FastTrack Musings

Thoreau Fragment Assignments

2007-08-02T23:12:00.000-04:00

Here are links to the two fragments which I have also included in my home page:

Thoreau fragment using inline styling

Thoreau fragment using external style sheet

The End is Near

2007-07-29T09:54:00.000-04:00

I'll have finished one semester of grad school by the end of this week. Hooray! It has been very challenging in terms of time management but very stimulating. I really do enjoy being a student again. My coworkers who said that the courses would be a breeze because I "already know it all" after years of library experience were wrong. I have been living in my own little corner of the world; apart from sharing a little of my experience in online discussions, everything has been new!

Here's my partial "to do" list for the three weeks between semesters. (Unfortunately, I can't take any time off from work!):

Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
Spend time with my niece and nephew. I miss them so much!
Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
Take my mother on the day trip she should have had on her birthday in June.
Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
Have dinner with a friend who celebrated a milestone birthday earlier this month. (You know who you are!)
Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
Figure out how to fully staff my library on Saturdays in September with two fewer people until we hire and train.
Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
Practice with PowerPoint.
Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.

Well, you get the idea.

Slashdot

2007-07-28T22:32:00.001-04:00

I just learned about Slashdot from reading Infotopia, (by Cass R. Sunstein), so I decided to take a look at it. Since my father suffered from Parkinson's Disease, and a cousin has cerebral palsy, this article caught my eye. (Slashdot is also discussed in more detail by Yochai Benkler in The Wealth of Networks.)

Slashdot The Future of Putting Chips Inside Our Brains

Technical Difficulties

2007-07-28T13:31:00.000-04:00

Before I left for my on-campus visit, I was rather pleased with the images I had placed on my personal home page. I had been surprised by how easy it was for me to move the images from their sources to my page. HA! I knew it was too easy. In the discussion board, I learned that by simply copying an image location and pasting it into Kompozer, I was using the original page's bandwidth. Instead, I should save the images in a folder of my own before using them. This was confirmed when I checked with my brother, my personal consultant for all of these things! (I still think that I was following the instructions in Kompozer's help section when I did it my way.)

I deleted my images. That made it look like I hadn't been working on my page, so I added a note about my need to redo this in the discussion thread that would be seen by my professor.

Anyway, it took me a long time last night to get this right. I finally succeeded. Now it's time to find out why the RSS feed that I inserted hasn't updated!

Kuhn (Reprise)

2007-07-26T23:11:00.000-04:00

Like many of my classmates, my reaction to our first assignment to read The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas S. Kuhn, was "Why?" That was followed by "An MLIS? What was I thinking?" Gradually, I have been seeing the significance of the work. The phrases scientific revolution and paradigm shift keep popping up in other required texts. Most recently, Tim O'Reilly discusses Kuhn in his article entitled "The Open Source Paradigm Shift", one of the entries in Perspectives on Free and Open Source Software. Also, I just finished reading Linked, by Barabasi, who also uses Kuhn's terms in his book.

Even though reading Kuhn's book was a struggle, I now appreciate how his ideas are incorporated in the works of other authors to this day. Now, when I read the phrases he coined, I think of Kuhn's book (even when his name is not mentioned).

I never thought I'd say this, but I now know why we had to read it!

New Friends

2007-07-19T18:14:00.000-04:00

I completed my six-day on-campus requirement today. It was exhausting yet exciting. I am so glad that I chose this program. The cohort concept and the chance to meet the people with whom you will graduate are definitely very strong features. We represent a wide age range, but everyone blended so easily. Getting to know everyone informally as well as through this week's assignments has been a wonderful experience. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again in October. In the meantime, we agreed that our online discussions will be enriched as a result of this time together.

Personal Home Page

2007-07-12T21:52:00.000-04:00

I've completed about half of the requirements for my home page. In fact, I finished the portion that was due on July 8 on that day. However, there's some confusion about where we should post the link. I've suggested a separate discussion board where we can each do so. I don't want the assignment to be considered late, but I also don't want to post it in my blog. I added a new thread to the Kompozer DB and posted it there. I'm leaving for the long drive to the university tomorrow, so I wish I knew what to do about this.

Update! As soon as I finished this post, I went back to the Kompozer DB. A new DB was just created for this assignment.

Blessings

2007-07-11T20:46:00.000-04:00

I received a card from my best friend yesterday. It has a butterfly on the front with the words "Flitter, Flutter, not a care...hope today will take you there!" Paul's words from Phillippians 4:19 are also included: "You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need..." (The Message).

She knows how difficult it has been to complete my assignments on time, work full-time, and take care of my mother. So far, I don't get much sleep, but things are going rather well.

I haven't been able to see my friend since the week before the beginning of the term; we haven't even called or e-mailed each other much. We're both so busy.

However, I think she senses that I'm getting very anxious about the long drive to the campus on Friday. I'm going to keep her card on the seat beside me and then in my pocketbook as I go through the on-campus experience.

She is such a blessing.

Almost Time to Travel

2007-07-10T23:52:00.000-04:00

On Friday, I'll stop sitting in front of my computer and will instead sit behind the wheel for about six hours and drive to the university campus for a required visit. I'm looking forward to this (the visit, not the driving) for a number of reasons. For one thing, it will be great to meet the people that I know only from the course discussion boards and lecture videos. I was told by friends who take online courses that personalities come through on the DBs, and it's true. My cohort members, professors, and teaching assistant are all friendly, helpful people, and I'm looking forward to spending time with them.

Getting ready for this experience is a challenge. I've had a lot to do at work in preparation for being away for more than a week, and I still have a lot of reading to do for Understanding Information. I wanted to have my car with me, but now I wonder if I should have bought a plane ticket so I wouldn't lose all that reading time.

Also, I'm very concerned about my weekly assignments for the technology course. I'm keeping up, but will I be able to finish this week's installment before I leave? I need my laptop for it, and we've been told not to bother bringing laptops. Does that mean that the assignment is not really due until after we return home and that the time frames are only guidelines? Our professor and teaching assistant have been strangely silent this week. I think they're watching and waiting as we figure these things out for ourselves within our class.

Online LIS

2007-07-07T23:14:00.001-04:00

I've been meaning to share this article about studying for my MLIS online. Even though I'm sleep deprived, I feel that I chose the right program. I don't feel the sense of isolation that the author describes. In fact, classmates' postings on the various discussion boards are very helpful. I'm looking forward to meeting other people when we meet on-campus for a week. This is a great component of the program.

The teacher/trainer in me wants to help others via the DB far more than I have been. Hopefully, this will be possible as I get more experience with the technology. I have a big fear of leading someone astray with wrong information right now. I need to be more confident. Also, by the time I near the completion of an assignment (usually on the due date!), I assume that no one needs any more help!

The Online LIS Experience - 4/15/2007 - Library Journal

Koha -- Virtual Shelves

2007-07-07T22:19:00.000-04:00

Books about library personnel management that I cataloged using Koha.

Koha -- Virtual Shelves

I'm wondering if this is an acceptable way to post the titles. I was trying to find an easy way to do this without typing the eighteen titles in my blog. The problem with this method is that it requires a Koha log-in. I'll wait in case more instructions come along. If not, I think I should start typing!

An update (July 8) for the thousands of readers of my blog who don't have a Koha account: Please see the title list under my ZoomCloud (and just in case this is the preferred method of posting the assignment).

Encyclopedia of Life

2007-07-06T22:42:00.001-04:00

I watched a fascinating episode of "Bill Moyers Journal" tonight during which Moyer interviewed E.O. Wilson of Harvard. Wilson's dream is to create the Encyclopedia of Life, which he describes as "the key tool we need to inspire preservation of the earth's biodiversity." The project is an expandable and accessible website that will catalog every species of living thing (1.8 million species!). Scientists as well as amateurs will be able to contribute, and the information will be viewable in different formats so that it will be useful to everyone from children to experts.

It is hoped that key parts of the Encyclopedia will be available to the general public in 2008 and that the project will be completed in about ten years.

Bill Moyers Journal . E.O. WILSON | PBS

Encyclopedia of Life

First Online Quiz

2007-07-05T23:25:00.000-04:00

I took a quiz online for the first time on Tuesday morning (for Introduction to Information Technologies). The experience was a bit nerve-wracking - because of technology itself, not the content of the quiz. Before I turned on the computer, I noticed that the cable modem lights were not "right." I decided to wait a little before trying to reset. I used the time to continue to review. What if I didn't get an Internet connection in time? The computers at the closest public library are on the same network as the library where I work. The so-called "speed" is often incredibly slow. Whose computer could I borrow this morning? I calmed down, and the lights returned.

I had been merrily clicking on "save" after finishing each question. All of a sudden, the screen froze. Now what? Again, I decided to calm down and wait. Finally, I was able to continue to work.

When I checked the course announcements during my dinner break at work that evening, I learned that some people had been unable to submit their tests. I put myself in their places and realized that my morning had been relatively good! Our professor made adjustments for the problems, of course.

Now I just have to wait for my grade!

ZoomClouds URL

2007-07-04T17:26:00.001-04:00

I posted my ZoomCloud on my blog by the due date, thinking that this indicated the URL. Now I'm wondering, based on what some classmates have posted on the DB. After trying various URLs that I see in ZoomClouds, it seems that this is the only one that actually shows anything. However, it does not show the variety of tags that are in my cloud.

I changed the Archive in "View Feed Properties" to the maximum. Hopefully, that will create an improvement in the next update.

http://mpoly.suprglu.com/feed/rss20/supr.xml

Update (August 1, 2007): After reading a posting on the DB, I might finally understand what I should have posted as the URL for my ZoomCloud.

http://zoomclouds.egrupos.net/CircSuper_Cloud/viewCloud/12193

Clouding up Again

2007-07-01T14:39:00.000-04:00

I went into Templates, clicked on Edit for the page element corresponding to my cloud. As I mentioned in the previous post, the HTML code was still there. I clicked on Save Changes, and the cloud returned to my blog.

ZoomCloud Floated Away!

2007-07-01T12:30:00.000-04:00

OK, what's going on?

My cloud disappeared from my blog, but the HTML is still in the template. When I just went to the site to investigate, it was in Spanish again!

ZoomClouds

2007-07-01T11:14:00.000-04:00

I've posted my cloud, but after a lot of work, I'm not happy with it. I tried feedblendr and suprglu. Both picked up phrases from my blog postings, not just the labels. I filtered out a bunch of them. The good thing is that I see tags from all three feeds (blog, Connotea, and del.icio.us.

There's a problem with ZoomClouds when you try to reload your cloud after editing. (And that's not the only problem!)

A Better Day

2007-06-30T21:00:00.001-04:00

I should know this by now, but a decent amount of sleep works wonders. It still wasn't enough by recommended standards, but it helped. I reminded myself that sleep=better functioning (and faster reading)=more progress.

I even went out to lunch with my family. My almost-five-year-old nephew asked for a cheeseburger. However, this means "a hamburger with a slice of unmelted cheese on top", not cheese that has melted onto the burger. Next time we'll make sure to ask for a hamburger with a slice of cheese on the side.

My coworkers who have their graduate degrees are dumbfounded by the number of books I have to read for LIS 2000. Even the recent graduates and current students in other programs can't believe it. I've been thinking about this. Even though I'm frustrated by the recommendation to "not read every word" and the necessity of zooming through reading assignments, I'm beginning to see the merit of being exposed to so many resources early in my program. I'm improving my skimming ability, for one thing. In this regard, I would probably have been better off if I hadn't let so many years pass between undergrad and grad school. Second, I'm sure that I'll draw on all of these materials in other courses and in my professional career. After all, LIS 2000 is a core course, a foundation for what is yet to come.

Now if only ZoomClouds would cooperate so I could scratch another assignment off my LIS 2600 list...

Taking a Quick Break to Complain

2007-06-29T23:15:00.000-04:00

We were told to use this blog to vent, so here goes. This has been a rotten week (except for going to ALA).

I'm behind in my reading and have a paper due by the end of the day on Monday. On top of that, I have to participate in an online discussion (Hot Topic) by noon on Sunday. There's a quiz for the technology class on Monday. I have to blog again tomorrow to meet my three per week requirement. Somewhere, I thought I read that two classes in this program would not have assignments due on the same day, but there's no time to try to find that again. Maybe it was wishful thinking.

I'm using vacation days today and Monday for coursework. It's a good thing I'm in charge of staff scheduling at my library. When I've used up all of my comp time, maybe I should consider going from full-time to part-time. A few hours less per week might make a difference. As Head of Circ, though, I don't want to get behind at work!

I'm not able to stay up as late at night as I did in undergrad school, which was a long time ago. I feel like a cold might be trying to catch up with me.

Finally, I took my mother to three different doctors this week and missed work for two of the appointments. I sit in on her appointments with her now, so I don't get much reading done. I had Life Alert installed in her apartment today in case my brother can't get home to stay with her while I'm away for an on-campus visit. Fortunately, she is doing well. I'm very blessed to still have her after a number of medical crises in recent years.

I was disappointed that I could only take her out for dinner tonight on her 76th birthday. I spent the rest of the day on classwork. We usually go out for the day. She didn't mind, of course. I'll make it up to her during the semester break.

I also missed my best friend's birthday party last Saturday because of my library schedule, and, you guessed it, coursework.

I enjoy the content of my classes very much but I'm getting tired of rushing through everything. I am still in awe of my classmates who have children. How do they do it?

Enough of this. Tomorrow will be better (or maybe not).

American Library Association Exhibits

2007-06-28T23:54:00.000-04:00

On Monday, I took advantage of a free bus trip (sponsored by my county library system office) to the exhibits at the American Library Association Conference in Washington, D.C. This was my first trip to ALA. There was too much to see in the time allotted, so we scanned the list and made our choices.

I made it a point to visit the booth for my university. As an online student, I hadn't met anyone from the SIS Department. It was a pleasure to meet the associate dean.

I also went to the LibLime booth, because I have an assignment using its Koha Integrated Library System.

Another stop was the Innovative Interfaces Inc. display, where I saw a demonstration of WebPacPro, the online catalog which will soon be used in my library. One of the highlights is the ability for a patron to pay overdue charges through the system.

Google had a great set-up where you could use their features to answer research questions for a prize. Too bad, we were running out of time and had to move on.

At the end of the afternoon, exhausted, we trudged back to the bus with our canvas bags heavy with all our "freebies."

Now I'm looking forward to the ALA mid-winter meeting, which will be held in Philadelphia.

Grazr Widget Assignment

2007-06-28T00:35:00.000-04:00

I've created a Grazr widget that includes my blog, my Connotea library, and my del.icio.us library. Please click here to see it.

The URL is http://grazr.com/gzpanel.html?addbar=off&view=3p&theme=sateen_blue&file=http://grazr.com/data/mpoly/export.opml

Google Co-op Assignment

2007-06-24T16:37:00.001-04:00

Here is my custom search engine. Since I'm on a task force that will write a case statement to obtain grants for my church, I might as well work on two projects at once. I've already used some of these sites, while some are new discoveries. I also added a search box to my blog (see below).

Preservation of Sacred Buildings and Their Histories

The URL is:

http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=007054411542131865525:jpnom8qjpve

Preservation

2007-06-23T22:06:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, I had a great experience that is related to my coursework. I attended my first training session in the New Dollars/New Partners for Your Sacred Place program. As a member of the Session (administrative board) of my church, I had recommended that we apply for acceptance into this training, which might lead to a much-needed grant for repairing our building.

The trainers spent half of the day discussing how to research your church's history and how to preserve its significant documents. The second portion involved methods of placing a dollar value on the programs your church offers to the community. In other words, if the church closes due to a financial crisis, what is the significance of the loss to the surrounding area? The "numbers" provide a church with concrete information to present to people, like local legislators, who might be in a position to help. In the fall, I'll attend a training module on fundraising. I know that the material will help me in my church work as well as in my goal of working in the administration of public libraries.

The trainers gave us a lot of "homework." I know what I'll be doing on my break between semesters!

Scopus/Bloglines Assignment

2007-06-22T23:45:00.000-04:00

Click here to see my public Bloglines subscriptions, including the LIS2600 folder of my Scopus search results.

The URL is http://www.bloglines.com/public/mpolymenakos . (I added the URL here on July 2. While going over my notes, I thought this might be necessary. The rest of this post was created on June 22.)

My Scopus search included 48 items; however, only 20 seem to have been included in my LIS2600 folder. I am able to view all of them by selecting that option; they just aren't in the posted list. I'm not sure why, although the Scopus help information states that an RSS feed can not be created for all searches. Does that pertain to individual items within a search?

Both Sides of the Issue

2007-06-21T12:05:00.001-04:00

Some of the ideas we shared in our second formal asynchronous discussion question (about the changing roles of librarians) for Understanding Information are covered in this article.

33 Reasons Why Libraries and Librarians Are Still Extremely Important - Technology - RedOrbit

Bill Gates' Harvard Commencement Speech

2007-06-20T20:34:00.001-04:00

My pastor's daughter graduated from Harvard this month. He told me that this speech was very inspiring.

I'm having a hard time believing that she's already out of college. I hired her as a page (shelver) in my library when she was a high school sophomore.

Microsoft’s Bill Gates: Harvard commencement speech transcript - Network World

One Step Forward, One Step Back...

2007-06-17T20:55:00.001-04:00

In yesterday's post, I referred to an article in my local newspaper. Were you wondering why I didn't use Scribefire? I'm sure you were. Rushing to make my third required post by the stroke of midnight on Saturday, I forgot how to use it!

In the interest of using my blog to keep track of my progress, here is proof that all was not lost. In a calmer moment today, it all came back to me.

Library is given a $2 million donation Inquirer 06/16/2007

Role Models

2007-06-16T23:59:00.000-04:00

The Philadelphia Inquirer included an interesting article today about the announcement of a large donation to the restoration project of the Free Library of Philadelphia. On hand for the event was Phillies infielder Jimmy Rollins,who admitted that he "hasn't been to the library in a few years, unless you count Barnes & Noble as a library." However, he did offer helpful comments on the gun violence in the city and how libraries can be "after-school safe havens for teens."

Even if Mr. Rollins hasn't been a regular library user, his influence can have a big impact on young people. He has the right idea.

Mission Accomplished

2007-06-15T21:45:00.000-04:00

Happiness is finishing your first assignment for Introduction to Information Technologies. We each had to incorporate references from Connotea and EndNoteWeb into a folder. I decided on copyright law as my topic. I knew virtually nothing about it until I began my assignments for my two classes, so I thought that would be a good choice.

Well, it's one of many things about which I know nothing. I have to admit that the syllabus for LIS 2600 was frightening when I first looked at it. Now, bit by bit, I know I'll get through it. I only wish that I didn't have to go through everything so quickly. How is it that some of my classmates are working ahead?

I want to go back and actually read the articles that I found. At least I now have a good set of sources, and they will help me to answer the Understanding Information class discussion question for the week of July 9.

Maybe I should treat myself to an extra hour of sleep tonight!

Open Access

2007-06-12T11:32:00.000-04:00

Last night, I finished my first 1500 word book review comparing and contrasting three books for my Understanding Information class. It's time to begin reading the four books for the next review. The time is going by so quickly.

I had tried to read The Access Principle (by John Willinsky) online as recommended. No way. It was too hard on my eyes, and I kept losing my place. I need to play around with the features and see if I can get used to this. I quickly ordered a copy through Baker & Taylor at work (for $31.46 - There's only a 10% discount for university presses). I did use the online version for one thing; it was great for finding certain terms when I wanted to refer to them while writing.

A number of reviewers commented on the fact that Willinksy's book on open access costs over $30.00. That didn't bother me as much as finding out that my access was denied to some of the reviews! However, Willinsky is very fair in his assessment of the current state of affairs. He lists the "ten flavors of open access" in the appendix to the book. He reminds us that open access does not necessarily mean "free access."

Double Fold

2007-06-09T23:11:00.000-04:00

Reading Double Fold, by Nicholson Baker, has led me to reflect on the many changes I've seen while working in a large suburban public library. When I had my first job there as a page (30 years ago!), I was frequently called to the circ desk to get magazines out of storage for patrons - either from a room on the same level, or from the attic of the adjacent building (an historic home).

I soon became a helper for the desk assistant who was in charge of periodicals. A few times a year, it was my job to move magazines from the Adult Library into storage. The shelves were very crowded, and my supervisor always told me to "save everything." (Baker would have been pleased.)

By mid-week, there were piles and piles of magazines and newspapers that patrons had requested - waiting for me to reshelve them.

As the years went by, we saved less and less (although we still have National Geographic back to 1917 in the attic - not the best place imaginable). Now we use only two or three bookcases in the first-floor storage area for magazines - just enough to temporarily de-clutter the display area in the library. At the beginning of next year, the custodian will put most of those magazines in the recycling bin.

Oh, I almost forgot. Bound volumes of The Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature (back to 1929) reside in the attic, too. When I point them out to our new student pages on the "tour", they look puzzled - then amazed when I tell them how they were used.

Once in a long while, a patron wants to see a volume or two!

Just for Fun (Revised)

2007-06-09T23:10:00.001-04:00

This is just to demonstrate that I finally tried Scribefire as a way to post to my blog.

Bill Gates: The Early Years | Photo Essays | TIME

Just for Fun

2007-06-09T00:06:00.002-04:00

OK, this won't count as my third blog entry this week, but you could say it's related to LIS 2600. Check out these photos that will be in the new issue of Time.

Firefox Fixed (Or, My Brother to the Rescue)

2007-06-07T23:08:00.000-04:00

On June 1, I wrote about my inability to access the university's digital library while using Firefox as my browser. My wonderful brother logged in to my computer remotely and discovered that although I had the latest Java update installed, Firefox did not like the fact that old versions were still lurking. Once he removed them, all was well. The Host Checker stopped its never-ending "check" and finally got down to business. What a relief when I finally saw that I was getting access! (For some reason, the old Java versions did not cause a problem in Explorer.)

Thank goodness for a brother who works in IT all day and still has the patience to help me with my computer!

It's time to get up and stretch. I've been sitting in front of this computer for almost four hours.

Settling in?

2007-06-06T20:31:00.000-04:00

Recent days have been much more difficult for me than the first two weeks of class. Apparently, this would be the opposite of the norm, according to our professors. Today I had a chance to speak with two people about this - a teacher and a coworker.

My junior high U.S. History teacher tutors in my library. I told him that being in grad school is like having two full-time jobs. I'm spending many hours on coursework after working in my library for eight hours, and I feel like I'll never get ahead. He advised that it takes about a month for the new routine to take hold. Then he reminded me that I've always been a good student and that everything will be fine; it might be a little harder since I haven't been in school for a long time.

I've also been speaking with one of our reference librarians about all the required reading, the recommendation against reading every word, and the "completion not perfection" mantra. I don't like the idea of skimming; I want to absorb everything. Well, now I'm trying to look for main points in certain types of assignments. My friend said that she thinks the professors are teaching us how to handle the huge amounts of information we'll handle in our professional careers on a daily basis. She pointed out that this is especially important for me, since my goal is to work in leadership roles in public libraries after graduation.

Back to the books....

The Internet as an Interactive Medium

2007-06-02T23:00:00.000-04:00

This excerpt of Al Gore's new book, The Assault on Reason, includes passages that are directly related to our coursework about information and how it is distributed. Gore contrasts television, which "dominates the flow of information" with the Internet and its potential "to revitalize the role played by the people in our constitutional framework" and to connect "individuals to one another and to a universe of knowledge." I've reserved the book at my library.

Frustrations with Firefox

2007-06-01T13:26:00.000-04:00

Only one frustration, actually. For some reason, I can not access the university's online library using Firefox. I get to the Host Check screen, and it looks like data is being transferred, but it never finishes. The Help Desk staff told me that I won't be able to use Firefox to get into the library - something about an recent upgrade preventing its use.

I've learned through the Discussion Board that you can't use a Mac for this purpose, but that's not the problem.

The Secure VPN Service instructions state that Firefox 2.0 with Sun JRE 1.5 is compatible. What is Sun JRE 1.5? Is it an automatic component of the latest edition of Firefox? I'll have to find out. Could that be the missing link?

I was moving along O.K. until now. I know we've been told that things won't always work smoothly and that frustration will be a part of online studies. Stay tuned.

High Blood Pressure and Hyperlinks

2007-05-30T21:07:00.000-04:00

I decided that I was going to learn how to include links to websites in my blog once and for all. I tried to look up a procedure, but I guess I wasn't using the correct search term. In frustration, I e-mailed my brother, who is my professional computer consultant (unpaid, at least by me). Later, via instant messaging, he sent me the steps to entering a hyperlink. HTML? What?

After about a half-hour, I finally got it right and added a hyperlink to my May 25 post.

This stuff is actually a lot of fun; I only wish it wouldn't take me so long. Hopefully, things will soon begin to click a lot more easily.

Now that it's all over, of course I can find the instructions (a shortcut!!) in Blogger Help. Unbelievable. I'm using my new skill to include them here for cohort members who might be in the same boat. The rest of you are probably slightly amused; if you're still with me at this point, thanks for reading!

"E-mail Bankruptcy"

2007-05-26T23:26:00.001-04:00

An article in today's Philadelphia Inquirer caught my eye. (Yes, I'm one of those people who still likes to read the newspaper.) Mike Musgrove of the Washington Post discusses the concept of "e-mail bankruptcy" - deleting all old messages and starting over, taking a long break from paying any attention to it, or simply not using it at all. The former is the most common. He mentions CEOs, professors, and recording artists who are declaring "e-mail bankruptcy" or stepping back in some way. Their critics "say copping out is a reactionary and isolationist way of dealing with modern communication."

I'm not overwhelmed by e-mail. I just have a tendency to save it for no reason, like the paper files of articles I keep on hand "just in case I need them someday." I was, however, feeling a little overwhelmed during my introduction to multiple discussion boards during the past two weeks :-)

Social bookmarking - an introduction

2007-05-25T22:35:00.000-04:00

Before I ended my study session tonight, I decided to explore a little in del.icio.us. I had never heard of it until I read the LIS 2600 syllabus. I didn't bookmark anything; I just looked around in the help section and then did a few searches.

This is so interesting! For example, the director of my library wants to begin a staff wiki. I found a best practices site on the topic. I also looked for information on library performance evaluations, which, believe it or not, have never been done in a formal way where I work.

For fun, I found sites about the guitarist Phil Keaggy. (There's an old rumor that Jimi Hendrix replied "I don't know, you'll have to ask Phil Keaggy" when he was asked on a talk show about how it felt to be the best guitarist in the world. Another variation attributes the quote to Eric Clapton. Phil Keaggy doesn't think either story is true.)

Positive outlook

2007-05-24T22:47:00.000-04:00

After a little more sleep than I had on Tuesday night, things are looking better. I'm remembering Dr. Tomer's encouraging words in the first podcast - "...Diligence in the next couple of weeks will probably bring you up to speed with the rest of your classmates..." (those who have computing experience outside of a specific framework).

I'm excited about what I'll learn during LIS 2600 and how I'll apply what I'm learning to class assignments and to my job. Plus, thanks to the course resources, I think I'm getting a handle on the concept of RSS feeds!

Tired, tired, tired

2007-05-23T21:32:00.000-04:00

I used vacation time last week to adjust to my return to school, and I returned to work feeling more than a little fatigued. Some staff members at other branches of our library, not knowing why I was away from work, called or e-mailed to say, "Welcome back! We missed you! Hope you had a great vacation! Where did you go?"

Well, it was a challenging vacation with an avalanche of work, that's for sure! Now comes the real test - juggling work, two online classes, and my mother's very frequent medical appointments. There's a lot of cheerleading going on for me at my library and in my family, and that means more than I can say. (Ah, then I remember the cohort members who are raising children while doing all of this, and my own situation pales in comparison!)

I need to finish configuring Firefox. It sounds like some of my classmates are so far ahead of me. I'm just trying to take this a step at a time and stay on track with the syllabus.

Beginnings

2007-05-20T16:15:00.000-04:00

This is a time for new adventures - a return to school after 27 years and a first attempt at blogging! Please bear with me while I get the hang of this, and I'll try to make it interesting as time goes by.