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Some IL05 thoughts

I’ve been chewing over things since I got back from Internet Librarian last week. I’ve been spending the week teaching people the difference between “save” and “save as” and showing librarians how to insert pictures into text documents and the whole simultaneous blogging, and even the giant calculators seems like a distant memory. I do know that it was wonderful to be at a conference with so many smart people and not have to have some of the tired old discussions that I have at some ALA functions where I feel that I have to justify having a laptop or teaching an email class in a library setting. I also felt like a lot of the things people were talking about tended towards making things more usable — more findable, more explicable, more understandable — now that we’re over the love affair with just having gadgets. The trend towards openness, though we have a ways to go as a profession, makes me cautiously optimistic. I welcome this evolution and I’m impressed and honored to get to hobnob with people who are getting to make really Big Decisions in the library world.

That said, I gave my talk as part of the “Jenny and Jessamyn” show and it went well, even though it was short. I like to keep my high tech chops in order and as my Dad says “tell them something they don’t already know.” Unlike almost every other talk I’ve given, by the time I got to the B&B Andrea and I were staying at, there were already ~~five or six~~ ten blogs that had posted about my speech. It made my toes tingle. I could feel something really great, just around the corner. I came home with ideas and a renewed sense of purpose which I’m pretty sure is what these things are all about. Here are the links to people talking about my talk, go meta yourselves out.

Andrea from Library Techtonics knows a lot about tagging and what she wrote reflects that
When Liz Lawley calls your presentation funny and smart you know you are doing something right
David King made notes from my notes. Based on his website name, I always assumed he was a big hippie, now I’m not so sure
The Travelin Librarian Michael Sauers is good — better than me — at writing in bullet points
Jenny blogged while I was talking [I think] Her list of presentations are here, amazing functionality
The Librarian in Black also wrote up some nice prose-y summaries
Steve from See Also was a blogger I got to meet at IL05, has a good looking blog with tags right in it. He was IMing with Michael Stephens while I was talking
Library Web Chic puts my slides into words
Brief BlogJunction mention
The Fashionista Librarian has a lot of pix but the page gives me trouble on Safari, you’ve been warned.

conservativism and ALA and the profession and you

Posted on 02Oct0502Oct05 by jessamyn

The Lonliness of a Conservative Librarian ends “[W]e should welcome diverse viewpoints within our profession.” I’m sure it would suprise nobody to learn that I wish ALA was different too. So, I joined some committees, tried to keep my wisecracks in check, worked with people who I vigorously disagreed with in the name of getting things done and, to a certain extent, sucked it up that ALA wasn’t exactly like I wanted it to be, because I felt that I could help make it better. I was also aware that I got more out of ALA than I would gain professionally without it, so on balance it was worth the headaches, the fustrations and the cost. I re-evaluate this decision a lot but it’s one that I made consciously.

Everyone needs to make their own balance sheets about these sorts of things. I empathize with people who have strong enough political convictions that they feel like a paraiah, but it’s a big profession out there and the jerks, naysayers, trolls and halfwits [on all sides of the political spectrum] are a small small minority of the people you get to meet and work with. Not letting them get you down is a good part of public service work, as is learning how to not be that jerk in the first place. No one’s ever going to bury me with a headstone that says “She was polite” but I try very very hard to treat all my fellow professionals professionally and I think it’s a good place to start from.

a few odd and offbeat librarian groups.

Posted on 26Sep05 by jessamyn

I’m picking through my bookmark folder. I’m hoping to be able to move more to a del.icio.us list for “add this link” sorts of items in the future. Found the home page for the Association of Part-Time Librarians which pointed to two Yahoo groups for librarians one of which, for librarian stay at home parents seems to be pretty hopping. It also point to Pregnant @ The Reference Desk which is mostly a maternity page but has some good tips for librarians who are expecting.

job opening for displaced librarian, pass it on

Posted on 20Sep0520Sep05 by jessamyn

ALA President Michael Gorman posted this to the Council list and I made a web page for it using pasta. Please pass this information, or this idea, on.

Temporary Librarian Position, For Librarian Displaced by Hurricane Katrina

In order to offer support to those in our profession who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina, the Henry Madden Library of the California State University, Fresno would like to hire one librarian with an ALA accredited M.L.S. or equivalent who was displaced and/or unemployed because of the hurricane.

can you help the LA State Library with technology equipment?

Posted on 07Sep0507Sep05 by jessamyn

The State Library of Lousiana has increased its hours so that people can use its computers. They could use even more computers and printers. If you can donate, please help. You may remember that Rebecca Hamilton the Louisiana State Librarian has been at her job only a month or two, though she was Associate State Librarian for a few years previously.

“To all-we are in desperate need of computers/printers. We are being inundated with evacuees needing to file FEMA applications, unemployment, search for loved ones, etc. and are coming into our public libraries to use the computers. Our libraries have greatly extended their hours to accommodate the people but they need additional computers and printers. If you can please put the word out that if anyone wants to help immediately, this is our greatest need.”