Greetings to all members of the American Library Association. I received my ballot and I am happy to cast a vote for Peter Hepburn for ALA President. I have known Peter for over ten years. His work with libraries and participation in our association is strong. His experience within ALA over the years on council, the Executive Board, and various divisions is a solid foundation for the role of president. Sustainability is the centerpiece of his presidential campaign, something members of ALA cannot ignore. His platform includes: A Model for Sustainability Organizational Stability Continued Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion For more […]
Yearly Archives: 2018
21 posts
Thanks to all who attended my webinar for Sirsi Dynix today! Download the slides here. Selected Library Journal “Office Hours” columns cited: Adopt or Adapt Making a Name Flash Briefing Libraries in Balance Librarian Superpowers What’s Next Formula for Success Hygge State of Mind Talk About Compassion Dream. Explore. Experiment. Color Me Curious Speak of the Devil Library Emoji Learning to Learn The Right Questions Telling Stories Gifts of this Hour Open to Change Innovative Librarians Award
Greetings all – I realized I never posted about this. In Fall 2016, I applied for a sabbatical with the university to work on a research project contingent on my tenure and promotion decision. I received tenure and promotion in may 2017 and the sabbatical was awarded to me for Spring Semester 2018. Because of this, I do not have teaching responsibilities this semester. Here’s a bit about the project: The aim of the project is to pursue scholarship related to the professional learning experiences of public librarians in Australia via a research partnership with the University of Southern Queensland […]
I remember being 30. I remember living off of all that kinetic energy, willing myself to do difficult things just because they were difficult, and putting myself in uncomfortable situations solely because they were uncomfortable. I approached both simple tasks and high-caliber challenges with the same vigor and enthusiasm, and I pushed myself hard to grow, learn, and experience as much as possible. I wasn’t ready to die – I was brave, naive, and also, a bit intense. In attempting to recover the same drive and energy of my 20s and early 30s, I realized the injustices and inequalities of […]
“When you say it’s gonna happen ‘now’ well, when exactly do you mean? See I’ve already waited too long, and all my hope is gone.” -Morrissey When I began a draft of this blog post, it was going to be about the five trends found in the IFLA Trend Report, which I thought would be interesting to tackle because they are interesting trends. However, I got side-tracked thinking about the ideas produced from the 2015 article, “What Technology Will Look Like In Five Years,” by Diomedes Kastanis. I want to add to Kastinas’ thoughts about how the ownership of things […]
Thanks to all who attended my keynote and discussion session at the Conference About Libraries & Literacy at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. Download the keynote slides here – “Learning Everywhere” and the discussion slides are here. Selected Library Journal “Office Hours” columns cited: Adopt or Adapt Libraries in Balance Librarian Superpowers What’s Next Formula for Success Hygge State of Mind Talk About Compassion Dream. Explore. Experiment. Color Me Curious Speak of the Devil Library Emoji Learning to Learn The Right Questions Telling Stories Gifts of this Hour Open to Change
When you ask my father to draw a picture of a dog, you get this: When you ask me to draw a picture of a dog, you get something like this: My dad is an artist and art instructor by profession and a semi-professional guitar player as a hobby. My mother was a practiced pianist and seamstress while working as an attorney. My sister can master any type of dance. I can sing, but play no musical instruments. I cannot sew and my dance moves, while enthusiastic, wouldn’t be considered skillful or graceful. The joy of being part of a […]
Thanks to all the fine folk that attended my keynote this morning at the Sirsi Dynix Connections Summit! Download the slides here. Selected Library Journal “Office Hours” columns cited: Adopt or Adapt Room to Grow Librarian Superpowers What’s Next Formula for Success Hygge State of Mind Talk About Compassion Dream. Explore. Experiment. Color Me Curious Speak of the Devil Library Emoji Learning to Learn The Right Questions Resources to Inspire: Basgen, B. & Testori, P. (2016). Socially engaged learning. Deitering, A. & Gascho Rempel, H. (2017). Sparking curiosity. Educause. (2016). 7 things you should know about….The 2016 key issues in […]
Devil’s advocates need not apply As I was listening to the Library as a Classroom lecture this week, the devil’s advocate component reminded me of a phrase that is more productive. That phrase is “yes, and…” rather than “no, but…” or “let me play devil’s advocate”. In conjunction with this flip on devil’s advocate, asking people to bring solutions is an excellent tool and one I’ve been actively trying to train my staff on for a few years now. When someone comes to me with a complaint or is being a naysayer, I will frequently ask them to remember I am […]