Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

I think a lot about what it means to be human. Not about what makes us different from other animals, necessarily, but about what characteristics can be found in all of us.  And I reflect on the language that we use to describe the “human condition.”   In fact, we say “human condition” almost as though we’re describing some sexually transmitted disease (which, in a way, we are!).

When we make mistakes, fail, or fall short of others’ expectations of us, we say that we’re “only human.”  The literal message of those two words is this:  “There are limits to what human beings can do, and and I have just reached that limit.”  In effect, what we’re saying is that what is being asked of us is impossible.

But that is rarely the case.

When do we really pull out that phrase?  Not when we’re face to face with the impossible, but when we’re face to face with the uncomfortable.

When arguing with a loved one.  When being asked to do more than we’ve done in the past.  When being asked to push harder, reach deeper, and sacrifice more than we have before.  When we are pushed to the limits of our comfort, not the limits of our ability.

And yet, only when we are pushed past comfort to the true limits of our ability, do we see what we’re capable of.

So, as I continue to share my experiences on this blog, I’m going to push past my comfort zones.  I’m going to share the hard-earned gems of wisdom that I’ve gained through years of struggle, staggering defeat, and occasional triumph.  You may laugh, cry, wince, or even judge me, and that is fine.  I won’t let fear stop me from allowing others to learn from my experiences.  I hope you read something here that will help you, as I endeavor to share everything that makes me gloriously human.

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

I’ve been playing around with drawing lately, trying to beef up my skills.  As a beginning artist starting later in life, I’m having to shut off that part of my brain that judges every last thing I do.  I’m trying instead to return to my childhood; as a child confronted with something new, I already knew that I didn’t know how to do it, but I didn’t let that stop me.  I played.  I experimented.  I tried it out.  I figured out what worked and what didn’t.

But what do I do now, as an adult?  I read books.  I subscribe to blogs.  I watch vidcasts.  I immerse myself in a world of information that’s waiting at my fingertips, all about drawing.  You know what I’m doing when I’m absorbing (or ignoring) all that information?  I’m not drawing.  Merlin Mann has had a few choice words about the perils of drowning yourself in information, and I’ve fallen prey to all of them.

The one that has plagued me the most of late is this fear that I’m just not an artist.  Period.  But I have to turn right around and tell that fear to shove it, because I am an artist…

You are an artist

I create.  You create.  We all do.  What makes us uniquely human is our ability to create.

But there are lots of people out there who are more than happy to tell me that I’m not an artist.  That what I do isn’t art; that what I produce isn’t good enough to be considered art; that even if it is art and is good, that it isn’t the kind of art that I should be doing.  And at the very top of that list of critics is me.

Every artist is plagued by “not”.  Not good enough, not the right kind, not enough of it.

But I know that I’m an organizer.  That’s one of my skills, and for me, it’s an art.  Granted, I can become a bit obsessive about it on occasion, but for the most part organizing things makes me feel relaxed and happy.  And at the end of an organizational project, I can look at all the neat lines, clearly labeled boxes, and wide empty space free of clutter and pat myself on the back at a job well done.  It makes me feel good.

Where’s my Olympic medal?  Where’s my gold star?  My Pulitzer?  My Nobel?

They’re not there, and that’s just fine.  I’m not doing it for awards, I’m doing it because I love my craft.  I can spend a few hours on Wikipedia tagging articles with the appropriate metadata, resting assured that in my tiny little way, I’ve helped increase the level of organization in the world.  I can also lend my skill to others, and watch as a folks adopt my organizational methods for themselves because they see how easy it can be.

Whatever it may be, your art is worth celebrating

So I’m an artist.  And so are you.  And together we can tell Fear exactly where he can shove it, because we rock at our art.  It may be research, or cataloging, or project management, or reshelving books, or being a mom, or listening, or telling jokes, or bookbinding, or laughing, or standing up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.  There are trillions of arts out there, and I want you to celebrate yours.  And keep on creating your art.

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

Just like plants, pets, cars, and your body, relationships need regular maintenance.  Inspired by a conversation with my friend Kryss, I started asking the folks close to me one question, every week:

Am I meeting your needs as a ___________ ?

Whether it be as a boyfriend, brother, son, friend, uncle or whatever, asking this simple question once a week has saved me a world of heartache in the long-term.  I’ve been doing it for months now, and it’s changed a lot of things.

A moment of reflection…

With everyone rushing around, filled with road rage, stress and angst (trying to get to tai chi or yoga class!), sometimes it can be difficult to pause and reflect on our relationships.

Asking if you’re meeting the other person’s needs will give them a chance to stop in their tracks, pause, and think about how their relationship with you is going.  Do they have any needs that aren’t being met?  Did you promise to take out the trash and forgot?  Did you say something in jest yesterday that actually hurt their feelings?  Now is their chance to let you know.

…can take a while

And they may not let you know right that minute.  So if that evening or the next day you get a call, don’t be surprised.  Some folks (like myself) take time to process conversations, arguments, and deep questions.  Asking a question once a week is a way to keep the conversation about the relationship going–not a way to “get it over with.”  Being honest and earnest about your desire to make sure that your loved ones’ needs are met will quickly unearth any deeper communication issues.

What it’s like

Every Wednesday at 12:30pm an alarm goes off on my phone: “Check in emotionally.”  I send a quick text to my loved ones, and usually within minutes I receive a text back lauding me with praise.  It’s a nice side-effect, but it’s not the purpose–a short “yes” is enough to ensure that they got the message and that there’s nothing pressing that needs to be discussed.

Occasionally I’ll get a phone call that starts out with “Well, since you asked…,” and the conversation starts up.  Sometimes Wednesday at 12:30pm will fall right in the middle of an ongoing fight or lingering hurt feelings, but I’ll ask without fail.  It’s more important to me that I know the truth and that they know I care, rather than to protect my own bruised feelings.

Awareness is catchy

Once your family and friends get used to the routine, they’ll look forward to it and miss it if you accidentally forget.  You might get a pouty voicemail asking why you didn’t do the weekly check-in!  And trust me, soon enough they’ll be responding in kind, asking if they are meeting your needs.

So go ahead and take a few seconds to check in witht he ones you love!  You’ll be delighted with the results.

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

The College Libraries Section of ACRL selected the Odum Library website as the CLS Website of the Month!

A lot of people worked very hard on the website usability studies and redesign, as well as its constant maintenance.  These folks include Sherrida Crawford, John Taylor, Becky Murphy, Vince Spezzo, and all the folks who write content for the website (especially our steady bloggers Laura Wright and Maureen Puffer-Rothenberg)!

Congrats folks on all the hard work!!!

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

Here’s some of the projects I’ve been working on in the last few months:

• GIL-Find — An installation of the VuFind social catalog interface.  It’s currently being tested at several institutions across the state, and ours is one of them!  The students love it, and it’s way more functional than our Voyager catalog (relevance ranking and persistent links!  w00t!).
• Vtext — A DSpace digital repository for VSU.  It’s stable and running, now the fun part:  marketing to faculty!
• I built Odum Library Search applications for Facebook and MySpace as part of a forthcoming writing project.  I’ll talk more about it when it comes out.
• Pagan Archives Network — I’m working with several Pagan Studies scholars to develop a web-based finding aid for primary and secondary resources.  It’s still in development, but a few Pagan librarians have already started to volunteer their time to develop taxonomies and work on finding/inputting collections!
• SaveTheMantas.org — Volunteering as a researcher, pulling together research and photos for their site.  Give them a tax-deductible donation!
• And last, but not least, I just did a re-design of clifflandis.net using the Go Green template.  I hope you enjoy!

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

The Library Technology Reports series has a soft place in my heart–it has been my own personal “Library Technology for Dummies Everyone.” From my first introduction to basic Web 2.0 concepts, to technology competencies for libraries, to the emerging trends in catalogs, this series has provided me with the understanding necessary to explore the potential of these technologies and how they should be implemented. Even better, as my technological experience has grown, I’ve continued to find interesting and valuable tips in every report.

Robin Hastings has joined the long list of illustrious writers for this series with her report Collaboration 2.0. She is the Information Technology Manager for the Missouri River Regional Library in Jefferson City, Missouri, and she has a long list of presentations and publications that further validate her expertise in the realms of cloud computing for libraries. In this report, Hastings walks readers through the basics of online collaboration and cloud computing, followed by a description of the Library Society of the World, to show an example of cloud computing in action. Next, she provides explanations of the different styles of technology-aided collaboration, as well as a host of Web 2.0 tools that can be used to foster collaboration. Last, examples of groupware (collaborative software suites), examples of collaborations, and further resources are given.

Read the rest of this entry »

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

I had a great time at the conference, presented It’s All About the User, met a lot of cool librarians, and had some inspiring conversations! Thanks again for a great time!!!

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

Zotero recently released the beta of version 2, which allows users to remotely backup their libraries to the web.  Unfortunately, users have to own (and know how to use) WebDAV space to back the library up.  This version also does not sync attached files.

Thankfully, there’s an easy way around all of this using Dropbox, everyone’s favorite automatically syncing backup storage service.

1. Install Dropbox on the computers you will be using regularly.
2. Install FireFox Portable into your Dropbox folder.
3. Install Zotero on Firefox Portable.

That’s it!

Now when Dropbox syncs, it will automatically syncronize your Zotero library (including all the attachments) to the web and all your computers.  When you get up from work, close down Firefox Portable, but leave your computer on so it can finish backing up to the web.  By the time you get home, your home computer will be all synced up and ready to pick up where you left off.  Just open up Firefox Portable at home, and your Zotero library will be there!

Caveat:  Because Zotero stores files in a directory and file structre that is unreadable to humans, you won’t be able to access your Zotero files or attachments directly from Dropbox’s web interface.  So if you go on the road, make sure that you either have your laptop with you (with Dropbox installed), or else transport important files seperately from Zotero.

Let me know how this works for you!

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

I had a great time in Ft. Myers for TechLearn2009 last Friday, and heard some great talks on literacy and brain science, how to invest in learning, e-branches, and much more.  I was delighted to give the opening and closing keynote speeches, LEARN and TECH, both shown below.  A great big thank-you to everyone there for making me feel welcome, and especially to Lee LeBlanc for inviting me!

Read the rest of this entry »

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

I mentioned on Twitter that I use Dropbox and PortableApps together, and I was surprised that other folks weren’t doing this. So I figured I’d share here, too.

My FirefoxPortable, ThunderbirdPortable, and PidginPortable program folders all fit easily into my Dropbox.  I have the Dropbox client installed on my home desktop, home laptop, and office desktop.  When I stop using one computer to move to another (like when I come home from work), I make sure to close these programs.  By the time I get home, all of the files have synced, so I can now see all the Firefox windows I had left open, all the Thunderbird emails I saved at work are available, and my Pidgin chat logs are there to be searched.  This has allowed me to ditch my jump drive altogether!

Caveats:  I don’t have the client installed on the Reference Desk computer, since it is a shared computer and that would give everyone access to my files.  I also have to remember to close the programs as I change computers, as it will create “conflict” files in Dropbox otherwise.  I can tell you from experience, it’s a lot easier to remember to close programs than it is to keep up with a thumb drive!

Give it a try, and let me know if you encounter any other tech tips I might find helpful!

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

Facebook has yet again made a move for its users’ content.  This time, changing their TOS to assert that they own copies of any third-party content, as well as removing the clause that states that the granted license expires upon the termination of your Facebook account.

Facebook users have already started moving to fight back.

By the way, if you have not already figured it out, this is Facebook’s modus operandi.  In the still of the night, they swoop in and make broad changes, removing privacy and laying claims to your rights and contnet.  Then Facebook users rise up in an organized manner.  Then what happens?  Facebook makes some concessions to roll back a few of the changes.  A few people leave Facebook.  A ton more people sign up to replace them the next day.

You know what they don’t do?  They don’t go back to the “previous” state of Facebook.

This is the perfect power-grabbing scheme–lay claim to a bunch of your user’s rights/content/privacy/soul, and then when they complain, “give” some of it back.  But not all of it.  You’ll see this same method of power-grabbing in politics, business, religion, education, and anywhere else there are more than two people gathered.

For more on this, just watch the blogosphere in general–this story will be everywhere for the next few weeks.  Also, read Dr. Amanda French’s analysis of Facebook’s TOS in comparison to other social software sites.

Although I won’t turn around and delete my account tomorrow, I will continue to be careful in what I upload to various websites.  I suggest you do the same.

Pessimistically yours,

Cliff

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

I did this book, entitled “The Journals of Cambrin de Soto” (hence the big “C” on the cover) for my awesome, hilarious, and talented friend Jenica.

Read the rest of this entry »

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

I had a great time speaking to the North Georgia Associated Libraries group!  The crowd was great and very responsive:

I got to speak on gaming and libraries, something that I had not spoken on before.  Although we do gaming at MPOW as part of our marketing and outreach services, I had never delved into the topic.  Once I got started, I learned a lot and started making some connections between different ideas.  For example, I will occasionally play with social norms, doing such things as breaking the boundary between public and private space, speaking in non-gendered terms, etc. (you know, just for fun!).  These and other ideas are explored in my presentation:

Read the rest of this entry »

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

As a Reference Librarian, I’ve been thinking about cataloging a lot lately.  My biggest fear was confirmed while having lunch with a friend, who is wrapping up her MLIS degree with my alma mater, Florida State University.

She joined one of our library’s catalogers and I for lunch to discuss her internship at my library, where she will be learning cataloging under his direction.  While we were in the middle of disucssing  the challenges of cramming the whole scope of cataloging into five months, I brought up RDA.

She had never heard of it.  I asked about her understanding of FRBR.  “What’s that?”

I knew for a fact that she had taken an introductory class on the organization of information, as well as a class on indexing and abstracting.  So I guess somewhere in there, I expected her to learn about these emerging standards.

Imagine the look of horror that spread across her face when we explained what they were.  “But what if I had gone into a job interview and someone had asked about RDA or FRBR?”  Exactly.

MLIS programs should be at the leading edge of exploring emerging trends in our field.  They should be preparing their students for the rapid change that we experience in libraries, and equipping them to evaluate and make tough decisions regarding formats, standards, and techniques of description

I’m not picking on FSU alone here.  In my time at VSU, I’ve served on and/or chaired several search committees.  The number one reason that candidates aren’t selected is that they lack experience, or reveal their ignorance in an interview.  It is my opinion that since librarianship is a practical science, it should be practiced by its students, at least in the form of a mandatory internship.

And no, I’m not talking about folksonomies and tagging here.  Although they are fun and very useful, they are no replacement for standards-based high-quality metadata.  I would never want my library’s catalog to look like my personal photo collection–with spotty tagging and organization at best!  Reference librarians, library staff, other catalogers and users all make use of high-quality cataloging metadata for locating the specific items that they need.  All it takes is a single mistake in a cataloging record to ensure that an item is lost to its user forever.  Catalogers:  take it from a Reference Librarian–what you do is important.

So, my plea is this:

If you teach in an MLIS program, stay in touch with librarians to know what your students should be learning to be prepared for the real world.  Look at the entry-level job ads that are being posted, and ask if the average graduate of your program will leave with the skills necessary to do that job.  Look at the advanced-level job ads that are being posted, and ask if your students are being instilled with the intellectual curiosity and passion that will lead them in that direction.  Make internships required for all your students, so they can at least get a taste of what librarianship is really like.

If you are a cataloger, constantly strive to improve what you do, and stay in touch with the cataloging community.  Think about the long-term effects of your description choices–after we’re long gone, our bib records will remain, either informing or misleading the next generation.  And please pass along your skills and passion to the next generation by offering mentorships and internships.

If you do it for no one else, then do it for our users.  After all, they are the ones who truly suffer if tomorrow’s catalogers are unskilled, and that perfect resource can’t be found.

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

I had a great time at the WVLA conference!  I met some great librarians, had some awesome conversations, and got to do a short version of It’s All About the User at the awards luncheon (which always includes my silly opening video/joke):

The Greenbriar was super-swanky, I had some great fancy meals, and I got to meet some cool vendors (yes, I did say that) in the “secret” Congressional bunker where the office space is.  Thanks to everyone for showing me such a great time, and I hope to visit again soon!

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

And now for something completely different, to distract you from LibraryLand.  This is me firehooping a few years ago for a couple of friends.

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

I don’t typically do comment posts, but I would like to comment on a post by Merlin Mann over at 43 folders.  In it, Mann explores his growing skill in photography, and the uncomfortable feelings that we get when we’re learning something new and have to realize that we’re not instantaneously brilliant at it.

Nobody likes feeling like a noob, especially when you’re getting constant pressure on all sides to never stick out in an unflattering way. And, in this godforsaken just-add-Wikipedia era of make-believe insight and instant expertise, it’s natural to start believing you must never suck at anything or admit to knowing less than everything — even when you’re just starting out. Clarinets should never squawk, sketch lines should never be visible, and dictionaries are just big, dumb books of words for cheaters and fancy people. Right?

I think finding your own comfort with the process (whatever that process ends up being) might just be the whole game here — being willing to put in your time, learn the craft, and never lose the courageousness to be caught in the middle of making something you care about, even when it might be shit and you might look like an idiot fumbling to make it. What’s the worst thing that could happen?

When I speak, I try to emphasize the joy of failure.  The recognition that when you’re learning something new, that you’re not going to do it perfectly the first time. When I’m learning a new skill, craft, or language, I have to be patient with myself, and constantly reassure that part of myself that (to this day!) tells me that “I’m doing it wrong and I should just quit.”  I have to be patient with myself.

As librarians, we’re always changing and trying new things to adapt to our world and our users (and if you’re not, you should probably change careers).  So we can’t expect to be perfect the first time.  So as you create your library’s new Alternate Reality Game, write that article on SMS in libraries, or figure out a way to de-suck your library’s catalog, remember that you won’t get it right the first time.  But that’s no reason to quit trying.  The only way to rock is to pratice.

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

Library Instruction Assessment is one of the most annoying parts of doing/coordinating library instruction.  Tallying paper surveys and grading quizzes is a pain in the butt.  So here at MPOW, we were looking for a way to assess our instruction skills without wasting a bunch of time.  We now have in place a pre- and post-test that can be tallied in about three minutes.  Here how you can do it at your library:

1. Figure out what you want to measure. We polled the reference librarians to see what they thought were the most important skills for students to walk out of the session with.  Those are the things we test.  Thanks to Emily for doing this!
2. Create a form for the pre- and post-test. Ours is here.
   1. We ask them for their ID numbers so that we can match pre- and post-test scores.  Since the librarians do not have access to the students’ ID numbers–and since the professors never see our assessment results– there is no fear of retribution for “bad scores.”  After all, bad scores just mean we’re doing a bad job of imparting the information!
   2. The form (invisibly) timestamps each submission, so you can tell the pre-tests from the post-tests by the time that each entry was submitted.
3. Have the results dump into a web-based text file. We use the ProcessForm script by MindPalette, which is free.  A big thank-you to Andy in Web Services, and Sherrida and Keith in Automation for making this happen.
4. Create a spreadsheet for analyzing the data. Ours is here.
   1. The spreadsheet’s calculations are based on the number of students taking the pre- and post-tests.  So if you had 17 students take the pre-test and 19 students take the post-test, you can plug those numbers in to see the percentage correct for the number of students taking each test.  This way, if you have stragglers, you’ll still get appropriate percentages.
5. Plug the data from the web-based text file into the spreadsheet, and voila!

My class of 19 "Intro to Communications" students.

Lessons Learned:

• We’re definitely getting more assessment done in less time, and with less fuss.  So that part is a complete success.
• Students will not remember your name (or even their professor’s name, or what class it is).  Write it on the board.
• We’ll be adding more options for unique (non-identifiable) numbers, since many students do not know their VSU ID numbers.
• The results get skewed if you have more people take the post-test than the pre-test.  Students who take the pre-test will naturally do better on the post-test because they will know what questions will be asked.  Since stragglers will do more poorly in the post-test, you can actually see a decrease in correct answers.  So if you have stragglers, they need not take the post-test (esp. considering they did not get the same instruction experience as those who are on-time and took the pre-test).
• Be aware of the language that you use in the instruction session, and how that will affect the results.  For example, the truncation question asks if truncating a term will search for words with the same 1) beginning, 2) middle or 3) end.  If you say in the session that truncation will search for words with the same root, you will get poorer results.

Please feel free to use this method, or tell me your own way of measuring your library instruction sessions!

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

I’ve shared my thoughts on anger with friends and family members, and folks have asked me to write them down–so here you go.  It can all be summed up into a single aphorism:

We get angry when we see someone violating values that we hold dear.

I value things like hard work, consideration, kindness, a clean and simple space, honesty, responsibility, and self-discipline.  When I see people violating these values, I get angry.  It took examining my anger over a long period of time to come to this realization.

In fact, I have used my anger as a trigger point to help me be aware of what I truly value in life.  When I see someone being inconsiderate of a friend’s feelings, I get angry at them.  When I see myself slipping on my responsiblities, I get angry with myself.  When I see libraries offer bad service to users because we’re lazy, it makes me furious.  But that’s because consideration, responsiblity and hard work are my values.

Sometimes it is inappropriate for me to force my values on someone else (I won’t tell someone else to clean their house before I visit, for example).  Sometimes values conflict with each other and must be carefully balanced (sometimes you can’t deliver both fast and in-depth service to a Reference Services user!).  Sometimes you have to discuss your values with friends/family/coworkers to iron out anger and conflict.  Sometimes you have to recognize that your values are yours, and then you can let small, trivial anger go.

Look at what makes you angry.  What are your values?  What are your institution’s values?  How can you use your anger as a driving force for growth?

Originally published at x-posted from clifflandis.net. You can comment here or there.

The focus group results are in!  Looks like we have a fair amount of tweaking to improve the website, but I’m just glad that we’re getting student input (rather than guessing).  A big thank you is due to the whole committee, but especially Becky and Vince, who actually *ran* the study so that the librarians wouldn’t influence the students!  It’s a lot of effort, and I truly appreciate it.  Now to plan for the next series of User Observations for the Spring!