First Saturday of the New School Year 2016

Annual photo with Jim from Access Services.

First Seven Jobs

Okay, since everyone's doing it:

1. Sales Assistant (Radio Shack, Chicago) - 16 yrs old.
2. Print Shop / Mimeograph Machine (Small indy business selling mailing lists on magnetic tape*, Playboy Tower, Chicago) - High School.
3. Customer Service, Credit Dept. (Carson, Pirie, Scott, Downtown Chicago) - College.
4. English Teacher (Year Abroad Program, Paris) - Post-College.
5. Manager, Hot Dog Stand (Fullerton Ave. Beach, Chicago).
6. English Teacher (Rome, later West Berlin).
7. Construction/Rehab Worker (West Berlin).

*Computer storage 70s style [source]:

Current Cites for July 2016

 Current Cites for July 2016 is out! You can find the issue here...

This month I recommended an article describing an innovative 'beacon-based' navigation system which opened with this excellent piece of advice, "...as with other technologies before it, usefulness does not magically emerge from implementing new technology; rather, it is the culmination of a comprehensive plan for merging technical know-how with business knowledge or user-generated content."

Chicago FestWeekend

 Three days of incredible events:

• RibFest on Friday, 6/10
• LitFest on Saturday, 6/11
• Blues Fest on Sunday, 6/12

Depaul University 'Library All-Star' Award

Wow! Awarded the "Library All-Star" Award from the library at Depaul University. They brought the thing over this Saturday. Thanks, everyone!

From the original nomination by head of our department, Terry:

“I would like to nominate Leo Klein as a Library All-Star. He fielded a question from an American Studies professor on a Saturday and provided a referral to me as the liaison to that department. In the meantime, his intellectual curiosity and service orientation led him to research the question and by the time I came in on Monday, he had successfully located several data sources and communicated with the professor, satisfying all of his needs for a presentation he would be delivering at the end of the month.

Not only was the professor happy with the speedy turnaround time, but it saved me a lot of time and effort in the process! I believe that for both of these reasons, Leo deserves this recognition in addition to my thanks (already communicated).”

From the Awards page:

"The Library AllStars award seeks to acknowledge and celebrate particular instances of exemplary service, where a staff member has gone the extra mile, made a big difference, saved the day, or made an especially significant and positive impact in some specific way -- whether that's something they did internally for the library organization, or directly with one or more colleagues, or through the provision of service to anyone in our library user community."

Again, thank you everyone! You don't know how rewarding this activity is. It's not a job -- it's an opportunity to serve!

University Librarian Scott Walker biked over with the "Library All-Star" Award for me on Saturday. Thanks, everyone!

Logical Next Step

 Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Current Cites for April 2016

 

Current Cites for April 2016 is out! You can find the issue here...

This month I recommended a rather enjoyable research article that looked at focus groups involving college students and their searching habits -- a situation rather familiar to those of us fortunate enough to work in public service. Included were lines like, "few students were aware of what a 'subject librarian' was".

Job Description : Part-time Reference Librarian

Just got a request to describe my activities as a part-time reference librarian. Here's my response:

Basically the part time job is totally reference (i.e. public service) work. Questions run from 'where is the copier/bathroom/color-printer' to 'I'm writing a research paper on advances in chemistry in the 18th Century and need to find some research articles'.

Am I an expert on advances in chemistry in the 18th Century? No, but I know where to get the student started and I can also show the student how to find articles and, equally as important, how to evaluate search results so that they branch out into even better material. I also know, finally, what the limits are and who and when to refer them to other people.

That's pretty much what I do.

MPOW: The Gravy Train

Hard to go on a diet in a place like this. 

Current Cites for March 2016

 

Current Cites for March 2016 is out! You can find the issue here...

This month I recommended an article that took text-based content analysis and applied it to tweets from the Twitter accounts of 10 different academic libraries. Interesting results.

Current Cites for January 2016

 

Current Cites for January 2016 is out! You can find the issue here...

Starting the year out right. I pointed to the "big anniversary issue" coming from the Journal of Electronic Publishing (JEP) celebrating its 20th year as an open access journal.

'Join the Conversation' Makes It to This Year's Banished Word List

 I've lived to see the day!  "Join the conversation" has made it to this year's LSSU Banished Word List!

University Releases 2016 Banned Words List (WGN)

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – A university in Michigan has come out with its annual list of banished words.

Each year Lake Superior State University bans words or phrases it deems overused, misused, or in poor taste. Top contenders for 2016 include “vape,” “break the Internet” and “conversation.”

Now if only "disruptive" and "iconic" could make it to next year's list! Puh-leeeeeeezzzzeee!

Note to Google

 Note to Google: No, we aren't open till 2am tonight. It's intersession.

UPDATE: I contacted Google through the "Feedback" page and they fixed the thing in about a day. Not bad.

On the Importance of High School Libraries

Student protest at DeSable High School against the firing of their librarian. The students were right to do this. In fact it would seem more of a survival tactic than simply a protest.

It's amazing to think of an institution that claims to be about education that has no library function. What are the students going to do when they hit college? They'll each have to learn how to do research -- that's what going to college involves -- and this is infinitely harder to do if they have no prior familiarity with what a library is and how it functions.

What's next? Take away the textbooks? :-(

UPDATE:  Good news...

Old Pal Unexpectedly Drops By

 

Current Cites for November 2015

 Current Cites for November 2015 is out! You can find the issue here...

I recommended an article titled, "When IT No Longer Remains Anonymous -- For All the Right Reasons" (EDUCAUSE Review). It looks at two approaches to academic IT depts. -- one reactive (okay) and the other pro-active (better).

Ask a Librarian

 

Interesting article looking at the transitory nature of the web. Technology and formats change all the time. In a sense, you never step into the same web twice. That said, the article subtitle, "If a Pulitzer-finalist 34-part series of investigative journalism can vanish from the web, anything can" -- just isn't true. I found most of the original "vanished" articles using the database Newsbank.

Current Cites for September 2015

 

Current Cites for September 2015 is out! You can find the issue here...

I recommended an article from Computers In Libraries that's near and dear to anyone who's experienced the same on a website they've managed, namely "Hacked! Lessons Learned From An URL Injection".

File Under, 'Things I Don't Usually Think About'

So I was at the local Subway Sandwich place, ordering a Ham and Cheese. The guy at the counter asked me what I wanted on it.

"Mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato," I replied.

"In that order?"

I was stumped. I mean, I don't usually get down to that level of detail.

"Go with whatever works best," I finally blurted out.

First Saturday of the New School Year at Depaul

First Saturday of the new school year at Depaul -- with colleague Jim.