Tag: blog

brb

Karen Schneider makes an argument for notifying readers of extended absences from blogging. This wouldn’t work for me, because I rarely know when I’ll be taking a break from blogging, and these times don’t necessarily occur around holidays and other such things, because often time away from work allows me to catch up and write. … Continue reading “brb”

Karen Schneider makes an argument for notifying readers of extended absences from blogging. This wouldn’t work for me, because I rarely know when I’ll be taking a break from blogging, and these times don’t necessarily occur around holidays and other such things, because often time away from work allows me to catch up and write. Still, if someone is prolific, it makes sense to let readers know that they’ll be gone for a bit. But, don’t expect any BRB notices from me.

surprise laugh

One of my favorite non-librarian/library weblogs is This Fish Needs a Bicycle. Heather Hunter is a youngish woman living in NYC with a talent for storytelling. Using anecdotes from her life, she has created a following of readers from around the country, and quite possibly around the world. I have become one of those dedicated … Continue reading “surprise laugh”

One of my favorite non-librarian/library weblogs is This Fish Needs a Bicycle. Heather Hunter is a youngish woman living in NYC with a talent for storytelling. Using anecdotes from her life, she has created a following of readers from around the country, and quite possibly around the world. I have become one of those dedicated readers, patiently waiting for the next post to land in my Bloglines folder. Today’s entry left me laughing out loud, and it is highly recommended for cat owners.

In other news, I’m working hard to meet a deadline at the end of this week for my contribution to a book on electronic resource librarians. More on that later if I ever get the darn thing written.

wordpress

Jessamyn asks, “Man, is everyone using WordPress nowadays?” Nope. I thought about it briefly when MT 3.0D came out and there was a big to-do over the license pricing tiers, but now that MT allows one author with three blogs under the free license, I’m covered for all I need. I have this blog, my … Continue reading “wordpress”

Jessamyn asks, “Man, is everyone using WordPress nowadays?”

Nope. I thought about it briefly when MT 3.0D came out and there was a big to-do over the license pricing tiers, but now that MT allows one author with three blogs under the free license, I’m covered for all I need. I have this blog, my blog of playlists from when I did college radio, and a test blog that I hardly use as I find that test index pages for this blog works just as well. Though, if I ever need more than one author or a bunch of blogs, I’ll probably switch to WordPress.

about

It has come to my attention that I don’t have an About page for this blog. I never really thought that I needed one, but perhaps I do. I first learned of blogs and blogging when I read about Jessamyn West in Library Journal. I started reading librarian.net on a regular basis, and I was … Continue reading “about”

It has come to my attention that I don’t have an About page for this blog. I never really thought that I needed one, but perhaps I do.

I first learned of blogs and blogging when I read about Jessamyn West in Library Journal. I started reading librarian.net on a regular basis, and I was inspired to try this blogging thing myself. The first incarnation of my blog was called “because everyone else is doing it” and was powered by Blogger. Wanting to get away from free webhosts and BlogSpot, I took the plunge and purchased my own domain name and hosting through Powweb. Thus, the eclectic librarian was born.

I have worked in libraries since I was an undergraduate student in 1994. By the time I left to begin the master’s program at the University of Kentucky, I had experience in almost every department of a library. At first I thought I wanted to be a cataloger, but the technology classes interested me more, and I began to explore that aspect of librarianship.

My first post-graduate job was as a serials and database cataloger at a medium-sized comprehensive university in Kentucky. It was mainly a paycheck and a foot in the door of academic librarianship, but after I attended a NASIG conference, I gained a better appreciation of the serials and related electronic resources specialty. My responsibilities shifted more towards electronic resources, mirroring the serials industry’s shift to online access and the issues surrounding that.

Now I am the serials department head and electronic resources librarian for another medium-sized comprehensive university, but this one is in Washington. I work closely with the systems librarian to improve service for our electronic resources. I am still quite interested in the technology aspects of the profession and issues related to them, which is evident in the contents of this blog. I don’t write much about serials in particular, and that’s mainly because most of the innovative work is being done on the electronic side of serials publishing, and there are other blogs that specialize in those issues.

I have a wide variety of other interests, including music, internet–based hobbies, and outdoor activities. I am also occasionally politically minded with a left-of-center flavor and a bit cynical.

Lately I have been writing reviews for Blogcritics.org, so you’ll see a few of these pop up occasionally.

writer’s block?

Ever since Karen highlighted my blog last week, I’ve felt a bit of pressure to publish, but unfortunately the muse left at about the same time. That, and I caught up on my professional reading and didn’t have much to comment on. Sorry to disappoint all the new folks who have subscribed to the feed. … Continue reading “writer’s block?”

Ever since Karen highlighted my blog last week, I’ve felt a bit of pressure to publish, but unfortunately the muse left at about the same time. That, and I caught up on my professional reading and didn’t have much to comment on. Sorry to disappoint all the new folks who have subscribed to the feed.

I have been rather amused to watch the Gormangate furor spread throughout the blogosphere and other online forums. I wish everyone would credit where they get their news from. I’ve been curious to see who read the Gorman article and commented on it and who saw others comments and wrote their own. Without citations or other indicators, often it is hard to tell what the sources are.

kcrw to podcast

I don’t have an iPod or iShuffle, and I don’t know if/when I’ll ever get one. The library blogosphere and tech geek forums have been bubbling over the podcastings being done by various librarian blogger personalities, so I figured this would be one more bit of info that would send them all into a tizzy. … Continue reading “kcrw to podcast”

I don’t have an iPod or iShuffle, and I don’t know if/when I’ll ever get one. The library blogosphere and tech geek forums have been bubbling over the podcastings being done by various librarian blogger personalities, so I figured this would be one more bit of info that would send them all into a tizzy. KCRW, the intrepid eclectic public radio station out of Santa Monica, will begin offering a podcast that “features the station’s locally produced talk, news, cultural programs and commentaries…free of charge” on March 1st. The announcement page includes a list of the programs that will be podcasted.

ouch!

I just read Michael Gorman’s scathing critique of the librarian blogosphere’s response to his op-ed piece on Google in the December 17th edition of the Los Angeles Times. If you have access to the February 15th issue of Library Journal, it might be worth your time to give it a read. Aside from snubbing his … Continue reading “ouch!”

I just read Michael Gorman’s scathing critique of the librarian blogosphere’s response to his op-ed piece on Google in the December 17th edition of the Los Angeles Times. If you have access to the February 15th issue of Library Journal, it might be worth your time to give it a read. Aside from snubbing his nose at the “Blog People,” Gorman writes the entire lot of us off as non-intellectuals in the following few sentences:

“Given the quality of the writing in the blogs I have seen, I doubt that many of the Blog People are in the habit of sustained reading of complex text. It is entirely possible that their intellectual needs are met by an accumulation of random facts and paragraphs. In that case, their rejection of my view is quite understandable.”

I vaguely remembered reading some thoughtful critiques of his op-ed, but in searching for them, I could find only this one. Granted, there are quite a few bloggers who may fit his description of the Blog People. However, if he thinks that all of the so-called Blog People are that intellectually dull, I shutter shudder to think what will come of ALA with this egotistical snob as the president.

Update 4:17pm: The Digital Librarian has linked to the LJ opinion piece by Gorman, which I didn’t realize was also online.

bloglines irony

You’d think that a feed agregator would have a feed for its own newsletter.

Bloglines has announced that they have a new newsletter to “help inform you and provide a glimpse into the different ways people are using the service.” I found great irony in the following paragraph from the announcement:

You can choose to receive the newsletter via email or simply stay subscribed to Bloglines News, and we’ll let you know when each issue is posted.

I guess having an RSS feed for the newsletter and its contents would make too much sense.

afterword

I just finished reading Debra Bacon-Ziegler’s AfterWord column entitled “How Soon is Now? Today’s Trends, Tomorrow’s Libraries” in the January/February 2005 issue of ForeWord.

I just finished reading Debra Bacon-Ziegler’s AfterWord column entitled “How Soon is Now? Today’s Trends, Tomorrow’s Libraries” in the January/February 2005 issue of ForeWord. In the essay, she discusses her thoughts after a recent Michigan Library Association Annual Conference where the keynote speaker (Marshall Keys) addressed some of the current tech trends and their relevance to libraries. In her reflection, Bacon-Ziegler brings up a few points that I wish to examine in this forum.

Bacon-Ziegler mentions blogs and blogging, but rather than jumping on the “every library/librarian should have a blog” bandwagon, she asks the question, “Should librarians be mining blogs for current popular interests as they develop their collections?” Such a refreshing viewpoint! Yes, librarians should be monitoring blogs to get a sense of current popular interests, but keep in mind that according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, only 7% of American Internet users have created a blog. Not just any old blog will do if the intent is to monitor current popular interests. Librarians would be better served by monitoring topical group blogs that have reputations for being knowledgeable in their specialties.

Another trend that Bacon-Ziegler touches on is information overload. She brings up an excellent point about the difference between your local public library and your local big box bookstore. The bookstore arranges cookbooks under a big sign that says “Cooking” or something of that nature, with shelf labels for the different types of cooking traditions. The library arranges cookbooks in the 600s, and they are grouped by content, but the only indicators of this are the call number stuck on the spines. Bacon-Ziegler asks, “Why then, I wonder, do we cling to this complex, arbitrary classification system?” I would not want to get rid of the system entirely, for it does have its uses, but perhaps public libraries should consider putting up bookstore-like signs over the sections. Call numbers are very handy for finding specific items, but signs are much more useful for general browsing.

The author addresses other trends in the essay, but these are the two that made me think radical thoughts and step outside of the traditional librarian box, if only for the few minutes I spent pondering over this blog entry.

css.php