Busy Week...

I'm currently at a conference on civic engagement and deliberative democracy called "No Better Time" at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. It's incredibly cool, and their conference logo this year was made using Wordle! On Saturday, I'll fly directly to Chicago for the rest of ALA Annual (hey, if anyone's free Tuesday morning/early afternoon, want to join me on an architectural boat tour?). Rather than flood my blog with live-blogging sessions, I'm posting notes on my wiki and brief thoughts/greetings/blatherings on my twitter feed.

I return on Tuesday evening and shall immediately collapse.

She's Alive!

...just barely. Was in Houston for a whole week for the Texas Library Association's Annual Conference--thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being a Program Planner, and am now thoroughly enjoying not working on that at all for awhile!

In my personal life, we moved into a new house--in the middle of a semester of fulltime work, fulltime school for me... so that's why I haven't been around much. The general theme of my life at this moment is: "Eeek." And also, "Is it May yet?"

May 15th, I get a tiny piece of my life back. I'm looking forward to having the time to explore several class projects in more depth--two of them have potential as pilots for more in-depth research projects, and I have a separate research project I've wanted to work on for awhile now. All three revolve around libraries, and two of them are directly related to library interfaces with distance learning.

I'd better get back to all of it--just wanted to let this poor little blog know I haven't abandoned it!

It's March Already?

My personal and professional blogs are both suffering from my schedule, as you may have noticed. (Note to self: after my residency for this PhD program is complete, never again register for full-time courses... or, at least not while simultaneously working full-time and commuting a couple hours a day.)

I keep thinking of blog posts but not writing them down--so here are a few of the things I'm working on at the moment:

• fleshing out our WW poster collections page (inspired by the Northwestern's great pages)
  
• adding a FAQ page to the WW poster page (we get a lot of questions about purchasing reproductions and finding information on artists)
• uploading all those lovely CRS reports from Wikileaks
  
• I finally downloaded the UNT Libraries LibX toolbar, which is quite handy for showing me which books that I'm browsing on Amazon are held at UNT
• researching the practices of librarians embedded in online courses
• researching the adoption of electronic reference in academic libraries, and how this was affected by a variety of factors
  
• ...and a project on educational background of academic library deans with fellow librarian Annie Downey, which I think is pretty much stalled until summer
  

Oh, and there's something in my job description about managing digital collections and answering reference questions? Yeah, that too.

Hmmm. It is May yet?

Summer = Travel

I've lost count of how many times I've traveled this summer. The professional experience has been great, but it's made the schedule hectic, and made it very difficult to keep up with everyday-type work. I'm looking forward to returning to a more normal schedule at the end of next week--by normal, of course, I mean that I'll also be returning to taking a full-time courseload. I'm sadistically excited about this semester, however, particularly about one course titled "Essentials of Academic Publishing." Practical, interesting, immediately applicable--right up my alley.

But in the meantime, I've got one last trip to make. This, finally, is the vacation trip--not a semi-"vacation" tacked on to one of my or my husband's work trips--just six days in New York City for fun.

I look forward to returning in a more work-ready state of mind... and to a regular schedule. Hooray for fall!

How Is It August?

Yes, you, too can create your own READ poster.

I got the green light for some travel funds for IFLA next week in Quebec City, so I'm in a flurry of preparation. I was already trying to catch up after having been at Interagency last week, and now knowing I'll be gone for another week is... yeah. I'm racing to complete this year's Albino Squirrel Calendar, catch up on emails, and get some things posted to the GODORT wiki.

I got all the month pages completed today: that just leaves the "other" pages (6 of them), the cover, and listing out all the relevant dates to include for each month.

At least my IFLA paper has been written for months--but I do need to pull some screenshots together for an interesting Powerpoint... and to reduce my 6-page paper into something that I can state in 15 minutes or less. Slowly, since there will be simultaneous translation.

Interesting... this summer, my blog has become my to-do list. Sigh. At this point, folks, I'm just crossing my fingers until September--the return of a regular schedule (albeit one that includes three classes), and only one professional trip (that I know of). Whew.

I was hoping to blog about how awesome Interagency was, and all the fellow librarians I met (particularly the geeky crowd), and maybe even the touristy DC things we did on the weekend... Yeah. Just like all my to-do photo editing and uploading, it will just have to wait.

Oh! One fun tidbit, however: the book for which Suzanne, Annie, and I wrote a chapter, Academic Library Outreach: Beyond the Campus Walls, is set to be published this December, a month earlier than expected! Hurrah!!

Back in Denton

Actually, this is my second day back in the office, but I'm only now sane enough to post. The whole Anaheim/Abilene/Austin thing kind of threw me for a loop the last two and a half weeks. I'm whittling down my to-do list, but being as I have another week-long trip (Interagency in DC) at the end of the month, IFLA in Canada in August, and a personal trip to NYC at the end of that month, I doubt I'll make dramatic progress on my projects until September. Whew.

I primarily wanted to say that I now have all the Austin trip photos up, or you can just view the TLA ones. Take note: there has been no cropping or editing of any kind yet, so these are a bit rough.

I'm still working on the ALA photos... in fact, I didn't even finish editing/uploading the photos from my vacation-y time on day 1. Sigh. All in time.

Amidst my myriad projects are a couple of more recent and short-term things:

• propose and prepare an OPAL on designing a GovDocs website
• prepare a proposal (and/or article?) related to one or two aspects of Gaiman's Sandman
• draft a new copy of the Texas Depository Library contact list (then send it out to our state list-serv for further corrections)
• prepare this year's UNT Libraries Albino Squirrel Calendar
• design this year's Denton Reads promo materials
• go through my long list of possible articles, and pick at least two to begin writing

If I list more than that, my ears might start smoking, so we'll leave it there, as the projects that are most immediately on my mind.

Anyone else feel like the summer that was supposed to be their downtime ended up being more stressful and/or busy than the spring was? I had about two weeks of relative peace and quiet, but that's it.

...Where Am I?

I'm kind of wondering this myself. I didn't so much unpack my ALA suitcase so much as stuffed Alex's dirty laundry from his St. Petersburg trip into it, and we took off to spend the holiday weekend in Abilene. We had high hopes of doing laundry while we were there, but ended up sitting around playing video games and trying to stop our heads spinning in between business trips.

We got back Saturday, and Sunday I had to get up and do the laundry in order to re-pack for the business trip I'm currently on, TLA Annual Assembly in Austin. Got here Monday and am leaving tomorrow(--I think; is it really Wednesday?). I'm on the Conference Programs Committee, so it's a lot of proofing, discussing, lias-ing with my groups, and finally scheduling. It's been a nice trip and I've had fun, but I am quite ready to get home and get re-acquainted with my husband. (After all, I've got a full two weeks home before I'm off to DC for Interagency).

At this rate, it almost--almost!--makes the Fall semester seem less intimidating. Sure, I'll have fulltime classes again, but maybe less travel. Maybe. One can hope. I love travel, I love being involved in professional groups and getting things done and learning... but man, it will be great someday when my life's purpose doesn't seem to be redefining the word "busy."

On the other hand, my husband is convinced that it's simply a part of who I am, and that if I had evenings without homework or articles to read or write, that I'd have a mental breakdown. He may be right.

I must say that I am learning the value of the word "no," however. Slowly, to be sure, but I am learning to wield its power. After all, I've got to make time to get home and discuss Battlestar Galactica with my husband--there are some things in life that are just non-negotiable.

Prepping for ALA...

I've had some correspondence regarding this blog lately, and I fully intend to respond before Thursday, but at the moment am trying to keep afloat and put out fires.... something that sounds metaphorically impossible, but I assure you, it's not.

I've been working on my ALA schedule for the past couple of hours, always a complex and confounding process--and, as usual, the most interesting sessions seem to be scheduled for the same times. Ah, well--compromise is a skill, I suppose.

Also a, shout-out to my fellow blogger and GODORT-er, Rebecca Blakely of McNeese Library, who is moderating a session on gender and race messages in Disney films, which I would dearly love to attend... were I not in a GODORT Publications Committee meeting at that time. (See my dilemmas?)

I will be arriving in Anaheim a day early, Thursday morning. I plan to take a mini-vacation to see friends, get to the Santa Monica pier, and soak up some of my native state's atmosphere. If you'll be in the area and have some free time Thursday/Friday for some adventure-seeking, let me know and maybe we can hang out for awhile.

Anyone else dreading the mail lines at the Exhibits Hall? With the added checked-baggage airline fees, I'll bet many more of us will be in that line this time around. I guess if nothing else, the line will be a good place to start all that ARC reading...

Where Do the Days Go?

Goodness, I don't usually leave you hanging for a month. Suffice to say, between my personal life (putting house on market, 9 hours of doctoral classes, building addition) and my professional one (meetings, email, website admin-ing, two chapters to write), I'm a tad... stretched... at the moment.

As Bilbo said, I feel "like butter scraped over too much bread."

I'll return. Promise.

Unexpected

Okay, I really didn't expect to spend 10 1/2 hours at work Saturday. Sure, I was working the weekend reference shift, but that's only 11 to 4. I came in at 9:30 to get some more work done... but I had no idea that I'd be spending an extra four hours on a single reference question.

Which kind of blew my good intentions, as far as homework, out of the water. By the time I got home after 9pm, I was too brain-dead to accomplish any of it. Sunday, I got a bit of it done, but we also had some construction we had to get done... so my regular reading got done, but I haven't been able to do any decent amount of work on my two research projects.

Sigh. So much for good intentions.

The Doctoral Experience Thus Far

After two weeks of classes having begun, I finally attended my first F2F (face-to-face) class session for the Higher Education PhD program. I'm currently enrolled in EPSY 6020: Research Methods in Education (which is a fancy name for "basic quantitative/qualitative statistical research;" this couse is online), EDHE 6510: History of Higher Education (online with 4 F2F meetings), and EDHE 6780: Educational Resources (meets Monday evenings). Last night, I went to 6780 and enjoyed a lively discussion about endowments, grants, and the ethics of fund-raising. We had some particularly interesting discussion regarding the place of athletics and alumni in university fundraising--I can tell I'm really going to enjoy this class.

I've been enjoying the reading for 6510, but to be honest there hasn't been much yet. It looks like the readings and the assignments get heavier at the end of the year, which to be honest is fine with me. I'm trying to get our house on the market by mid-March, so I'm occupied with cleaning, boxing things for storage, and painting. I anticipate that around the end of February, I'm going to hit a huge clash between fulltime librarian-ing, fulltime doctoral student-ing, and readying our house to look its best. Not to mention that whole husband/family/friends side of life... yeah. Good thing I'm enjoying my classes so much at the moment!

I keep desperately seeking new ways to carve out blocks of time for myself. To be honest, my two-hour total commute each day is a kind of welcome break from all these tasks, but at the same time, I keep furiously thinking that I'd rather be spending the time working on homework or something else useful. If only I could get someone, for free, to record themselves reading my textbooks, and then I could play that in the car during my commute... Any other suggestions? I used to think I ought to borrow language-learning CDs from the public library, but that ends up being an additional source of information, without actually helping my work/school/home-responsibilities bind. At least music relaxes me, and NPR feeds me the news.

I certainly welcome any further ideas on better uses for my commute. :)

On My Way...

...I'll shortly be departing for the DFW airport, Philadelphia, and ALA Midwinter. I'll try to send some updates soon--this past week was a hectic mash of dealing with post-holiday work and preparing for ALA, but there is news to be had.

And here's the first bit: the Texas Library Association has used several of my photos of the Transforming Texas Libraries Summit for their cover image for this month's edition of the Texas Library Journal! Woohoo!

The real cherry on top was my husband's laughter when he saw that, as he predicted, they used my hotel-bathroom-mirror self-portrait for my photo credit. Ah, well. That's what I get for making myself so public on Flickr and continuously photographing myself in ridiculous situations.

A big thanks to my pal Kristen for first breaking the news, to Gayla for bringing a copy to show me (while mine was on its way), and to TLA for using my images. Won't this be a fun addition to my portfolio?

'Tis the Season

Yes, to be jolly, but also to heighten that usual sense of the word "busy." Ah, how well I know it after having spent over two decades enrolled in some form of school.

And I've got a bit of good news to post: I've been accepted into UNT's PhD program in Higher Education! Yes, I'm back for more--but as my husband supportively points out, this degree has that helpful distinction of "terminal," meaning that I could, conceivably, one day be done with school. (No, really.)

Why, you ask, particularly as I've argued in the past that most librarians don't need PhDs, and that often it doesn't seem to be worth the time or money invested in the degree? Well, because much as I currently love my job, I know my ambitions and my dreams, and I'd like to be able to move not only into library administration, but potentially into university-wide administration. And it seems pretty par for the course to have a PhD attached to your name in those positions.

Why in Higher Ed, instead of an Information Sciences doctorate? Well, I'm attracted to that program, it looks quite interesting--but at the end it seems to me that a Library/Info Science PhD is best if 1) you want to teach at a library school (I don't), or 2) you are interested in a highly-focused area of library science research that you'd like to pursue (I'm not). I want to administrate, and I'm going into Higher Ed because that's a good, practical preparation for university administration--lots of helpful courses on academic finances and of course the ever-present statistical information (which, being a documents librarian, I'm actually looking forward to). And I'm interested in researching library support for distance education--support both in terms of library services and library materials--and thus, I've already got a potential dissertation topic.

I embark upon that adventure in January 2008. In the meantime, our emerging technologies group at UNT is more deeply discussing options for standards in technology competencies for library employees... we're trying to see if that's a good road for us to take in the Libraries.

And of course there's a desk full of stacked papers requiring my attention--Thanksgiving is a lovely holiday and it's great to rest, but I'm mighty tired of moving some of my "to-do" items from week to week in my calendar. I'm pondering a work-fest week in the second week of December, to try to wrap up a lot of this end-of-the-year deadline stuff (and then hope to write an article or two in that "spare time" over the Christmas break).

Next week, though, it will be hard to keep up with the normal swing of work--Monday and Tuesday I'll be in Austin for the Texas Library Association's Transforming Texas Libraries Summit, which has a lot of potential to be interesting, and then Thursday I'll be in Houston for a fantastic workshop on the visual presentation of data (no, it's really not boring!!) by Edward Tufte. My father, an optics engineer, attended this presentation a few years back and said it's about the best one-day seminar he's ever been to, and promptly bought me one of Tufte's books that Christmas. I've been fascinated with him ever since, and since my current position deals a lot with both graphics and statistics, this seemed like a good training opportunity.

Also, I'm on the Conference Program Committee for the TLA 2009 conference--we're beginning to brainstorm sessions and speakers. If you know of anyone who would be a good speaker on graphic design and/or library marketing, please let me know. I'm particularly interested in organizing a session on that general topic, as it's something that's quite relevant to work I've been doing for UNT, and I'm sure it's a problem for other libraries as well. Or if you have other session ideas, things you'd like to be educated on, people you'd like to hear speak--please just let me know!

Whistle While You Work

You can now access the materials from the 2007 Fall Depository Library Council conference online. I've added DLC's pdf version of my slides and handout to my wiki page, in case anyone doesn't have MS products (yes, O Wise Mac Users, I'm speaking of you).

This week was the usual blur of meetings, only with the heightened franticness of the knowledge that next week will be missing two workdays. This is good, in the vacation realm of getting to relax and hang out with family--and kinda bad in the eternally-behind mode of work.

A few days ago I rather trepadaciously told Alex that I'd like to spend most of one day this weekend getting some work done (primarily web updates for GODORT, but also some other professional-development stuff that doesn't find its place in the daily work routine). He answered with relief that he'd been wanting to do the same thing, as well. Folks, this is when you shake your heads at each other, think the word "workaholic" -- but don't dare to actually utter it, lest one of you decides that things need to change--starting with this weekend!

Ah, well. Sitting side-by-side with our laptops is about the same equivalent of quality time as sitting side-by-side watching a movie, right? Only the sarcastic comments aren't about plot lines or shoddy acting, but about the persnickety-ness of technology and various work assignments.

The couple that works together... um... you got me there.

Where in the World is Starr Hoffman?

(Not to be confused with Carmen Sandiego.)

So... I've given five presentations and been in four different locations in the past two and a half weeks. Forgive me if I'm slow in responding to email, calls, or even vocal communication--I'm a bit dazed at the moment. (Going through several hundred email messages this morning didn't help ground me further in reality, either.)

Audience at my CRS reports presentation in DC, October 15th.
We estimated about 125 attendees--thanks so much, everyone!

I can't chat long--must get back to the email and general work catch-up, of course--but I must say a huge "thanks!" to everyone who helped me prepare my presentations and to everyone who listened, particularly all the great feedback I've received. I am so appreciative just of the experience to give these presentations, all of which were fabulous, fun, and a learning experience--all those comments were just icing on a very large cake. And thanks to my family, who gave me three days of vacation in the middle of this madness, and who were quite understanding about my crazed schedule and need to be constantly revising PowerPoint files.

And now, back to the long process of getting back into the swing of things.

Sweet Success

Our presentation at the DPL North Branch last night was a success! I've got the photos to prove it... but probably won't get around to posting them until, you know, a nice sane month like November.

We spoke collectively for about an hour to an audience of five--and were then pleasantly surprised that they kept us another half-hour-plus with all their questions. We had two UNT faculty members in the audience, a government activist, a librarian, and--wonder of wonders, a high school student. Who wasn't dragged there by force, but actually stayed afterward to ask a very perceptive and involved reference question that Suzanne is now working on. Sian, who has been working with Suzanne to coordinate these kinds of cooperative academic/public library presentations once a month, was thrilled at the turnout, and we were thrilled at the interest. I had never given a presentation where every single audience member had at least one question.

I also found a fantastic opportunity for a book chapter related to the very kind of library outreach that Suzanne and I have been working at. Sure, it's one more thing to add to that list of "to-do," but it would be so, so fantastic if we were accepted.

Now, if I could just get my next slate of PowerPoints completed... I've been trying to snatch time to work on them all week, but have been sidetracked by an application essay, a minor metadata crisis, and the usual plethora of email. My brain periodically sends me wry observations such as, "well, it's job security, right?" I'm trying to ignore these and work.

But I can't wait for Monday--wow, that's a surprising statement. But this Monday is the SAPL program--Theresa Ybarra sent me their program yesterday, and it looks so fantastic that I immediately told two colleagues all about it and how, hmmm, wouldn't it be great if we had something similar. Ah, how I love libraries.

On the Meaning of "Fall"

...With the crazy pace of work at the moment, my thoughts are that "Fall" doesn't designate the autumnal season when leaves fall off of trees, as much as it describes a quick, dangerous plunge. Ah, another school year begun.

It really is enjoyable to have students on the campus again, and to get more real action at our reference desk. But my mounting "to do" and "should have been done five months ago" lists are becoming precariously long. I could use a couple of 60-hour work weeks to catch up... only 1) I've got a husband I'd like to see more than occasionally, 2) I've also got my classwork to contend with, and 3) I, um, just don't want to. Ah, well.

On the bright side, although October will be filled with travel and presentations... it will be filled with travel and presentations! So it means more of being busy (and less time to catch up on it), but it will be fun and rewarding. I'm particularly excited to get to present in my hometown of San Antonio--it's nice to have such a great reason to go back. Plus, I get to talk about Library 2.0--and what's not to like about that? Spreading the word about blogs, wikis, and the greatness in general of the social internet... now that's more like it.

Today was UNT's Fall Convocation, which is a ceremony for faculty and staff at which our president gives a sort of "state of the university" address. It's not required, but it's quite informative (and features free breakfast), and I was pleased even more than last year with President Bataille's address. She mentioned the UNT Libraries' NEH/LC grant for digitizing newspapers, for one, but also she's an incredibly interesting and sincere speaker. Even when she's citing statistics, she makes them relevant and relatable, not sleep-inducing.

And--this was the really fantastic part--I got to speak to her in person. I stayed afterward awhile talking to a colleague, and when I turned to leave the Union, I saw Dr. Bataille standing with just one other person. When they finished talking, I walked over to introduce myself and tell her how honored and glad we were that she came to the Libraries' annual New Faculty Reception last week. It was nice to speak with her, even if briefly!

Then I was invited by Melody Kelly, our Associate Dean, to sit in on a library Strategic Planning meeting. It was a kind of follow-up activity to the interview I did with her yesterday, which is for the SLIS course I'm taking, Advanced Management of Information Agencies. It was interesting sitting in on a real meeting after having discussed the history of the plan--now that I'm actually full-time, I get more out of courses like these by seeing the theories implemented in my daily work.

Which reminds me... I've got lots more e-mail to get to. Ciao!

Plugging Away...

I hope to return to more regular blogging soon. I'm currently knee-deep in things to finish, so I'm going to try and push through in the next two days to see if I can have some room to breathe next week.

I say this, but there's a proof of the library calendar that I need to edit as soon as possible. And we all know how quickly graphic design problems are to solve, right? Right...

Not a Cheater

Ah, yes, the scorn of many book clubs and bibliophile traditionalists--audiobooks. This article describes the scorn some book club members face when they reveal they've listened, rather than read, the latest selection. I myself feel a tad odd when I list audiobooks on my "recently read" list--but I am firmly in the school that listening to an audiobook is just as much reading as is cracking open the physical volume.

My theory is, people that scorn audiobooks as "not as much work" as reading the book, clearly don't do as much actual work as I do, which is part of what accounts for the very little time I have to read. Then again, most of these people would probably also not classify my comic book habit as "reading." They're right--it takes much more visual effort and brain power to concentrate on a script that is both text and image--which is why when I'm tired, I read books, and only read comics when I have enough energy to concentrate.

I only wish that we had a broader selection of popular titles at UNT. Or else that the McKinney/Denton public libraries were more on my way to work. Or that they had a courier service directly to my office. And also if all my textbooks, and professional books I'd like to read--if they were on audiobook, that would rock.

Yeah, I know I sound like a big whiner. But that's what you get to be when you commute ten hours a week, watching your free time melt away like pecan ice cream.

Mmmmm, ice cream.

Guerrilla Blogging

...Not in the combative sense (except that I'm fighting for time to blog), but certainly in the irregular sense.

• State-tris (Tetris with state shapes; great for teaching kids where the continental US states are, or for educating yourself--I never remember where Ohio is.)
• "Steal this Book? Don't Bother" (article on C|NET news that promotes using your local public library to obtain content.)

So, let me briefly... er... de-brief you on all the things that are currently keeping me too busy to blog:

• preparing for my new boss, Suzanne Sears, who starts work next Wednesday
• ...one item of above includes moving my office
• usual duties--digital collections, liaison collection development, reference, supervising two student assistants, etc.
• helping a professor update an online art history course
• applying to the Higher Ed PhD program here at UNT
• adding content to the new library CMS
• adding content to the new library newsletter CMS (which I'll be managing)
• learning the ropes for the ALA GODORT Web Admin position
• preparing for the 2008 Denton Reads program
• working on the NDIIPP Web at Risk project
• preparing one-two presentation proposal(s) and one article proposal
• writing a second book review
• still processing material/information from ALA Annual

At least I have decent excuses, right? Right?!

So, as far as the second item on that list goes, I'm all moved, but my floor is covered in file folders. Why? Because the folders are legal-sized... and my new file cabinets are letter-sized. Doh! And honestly, I'd rather change folder sizes than exchange file cabinets--they are heavy, and there are five of them. And the new ones have easier-to-open drawers.

Ah, ridiculous vanity, thy name is librarian!