that library was created in 2006 when i was starting my MLIS – and all the zigzagging that involves, and then it went on to follow me through my first year as a liaison librarian (and the ZOMG WHAT AM I DOING I DON’T KNOW ANYTHINGness), and now my current gig (and the OHAI ROADMAP-LESS JOB).
basically, it was out of control.
i would use it to track items that i needed for both personal (home-buying information, health information for friends n’family, the awesome exploits of friends, etc), and professional reasons (research, professional development, future-thinking things that get my bass thumping).
the “to read” folder was filled with 100+ items that i, ummm, was never going to read.
the folders were a disaster and i didn’t use tags to it was 39 kinds of chaotic.
so now i am rebuilding it from scratch. and i am relieved. i’m sure it will again get bloated and out of control, but for now, i feel more efficient with it. and i have vowed to use the notes feature to scribble things to myself, and to make better use of folders and tags.
and to always be a fan of zotero, because it really has made oh-so-much of my life easier.
*errrr, i backed it up first, then nuked it. i ain’t no dummy.
i <3 halifax public libraries for this positively genius idea to draw the community’s attention to the planning process for the soon-to-be-built central library.
if you’re in halifax, be sure to attend the public consultation about the new central library on june 10, 2010.
In my experience, librarians almost always pass the beer test: They are among the most likeable people you’ll find at any college. They have the intellectual curiosity of academics without the aloofness and attitude often displayed by professors. If you are a stranger on a strange campus, the one person who will always save you is a librarian. They may still shush you in some places, but librarians will also go to the most extraordinary lengths to help you achieve your scholarly goals without asking for any of the credit.
McGill is hosting a great event on May 28, 2010 – the folks from the Public Knowledge Project will be around to give demos of their great software, and John Willinsky will be featured on a panel in the afternoon looking at New Models for the Scholarly Monograph.
if you’re interested – you can register below – but please go read the full details first!
libpunk was a term coined by kathryn stemming from jim’s term edupunk. she has a killer definition on her blog – so go check that out.
i took it to mean “building libraries out of whatever you have handy”. be that wordpress, scraps of paper, or just a really smart dude who is willing to connect folks to information. voilà – library!
i have to say that i’m less concerned with the mechanics of libpunk. you don’t need to hate corporate ‘Merica to be libpunk. some library vendors give a damn. you don’t have to hate tenure, conferences, or the boringest parts of your job to be libpunk
what you have to be, to be libpunk, is willing to critically evaluate everything and look for non-libraryland answers that suit your needs. other folk have solutions to our problems, just as we likely have solutions to some of theirs.
i see libpunk as the opportunity to break-free from libraryland-only talk. break-free from reinventing the wheel. break-out of silos. break-up with partnerships that don’t help our users. but mostly, BREAK THINGS AND MAKE THEM BETTER.
PLEASE NOTE: kendra & meg are two of the biggest reasons i am in SLA. without having them as “partners in crime” (aka “partners who want to make SLA the awesome it could be”) i’d be way less involved. cc licensed flickr photo shared by kendrak
whoa!
it’s nothing new for me to say how great i think the SLA is, how they support new librarians, embrace innovation, and are generally a rockin’ bunch of people.
my first SLA conference blew my mind because everyone i met did something wildly different – some were corporate librarians from developing countries teaching users basic internet searching – while others were working in art museums in charge of acquiring rare texts. i think the diversity of the membership is what kept me attached to the organization.
so now i’m a rising star. i’m not sure what that means, but i can tell you what it doesn’t mean.
it doesn’t mean:
a free ride in libraryland
that i’m done working my butt off for SLA
i do any of this extra stuff during work hours
that i’m done rockin’ at the IT Division Open House and Canadian Reception (seriously, if you aren’t attending these events, u r doin’ it wrong)
to the other rising stars, from this year and last, let’s make sure to move this organization where it needs to be, and push for the changes we think need to happen. this is one helluvan opportunity, let’s not waste it.
the best part about this conference is always the networking. last year a group of friends coined the term (okay, maybe the term existed before but i had never heard it, so it’s invented here as far as i’m concerned) lobbycon – basically, attending a conference but staying in the lobby the entire time talking to people about what they are doing now (and what they will be presenting on NEXT year).
if you’re at #cil2010, say hi, i have tons of LSW ribbons and libpunk buttons to hand out!
