Morphed Librarian

Exciting New Project

2011-12-01T14:35:00.001-05:00

Penn College is starting a new major: automotive restoration. The faculty have requested that the library put together a list of resources to support the course. Another casual part-timer and I are creating a LibGuide that includes how to find used auto parts, assembly manuals, collectors, museums, etc.
The library currently has a restored Ford Mustang on display. Who ever thought I'd work in a library with a classic car in it?

Scribblar: Another Free Interactive Whiteboard

2011-11-23T12:05:00.001-05:00

In my previous post, I mentioned trying Dabbleboard to get students to participate in contributing keywords for a research assignment. The site did not keep the words on the board as they were written. I tried using the "save" feature, but nothing seemed to make the words stay on the board.
I found a new intereactive whiteboard called Scribblar and plan to try it with the students next semester.

Using Dabbleboard for Class Interaction/Assessment

2011-10-19T12:20:00.000-04:00

Today I have two English comp classes that will be using Dabbleboard to brainstorm ideas for criteria they use to evaluate information. I've incorporated this feature into the LibGuide for the class. A worksheet is also available for evaluating the information resources they find.

New Collaborative Web 2.0 Tools

2011-10-13T20:12:00.003-04:00

The October issue of Campus Technology came today (yes, I get the print edition.) The article entitled "12 Cool-laborative Web 2.0 Tools" caught my eye. I scanned the list for anything I could find new to me and or interesting. JoinMe quickly got my attention, it's a web-based screen sharing application. I've been waiting for something like this!! I can't wait to try it out. We could definitely use this with our Virtual Reference service. Nothing to download, simply give the user or users you wish to screen share a code number and you are there.

It doesn't get cooler than this--or does it? There is also a web-based file conversion site called Zamzar.com Great article, CT!!! Thanks!!

SWOT Analysis of Mobile Learning

2011-06-22T20:43:00.003-04:00

From the Upside Learning Blog

Strength: Development platforms for mobile are easy-to-use and do not involve most of the complications associated with desktop or system software
Weakness: Myriad number of operating platforms, device types and variations in supported technologies make it difficult (and at times impractical) to create a unified solution which works well across the board.
Opportunity: One of the best ways to offer quick, real-time on-demand performance support. More than pushing training on to a mobile device, designing mobile performance support solutions would be the greatest opportunity.
Threat: Lack of standards for learning on mobile, and even general use of technology on mobiles.

Overstream for Creating Closed Captioning

2011-04-07T11:15:00.004-04:00

Just discovered Overstream, a web app for creating captions for videos. It works with YouTube and Google video editors. Here's the first video I captioned with it. The timing is a bit off, but it was pretty easy to do...

More Fun with Android Apps

2011-03-25T16:39:00.002-04:00

Just found out about a very cool app called Quick Cite.Just download it from Android Market ($1.02) and use it to scan bar codes on books. It will create citations in APA, MLA,Chicago, or IEEE. AWESOME!!

QR Codes

2011-03-12T16:16:00.002-05:00

In an engineering economics class, I created a QR code that I included on the library assignment worksheet. At the beginning of the class, after I introduced myself and told the class what we would be learning, I asked if anyone knew what the square mark at the top of the worksheet was. Almost immediately several students said "a barcode!" I asked if anyone had scanned it and they had. The code led them to the LibGuide for the class assignment. This made a great icebreaker for the class and an effective way to link the worksheet to the LibGuide.

Poll Everywhere

2011-03-12T16:12:00.003-05:00

After spending many hours preparing a Harry Potter-themed Poll Everywhere game for Career Day, the event was canceled due to a snow storm. Hopefully the Harry Potter phenomenon will live on until next March, when we can actually use it.

Using VoiceThread for Library Instruction

2011-02-20T08:34:00.002-05:00

I created a VoiceThread for students in an Advertising class to comment on how they would use various library resources for the multimedia mix marketing campaign. See the library assignment page of this LibGuide for more info.

QR Codes

2011-02-20T08:22:00.002-05:00

Showed an Advertising class how to use QR Codes to link their print ads with Webpages by creating a code that linked them to the LibGuide for the course.

What I've Learned About Twitter

2010-09-25T11:38:00.002-04:00

As one of the assignments for Online Course Design, I and my classmates are required to use Twitter. This week the Tweme (theme) is synchronous learning or simple augmented reality.

I've been doing some research on synchronous learning tools and found two excellent articles written by Stefan Hrastinski. I decided to see if he has a Twitter presence. Indeed he does, except he tweets in his native language: Swedish. While looking at Twitter tools, I discovered a built-in translator: key combo ALT+enter+O

It works! Now I can read his tweets!!

Another thing--did you know there is a service that ranks Twitter users' reputations? Take a look at Trst.me

What Google Doesn't Do

2010-09-13T10:03:00.003-04:00

Lately I've been trying a new approach to library instruction for the ENL111 classes:
What are the advantages of using library resources over using Google?

I focus on four things:

1. Finding scholarly articles
2. Browsing subject/topics for research ideas
3. Ordering free full text through interlibrary loan service
4. Formatting citations in APA/MLA

I break the group of 20 or so students into groups of about 4 each and assign the groups different databases and instruct them to find these features in their assigned database. They then report their findings to the entire group from their computer using the NetOp feature installed on all the computers in the classroom. Most students hate getting up in front of the group and this enables them to do it from their own desktop. While they are presenting, I may point out other features such as this database will read articles to you...This one includes lots of instructional graphics...etc.

This is completed within our 50 minute time frame. I have yet to figure out how to assess its success...

Cataloging Futures: More cataloging fun

2010-06-05T16:56:00.000-04:00

Cataloging Futures: More cataloging fun
I would call this a "Back to the Future Model"...SQUIRREL!!

YouTube - vGov Overview Video

2010-06-02T08:47:00.001-04:00

YouTube - vGov Overview Video
The government is going virtual! I wonder how many other governments have done this?

iPad’s Lack of Multitasking: it’s not a bug, it’s a feature

2010-06-01T03:52:00.000-04:00

iPad’s Lack of Multitasking: it’s not a bug, it’s a feature
Yes, I know...another post on multitasking...it's one of my obsessions. I thought this was an interesting way to look at the iPad "feature."

Individual Knowledge in the Internet Age (EDUCAUSE Review) | EDUCAUSE

2010-05-31T12:16:00.000-04:00

Individual Knowledge in the Internet Age (EDUCAUSE Review) | EDUCAUSE
Is Google our hive mind? Does it make memorization unnecessary? Does it make us stupid? If we don't learn things because we can look them up easily, how does that affect our learning?

The Search World Is Flat | Monday Note

2010-05-31T12:05:00.000-04:00

The Search World Is Flat | Monday Note
If we depend solely on Google as our search engine--what are we missing?

How (and Why) to Stop Multitasking - Peter Bregman - Harvard Business Review

2010-05-31T11:50:00.000-04:00

How (and Why) to Stop Multitasking - Peter Bregman - Harvard Business Review
The author stops multitasking for a week and reports his findings.

Students Use Wikipedia Early and Often - Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education

2010-03-17T10:47:00.000-04:00

Students Use Wikipedia Early and Often - Wired Campus - The Chronicle of Higher Education

It's there in the top of the Google results, so students find that it's quick or should I say "wiki" and easy. I stress in library sessions that Wikipedia is like an encyclopedia--you use it for background information on your topic--not as a major resource. There are some esoteric topics that are covered by Wikipedia that could serve as an exception to this rule.

From Spotify to Bookify: how playlists could revolutionize the books market | Books | guardian.co.uk

2010-01-17T20:30:00.001-05:00

From Spotify to Bookify: how playlists could revolutionize the books market | Books | guardian.co.uk

This is a new (for me) take on how e-books could change the publishing world: making out-of-print titles more easily available and distributed. Yet another example of the "Long Tail."

New York Times Ready to Charge Online Readers -- Daily Intel

2010-01-17T20:16:00.002-05:00

New York Times Ready to Charge Online Readers -- Daily Intel

I've been feeling guilty about getting this great resource for free for years. Hopefully it won't be out of my price range.

Learning Styles

2009-07-17T06:56:00.004-04:00

This PowerPoint compiled from info mainly from the Learning Styles Online website.

ACRL Webcast: Cultivate your bottom

2009-03-17T11:57:00.004-04:00

Ever hear of the economist F.A. Hayek? His ideas about distributed knowledge greatly influenced Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. Frontline workers are more familiar with customer needs and should ALWAYS be consulted when the "top" decides to add or change a service. Presentation by Wayne Bivens-Tatum

Amazon Kindle 2.0

2009-02-09T12:05:00.003-05:00

CNet posted these five suggested fixes for the new version due out today.

Faviki: Step Closer to Controlled Vocabulary?

2008-05-26T18:44:00.004-04:00

This social bookmarking tool has structured tagging. Seems like a move towards what cataloging librarians have been doing for years: creating subject headings.

Description from their homepage:

"Faviki is a social bookmarking tool which allows you to tag webpages you want to remember with Wikipedia terms. This means that everybody uses the same names for tags from the world's largest collection of knowledge.

Thanks to DBpedia, which extracts structured information from Wikipedia and represents it in a flexible data model, these tags are reference to objects which are categorized automatically, keeping your and your friend's bookmarks and interests well organized."

New Research Says "Google Generation" a Myth

2008-02-27T12:57:00.003-05:00

A new report, commissioned by JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) and the British Library, counters the common assumption that the ‘Google Generation’ – young people born or brought up in the Internet age – is the most adept at using the web. The report by the CIBER research team at University College London claims that, although young people demonstrate an ease and familiarity with computers, they rely on the most basic search tools and do not possess the critical and analytical skills to asses the information that they find on the web. The report ‘Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future’ also shows that research-behaviour traits that are commonly associated with younger users – impatience in search and navigation, and zero tolerance for any delay in satisfying their information needs – are now the norm for all age-groups, from younger pupils and undergraduates through to professors.

PBS FrontLine: Growing Up Online

2008-01-23T07:47:00.000-05:00

This program investigates the private worlds that kids are creating online and the risks, realities, and misconceptions of teenage self-expression on the Web. Watch the entire program online.

You Tube Video on Boolean Operators

2008-01-23T07:28:00.000-05:00

Take a Seat!

2007-12-19T17:25:00.001-05:00

This is just TOO AMAZING!! Haven't you always wanted to be able to take a seat with you to the stacks? Leave it to a Dutch designer to come up with a solution:

Flip Video - Ultra Series

2007-10-22T09:57:00.000-04:00

Flip Video - Ultra Series
You'll "Flip" over this cool new camcorder. It looks like it will be so easy to use. I just ordered a pink ultra. Can't wait to start taking videos of my cats.
I'm suggesting that the library get several for students to use and then have a contest for National Library Week. "How I use the library" would be the theme of videos created by students and uploaded to YouTube. A good way to promote the use of the cameras and the library at the same time!

Friends:Social Networking Sites for Engaged Library Services: The OneAfter909: Penn State Facebook Library App

2007-09-25T12:42:00.000-04:00

Friends:Social Networking Sites for Engaged Library Services: The OneAfter909: Penn State Facebook Library App

Penn State has released a Facebook OPAC app. This is a great way to get students into the catalog by giving them easy access through Facebook. Screenshots included.

Dictionary of the Future (TED Conference 2007 Video)

2007-09-16T11:25:00.000-04:00

Erin McKean an editor of one of the "Big Five" dictionaries talks about the future of dictionaries.

More Thoughts on Wikipedia

2007-09-07T11:17:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about Wikipedia and how publishing is changing. In the past, in order to get published you had to go through a lengthy editorial process. New publishing technologies allow anyone to publish, bypassing the traditional methods. I can't help but wonder, how many qualified experts were put off by the time it would take for them to get published? Has Web 2.0 enabled "invisible experts" to come out of the woodwork? Authorities who were previously silent because of the cost of publishing, can now easily be heard.

Using Tech to "Deselect"

2007-08-04T10:32:00.000-04:00

I just finished up a part-time summer job at a local university library. I was involved with a "deselection" or weeding project there. I noticed that books were more popular (had more circulation) there than they are at the tech college.

Reasons for this could be:

Tech students get their info electronically
Liberal arts classes are more likely to use text resources

Categories that saw high circulation were:

Broadcasting & communication
Marriage & Family
Sex (of course--this is popular in any format it seems)

I compiled lists for purchase from a WorldCat search for these and related topics. I deduced that the best books would be books held by many libraries (over 100). This is sort of like the Googlization of collection development.

While I noticed that majority of newer titles currently on the shelf had good circ (signed out within the last 7 years), I also noticed that those newer titles that had no circulation within that time period seemed to be good purchases, had attractive covers, and were cataloged in an area where they could be easily found. Why didn't they get checked out?

I think it's high time we cut back on our book purchases and start cataloging quality websites in earnest. Can we track usage of these sites once they are cataloged to see if our efforts are working?

BibMe! Great Citation Tool!

2007-07-21T12:50:00.001-04:00

The folks at BibMe have created a great FREE, yes, that's right--FREE online citation tool. It has an autofill feature that imports info from Amazon, Yahoo! News, FindArticles, and CiteULike. Now if they could only add WorldCat, IMBD, and Hollywood.com...

Got a Wii!!!

2007-07-04T18:26:00.000-04:00

Got a Wii a few days ago and have been using it for "working out." I found an article on using the Wii in an academic library during finals. If we could do this, I think I'd call it "Wiilease Your Stress Night."

NYT Article on Wikipedia's Editors

2007-07-03T19:28:00.000-04:00

All the News that's Fit to Print Out profiles some of the editors of Wikipedia:

Antioch grad who works at a library circulation desk
junior high student who edits after he finishes his homework
Iraq War veteran

Jay Cross on Informal Learning

2007-06-24T08:19:00.000-04:00

What is said here could be used in any workplace setting. We are looking at a revolution in the way we learn AND the way we work together. Great piece!

Trailer for "Hollywood Librarian"

2007-06-24T07:52:00.000-04:00

The Washington Post did an article on the premiere of this film at ALA in D.C.
Here's the trailer:

C|Net's 100 Best Webware Apps

2007-06-20T10:27:00.000-04:00

C|Net just came out with this list of the 100 best webware apps. Some are familiar, like FireFox, Opera, IE, Google's Reader for RSS feeds, Netvibes, Safari, StumbleUpon, MyYahoo, GMail, LiveMessenger, Trillian, Meebo, FaceBook, Friendster, Digg, MySpace, ChaCha, LinkedIn, etc.

But I'm new to: OpenID, DeviantArt (sounds scary!), Me.dium, Pando, AllPeers, Wikia, and many others.

All apps are divided into 10 categories (kind of like the Dewey Decimal system...):

Browsing
Communications
Community
Data
Entertainment
Media
Mobile
Productivity & Commerce
Publishing
Reference

Proof that More than One Search Engine is a "Good Thing"

2007-06-14T21:03:00.000-04:00

"Try more than one search engine for different results." That's the line I give to my Internet searching classes. Here's a study funded by Dogpile.com in collaboration with U of Pitt and Penn State: Different Search Engines, Different Results: A Research Study by Dogpile.com

New Way to Promote Books Using Web 2.0 Technology

2007-06-14T20:31:00.000-04:00

TurnHere and Simon & Schuster are teaming up to create a new Website called BookVideos.tv: the Story Behind the Story.

Here's the description from the Website:

"BookVideos.tv offers compelling video stories that give readers insights into some of the world’s best authors. The social media video site offers the back story about the lives, personalities and the inspirations of these engaging writers. We created Bookvideos.tv to give readers the real story behind the story. It is the place where your favorite books and authors come to life, and it’s also where you can engage with the literary community on a whole new level. Using the site’s variety of social media tools, you can embed an author video on your own Web site or blog, email it to a friend, or share with your book club. You can also subscribe to the videos using RSS, add them to del.icio.us, or Digg your favorite new title. Readers are encouraged to come back often as new videos are added on a regular basis."

A Brain and a Book (Lang article from Chronicle of Higher Ed)

2007-05-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

Lang reminds us that we all need to get periodically "unplugged" to reconnect with our "real" environment in this article from Chronicle of Higher Education.

NanoTreking with PBWiki

2007-04-20T21:19:00.000-04:00

We had three successful NanoTrek sessions using the free Peanut Butter Wikis.

Students research various nanotechnology topics and posted them to wikis. All the students were new to wikis but PBWiki interface is so easy to use they were quickly adding colors, plugins, and having a great time learning.

The educator's videos and some database research I did on using wikis in classrooms helped me figure out how to incorporate this with our information literacy mission.

Funny Library Technology Video

2007-04-13T09:49:00.000-04:00

Medieval Tech Helpdesk

Vonnegut, Tech Skeptic, Dies

2007-04-12T08:59:00.000-04:00

My favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut died last night. A self-proclaimed secular humanist, Vonnegut questioned everything: war, science & technology, religion, etc. Something he did last year really impressed me--he made a virtual appearance on Second Life where he was interviewed by John Hockenberry of Infinite Mind.

Mashups with Google's MyMaps

2007-04-07T12:26:00.000-04:00

Didn't get into the mashups session at ACRL-- it was packed--no standing room! Decided to educate myself on the topic. Found a CNet video on doing mashups with Google's MyMaps. Did a little mashup on Williamsport.

ACRL Conference Wiki

2007-04-04T11:05:00.000-04:00

Joann and I are creating a wiki as a way to share what we learned at the conference. It's a work in progress, but check it out!

ACRL Conference

2007-03-30T16:20:00.000-04:00

I'm here in beautiful Baltimore with more than 3,000 other library souls. Most of the sessions I've attended have been packed (had to sit on the floor). Poster sessions were overcrowded. Here I go complaining.

John Waters' keynote was hilarious. Got to remember to watch "Pink Flamingos" again and check out some of the othere films he's made. Wonder if any are on YouTube? Gotta check...

NanoTrek Camp Wiki

2007-03-22T18:57:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to work out how to create a Wiki for a NanoTrek Camp that's to be held here at PCT in April.

My boss and I did some brainstorming and came up with the idea of using the PBWiki and giving peanut butter cups to the students for fun. I've been reading articles about using Wikis in class and found an interesting article in Wiki Brainstorming and Problems with Wiki-Based Collaboration

NanoTrek Camp Wiki Ideas:

1. Create a list of research topics for nanotechnology:

Careers in nanotech
Environmental impact of nanotechnology
History of nanotechnology
Recent discoveries in the field of nanotech (last 5 years)
Medical applications
Nanobots
What are benefits/dangers of nanotech?

2. Require that they find each of the following kind of resources:

Organization’s website (.org)
Government website (.gov)
Article from a database
Educational website (.edu)

3. For each resource listed above summarize your findings and explain why this is a good resource for this information.

Virtual Reference: Criticism

2006-09-05T10:09:00.000-04:00

The Shifted Librarian just posted her experience with a Virtual Reference service:

What Is a Virtual Librarian?

She links to another librarian's similar experience:

MassAnswers, a 24/7 ref project, answers my question sort of

Having worked for five years as a Virtual Librarian, it made me think back to how I answered questions. What did I do when I was certain that the best answer was in an off-line resource? Because I worked for a statewide consortia, I had access to almost all the databases that each member had in their collections.

I worked from home, so I was far removed from their print resources, but they all had online catalogs from the same ILS. If a question required the use of a print resource, the plan was for a staff member at the library to scan the page(s) required and email them to the student/faculty/staff. I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times this happened.

Most of the questions were answered with online resources. Either the student had difficulties naviagating their library's Web pages or they needed help searching online databases. Only rarely was a print resource required.

This brings to mind the questions: Are students now more proficient at searching online resources? Can we "out Google" Google by using the print resources available to us? Google Scholar is limited by the copyright act...if we make print resources available on demand, are we in violation of the copyright act?

Web 2.0: Blogs & Wikis

2006-07-24T18:22:00.000-04:00

Recently two articles have been published that discuss the authority of blogs and wikis. When, if ever, can they be used as reliable information resources?

The Wikipedia article: Schiff, Stacy. "Know it All: Can Wikipedia conquer expertise?" New Yorker July 31, 2006.
Schiff argues that while "Wikipedia is to Britannica as American Idol is to the Juilliard School," it has a wealth of information not available in the traditional encyclopedia. For every three errors in Britannica, there are four in Wikipedia. Pretty good stats for a startup!

The blog article: Zeller, Tom, Jr. Anne Frank 2006: War Diaries Online. New York Times July 24, 2006.
The blog is the 21st century's personal narrative. This is primary source material. To get a real feel for what is going on in the Middle East today, go to any of the blogs listed in this article and read what is really going on from a first person perspective. Not only will you find text, you will find photos and videos of events as they happen--uncensored!

Scholarly Publishing Goes Digital

2006-07-22T21:46:00.000-04:00

From Inside Higher Ed: "New Model for Scholarly Publishing"

Rice University Press is making a comeback as a digital publisher. Their rationale?

no pressure to publish works that will sell enough copies to justify print run
junior professors will have an easier time getting published
more affordable publishing
more streamlined
maintain peer-review

These publications will be available for free download on Connexions.

VoIP Phones

2006-07-22T20:34:00.000-04:00

Earlier this summer, the IT department installed Cisco IP phones. The library is only the second department on campus to be using these state-of-the-art gadgets. The sound quality is much better than that of VoIP in the old days (3-4 years ago). There is an echo reminiscent of that heard on WATTS line many years ago. There is no latency--guess this is a packet-preferred system.

Some cool features include:

Voice mail that is forwarded to e-mail
All kinds of rings....most of which can't be used in a library setting...
online directory of other IP phones on campus
caller ID on campus from other IP phones
caller phone listings
unanswered call queue

"Generation Deaf"

2006-07-07T16:41:00.000-04:00

This article in today's Chronicle of Higher Education was interesting:

Staff at the U of Illinois Urbana were surprised when students in the library failed to react to a tornado siren. They were all listening to iPods and other devices at volumes that exceeded the sound of the siren’s blast…

Are students that disconnected from RL that they are unaware of possible dangers? Should we be sure that our emergency warning systems include a visual alert system--flashing red and blue lights? I'm told our new library has these, but will they be visible to everyone?

Librarian Trading Card

2006-06-28T06:23:00.000-04:00

Librarian Trading Card, originally uploaded by rfisher2861.

I just had to try this!

Internet Down!

2006-06-27T21:47:00.000-04:00

The Internet went down yesterday. I reached for the phone to call ITS, but realized that it's an IP phone and THE INTERNET IS DOWN!! I tried calling ITS with my cell, but wasn't able to get through as their phones are also IP...

Fortunately this only lasted for an hour. I sent a student to the ITS department to find out what was going on. They told him that the connection had been down for 4 hours...How could that be?

You don't really know how much you depend on the 'Net until it's down. I had almost forgotten that I could use my computer if I checked the "workstation only" option.

Advice? Stay calm and breathe deeply. Enjoy the silence!

Web 2.0: Info Lit

2006-06-16T17:25:00.000-04:00

I'm getting ready to co-present a workshop for adjunct faculty on the info lit implications of the Web 2.0. My main question is: "Is user created content reliable?"

Looking back to the BPC (before personal computers) days, we classified information resources not by format but by the proximity of the creator to the information provided:

Primary sources--journals, diaries, letters (all created by the person with first hand experience of the event described)
Secondary sources--journal articles, newspaper articles, etc. (information gleaned from primary source)
Tertiary sources--encyclopedias, textbooks, library catalogs, survey articles, reading lists, bibliographies, etc. (information gathered from both primary and secondary sources)

Couldn't Blogs and photos on Flickr be considered primary sources? When it is so easy to create content, how do we determine if the creator is indeed knowledgeable/truthful about the topic presented?

OPAC Design--It's the People, Stupid!

2006-02-01T07:59:00.000-05:00

Library OPACs are technological dinosaurs. They are based on what came before--the card catalog. The card catalog served us well for many years but really wasn't able to make a graceful transition into the digital world.

I remember coaching patrons on the use of the early OPAC--many tried typing their requests as sentences in the search box. I always felt embarrassed explaining that it wasn't that easy and thinking that they really should be able to find information that way. What ever happened to natural language searching? I guess it didn't work that well and was abandoned (have to do some research on this).

Some patrons got so annoyed with the technology that they threatened to toss all the computers out the window. I'll admit that there were days when I felt that way myself.

Should librarians give up on the controlled vocabulary approach? Is keyword searching the best approach? Keyword searching works well when you have a large collection of data to deal with. When the amount of information is limited as it is in an OPAC, controlled vocabulary works well--you will be less likely to miss the good stuff.

Should I try to explain this in my Information Literacy classes? I'm seriously considering this...

Life Hacking

2005-12-07T11:49:00.000-05:00

“Meet the Life Hackers” by Clive Thompson New York Times Magazine, October 15, 2005 (retrieved from LexisNexis Academic December 6, 2005)

We have all become like it or not—multitaskers. How many times a day are we interrupted by cell phones, e-mails, IMs, etc.? Thompson interviews some social scientists who have completed some studies on how we handle multitasking in the workplace.

Some interesting observations from these studies:

It takes on an average 25 minutes to return to the original task

Interruptions have become our work

Our jobs are “interruption driven”

We spend an average of 11 minutes on a project before interruption occurs

Each 11 minute session is divided into several 3 minute smaller tasks

We are so busy keeping an eye on everything, we can never focus on anything

Solutions suggested:

Multiple computer monitors (up to three)

Larger monitors (45 inch!)

“to do” lists in Word

My solution was a mini whiteboard that I kept on my desk like an easel. I had my “to do” list there with the tasks prioritized. This way I could always see my list and try to keep focused. It’s low-tech, but it works.

Because I am easily bored, I enjoy being interrupted. I wouldn’t want to work any other way.

Morphed Librarian

2005-12-03T10:55:00.000-05:00

Many older librarians have found that their jobs have changed since they graduated from library school many ages ago....When I was getting my degree the Internet was not available to us. We had computer access by creating a query using punched cards or tape (telex machine). We've come along way and it's been fun for me to be a part of it.

In 1980 or so, I purchased an Atari 800 and signed on to the Source, CompuServe, and other online resources. It was a great way to educate myself and keep up with changes in the profession. Since then I've tinkered with the major operating systems and now have a wireless LAN at home.

My jobs have changed over time: reference assistant, young adult librarian, interlibrary loan assistant, head of reference, technology trainer, and virtual reference librarian.

I love showing people how to use technology to educate themselves and locate quality information. It's been a great journey!

I'll be posting information on what I've been trying and reading as far as using technology in libraries goes.

I recently returned from the VRD Conference in San Francisco and am raring to go with some of the ideas I brought back: librarians on location, using tablet pcs while roaming, IM the Librarian, etc.

Stay tuned for updates on how we implement these ideas!