the things he brings to his ALA roles is the importance of the Chapters (state associations) and the critical relationship between ALA and the Chapters. Sometimes this relationship is strained when ALA leaders forget about or do not understand the local situations.
Kent ably served as the chair of ALA's Intellectual Freedom Committee for four years. It is a tremendous vote of confidence to have four successive ALA Presidents appoint you to chair this very important committee.
Please support Kent. I expect that he will have events at ALA Midwinter, or you can visit his web site. There is also Kent's personal page on FaceBook (feel free to be his friend) and the Campaign's page on Facebook.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Names, Pseudonyms, etc.
Part of why I have not blogged much lately is the process of my moving from Wisconsin to New Orleans (LA). As a part of that, I have driven a couple times between hither and yon. It is a straightforward route through seven states and three state capitals. (Two of which are named for Presidents of the US.) (I'll review the route at the end.)
Today when checking one of my email accounts, a story about baby names popped up as one of the "highlights" when I closed the email. It reminded me of a note which I wrote to myself.
About the second time on the drive, I began to notice that in the more rural areas the exit signs often had two town names. Presumably, it is one town in each direction off the Interstate. Some of them struck me as interesting pairings for a pseudonym or for a stage name. Wikipedia has a good article on stage names, and some great examples.
Here is my contribution based on driving I-55, I-39, I-90, and I-94:
Random thoughts from driving.
The route by the way (North to South) starts out on I-94 which joins I-90 in Toma (WI). In Portage I-39 joins. I-90 splits to the East in Madison, and I-94 splits to Chicago in Rockford (IL). I-39 ends at I-55 in Bloomington/Normal (IL). I stay on I-55 except for a short jaunt around St. Louis on I-255, until I-55 ends at I-10 just West of the New Orleans airport. The states are: Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The state capitals are Jackson (MS) and Madison (WI) [named for Presidents] and Springfield (IL).
Today when checking one of my email accounts, a story about baby names popped up as one of the "highlights" when I closed the email. It reminded me of a note which I wrote to myself.
About the second time on the drive, I began to notice that in the more rural areas the exit signs often had two town names. Presumably, it is one town in each direction off the Interstate. Some of them struck me as interesting pairings for a pseudonym or for a stage name. Wikipedia has a good article on stage names, and some great examples.
Here is my contribution based on driving I-55, I-39, I-90, and I-94:
- Madison deForest
- Cambridge Madison
- Byron Genoa
- Mendota Earl[ville]
- Hennepin Oglesby
- Henry Streator
- Alton Greenville
- Antonia Barnhart
- Miner Sikeston
- Bertrand Sikeston
- Carter Holland
- Victoria Luzora
- Keiser Wilson
- Marie Lapante
- Joyner Tyronza
- Gilmore Truman
- Marion "Sunset" Wynne
- Lexington Pickens
- Summit Natchez
Random thoughts from driving.
The route by the way (North to South) starts out on I-94 which joins I-90 in Toma (WI). In Portage I-39 joins. I-90 splits to the East in Madison, and I-94 splits to Chicago in Rockford (IL). I-39 ends at I-55 in Bloomington/Normal (IL). I stay on I-55 except for a short jaunt around St. Louis on I-255, until I-55 ends at I-10 just West of the New Orleans airport. The states are: Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The state capitals are Jackson (MS) and Madison (WI) [named for Presidents] and Springfield (IL).
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Facebook: The current controversy
Now, I am not opposed to change. Generally, I am in favor of change. In one of my prior jobs, I redesigned (i.e. changed) the newsletter twice and was about to do it for a third time. I also created a new logo!
Facebook has sowed the seeds of its own destruction with its latest moves. Awhile ago, they introduced a new look. They let users try it. Some liked it. I did not like it. The new design took away the kind of graphic design which design professionals say is most effective in a web site. There was a column on the left with tools, there was a column on the right with tools (and ads). The middle had "the meat" or the content. Look at sites like the new L E Phillips Memorial Public Library. It also has a bar and boxes on the top. It is what a professional graphic designer would have done. (Although I am kind of proud that we had the talent in the building to create it!)
Facebook made a critical mistake this week. They FORCED everyone to the new format. Some developers created a work-around. Now Facebook has blocked/disabled those. Over 1.2 MILLION users have joined a group against the forced move. That is in a matter of days!
If Facebook is not careful, they soon will be replaced in the marketplace by someone else. (If I knew who that would be, I would invest some of my limited resources!!)
The new version asks for input/feedback. Who knows what happens to that feedback. I have offered any number of comments. Have I heard anything? No!! It is not good to build a frustration level with your core constituency and talented users. (I am in the first, but not the second.)
It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.
Facebook has sowed the seeds of its own destruction with its latest moves. Awhile ago, they introduced a new look. They let users try it. Some liked it. I did not like it. The new design took away the kind of graphic design which design professionals say is most effective in a web site. There was a column on the left with tools, there was a column on the right with tools (and ads). The middle had "the meat" or the content. Look at sites like the new L E Phillips Memorial Public Library. It also has a bar and boxes on the top. It is what a professional graphic designer would have done. (Although I am kind of proud that we had the talent in the building to create it!)
Facebook made a critical mistake this week. They FORCED everyone to the new format. Some developers created a work-around. Now Facebook has blocked/disabled those. Over 1.2 MILLION users have joined a group against the forced move. That is in a matter of days!
If Facebook is not careful, they soon will be replaced in the marketplace by someone else. (If I knew who that would be, I would invest some of my limited resources!!)
The new version asks for input/feedback. Who knows what happens to that feedback. I have offered any number of comments. Have I heard anything? No!! It is not good to build a frustration level with your core constituency and talented users. (I am in the first, but not the second.)
It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Leadership Eau Claire
This is a test of uploading a PowerPoint presentation into my blog using Scribd.com.
It may stay, it may go.
It is also Post #350!
It may stay, it may go.
It is also Post #350!
Monday, August 25, 2008
America's Health Care System is broken
This has been perking in my head for almost a month now, but yesterday and today pushed me over the edge.
One of the problems with the system is that it is dependent on employment. My current health insurance is scheduled to end with the end of this month. I will "suck it up" and pay the COBRA to be sure that I (and my dependent) continue coverage. We have health issues, and need the continuity of coverage. That alone indicates that the system is broken.
Here are the three issues which pushed me over the edge about speaking out:
First: medication choices
I have a medical condition where, at the moment, there is one medication which works for me. I have tried the generic and it does not work. Here is the story. I had bad, continuous heartburn. I was diagnosed with GERD (Gastro-Esophogeal Reflux Disease). I started with one name brand, it stopped working, and I changed to another. It also stopped working, and I moved to a third. All was good for a couple years. Then I changed jobs and therefore health insurance. The first time I renewed my prescription under my new employer, the pharmacy went back to brand #1. I did not fight, and after a couple weeks, I was in agony again. I talked to the pharmacy, and I was back to what worked. Last July, my employer changed health plan providers. Suddenly I was dealing with a "formulary" process. This is, in my opinion, nothing less than a price-fixing cartel process where the insurance company, for whatever reason (which may include discounts...) did NOT include my drug. Suddenly I went from paying $10 per month to a random amount, usually over $35. Fair? I don't think so? This summer I renewed my prescription, and the pharmacy again provided the generic. I refused to take it. Why? In January, I had taken the generic for two weeks, and my symptoms returned! Would you? What price is your health worth?
Why can someone in an insurance company, who has never met me, and not ever even talked to me, decide that I cannot have a prescription drug that I want. I can tell you that I spent almost 10 hours on the phone and in emails dealing with trying to get the medication which keeps me from having constant heartburn.
Second: Doctors and business practices
The more recent incident has to do with doctors offices and their willingness to deal with health carriers. My current carrier is technically a "cooperative" and is fairly local. My daughter is many states away. I chose a health plan which provides for "out of network" services. Well, my daughter's doctor's office management are a bunch of (well, I will be kind) dorks. (I have not decided if I will call them out publicly.)
Because my health insurance provider actually has a person answer every phone call, and does not use "voicemail hell" to screen calls, but is not a big player on the national scene, that office does not deal with them. The first time I called they referred to my carrier as "non-par." As a lay person, that sure sounds like "sub-par" which is not a compliment. Each time I called, they used "insurance-ese" even though they knew I was not an insurance person. They consistently refused to even talk directly to the insurance provider, and once when the insurance provider called were "more rude than anyone [we] have ever dealt with." And that was according to one of the experienced "member services" staff of my insurance provider. The fact that a medical office would refuse to deal with the insurance carrier of one of their patients absolutely boggles my mind. It is so antithetical to the customer service attitude which we in libraries try to provide.
I may be telling my daughter to find a new doctor for the rest of the time that I am responsible for the medical insurance. How else can you send a message?
Third: Insurance costs
I think I have known this for some time, but it has recently been driven home to me when I received my official COBRA paperwork. For my personal situation, it will cost me over $1,800 per month for insurance. Where does that money go??? That is $21,600 per year. I know that is more than many library workers are paid! I guess I always knew that it was expensive, but I had not really paid attention to the level.
Now, I don't begrudge any of my caregivers what they receive. When it costs $150 for a doctor's visit, I know that only a small part of that goes to the doctor. There is money for the rest of the staff (receptionist, nurses) and overhead (space costs, utilities), and even worse for them, malpractice insurance. Medical personnel must have to see a large number of people each month to meet the bills (plus have money to eat -- and to pay for their own health insurance!). But the amount paid for the insurance seems to me to be outrageous. Even more so when I remember that in July 2007, my employer changed providers when the prior provider wanted to boost rates by more than 50%!
I rest my case. The system is broken. I wish I knew how to fix it.
One of the problems with the system is that it is dependent on employment. My current health insurance is scheduled to end with the end of this month. I will "suck it up" and pay the COBRA to be sure that I (and my dependent) continue coverage. We have health issues, and need the continuity of coverage. That alone indicates that the system is broken.
Here are the three issues which pushed me over the edge about speaking out:
- who choses the medication?
- who pays the bills?
- why does it cost so much for insurance?
First: medication choices
I have a medical condition where, at the moment, there is one medication which works for me. I have tried the generic and it does not work. Here is the story. I had bad, continuous heartburn. I was diagnosed with GERD (Gastro-Esophogeal Reflux Disease). I started with one name brand, it stopped working, and I changed to another. It also stopped working, and I moved to a third. All was good for a couple years. Then I changed jobs and therefore health insurance. The first time I renewed my prescription under my new employer, the pharmacy went back to brand #1. I did not fight, and after a couple weeks, I was in agony again. I talked to the pharmacy, and I was back to what worked. Last July, my employer changed health plan providers. Suddenly I was dealing with a "formulary" process. This is, in my opinion, nothing less than a price-fixing cartel process where the insurance company, for whatever reason (which may include discounts...) did NOT include my drug. Suddenly I went from paying $10 per month to a random amount, usually over $35. Fair? I don't think so? This summer I renewed my prescription, and the pharmacy again provided the generic. I refused to take it. Why? In January, I had taken the generic for two weeks, and my symptoms returned! Would you? What price is your health worth?
Why can someone in an insurance company, who has never met me, and not ever even talked to me, decide that I cannot have a prescription drug that I want. I can tell you that I spent almost 10 hours on the phone and in emails dealing with trying to get the medication which keeps me from having constant heartburn.
Second: Doctors and business practices
The more recent incident has to do with doctors offices and their willingness to deal with health carriers. My current carrier is technically a "cooperative" and is fairly local. My daughter is many states away. I chose a health plan which provides for "out of network" services. Well, my daughter's doctor's office management are a bunch of (well, I will be kind) dorks. (I have not decided if I will call them out publicly.)
Because my health insurance provider actually has a person answer every phone call, and does not use "voicemail hell" to screen calls, but is not a big player on the national scene, that office does not deal with them. The first time I called they referred to my carrier as "non-par." As a lay person, that sure sounds like "sub-par" which is not a compliment. Each time I called, they used "insurance-ese" even though they knew I was not an insurance person. They consistently refused to even talk directly to the insurance provider, and once when the insurance provider called were "more rude than anyone [we] have ever dealt with." And that was according to one of the experienced "member services" staff of my insurance provider. The fact that a medical office would refuse to deal with the insurance carrier of one of their patients absolutely boggles my mind. It is so antithetical to the customer service attitude which we in libraries try to provide.
I may be telling my daughter to find a new doctor for the rest of the time that I am responsible for the medical insurance. How else can you send a message?
Third: Insurance costs
I think I have known this for some time, but it has recently been driven home to me when I received my official COBRA paperwork. For my personal situation, it will cost me over $1,800 per month for insurance. Where does that money go??? That is $21,600 per year. I know that is more than many library workers are paid! I guess I always knew that it was expensive, but I had not really paid attention to the level.
Now, I don't begrudge any of my caregivers what they receive. When it costs $150 for a doctor's visit, I know that only a small part of that goes to the doctor. There is money for the rest of the staff (receptionist, nurses) and overhead (space costs, utilities), and even worse for them, malpractice insurance. Medical personnel must have to see a large number of people each month to meet the bills (plus have money to eat -- and to pay for their own health insurance!). But the amount paid for the insurance seems to me to be outrageous. Even more so when I remember that in July 2007, my employer changed providers when the prior provider wanted to boost rates by more than 50%!
I rest my case. The system is broken. I wish I knew how to fix it.
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