Am I the only person finding many fewer recognizable names on the Council Ballot this year as compared to last year’s? How am I supposed to select 34 people from a list of 93 unknowns in some sort of reasonable time span? Especially when everyone has the pro-library platform. Oh, so you “plan to support initiatives to increase funding for libraries?” Funny, so do 92 of your closest ballot compatriots. What an unbelievable coincidence! “ALA should be a strong advocate for libraries.” Wow, controversial and edgy. Really taking a stand. “Better salaries for librarians.” Well, at least you’re talking to me, rather than at me.
In the end, I’ll probably just repeat last year’s methodology: public librarians rule. If name recognition has any bearing on the election (and I find it hard to imagine that it doesn’t), I’ll bet Michael McGrorty has a legitimate shot at election. Which reminds me, I need to send him a library card.
It was one year ago today that I made the following senseless remark:
“Oh great, another blog.
At long last, Planet Neutral brings his indifferent perspective to yet another venue. We begin our tale as our young hero is less than two months from receiving his Master of Science in Library and Information Science (MSLIS) from the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).
Oh yeah, he’s engaged too.
Well, now he’s married, he works and he owns a home. What a difference a year makes. The people I’ve met and opportunities that I’ve been offered as a result of my modest publishing efforts here at Open Stacks have far outdistanced any preconceptions I may have had. To those of you who’ve inspired me, a heart-felt thank you.
So let’s honor this anniversary with some good old-fashioned congrunting. Warning: This post published late at night without proper editing. Read at own risk.
Read the rest of this entry »
OK, as promised, a laundry list of experiences, reflections and comments from my recent adventures in D.C.
Preface: Conferencing is all about networking and I met some amazing people at this conference. I’ve mentioned before that after almost a year in the blogosphere, I’d never met a single one of my online acquaintances. Can’t say that anymore and I couldn’t have been more pleased to share company with all of my cybercolleagues.
So without further adieu, an extended recap of the first day of CiL.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by: Greg Schwartz in Tangent
Folks, I have so much to say about my experience at CiL that it will be hard to find time to say it all. I promise I will put a few thoughts out there within the next week, but with us closing on our house, my transition to a new position (perhaps more on that later as well), and other unexpected social events, I just can be sure when I’ll get it all down. Sorry to keep you waiting…
Posted by: Greg Schwartz in Test
Hey y’all, I’m comin’ at ya live from Computers in Libraries 2004 with a quick post from the Internet Cafe in the Exhibit Hall. Day 1 has been a smashing success. Got to meet a bevy of the noted librariati and picked up a few interesting ideas to bring back to the organization.
BTW, welcome to the new Open Stacks here at http://openstacks.net/os/ (feed at http://openstacks.net/os/index.rdf)
More later…
A post on the new NexGen Librarian Blog directed me to the following article:
Hanging Indents and the Reference Librarian: Offering Productivity Software in the Public Library - “This article explores ways to expand the public library’s mission, and that of the reference librarian, to include offering word processing on public access computers. The author defines access to and the ability to use word processing software as a form of literacy and links this to the library’s established role in promoting literacy. This article also provides anecdotal information about introducing this software at a public library system.”
This student-written article draws its title from a provocative statement: ‘ “I did not go to library school to end up teaching people how to make hanging indents,? said one indignant librarian, as her library prepared to add productivity software to PACs.’
You’ll probably not be surprised that I categorically oppose the subtext underlying this narrow view of librarianship, as does the author. Rachel Mendez explores the idea of library as learning center, in all its myriad manifestations. How obvious it seems.
Yet she aptly draws attention to the obstacles that we face internally in trying to pursue this common-sense (for me at least) objective. As Walt is well aware, I buy whole-heartedly into the mission of information literacy for all, but it is far from a common thread amongst librarians. Ms. Mendez’s exploration of information literacy in the context of offering education in productivity software is interesting in and of itself. More significantly, it serves as a reminder of the larger organizational inertia that adds challenge to that pursuit.
