Saxhorn's Blats

2011-11-13T12:24:00.000-08:00

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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CPD 23 - Thing #23 - Reflection

2011-10-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

As we come to the end of this professional development program, we have been asked to reflect on what we have learned and to project the next step in our career development.

One idea was creating a "six word story" that descibes our experience with CPD 23. My story is: Signed-up, Read, Investigated, Reflected, Blogged, Applied.

What does the career future hold for the next 3-5 years. I currently work part-time as a specialist, and apart from the library, conduct and manage a very talented adult concert band. My career future involves juggling both entities. Although pushing 65, the magical age of medicare and retirement, I could continue to develop my library career by completing my MLS degree and applying for full-time positions. However, to do that would be to limit the growth of my "volunteer" musical organization--certainly a strong "bliss" area for me.

Nearing retirement, and with a growing musical organization, I've decided to remain at the part-time specialist level, and continue my professional development through activites like CPD 23 and those sponsored by my state library association. I need the hours-off to manage all the business for my adult band, and to study the musical scores I have to conduct. This in itself is professional development.

From the CPD 23 program I have gained exposure to some software, like "Jing," that I have already put to good use, and insights into presenting oneself throuh resumes and job interviews. I will use concepts contained in the latter as I promote my adult band. Other relevant "things" I have used are Mentorship, Evernote, LinkedIn, and facebook and Twitter social media. Perhaps the most significant topic for me was in developing your personal brand.

This program has been valuable to me as a person, it has covered a variety of topics, and presented some new ideas. I'm very glad that I took part.

CPD 23 - Thing #22 - Volunteering

2011-10-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

What a great idea! Volunteering in a profession where you hope to work! Get practical experience that you can use on your resume, and gain valuable professional references for your application. Outstanding!

When I began working at the library I was fortunate NOT to have to volunteer. However, with two graduate degrees, I did start at the library aide level, and worked my way up to specialist over 2 years. I also notice that several of our aides, desire a career in library work and are working toward a library school degree. Fortunately we live in a large enough city to have several branches with the need for lots of entry level workers.

As I thought about volunteering in my own life I recognized that I did volunteer to help establish my music teaching and music performance career. That is, unpaid performing or unpaid teaching that hopefully allows one to gain experience and develop skill toward a professional position.

There were the inevitable high school all-star bands and orchestras that were and honor to be a part of. These groups provided lots of rehearsal and performance opportunities led by skilled directors and teachers who help the musicians master the music. There were the peer teaching experiences, even membership in the Future Teachers of America.

Part of collegiate teacher education is professional observation and student teaching. These are valuable learning experiences and provide valuable staffing for the schools. Not only did we "volunteer," we actually paid tuition to serve and develop experience and skill. We were rewarded by making professional friends from our supervising teachers and by gaining professional recommendations for our job applications.

Even as an adult, degreed and working in the profession, there are opportunies for volunteering. Membership in community and other adult bands helps keep music alive in many towns, especially serving the senior population that attends most of the concerts. Music teachers can learn new music, revisit music they haven't played in a number of years, and keep alive their own love of performing.

In music there is a term often associated with symphony orchestras that especially is germane to this discussion: Philharmonic - "for the love of music." Banding together to produce music, just for the love of the art. This is the height of volunteerism in music.

CPD 23 - Thing #21 - Promoting Yourself - Discovering Strengths

2011-10-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

I agree with the CPD 23 authors about discovering your strengths to find career satisfaction. I think during my career I have always tried to "follow my bliss." After twenty some years of public school and college teaching I had lost my bliss and decided to go in a different direction.

During my transition phase I came across the "Strength Finder" series and took the test. My top strengths confirmed what I had always known about my self, and that I often tried to fit my square peg into a round hole without ultimate success. My strengths include: learner, ideation, context, intellection, and input. It was shortly after discovering these strengths that I applied to work at the public library, a career that really seems to fit me, and one where I have recovered my bliss.

If you haven't taken the Strength Finder test grab one of the books, read and take the test. It may be a significant reaffirmation of who you are at your core.

CPD 23 - Thing #20 - Routes to Librarianship

2011-10-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

My route to working in a library is somewhat unusual, but I'm sure there are library staffers who have similar elements in their story.

I came to work in the library following a 25 year career as a musician and music educator. I had taught bands in public schools and colleges and was kind of burnt out. I was fortunate to have a sabbatical from my institution and viewed lots of options. Knowing that I wasn't ready to retire, but that I didn't want to return to teaching, I thought I could put my research skills to good use at the library.

I began working at the public library as an aide responsible for assisting customers with their computer use. I was promoted to circulation clerk, and at my branch began to learn reference. Since, I have been promoted to library specialist and am responsible for reference, managing the floating collections, and staff training on eReaders and associated software.

I feel very much at home in the public library world. I like working with individuals and small groups, I like the library's approach to managing staff, and I like to hear "thank you" from the patrons--something rarely heard during my educational career.

CPD23 - Thing #18 - Jing and Audacity

2011-10-01T10:14:00.001-07:00

This week's "thing" deals with communicating and possibly training others via two wonderful apps. I have been aware of Audacity and had it loaded on my computer for a few years now. Jing is new to me, but I have already used it to help solve a problem with our new ILS.

Audacity is an audio editor capable of importing several kinds of audio files, including mp3s. One can adjust the volume, tone, and balance of files, and edit out silences and add fading intros and exits. This is how I have used the app over the past few years. I have a new project thanks to a Christmas present, that is transferring my large vinyl collection to digital files. I will use Audacity to create individual track files and then store the files in iTunes.

Of course, CPD 23 is interested in using Audacity to create and edit podcasts. I haven't used the software in that aspect as I have never created a podcast. I don't have the time, nor do I have a unique slant on a topic that would make for a successful podcast. So, I'm not likely to use this product for communicating or training.

Jing I found this software through CPD 23, and installed it on my work computer. Jing allows the user to take screen shots of just the portion of the screen needed, and to make digital movies of screen movements, such as cursors and keyboard entries. As such, Jing becomes a very useful app for training. Currently, I instruct patrons on using our eBook and audiobook collection, and adding OverDrive and Adobe Digital Editions software to their personal computers. I can see how I might create a Jing video to demonstrate the steps. If viewed on a second computer, a patron could mimic what he/she sees on the screen, using the pause feature to implement the action on his/her own machine.

Just this past week I used Jing's screen capture feature to send a shot to our tech service department. We were trying to create a default setup for our receipt printer, who's routine had no save function. The screen capture showed the tech department exactly what our screen looked like. The department was then able to create a solution to our need. Jing made the process very easy. I guarantee that I will use this app more often.

CPD23 - Thing #17 - Prezi and SlideShare

2011-09-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

SlideShare is sort of a Flickr for powerpoints. I like the idea of people sharing their presentation creations and looking for ideas for making your own. why re-invent the wheel? There are lots of presentations filed according to subject, so searching through endless slideshows unrelated to your interest is kept to a minimum. The next time I have a presentation to make I know I'll search this data bank before starting the writing process.

Prezi is a completely different take on presentations. Rather than using the 35mm photo slide, or sheet of paper, with outlined or bulleted script as its metaphor, Prezi starts with a blank slate that allows you to view text and images at all 2D angles. You can also zoom in and out of text to create focus. As you create a Prezi you are free to post anywhere on your slate and then create a sequential map to get you from spot to spot in order.

As with SlideShare, Prezi has a data bank of stored and shared presentations enabling the newbie to get a better idea of how to create an effective presentation. A word of caution, be careful how you use zoom and side to side travel or you can give the viewer a seasick experience.

I think teens and college students, especially, will love presentations created with Prezi since it gives a new visual metaphor and seems less linear in construction.

CPD23 - Thing 19 - Reflection and Adoption

2011-09-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

During our CPD23 experience we've been exposed to a number of applications and websites that can improve our online professional image, and help us create teaching demonstrations.

I found the "Thing" on branding very helpful and have cleaned up a couple of my profiles on various social sites. As a result, I started a professional Twitter presence and made some changes in the professional presence on facebook. I really like the examples of LinkedIn profiles that were posted, and I plan to re-vamp my profile in a couple of weeks.

I was already familiar with several of the tools such as dropbox, google docs, and audacity, but some new tools that I want to investigate are Mendeley and Jing.

I appreciate the effort to create this professional development series, and congratulate the authors/compilers on a wonderful asset for working library staffers.

CPD23 - Thing #16 - Advocacy

2011-09-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Omaha Public Library had a wonderful experience two years ago that staved off the threat of staff layoffs and a branch closing.

In our current economic environment, the city government was running several millions of dollars in the red. As a result, all city departments were going to have to cut back drastically. In our case, the library was going to layoff all part-time staff (I don't know how they expected to operate without these workers)and close one branch library.

The area residents living near this branch were very upset to hear that they would lose a vital community resource. At the same time an individual came forward with a "challenge" matching grant offer. If the library could raise $300,000 in one week, the individual would match the money and all library services would be restored.

As one of the laid off workers, I can tell you that I am thankful, AND impressed that the community responded within 3 days to provide all the money for the challenge grant.

These events became such a big news story in Omaha, making all the local TV newscasts and newspapers, that the city government was forced to reevaluate future library budgets, and has not attempted to reduce allotments since.

This is what I call ADVOCACY. The citizens poured out their advocacy for the library in the way of hard currency, and government leaders got the message.

CPD23 - Thing #15 - Attending, Presenting, Organizing Conferences

2011-09-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

In my music profession I've attended and presented at several conferences, and as a member of the NMEA executive board I've helped organize clincis and meetings for my area. I liked the statement about "being inspired" by something at the conference. I remember convention concerts that I've attended that have moved and inspired me. These sessions expand your understanding beyond the walls of your present conceptual box.

What advice would you give to others, based on your experiences?
Pre-plan which sessions you want to attend so that you don't miss the one event that you need the most. But, don't worry about attending every session on your list. Networking with people is an important facet of attending conferences. You'll get to visit with friends you haven't seen since last year's event, and you'll meet new people that can expand your present circle.

Are there conferences you’d like to attend?
I'd like to attend more Mid-West International Band & Orchestra Clinics, CBDNA conferences, and the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles. Mid-West is THE conference of the year for band director at all levels. You always hear new music and wonderful performances by DC based service bands and outstanding college and high school bands. Great networking, too.

CBDNA is where I go to get musically challenged by new music written for advanced university and professional wind bands. Many times I don't hear music that I owuld ever program, but my consciousness is always expanded, and so I'm a better musician for experiencing the unfamiliar. WASBE pulls the best of CBDNA together with directors and ensembles from all over the globe. There are incredible performances, and exposure to the musical styles of different countries.

CPD23 - Thing #14 - Academic Reference Aids

2011-09-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

Thing #14 asked us to investigate Zotero, Mendeley, and citeulike. Zotero, a FireFox browser plugin makes it easy to assemble bibliographic citations in text or in a reference list. This is very helpful for those writing academic papers. Unfortunately, you must use FireFox in order to take advantage of Zotero. Were I to embark on an academic projectg requiring footnotes and reference lists I would seriously look at using FireFox so that I use Zotero.

citeulike also works to create bibliographic citations from website, online documents, and papers. The video presentation wasn't too inspiring and the product didn't seem to fit my need.

However, I found Mendeley very interesting. The product allows you to access academic papers on the web, to form groups around specified research fields, and to access your saved documents from Mac, Windows, or iOS devices. I signed up for a free account and began playing with the app. I found some papers in my field and saved them to my library. I looked for groups in my field (wind band conducting), but wasn't surprised to find none. I allowed the app to search my email contacts for others using Mendeley, but there were none. So, I haven't yet found a group with similar interests. I'll keep looking after I download the iOS apps and the Mac desktop app.

Poster for International Highlights Concert

2011-09-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

CPD23 - Thing #13 - Google Docs, Wikis, and Dropbox

2011-08-31T12:52:00.000-07:00

I began using Google Docs in 2007 when I began working on multiple computers at multiple locations. The ability to save and share documents, and have immediate access was of prime importance. On my Google Doc page I have shared photos and records with my son who lives in Virginia. Expanding the Docs page to Google Sites allows for a wiki-like creating/sharing experience. For a community workspace for the board of my adult band I created a Google Site with separate pages for each of our projects. When writing our group's constitution and bylaws we used the site to edit and share various versions of the document. Pretty cool!

Also in 2007 I began using Delicious to bookmark all the webpages I regularly visited and new ones I was saving for a class i was taking. That site worked very well and I could access it on multiple computers. But, I needed to sync documents and other files, and Delicious wasn't as good for that. So, I began using dropbox in 2010 and have installed it on work and home computers and my portable devices as well. I really like it because it will sync the Microsoft Office files that I regularly work with.

I'm glad to hear about Dropbox's sharing abilities and will try using them with my adult band.

CPD23 - Thing #12 - Social Networking

2011-08-31T12:05:00.000-07:00

I've participated in social networking since 2007 and regularly use facebook and twitter. I have a Google+ account, but so far don't like it much. I also have a LinkedIn account. On facebook I belong to several social groups in addition to my friends, and some of these are professional groups aimed at mentoring.

One of these networks is for music teachers within our state. This network is working pretty well as both new and experienced music teachers ask and answer questions. It really helps to have a wonderful moderator who is positive and encouraging.

The advantage of this kind of network is that individuals can ask professional questions anytime during their day and get responses within minutes or hours. Some of the posters teach in small and isolated communities where physical mentors may not be readily available, and where they may be the only one teaching their subject in the district. Now they have a place to go and ask questions.

CPD23 hasn't helped me to make contact with others, and perhaps that's because I didn't reach out. Being a fairly quiet guy I have a hard time typing out to the cloud and trying to engage people that I don't know anything about. So, I think fostering a sense of community may depend on the individual.

CPD23 - Thing #11 - Mentoring

2011-08-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

Thing #11 discusses the importance of mentoring in developing professionally. I've never had a formal mentor, but I greatly appreciate some managers that have helped guide my "career."

One manager was a great friend to all, and who gave me freedom to make mistakes and to develop my reference chops without hovering over my shoulder. He also assigned work tasks that built on my strengths and interests. This manager also provided the opportunity for me to write an article for a professional journal of which he was the editor. Finally, he showed appreciation for me as a person and as a library staffer. He became a non-judgmental friend to whom I could go when I needed to talk.

Another manager also recognized my strengths and interests and encouraged me to plan programs and displays for our library branch. The encouragement allowed me to continue to develop my skills and experience.

I am grateful to both of these managers who took a personal interest in me and who guided me in my professional development.

CPD 23 - Thing #10 - Professional Library Degrees and Certification

2011-08-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

This week's "thing" deals with routes to professional librarianship. Usually in the US that means a Masters degree in Library and Information Science. Degree programs accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) are specified by most hiring institutions. A few years ago I began a degree program while working as a library clerk.

At the time, there was a hiring freeze at our library. Vacant positions were not being filled, and few, if any, employees were being promoted. The coursework didn't seem to apply to my clerk's job, and I grew tired of the expense that was largely unsupported by scholarships. I must add that I had already earned a Masters and a Ph.D. in my first profession, Music.

At the same time, I have begun a public librarian certificate program sponsored by the Nebraska Library Commission. In fact, completing CPD 23 will earn me 15 credits toward the certificate.

I am also happy to say that library budgets were somewhat restored and lots of employees have been promoted, me included.

In the meantime, in 2009 I founded a semi-professional adult concert band, Omaha Symphonic Winds, and spend many hours weekly managing its business and studying scores in preparation of rehearsals and concerts. So, I decided to retain my part-time status with the library to allow me more time for OSW. With professional promotion off the table, due to lack of full time status, I see no need to complete the expensive library degree program.

I look forward, though, to completing the NLC public library certificate.

CPD23 - Thing #9 - Evernote

2011-08-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

Shortly after I purchased my iPad I browsed through the AppStore for productivity apps to add to the functionality of my new tablet. I had heard about Evernote, but had never investigated it. For several years I had transferred files between my various computers, or insured that I had universal access, first through Google Docs, and then through DropBox. It was really cool to have a desktop app that would automatically sync files among my various devices and workstations.

I took a look at Evernote and liked how I could set up "notebooks" for various clippings, files, and media. I liked the way Evernote displayed the files, especially web clippings and photos. So, I added Evernote to my iPad, iPhone and multiple desktops. Now, I use it more than DropBox, except for Microsoft Office files that are not compatible with the free Evernote app.

I like the web clipping feature of Evernote and frequently clip articles and web graphics to my various notebooks. It's quick and convenient, and I like it better than Instapaper. I'm still pretty new to Evernote, but it looks like a winner to me.

CPD23 Thing #8 - Google Calendar

2011-08-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

I've been using Google Calendar for three years because I need access to my events while working on as many as five different computers. At the library I work in a Windows environment, but at home I have a Mac. So, my calendar has to be platform neutral. In addition, I want to be able to share my events with my wife at her workplace. Google Calendar allows me to easily manage these requirements.

I have imported/subscribed to several public calendars, such as US and Christian Holidays, and, of course, the schedule of my favorite college football team. I have imported/subscribed to my wife's work calendar, and iCal on my Mac. I also download or share my Google Calendar with my iPhone and iPad.

Of course, since Google Calendar is web-based, I can access it from any of the computers I use at work via the web browser.

One thing not covered in Thing 8's tutorial is setting up alarms. I find important events are much easier to remember if I get a timely reminder. The alarm is flexible to allow for the reminder to occur at a user-selected interval prior to the event. It could be 30 minutes for something that happens at work, to 24 hours for birthdays and anniversaries to that I have time to purchase a gift.

I know that some businesses with small staffs have utilized Google Calendar to schedule employees' work. I tried doing it for a branch library, but our needs were pretty complicated, and I couldn't get it to display in an easy to understand manner.

However, it's really nice to have a universally available, free, and easy to use calendar to keep my schedule.

CPD23 - Thing #7 - F2F or Professional Networks

2011-08-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

I have my feet in two professions. My degrees and most of my career have been spent in the Music Education field. I have been a public school and college educator for over 25 years, and started working in the library field about 3 1/2 years ago.

So, my professional memberships are in the Music Education field and include: Music Educators National Conference, Nebraska Music Educators Association, Nebraska State Bandmasters ASsociation, Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity, College Band Directors National Association, American School Band Directors Association, and most recently the Association of Concert Bands.

I receive publications from all of these organizations, most with articles to promote professional development. They cover many topics, including: anaylses of composer's works, methods of teaching instruments, methods of conducting effective rehearsals, planning interesting concerts, making wise equipment purchases, traveling with your ensemble, and so on.

Most of these organizations host yearly professional conferences. I regularly attend those in Nebraska, and occasionaly travel to other cities as well. Usually, I am inspired by a great performance by a featured ensemble or by an especially instructive clinic session. I enjoy seeing colleagues, many of whom I have known for a number of years.

It is my priviledge to have been elected to serve the profession as Research and College/University Affairs Chair for the Nebraska Music Educators Association, and as President of the Nebraska chapter of Phi Beta Mu.

So, I am well versed in the role of Professional Organizations, and their benefit in professional development. And while I am interested in developing my knowledge and service excellence in my current position in the public library, I am not pursuing memberships in professional organizations at this time.

CPD 23 Thing #6 - Online Networks

2011-08-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

Thing #6 presented networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook, as well as professional resources CILIP and LISNPNP. I was already familiar with LinkedIn and Facebook, having a presence on both. CPD23's blog linked to some wonderful individuals on LinkedIn whose resumes and profiles were very well developed. As I continue to work on my branding I will return to these profiles as models for how to develop my page. Seeing that LISNPN and CILIP seem to be UK associations, I'll forego getting involved with them right now.

Cpd 23 #5 - Reflective Practice

2011-08-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

I find true reflective practice to be challenging. Like many others, I am on the go, and have many activites crammed into my life. So, finding, or taking, the time to reflect is difficult.

From the UK version of CPD 23 I learned a simple three- step approach to reflection. 1) What?, 2) So What., 3) Now What? Let's review and reflect on our participation so far.

1) What? we've restarted our dormant blog, viewed colleagues' blogs, considered our public brand, and lookead at some social networking tools.

2) So What? Blogging is a way of onlline sharing our discoveries in this professional development exercise. since we're seperated by distance and are forced to communicate online the blog serves as a good tool for accoomplishing that purpose. Actually, just writing itself is a form of reflection. Hence the diary or journal.

Branding is a concept that I became familiar with a few years ago, although I didn't actively organize my online personna to consolidate it. Since rreading that toopic I have made a few adjustments, notably on my LinkedIn profile, which is dedicated to my music personna. I have more difficulty consolidating my facebook and twitter personnas as they serve for my two careers, librarianship and conducting, and my family and friends as well.

3) Now What? AsI continue to work through the 23 Things I'll keep blogging, perhaps it will become a habit. I'll also read colleagues blog to keep up with their experiences and discover ways that I might continue to grow. I'll keep monitoring my brand on my online social and professional networks and in print media for my conducting.

Whew! That's a lot of reflecting for me. On to the next activity, and on to Thing #6.

CPD23 - #3 Your Personal Brand

2011-07-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

I've been aware of branding, especially for organizations, for awhile, and I have even checked my name on google a couple of times to see if I'm even listed. Surprise! My new google+ account profile comes up first on the search page. Who knew?

I show up most often under my full name and secondly under my self-assumed nickname. Often there are links between the two. There is some consistency with use of name, but less so with images. I like two professional photos that I display on Facebook, google+, and my blog, but for some reason have chosen a "Flat Stanley" for Twitter. Perhaps because when I first started posting Twitter was more a newsy "here's what I'm doing" kind of app. I need to change my old photo on LibraryThing, and maybe Twitter, too.

Since I work in the library field, but really live in the wind band world, I guess I'll have to live with a little inconsistency to my total brand. Does this mean I'm schizophrenic? Should I consider separating my two identities? How does that work on Facebook where I crossover?

For now, I think I'll clean up photo images and pay more attention to what I write, and how I write it.

CPD23 - Thing 2 - Blogs continued

2011-07-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

As a part of setting up a blog to comment on our own personal development, CPD23 members were asked to visit other members blogs. Since I work and live in Nebraska I decided to look for colleagues. Along the way I discovered some interesting things.

1. CPD23 is sponsored by UK librarians, so most of the blogs and news listed on the CPD23 blog are - British. They've been setting up some area meetings - in the UK. OK, time to look somewhere else.

2. I imported CPD23 to my iPad's "Flipboard" app to make it easier to read the blog posts. But, I got mostly the UK info when I wanted the Nebraska stuff. I finally located the Nebraska page and now can view colleagues' posts.

3. Many of my colleagues submitted their blogs from previous years' 23 Things and haven't yet started blogging about this program. I also noted that most of the colleagues are from rural libraries. Since I work in Omaha we won't find a lot in common. Fortunately I also live in a small town with a library of its own. I think this year's 23 Things will teach me more about what a small town librarian's life is like.

Finally, I amamazed at how quickly one can fall behind in this project, and I appreciate receiving Twitter posts from CPD23 to help keep me on track.

CPD23 - Thing #4, Twitter, RSS, and Pushnote

2011-07-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm doing some of the things out of order. We just returned from our Summer vacation to see all 3 kids and 6 grandkids. For awhile we didn't have wifi access, and then we were just too pooped to pop. However, following a wonderful nap and waiting for the Fourth of July specials to come on TV, we're up and at it!

I've been using Twitter for a couple of years now, although I was on a self-imposed hiatus for about 9 months. When I first started using it Twitter seemed like a Round Robin conversation where everyone speaks and no one listens. Have you ever been in a conversation where you were talking about one thing, and then after pausing, the other party began speaking about something completely unrelated? Well, that was Twitter--then.

Twitter:--now has morphed into sharing news and other websites with your followers. It's a way of keeping followers up on the latest news, and as such is a valuable tool for libraries. My branch has several programs each week, so there's always something new. We can communicate with patrons who are followers to keep them updated on the latest program. I like this approach to twitter much better.

RSS feeds: It's very easy to get inundated with RSS feeds and not have time to read them all. Be careful what you sign up for! Again RSS can be a valuable resource for libraries in communicating new events to patrons. Recently, I purchased an iPad and found a magazine-style RSS aggregator that I like very much. It's called "Flipboard." It comes with facebook and twitter feeds as well as news, sports, lifestyle, tech, and flickr interesting. You can add RSS feeds of your own to the app. All the pages show photos, icons, and text arranged in a magazine format--so very visual and easy to read. If you have an iPad check it out!

The new thing for me is Pushnote. I had not heard of this app/extention before and am still learning about it. Setting up a Pushnote account was easy as was the download and installation of the extention in my Safari browser. Initially I tried downloading it on my iPad, but that didn't seem to work. Pushnote's fax indicates that mobile extentions will arrive soon.

My Safari browser has a new star located in the address bar. When I click on it a new window opens with the current browser page listed. Supposedly if others have rated the page the star will turn colors. Maybe it's if other friends have rated the page the star turns color. None of my facebook or twitter friends apparently use pushnote yet. Anyway after assigning 1-5 stars you can add a short comment about the page. You can also view other "hot" pages highly rated by other pushnote users.

For Pushnote to become a valuable library tool more folks will have to begin using it, and I certainly have to keep playing with it to learn more of its functions.

Are any of you using Pushnote? How valuable have you found it to be?

CPD 23 on the road!

2011-06-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in Savannah's Islands Branch Library creating my first cpd23 blog post. I'm on a busman's holiday!

I am very enthused to be a part of a new 23 Things professional development project because I learned a lot from OPL's "Oh! What a Geek." In that program I started this blog, I learned about mash-ups, and fun little applets to incorporate into the blog page.

My goal for cpd23 is to learn more social/technology to incorporate into personal and professional computing. Since I'm a lifelong learner I expect the experience to lots of fun.

While on our current vacation, we left the laptops at home and are corresponding via iPad. We're dowloading audiobooks and eBooks from 2 different Nebraska libraries and listening while we travel, and eReading during quiet hours with our family. The immediate, and personal connection with the iPad is quickly making it my favorite computing platform. I hope OPL's new ILS integrates with it over Wi-Fi, so that I can go out into the stacks and answer patrons' questions right there.

more later....

2011-06-06T18:14:00.001-07:00

Introducing: Owen August Boldt

2009-01-30T09:21:00.000-08:00

From Owen August Boldt

Owen August Boldt, born January 24, 2009
2nd son of Ryan and Jacque Boldt
6th Grandchild of Bill & Shelly Hall

BREAKING NEWS!

2009-01-23T10:19:00.000-08:00

We are traveling this weekend to Minneapolis for the the Birth of our daughter's 2nd baby. There's a lot of excitement about the event, and we're not quite sure what the baby's sex will be. The first sonogram seemed to indicate a girl. Then after the second sonogram my daughter said, "Take back the pink clothes." We'll be happy no matter the sex, and of course, we're praying that the baby is healthy. This will be our 6th grandchild.

Script Ohio in the Snow

2009-01-17T13:56:00.001-08:00

Thanks to the Columbus Dispatch

Thing #23 - O! What a Geek wrap up

2009-01-11T17:14:00.001-08:00

Well, a planned nine weeks curriculum stretched out a little bit to provide fun and web 2.0 learning. I enjoyed the process very much and gained some valuable skills along the way. I had never tried editing wikis before, and that was probably the area where I learned the most. Many of the "things" I had already discovered as a part of getting up to date with all the new web 2.0 applications. Among these were: twitter, facebook, youtube, podcasts, and library thing. Perhaps the most important learning for me was about portability using google docs and google calendar. I use these applications daily on a variety of computers. So, I can say that the program was a success and I'm glad that I took part.

Thing # 20 - YouTube

2009-01-10T09:34:00.001-08:00

OK, I know I'm out of sequence, but I needed time to play and figured it really doesn't matter if the things are done in order.

When I opened YouTube this morning I was greeted by several "American Military March" videos sporting waving US flags and playing Sousa marches. Well performed recordings, probably by service bands from Washington, but the video portion left a lot to be desired. Then I saw one of my favorite German marches listed, "Alte Kamaraden." So, I clicked on that and then found a whole bunch of German military marches. I thought about posting one of those to Thing #20 but wanted to be in good taste, so I passed.

Then I searched for the most famous marching band routine in the world, "Script Ohio." Well of course there were lots of postings, but the video doesn't do the marching justice. Next I found a lot of Yea Ohio-Boo Michigan (to say it nicely) stuff. A lot is very funny, but in poor taste for a G-rated blog. The funniest one was a baby crying whenever the Michigan fight song was played.

Finally, I settled on this party video. I can't imagine drinking all those beers just to pull this one off.

Thing #22 - Downloadable Media

2009-01-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

From my previous post you are aware that I love to listen to audio files and podcasts while traveling in the car. So, I was overjoyed to discover Overdrive on the OPL website. My frustration until recently has been that there were no Mac compatible files available. Thanks Judy Anghelescu (and others) for working hard to get Mac titles for us. Hopefully the number of titles and the breadth of coverage will grow over the next few months.

I'm not much of an "ereader" although I have an appplication on my palm pilot and home desktop computer. I tried reading through Shelley's "Frankenstein - or the Modern Prometheus" but didn't like the small screen and constant page turning. I guess, I like books in print better aethetically. However, I do like having the Bible on my palm pilot for quick reference and carrying back and forth to church. It's a lot smaller and lighter than my standard Bible and fits in my pocket.

In regards to downloadable video, I did try to view a streaming movie using my wife's windows laptop. I guess our bandwidth at home isn't fast enough for streaming. I got tired of getting 30 seconds of movie and then a pause while the next segment downloaded.

So, I think it's great to have these ebooks, audiobooks, and streaming movie files available at the library. I think we should do a better job in advertising these services; it's a real plus for many of our patrons.

Thing #21 - Podcasts

2009-01-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

I've been listening to podcasts since I bought my 3rd generation iPod about five years ago. Although I have stored lots of my favorite music on the iPod, I listen mostly to audiobooks. I began listening to audiobooks while driving to visit my children; the nearest lives 7 hours away. I enjoyed learning a lot about revolutionary and civil war history and the biogrpahies of founding fathers.

My drive to work takes thirty minutes, so I began listening to audiobooks on a daily basis. I subscribed to some library-related podcasts to promote my professional development. My favorite podcast "LibVibe" sadly ceased in June. I have also listened to "Library Geeks" and especially enjoyed the interview with Koha's leadership team.

But, the most enjoyable listening for me comes from the mystery genre, which works well because I love film noire movies and they go hand-in-hand. Recently I listened to Dashell Hammett and I am now going through the Raymond Chandler mysteries.

For this discovery activity I accessed Podcast Alley to search for library related shows, and I subscribed to the Naxos AudioBook Preview podcast using my new Bloglines account. My main podcast directory is the iTunes store where I recently found a wonderful children's literature podcast sponsored by the University of South Florida called "Lit2Go" (http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/). This site includes readings of classic children's books arranged by reading level, and features subscribable podcasts by grade.

#19 - Web 2.0 Tools - MyHeritage.Com

2009-01-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

For the assignment of playing with a Web 2.0 tool I went to the web awards page and noticed the link to genealogy tools. I've been actively involved in my family's genealogy for many years and have used a variety of software programs to collect over 4,000 names in my database. Since I'm a Mac user it's been difficult to find many quality programs. So, the possibility of a web 2.0 application that promised portability was very welcome.

I selected the number one rated genealogy program MyHeritage to investigate for Thing #19. Setting up an account was very easy as was uploading my pre-existing gedcom file. The gedcom format is the standard file exchange format for genealogy, and when you're working with thousands of names and associated dates it's important not to have to recreate the wheel. MyHeritage displays individuals with birth and death dates and cities, and family information with marriages and children's births. the user can upload photos of family members which will be posted along with their vital information. The site also allows for a variety of family tree print outs.

However, it is impossible to edit any data once uploaded to the site. This is a major flaw of the application, and makes it unusable as a primary genealogy file. It just becomes a way of displaying your information for family and friends. Also, searching for individuals is very slow and cumbersome.

Because of the weaknesses, I could not recommend MyHeritage as a functional genealogy site, and my search for a genealogy program for Mac continues.

Thing # 18 - Web-based Productivity Programs

2008-12-30T09:36:00.000-08:00

I'm writing this post via Google Docs on my son's computer in Virginia. I became aware of web-based applications via Google Calendar and the browser bar at the top of the screen. Since I regularly use three different computers in the course of my day, and I work on both windows and mac platforms, I need both transportability and platform transparency. The suite of applications that Google now offers meets my need for both.

My use of web-based tools began with Google Calendar (discussed earlier in this blog) and increased when my son-in-law posted Christmas shopping lists on Google Docs. Finally, I broke down and signed-up for a Gmail account because its spam blocker was better than the free one used by my ISP. I suppose my next investigation should be of Google Scholar for journal articles and other documents posted on the web.

Anyway, I find the word processor in Google Docs easy to use, resembling the familiar MS Word interface. I like its spell checker, and now to find out how well it posts to my blog . . .

As a full-feature word processor Google Docs isn't robust enough, but for everyday use it's just fine. I guess if I were creating a document that needed robust features I wouldn't house it online anyway.

pbWiki - Thing #17

2008-12-30T08:22:00.001-08:00

Wow, I've been away for a month. Not that December' is busy for anyone ;-).

I started working on the wiki things (16 & 17) during November, and soon recognized that it would take some concentration to really understand how they worked and to learn to edit material well. So, I postponed my learning activity until the holiday break. Today (12/30) I'm sitting at my son's computer in Virginia, waiting for them to return from Texas, and taking the time to play with thing #17.

It was easy enough to establish an account on pbWiki, and to find the list of favorite pages. I entered my blog in the favorite blog (general) list. I don't know why my entry looks different from the others. I think I followed the model. Ah, the wonders of html.

I added an entry to the favorite wine page. I love an Italian white wine made from the Cortese grape in the Piedmont region called Gavi. My favorite label is Princepessa Gavi which sells for around $14.00. It's great with seafood and for drinking on those hot summer evenings when its green apple and citrus palette slakes one's thirst.

OK, I think I'm over my slight roadblock and can continue with the remaining things.

Happy new year everyone! May 2009 be prosperous for all!

Dylan Robert Hall

2008-11-30T17:46:00.001-08:00

Enjoy some photos of the newest member of our family. Dylan Robert Hall was born on Tuesday, November 26, 2008, to Michael and Lara Hall. Dylan is the couple's first baby, and Bill & Shelly Hall's 5th grandchild. After a shaky start, Dylan's health has improved dramatically and he is no longer in intensive care. Thanks to all who prayed for his healing, and Blessings to our wonderful Lord and King for His grace!

ANTHRAX SCARE AT MICHIGAN

2008-11-11T06:19:00.000-08:00

Received this in an email this morning. Don't know the source, but given the season it seemed appropriate.

ANTHRAX SCARE AT MICHIGAN

Michigan football practice was delayed nearly two hours late this morning after a player reported finding an unknown white powdery substance on the practice field. Head coach Rich Rodriguez immediately suspended practice while police and federal agents were called to investigate.

After a complete analysis, FBI forensic experts determined that the white substance, unknown to the players, was the goal line. Practice was resumed this afternoon after special agents decided the team was unlikely to encounter the substance again.

Enjoy! Go Bucks!

A Trio of Titles

2008-11-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

A Trio of Titles from Carnivalesque Films
http://www.carnivalesquefilms.com

Documentary filmmakers David Redmon and Ashley Sabin portray the survival challenges faced by disaster victims and the working poor. They combine video, 8mm and 16mm film footage into raw and unedited collages, and present them to the viewer in a kaleidoscopic, mashed together style. Redmon and Sabin present unforgettable and moving images through their approach to verité.

Mardi Gras: Made in China is an award-winning documentary that explores the relationship between the gaily-colored strings of beads awarded for provocative behavior in New Orleans, and the young migrant Chinese workers who manufacture them. The young men and women work at least 12 hours every day running machines and hand painting figurines while living at the factory compound and away from their families. The documentary contains interview footage of workers, bosses, owners, and Mardi gras revelers incorporated as a collage to relate the stressful lives of the young workers and to express the attitudes of both labor and management. The DVD contains feature length (73 minutes) and educational (PG) versions (52 min.), deleted scenes, and special features including interviews with principal workers. The Mardi gras scenes contain some sexual exposure.

Kamp Katrina depicts life in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans residents Dave and Ms. Pearl open their backyard to the displaced, converting their garden into a tent city. The award-winning documentary follows the lives of the residents of Kamp Katrina through the next six months as they attempt to rebuild their lives following the devastation. Living life on the basest of levels is raw and stressful, but the personalities who make up the backyard community become indelibly etched into the heart. Scenes of the post Katrina destruction are incredibly gripping. There are both feature length (75 minutes) and educational versions (48 min.) of the film. There is considerable profanity throughout.

Intimidad introduces 21-year-olds Camilo and Cecy, a young Mexican couple trying to establish their home. They struggle to earn a living working low wage factory jobs and while living apart from their two-year old daughter, Loida. The stress placed upon their marriage climaxes while on a Christmas visit to see their daughter, when Cecy decides to remain with her family and not return to the couple’s home in Reynosa. Finally, love wins out as Cecy and Loida join Camilo, buy land, and build a small house. (72 minutes).

reviews by William Hall for the Nebraska Library Association Journal

Creativity – the Fast-track to Your New Life

2008-11-06T05:16:00.000-08:00

Recently I read three seminal books on the 21st Century, the characteristics of the new American worker, and the future of the American job market. I first gained understanding of the business forces that provide a leveling effect on world commerce by reading Thomas L. Friedman’s The World is Flat (2006). Friedman points to the growing and competing economies in China and India where engineers can design and implement technology as good as the United States, and for a cheaper price. In order to compete and to serve the consumer American corporations are forced to utilize foreign workers to lower their production costs. Of course, foreign competition is a major reason for corporation downsizing and the loss of repetitive and lower skilled jobs.

Friedman then argues that the American economy can only remain competitive by supplying jobs skills that no one else can replicate. He and Daniel Pink believe that the creative skill of synthesis, or symphony as Pink puts it, is what allows for new product development and new and better approaches to job tasking (Pink, 2006, p. 130). Both authors believe that this skill cannot be downsized or outsourced to foreign countries. Friedman states that the job market is changing so quickly that today’s undergraduates will have to prepare for jobs that don’t even yet exist.

The next book that impressed me was Richard Florida’s The Rise of the Creative Class (2002). Florida observes the changing American job market and notices the rapid increase in what he terms “creative class” jobs, and the decline of older service industry jobs. Florida also notices where the people who work in creative class industries reside, and lists communities around the country that are supporting creative individuals’ lifestyles. He believes that creative people are drawn to these areas as places to be inspired, to be engaged, and to live, and that they then search for jobs that will allow them to exercise their creativity. That’s a 180-degree change from the older idea of moving to where the job is located. Among the markers of communities that attract creative class people are: Technology, Talent, and Tolerance of diversity (Florida, 2002, p. 249).

What Daniel Pink accomplishes in A Whole New Mind (2006) is to define the skills that identify Florida’s “creative class.” These are the kinds of skills that will allow today’s undergraduates to be successful in the new job market. Truty (2006) stated: “Pink . . . posits that happiness and professional success require mastery of the "six senses" ("design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning"), all of which emerge from the right hemisphere of the brain.” In order to prepare their graduates to be leaders in the new economy some of the nation’s leading colleges, like Carleton College, in Northfield, MN, are seeking ways of infusing right-brain creativity into every class. Carleton even hired a Dean of the Arts to advise other professors how to design creativity-based curricula for their students.

What effect will right-brained “creative class” patrons and emerging technologies have on libraries? Thomas Frey (2008), Executive Director of the DaVinci Institute, a futuristic think tank, argued that for libraries to remain relevant they must adapt to the experience culture [“creative class” and right-brainers] by providing experiential opportunities. He suggested exercise rooms so that people can read or listen while staying in shape, multi-sensory mini-theaters, recording studios for creating pod and video casts, soundproof rooms for music practice, drama studios for patrons to role play stories they are reading, and art studios with one-way mirrors so that patrons can either create, or perhaps more importantly, can view and experience the act of creating.

Ah, Pink’s design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning set in motion.

Reference List

Florida, R. (2004). The rise of the creative class: . . . And how it’s transforming work, leisure, community, & everyday life. New York: Basic Books.

Frey, T. (2006). The future of libraries: Beginning the great transformation. Retrieved on October 24, 2008 from http://www.davinciinstitute.com/page.php?ID=120.

Friedman, T. L. (2006). The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Pink, D. L. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. New York: Penguin.

Truty, D. (2006, March 1). [Review of the book A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future]. Choice. Retrieved October 24, 2008, from Bowker’s Books in Print Database.

Thing #15: Web/Library 2.0

2008-10-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

Tom Storey’s (2006) definition of Web 2.0 is the best I’ve seen to date.

“In Web 2.0, the Web becomes the center of a new digital lifestyle that changes our culture and touches every aspect of our lives. The Web moves from simply being sites and search engines to a shared network space that drives work, research, education, entertainment and social activities—essentially everything people do. You and your mobile and non-mobile devices—PDA, MP3, laptop, cell phone, camera, PC, TV, etc.—are always online, connected to one another and to the Web.” http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/1.htm

In the next paragraph Storey says that the Web itself becomes the operating platform rather than our PCs. One of the benefits of a web-based platform is the transparency of the software to accommodate different browsers and operating systems. As a Mac user living in a Windows world I certainly welcome platform transparency. Another benefit, of course, is the availability of our content no matter where we are, and no matter on what machine we’re accessing the web. On this blog I’ve already documented my experiences with using Del.icio.us as a web 2.0 bookmarking application.

I believe that Michael Casey and Laura Savastinuk (2006) have hit the nail on the head when they write:

“In the current library world—particularly in public institutions—we are accustomed to focusing our services on those customers we already reach. . . . Libraries are in the habit of providing the same services and the same programs to the same groups. We grow comfortable with our provisions and we fail to change.” http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html.

Not only do we keep dipping into the same well, we, ourselves, as librarians grow too comfortable with already developed skills, and are reluctant to learn new ones. Perhaps it’s the fear of technology, but we have to push beyond that. Our patrons are becoming more and more technologically savvy, even the preschoolers. Michael Stephens writes:

“If we learn to learn, it doesn’t matter that this week’s hot technology is Twitter and next week’s even shinier tool is something else. We can still figure it out, use our foundational knowledge to make sense of it and decide if it works in our situation.” http://tametheweb.com/

In addition, the patrons that aren’t tech savvy are looking to us to help them become so. While working as a PSA at the Millard Branch patrons would daily come to my station asking for help in establishing an email account, searching for jobs on the web, and writing resumes. I’m sure that this is a common occurrence at other branches as well. It’s heartrending to see 50 year old workers who have never learned to type trying to negotiate online applications. They have no other choice as many employers no longer accept paper, phone calls or walk-in applications. A large part of our profession is service, and as our patrons needs change, so must our service skills.

Another issue facing our libraries is that of accessing materials not owned by our systems. Fortunately, we have ebooks, audiobooks, and movie streaming (although not for Mac users!). We have downloadable journal articles via full-text online databases. So, the main issue is acquiring books for our patrons from other sources. Yes, we have ILL, and yes WorldCat is making it easier to request an item, but we still have to deal with time delay. If the item is a research document we may have no other choice since there are few copies available. But if it is a readily available book, but not in our collection, Amazon and others can supply the text in a matter of a couple of days. Sometimes these books can even be downloaded. How will we answer this challenge?

I’m excited about the newly developed and developing tools available via Web 2.0, and I am eager to see the transformation of our libraries into the infocommunities of the future.

References

Casey, M. E. and Savastanuk, L. C. (2006, September 1). Library 2.0: Service for the next-generation library. Library Journal. Retrieved October 19, 2008 from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html.

Stephens, M. (2008. October 24). SLA IT Bulletin: Digital Focus: Michael Stephens. Tame the Web. Retreived October 29, 2008 from http://tametheweb.com/.

Storey, T. (2006). Web 2.0: Where will the next generation web take libraries? Web 2.0 Retrieved October 29, 2008 from http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/1.htm.

#14 Technorati

2008-10-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

Hey! What a cool tool! I had fun watching the video on Technorati and signing-up for an account. I "claimed" my blog and tried to search for some friends blogs - including O! What a Geek. Couldn't find any of them, but only spent about 5 minutes looking, though. Next I added a "favorite me" widget to my blog home page. So you all can add me! Hah!

I'm really enjoying learning about web 2.0 apps and adding them to my arsenal.

Thing # 13 - del.icio.us

2008-10-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

i LOVE delicious! (on the web as well as on my plate). I was getting frustrated this Spring working on three different computers and having to bookmark the same pages in every browser. Then I saw delicious on a coworker's browser and decided to investigate. This was the answer to my need, and I must say that it has opened the door for me to add other web-based applications. A few years ago I used a laptop almost exclusively, but I no longer have one, and must rely on desktop PCs for my computing. Having portability in bookmarks and applications makes much more sense.

One of my favorite web-based apps is Google Calendar. I've created a series of calendars which are hosted on a free web calendar server and then download them to my Google Calendar. My wife and I both have current calendars to compare our schedules, and I don't have to retain all that info in my mind anymore. Having Google Calendar as one of my AAA bookmarks in delicious, it is readily available whenever I need to check a date. I already added OPL Staff Day to the last Friday in April 2009.

The 23 Things - 1 to 12

2008-10-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

Some of my OPL colleagues participating in O! What a Geek have documented their progress and experiences with the 23 Things in great detail. I love to view their blogs and learn about other apps that I missed along the way. From them I have discovered Glickr and Trading Cards. From other librarian friends on Twitter I have found avatars like Voki and link listers like Lijit (say that three times fast).

I’ve used my blog for a variety of postings from family to sports to rants about ethics. But, I thought I’d like to document my progress on the 23 Things as well. Being a left-brained person, I’ll use this post to create a list of my experiences, and maybe to comment along the way.

1) Thing #1-Intro
2) Life-long learning
3) Set-up a blog –Here it is!
4) Register the blog with the Geek team – you’re reading it!
5) Flickr – set-up an account and posted photos
6) Flickr Mashups – posted Glickr slide show
7) Technology post – see “Technology R’nt US”
8) RSS feeds – read
9) Signed-up for some RSS feeds.

I found RSS shortly after it came out. My favorite aggregator is NewsFire which I use on my Mac at home. I found that you can be overrun with RSS updates depending on the sites to which you subscribe. Although it’s easy to check “mark as read,” it can be impossible to keep up with the amount of news coming to your desktop.

10) Played with image generators, posted a trading card
11) LibraryThing, I’ve been a member since Spring

I investigated some online Library catalogues such as Shelfari, East 41st St. and LibraryThing. I liked E 41st St.’s ability to search the OPL catalog for books as well as Amazon’s reviews. But, I didn’t like the representation of my library. I found the book cover listing cumbersome and unsearchable, and preferred a text list such as LibraryThing has. I had the same issue with Shelfari. I have also made librarian friends on LT via the groups pages. We now Twitter everyday.

12) Rollyo – I added a rollyo link and search engine to my blog.

I like the concept of rollyo that is creating a search engine from your favorite web sites. No more searching the entire web when you know that the content you want is contained in a few sites that you return to over and over again. I added a Mac search that looks at the major Macintosh sites on the web. The best info on Macs will be found on one of these. I’m still working the kinks out of the search engine.

Well, I’m halfway there. Not a very exciting post, but I just wanted to account for my Geek activity. Now back to my MLS projects.

Chris Hall Commissioning Ceremony

2008-10-08T18:39:00.001-07:00

Photos of Chris Hall's Commissioning Ceremony, Wednesday, 2 October 2008, Marine Barracks, Washington, DC.

Hello from Northern Virginia

2008-10-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

I have good news, and I have bad news.

First the good! We have had a wonderful week visiting our son, daughter-in-law, and three great grandkids. On Wednesday our son, Chris, was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He has been a member of the Marine Drum & Bugle Corps for 15 years, and served as mellophone section leader, chief of operations, head of public relations, company gunnery sergeant, temporary assistant drum major, and horn line seciton leader. Can you see why he was chosen to become the next officer of the D&B?

Later this month Chris will begin 6 months officer training at Quantico Marine Base, here in Virginia, and then assume his duties as Executive Officer of the D&B. We're all quite excited for him. This has been his goal for several years, and we've been sitting on pins and needles since February for the actual event to happen.

Shelly and I flew to DC Tuesday evening and began a wonderful time with Chris and his family. We were equally blessed to have Courtnie's folks there at the same time. We hadn't seen both of the "in-laws" for a few years, and so we had fun celebrating and visiting. Early Thursday, Courtnie's parents drove to their home in Florida.

Chris, Courntie, Shelly and I made plans to go to the grandkids football games and to watch the Buckeyes battle Wisconsin. This is a particular treat for Chris & me, because we don't often get to share our mutual love for the Bucks in person.

But, on Friday evening we received a frantic phone call from Courtnie's mother. Her father had been found not breathing, and was being rushed to the hospital. As you can imagine everything was in panic mode for the next half hour. There were phone calls among the three sisters and the mom. We ushered the grandkids to their parents' bedroom and bedded them down. Chris tried to steady Courtnie.

About thirty minutes later the phone call that everyone dreaded rang. The doctors were unable to revive Courtnie's father, and the grieving began. How amazing. He had seemed so healthy just two days earlier. He was pretty fit for a recently retired man. He exercised regularly, and wasn't overweight.

Chris and Courtnie decided to drive to Florida that very night. The other daughters live in Illinois and Texas, so Courtnie went to her mother to help comfort and console her. Shelly and I remained in Virginia to watch the kids, and so had to extend our stay. We rescheduled our flight, and thanks to the airline, they did so without charging us a penalty.

Chris, Courtnie and her mom will be returning home later this week. Shelly and I will travel back to Omaha and to our jobs. It has been a blessing to spend the past three days watching our grandkids. It does bring back memories of our three about 25 years ago.

But it gives us pause to reflect, too. Imagine going from the height of celebration to the depths of grief.

For Chris and Courtnie, the past 8 months of waiting have been pretty gruelling. A lot of patience has been worked into their characters over that time. They wondered if they would ever have a chance to get excited and celebrate, and then to only have a couple of days. They deserved more time.

What is the lesson now? How will the family move through the process of grieving the loss of its head, and once again turn eyes to the future and hope?

I pray that the God of comfort, who saw Chris and Courtnie through those 8 gruelling months, will show Himself even more present and strong in the days to follow. I pray that He will bear the family up in His wings, and wipe away all their tears. I pray that He will turn their mourning into dancing.

Life will go on. Death is only one part of the cycle of life. The young are full of love and laughter and will bring joy to their parents' and grandparents' hearts. Hearts will be consoled, and hearts will remember with love him who is no longer with us.

Thanks for reading this post. I hope that you will take a little time to reflect on the blessings of your life and to show appreciation for those around you that you love.

Librarian Trading Card

2008-09-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

Been having fun using Flickr. I uploaded some personal photos and avatars, then I uploaded a set of photos form our Labor Day visit to the Henry Doorly Zoo. Finally I created the above trading card using an image already posted to Flickr.

Technology R'nt Us

2008-09-23T16:41:00.001-07:00

I Can Haz Water

Well, I'm am so thrilled to find all of the wonderful Web 2.0 widgets, gadgets, and apps on the web. Who would have ever thought that we can have so much fun creating our own presence, and then share it with everyone.

I first heard about Web 2.0 in March 2008 when I saw the bookmarks for del.icio.us on a co-workers Internet Explorer page. I quickly learned how to add that to my page as well. I realized what a boon web-based bookmarks were over browser-based, and since I use three different PCs in the course of my day, a bookmarking site is very helpful. Those bookmarks are always there.

I also learned the value of a web-based calendar for the same reason. Plus, my wife's schedule can be added to mine, or mine added to hers via the same host. Since I'm a Mac user, I use iCal at home and .ics calendar files to share with others. I found a free calendar hosting site (www.icalx.com) on the web, and then tried Mozilla's Sunbird open source calendar app. Sunbird work's pretty well, but the program has to be installed on each client computer. Someone told me about Google calendars, which can import .ics files. So, I set up an account and formated my calendars. Now, just like my del.icio.us bookmarks I can take my Google calendar everywhere I go.

OK, now for the Technology R'nt Us phase: I noticed a Ligit widget on a friends blog and wanted to add it to mine .You'll see that I have it entered as a blog post. Not where it should be, but I can't figure out how to embed it in the page's html. Likewise, the cool speaking avatar I made on Voki. So, maybe some savvy geek out there can help me learn a little more code so that I can spruce up my blog.

Anyway, I am enjoying this O! What a Geek class, and we are having fun at work talking about our projects. Great idea! Thanks!

Convergence of the Spheres on a Venn Diagram: Ethics, Data and Information

2008-09-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday our MLS class in Reference Resources discussed various levels of “information.” The levels were listed as: data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. Members of class were asked to list two descriptors under each heading, and we then discussed the significance of each class of “information.” It was clear that data referred to raw alpha/numeric sets and images. To move from data to information required manipulation and interpretation. For instance, how data sets were analyzed by a particular statistic provided a level of interpetation on the part of the researcher. Thus, tables, charts, and graphs all convey a level of interpretation, and therefore bias. It was noted human communication carries bias, and that it was neither good nor bad; we just needed to be aware that it was present.

The class also discussed the obligation of the librarian to provide information that was as neutral as possible and to allow the user to interpret the data. This sentiment was echoed by a panel of professional librarians who answered class questions about library ethics. In one example, a librarian working near Lincoln had been called by prisoners on multiple occasions, and had been asked to supply the address and phone number of particular individuals. Most of the class stiffened a little bit upon hearing that request. There have been stories in the news about prisoners harassing witnesses and plaintiffs from their trials. Can you imagine supplying that kind of information? However, the librarian explained that this information was already public, being printed in phone directories, and no ethical situation was encountered by giving the prisoners free access to this data.

Near the end of the session a student raised a question about Republican vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, who as mayor of a small Alaskan town asked the head librarian if she would consider censoring the town’s library collection. Well, that animated the class! A lively discussion would have ensued had we not run out of time. But, I thought, this was very germane, not only for our discussion on library ethics, but also because I had been reading the republication of press reports on a major library journal’s webpage.

Journalistic ethics, as well as American’s sense of fair play, used to require that reporters verify facts, and not just allegations. And if an allegation were printed, in the effort to inform the public, it would not be repeated without verification of the facts. Now, it seems in the case of Gov. Palin, that the media, who sent hundreds of reporters to Alaska to investigate her, has continued to repeat the allegations in stories, even though they have not been able to learn anything further. Their verifications are: yes, someone has alleged this impropriety; not: yes, this is a fact.

As poor an example of journalistic prudence as the media’s behavior has been, I am absolutely appalled that a major library journal would link to, or republish, these allegations. It should be noted that no further action was taken by Gov. Palin. She asked once, never again raised the subject, never presented a list of books, and let the matter drop. There has been no evidence to suggest that the subsequent resignation of the library director was linked to any harassment on the part of then Mayor Palin. The fact that the press has not been able to learn anything further, in a small town where everyone knows each other’s business, suggests that there is nothing of significance to the story. Thus further dissemination of the unsubstantiated allegations has an obvious aim to harm to Gov. Palin’s candidacy.

Whether or not we prefer a Democratic administration to a Republican one in 2008, we should not be mixing our personal preferences with our professional duty as librarians to disseminate complete and accurate information. Where is the journal editor’s ethical behavior in these decisions? Is this the example our professional leaders would like new librarians to follow? And more so, where are the other professional librarians who should be taking the journal to task for its unethical behavior?

Or, perhaps electing Sen. Obama by any method is more important than maintaining our professional ethics. Do we agree, then, with Machiavelli that “the ends justify the means?”

It Happened Again

2008-09-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

This is a copy of a post to my blog on ESPN.com from Monday, Sep 15, 2008. This posting was picked up for inclusion in ESPN's weekly Community Eds blog on Friday, Sep 19, 2008.

It happened again; another blowout in a national level game. How sad for the players and coaches who work so hard. Once again, sports writers and sports fans will forget all the accomplishments of the bucks under Tressel and only remember the worst.

So, what to make of football realities.

1. The O-line and D-line of the national opponents are larger, stronger, and faster than OSU’s. This has been consistently shown to be true. The “skilled” position players can’t shine when the x’s can’t block the o’s. I was amazed last night that USC O-linemen were frequently downfield with secondary blocks on OSU linebackers, or at least messing up tackling lanes. I think Tressel and crew must find out how the other national level teams develop their talent, and make some changes.

2. It’s too early to tell how good this Buckeye squad really is. Surely, not No. 1, but they can still make the BCS and have a good showing.

3. The Buckeyes have looked bad next to the eventual champion (assuming USC, this year), but their BCS games over Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and Notre Dame were lopsided victories for OSU. So, this is at least a top 10 team.

4. If this were the NFL, the Buckeyes would consistently be in the playoffs, frequently in the divisional championship game, and occasionally the Super Bowl.

5. The Buckeyes remind me of another excellent team that got no respect – the Buffalo Bills – who played in 4 consecutive Super Bowls without a win.

6. If OSU is overrated it is not the players’ fault. Thank the sportswriters, mostly, for that problem. How can you get down on coaches and players for that? This is why most coaches don’t pay attention to polls.

until later . . .

The Bald Frog and the Wig

2008-09-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

My Random Question: “Hurry! The children are waiting. Please tell them the story about the bald frog and the wig.”

The bald frog wanted to visit the King at his castle, but he couldn't find his wig. No one would dare go to the castle without a proper wig; it just wasn't done. So, the frog thought, "What can I do?" Then it hit him. "I'll visit my cousin in Savannah, GA, and grab some of the Spanish moss hanging from the trees. The color will blend perfectly with my skin, and it will be the curliest wig in the kingdom."

When the frog returned from visiting his cousin, he placed the Spanish moss on his head and proudly strode into the castle. The King was glad to see his favorite frog and invited him to dine with the royal family. Everything went fine until the Queen looked for her salad. She mistook the frog's wig for bean sprouts and promptly pulled the moss from his head, put it on her plate, and poured salad dressing all over the frog's wig.

The King was startled to see one of his subjects dining at his table without wearing a wig. He looked at the frog and saw how embarrassed he was. The frog felt small and naked without his elegant wig of Spanish moss. The King took pity on the poor frog and said, "Mozart and Haydn with their powdered wigs have been dead for over 20 years now. Beethoven doesn't wear a wig, why should I?" With a big SPLAT! the King threw his wig into the soup. Then the King declared that all his subjects were modern beings, after all they lived in the Nineteenth Century. No longer would wigs be required just to visit the King.

Welcome!

2008-09-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first post on my new blog. Last week the library where I work, Omaha Public Library, started a web 2.0 - or Library 2.0 training program called O! What a Geek! Part of our experience is to create our own blog.

Actually, I've been considering starting one for awhile. Recently I joined LibraryThing and have been getting involved in some discussion groups. I also started a sports blog on MyESPN. I'm an avid Ohio State fan having graduated from there and having performed in the famous TBDBITL.

This summer I also began working on a Masters degree in Library Science at the University of Missouri, through its Omaha extension program.

So, this new blog will allow me to journal my progress as a professional librarian through on the job training and academic study.

I really enjoy working at OPL. My first 6 months were spent as a Public Service Assistant at the Millard Branch. Now I serve as a Clerk at the Charles B. Washington Branch, which is in North O. I like helping the patrons and learning how to do new things everyday.

So, if there are any friends or fellow library workers who stumble upon my blog, please post a short comment to say "Hi" and let me know you're out there.