Really? This is it?!

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Well, I finished. I'm done with the paper- the final assignment for this class. It's been a whirlwind (the class AND the paper). It's been an interesting experience. One in which the circumstances would have to be just right for me to do this again. I will say that it's been a bit of fun. I appreciate having to use some of the technology in addition to learning about its applicability to Libraries.

So the paper...
I wrote it on RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). I chose it mainly because the library where I work is planning on implementing this when they move to a new location in 2 years. So there are several Librarians researching vendors and options as well as communicating with other Libraries utilizing this technology. I wanted to be more "in the know" by conducting some research of my own. So here's a little paper for you to skim:

RFID: Pets, Cars, and Now Libraries (My Paper)

I wish the best to everyone in the class. I hope we all get wonderful jobs that fulfill us in every way. I'm sure I'll "see" many of you again in other classes. Until then remember that Not All Who Wander Are Lost, but some of us are, and that's okay.

Peace.

Pondering...

One of the discussion posts has prompted me to wonder...does the interconnectedness and the exposure that the Internet provides us with result in extreme behavior? In terms of control and security- do many people react by locking up and locking down even tighter than before? Is the Internet ultimately going to kill freedom as we know it because of the fear it generates and perpetuates?

...just a little something that's on my mind this Wednesday morning.

Now it's time for a much needed dandelion break.

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Horizon / Blur / What the?!

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A fellow student mentioned they're not sure about becoming a librarian. Of course, being the self-absorbed individual that I am, her contemplation makes me reflect on my own choices.

I just stumbled into this program, kind of like I was floating along in a stream and before I knew it, I was on this river called Masters Library and Information Science. I never said,"I want to be a librarian!" Honestly, I just wanted to accomplish something that I didn't think was possible.

I was intimidated by the GRE and graduate school, but that drive in me that makes me do things I'm scared of said it was time to overcome these obstacles and the timing and situational circumstances were right. I'm NOT getting any younger, and I've had plenty of experiences in the past five years that re-enforce the truth that our time is NOW. For all that we know, we only get this one shot, so why waste it being scared of things or experiences. Just go for it and see where it takes you. I may not end up being an honest-to-God traditional librarian, BUT I will have achieved a goal and proven to myself that, again, I can do almost anything if I put my mind and heart to it.

Here's a little hope

North Plains Public Library (Oregon)

Dreaming of faraway places, I chose to contact a library in the Northwest to talk with someone about their experience with a CMS. The North Plains Public Library in North Plains, Oregon is located just west of Portland. This is a unique library that serves a rural community of about 2000 people. What I find really interesting is that the library did not exist until 2002. That's right, this library was born in the 21st century! Prior to that, the city did not have a library.

In 2000 the City Council and a small group of dedicated townspeople were determined to change the situation. Starting with a Friends organization, volunteers began gathering books and donations, and the first library was born in a small, janitor's closet in the local community center. In April 2002, the city established a Library Board and they drafted an ordinance for the city to establish a Public Library. The dedication of volunteers and the help of local business owners resulted in the building you see pictured above. Its doors were opened in April of 2006, and the library is operated by a small, part-time staff and many, many volunteers. Read the library's history here: http://nplibrary.org/about-us/library-history/.

The website manager is another dedicated NPPL volunteer who has been managing the website since 2008. She took it over when a new librarian was hired with no web experience. She, herself, had limited experience with their CMS, Wordpress, but has enjoyed learning to use the system. She definitely takes advantages of the resources available regarding how to manipulate the site and is learning more and more as time goes on. So this is an example how a CMS is really helpful. It's free, relatively easy to learn how to use, and offers a web presence to those organizations who may not be able to have one otherwise.

Despite the headaches I experienced with Joomla, I have a warm, fuzzy feeling for CMS now. They can make good things happen for wonderful organizations- like this little fledgling of a library. So many of our readings, beginning in our Foundations class, profess doom and gloom about the state of libraries in the digital age, and yet here is a library that a community built from the ground up at a time when many libraries are struggling. It makes me happy and gives me hope, and I hope it does the same for you too.

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Interview Transcript:

•How and where did they hear about CMS?

I heard about Wordpress from our former Librarian in 2008. When he left we hired a new Librarian who didn't have web experience. I stepped in as a volunteer to rebuild and manage the website using Wordpress.

•What were your library’s motivations to adopt CMS for its website?

We wanted to have complete control over our website and Wordpress made this possible and gave us the ability to customize our site.

•What were their decision making criteria?

Wordpress was customizable and was free and relatively easy to learn.


•What are the important benefits or advantages of CMS they are using now over the old system or another CMS system they've used in the past?

We didn't have any website before using Wordpress. The City Website gave us a page to post basic information, but they managed it.


•Was there a learning curve? If so, can you please discuss it further.

Yes, there was a learning curve and it took enormous amounts of time. I am still learning as I go. I read a few
Wordpress books and have used the online forums for help. It has been a fun learning adventure. I hope at some point another volunteer will be able to learn and take over the website.

Motivation

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One week left and I'm trying to muster the energy to write discussion posts for class. Long night of a puppy (our puppy) crying and whining. It started with this big thunder and lightening storm that came up all of a sudden at about 11:30/midnight, and it didn't really stop until about 4:15 this a.m. I could use food, a nap, and some coffee. In that order. I included the Far Side cartoon because I just love Gary Larson's humor. It's just dark enough to be appealing. This one is helping me motivate for our LAST WEEK OF CLASS!!

Take That, Joomla!

I was referring to the smack down I gave Joomla. Actually it was more of a beating...and I was on the receiving end.

Overall it was a really frustrating assignment.  It started with the three different web addresses needed to access my site- four, if you count the address for the how-to tutorial. Each address seemed to have a different login and password, but I didn't realize any of this until trying to access my page.

From there it went on to hair-pulling when I was trying to understand the Joomla language: categories, menus, and articles. Having finished, I only vaguely understand the meaning of categories and menus. I think if I were using Joomla to manage many different websites and/or blogs I would have a firmer grip on these terms and their intended attempts at organizing information. With only one piddly little site (that would be mine) it just created confusion.

But alas, I made it through most of the tutorial (had to stop it when the Q&A section started- couldn't take it any more) and the following is the result of a lot of time, tears, and tirades: wandering7505.cloudaccess.net. I hope you enjoy it. Please don't tell me anything is wrong with it for at least a day. I need some space from this project.

You know, the best part of this semi-miserable experience is seeing the sites that everyone created. There are some truly talented and interesting folks taking this class!

Ho Hum

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This woman's face accurately depicts my mood (and probably my face) when looking through the CMS websites listed here: libsuccess.org: Library Websites Using CMS. 

While I didn't look at every single site they mentioned, it was darn near close. Maybe I looked at too many, because they all just looked the same. Nothing really stood out. There were a few that were somewhat innovative in their home pages (Portsmouth Public Library (OH) by Joomla and Scottsdale Public Library (AZ) by Expression Engine), but overall they were fairly generic in appearance. Some did looked more like blogs than others. I'm assuming that part of this is due to not only the constraints of the CMS but also the abilities (and patience) of the website manager or administrator.

Regarding the sites and how they look on smartphones, I accessed the Mobile Phone Emulator site and plugged in the same sites I looked at from the CMS list. I've not played much with mobile technology and wasn't sure what to expect. Some of the sites would re-size to look exactly as they do on a desk or laptop. Some of these were so complex in tabs and drop down menus that I wondered if the site was even usable on such a small device. Other sites appeared wonky and what was accessible when you first bring up the site were useless (in my opinion). There were only a couple that did not show up using the emulator.

After all that, it seems like CMS is a decent option for libraries that lack the means for a super fancy website designer. It helps, though, to have someone with design experience managing the site.

Today's post brought to you by the Letter Z

All this reading about mobile technology and how more and more people are connected to the Internet nearly 24 hours a day has got me thinking. Do the Generation Z kids who are digital natives experience information overload? If this is what they've always known, isn't it the status quo and therefore NOT an overload? Are their brains forming differently as a result of the "Inter"activity? My suspicions are that their brains do function a little differently (neuron mapping and what not - things I know NOTHING about) and that they're not overloaded because their brains have been figuring out from Day One how to cope with "the load".

This is what's knocking about in the back of my brain.

I wish I knew the answers.

There's probably research out there about it.

But who has time for extracurricular research?! I've got some tweeting to take care of!

Link to Sesame Street Smartphone for Your Toddler

Dogs in Chairs

Finished reading the Open Source article by Mitchell and Gilbertson. Started looking over the question for our discussion post on this topic. Visited www.digitalforsyth.org and got lost in looking through all the photos.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Gettin' Wiki with it

Just realized I'm showing my age with these posts. Between the "Short Circuit" movie reference yesterday and the Will Smith "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" song ref today, it's obvious that I spent my formative years in the 80s and 90s.

Anyhow, on with the assignment!

The WikiMatrix helped me pick out a possible wiki for my medium-sized public library. I wanted one that could be stored on our own system. We have limited funds and storing the data ourselves seemed the better option. Because we have a Windows operating system, we need a wiki that is compatible with it. In order to keep track of its usage, I wanted a wiki that would inform us of recent changes, the most and least popular pages, show page revisions, and offer analysis. To maintain flexibility in usage, it was important that the wiki be mobile and printer friendly. After considering all these characteristics, Foswiki seemed to be the best choice for us, and the fact that it is a free and open source software sealed the deal!

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7505 is Still Alive!

Like Johnny #5, I'm still alive...in this class.

Short Circuit Photo Creds

Had a slight hiccup yesterday. I mentioned in the first post that because of my full-time employment, I'm able to take classes for the price of air. I spoke way too soon, because Valdosta changed their fee structure and I owed money. I didn't know this. I didn't pay it. I got dropped from the class. So let me tell you about my Monday...

Let me start by saying that I had my wisdom teeth removed on Friday. Pretty well out of it all of Friday and Saturday. Come to work on Sunday and am able to start in on homework. Slight panic-flutter in the tummy region because, you know, Blazeview is just different enough to be super annoying and we have a LOT to read and do and I'm already falling behind, etc. But hey, I can handle it.

Get back to work on Monday, and I've got some low-grade pain in my jaw, but nothing too terribly bad. Kind of like new Blazeview- super annoying, but manageable. Realize through a round of emails with a friend and fellow MLIS student that I've been dropped from the class, and it's going to cost a couple of hundred dollars immediately to get back in to my classes (if they agree). Oh, and they don't take Visa. (Say what?!) Thankfully, I never lost access to Blazeview and could still post away. But I will say that I was compartmentalizing my panic. Panic over getting the work done for this class and then panic that I couldn't get re-registered and have to push back my graduation by one, possibly 2, semesters. Then there was the jaw pain and working with Blazeview and fighting off hunger and trying to serve the law students who were coming to the desk asking me to do my job. I was a bit overwhelmed. Note to self: it's impossible to compartmentalize panic- it just intensifies. I think my discussion posts during this time were not so great. I may have even done something unheard of  by sounding off about librarians grasping at straws to justify their work. Ouch. Sorry dude. It was the pain and the panic.

But all is well and good. Dr. Yang and Dr. Koehler were super wonderful in getting everything squared away with the Bursar's office. I've been re-registered. I completed the discussion posts, and now I can move on to the next thing! Yay.

Day 1: Possibly in over my head.

I've worked in a couple of libraries along the way: public, community college, and now a university law library. I've also been an archaeologist, worked for environmental chemists, a YMCA summer camp registrar, and even a bicycle tour coordinator. After moving back to Atlanta, I found myself unconsciously applying for library jobs at universities. Somewhere within me, I knew I was ready to go back to school after 12 years and the world of libraries seemed the best fit. So here I am, smack dab in the middle of an online MLIS program with Valdosta State University. I live in Atlanta, work full time at a library and have the privilege of taking classes for free (FREE!).

So this blog is about my MLIS experience and my horizons being broadened...