Cliff June 10th, 2008
Saturday I was picked up from the airport by friends and we went to see Margaret Cho at the Tabernacle; as always she had me laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. We then went out dancing, and finally got to sleep at about 2:30am (a great way to round off a day of international flights!). After a few hours of sleep, we woke up early and drove back to Valdosta so that I could speak to the 4ª Conferência de Wicca & Espiritualidade da Deusa. I gave a speech on Karma and Responsibility via Live Messenger. Rose and Lulu did a great job of translating for me, and Claudiney (as always) was excellent at coordinating the presentation. Although I was unable to see the audience, they were able to see me, and luckily some of my jokes successfully translated. There were great questions after the presentation, and I hope that one day I will get to meet all these great Pagans in person!
Cliff June 10th, 2008
Rather than boring everyone to death with a play-by-play of the conference, here are the things that I learned from my trip. Videos are here, photos are here. Check out the ACURIL website, the conference page and the conference blog. I really enjoyed ACURIL; if you get the chance, go!
Things I learned about librarianship:
- Librarians are the same everywhere. We all face the same problems, and all have our own quirks. And we generally like meeting other librarians.
- US libraries/librarians and ALA are pretty much like a clique on a very large playground. They ignore (and are pretty much ignored) by the rest of the kids on the playground, who are all hanging out with each other. The only ones losing out are the US; no one is looking to us for inspiration. It is I who have been inspired.
- A master’s degree isn’t necessary to be a librarian. Librarianship is a skill that is learned through practice, regardless of the degree in your hands.
Things I learned about Jamaica/the Carribbean:
- Everything starts about 15-20 minutes late…”Jamaica time.” I felt right at home.
- Walk on the left. Since people drive on the left, they walk on the left. If you walk on the right, you stop traffic. I finally got this down by the end of the week.
- Lots of camera, few laptops. I realized very quickly that I was among librarians when there were more people recording the cultural events with their cameras than there were folks just watching; after all, we’re in the business of preserving history & culture! Hey folks who took pictures, share them on the ACURIL2008 Flickr group!
- People are cold and unfriendly at first, but they’re quick to warm up once they realize you’re not a self-inflated tourist or American jerk.
- It’s “yeah, man” not “yeah, mon”
- It’s “persons” not “people”
- Don’t believe everything you read. The poverty, crime, etc. won’t eclipse the amazing people you’ll meet. Positive news stories don’t sell papers.
Things I learned about traveling:
- It’ll take some time to adjust to the accent. Be prepared to ask people to repeat themselves.
- You don’t *really* need all that stuff that you pack.
- Doing travel laundry is ok for manmade fabrics, but it’ll make cotton stiff.
- Time your meals and showers–there’s always a rush on both at certain times.
- Check the iron before you iron your clothes. Rust can be quite a surprise on a new white shirt.
Things I learned about myself:
- A vacation alone isn’t really a vacation. Experiences are meant to be shared.
- My idea of a great holiday is sitting around watching cartoons and napping (i.e. letting my brain rest). Not sitting in the sun. There’s no need to feel guilty for not wanting to hang out on the beach.
- I value the people in my life, and really do miss those I love, no matter how independent I believe myself to be.
Cliff May 14th, 2008
Following up on Meredith’s blog post about the challenges of speaking gigs in the library community (and the awesome conversation that followed), I’ve created the Library Speakers Anonymous wiki. This wiki will allow individuals to post their experiences of speaking at conferences anonymously (or not, if they wish).
Folks who speak at library conferences talk to each other about how much they are compensated and how well they are treated. The word spreads somewhat informally through conversations, blogs, IMs and emails (whether conference organizers realize it or not). And yes, there are inequities in compensation and treatment. Hopefully this wiki will help bring some of those to light.
So if you’ve spoken at a conference, feel free to tell how you were compensated, how you were treated, and whether you’d do it all over again!
EDIT: The wiki is now *officially* anonymous. A shared username and password has been created and posted to the wiki homepage, preventing your IP address from displaying.
Cliff April 30th, 2008
I had an awesome time presenting at the Connecticut Library Association conference on Monday. I presented It’s All About the User–I’m taking a clue from Michael’s Hyperlinked Library and serializing the presentation.
It was extremely well received (packed house!) and I got some great questions at the end. A big “thank you” to everyone for being kind and receptive–even when I spilled coffee all over the presentation table!
After the presentation I attended Lee Rainie’s session on Web 2.0, and learned a lot from his presentation on Pew’s data results. At one point someone brought up Twitter, and sure enough, I raised my cell phone, having just posted on the talk. It was a great session, and Lee was entertaining, warm and insightful–his anecdotes lent a real-world awareness to statistics that often feel far-removed for many librarians.
Presentations over, I had a working dinner over the phone and then headed to the Spa for a haircut and a massage–a rare treat! I crashed early since I was up at 3am to fly back the next morning.
Now it’s back to daily library work and catching up on emails!
Cliff April 24th, 2008
I was honored to be able to speak to the first class of PINNACLE, the year-long training program for Georgia’s up-and-coming library leaders. It was a great crowd of mentors and mentees, and I got to meet some amazing librarians. Over lunch we traded Reference Desk horror stories (a favorite past time of librarians), and was able to learn more about the PINNACLE program. So a big “Thank You!” to the PINNACLE organizers for inviting me!
I was lucky to get there, because the sign for the library is at ground level behind the parking spaces, which means that if any cars are parked along the street you can’t see the sign. So there I was, trying to find the library, peering into the windows looking to see if there were stacks of books (since there were no blue-and-white library signs along any of the roads). I guess you can find the library, as long as you’re the only one hoping to use it! And of course, inside was a hand-crafted “no cell phones” sign–the paper cell phone’s display has the word “NO” on it!
After the event, I wandered to a local art shop to peruse the beach scenes, and I was amused to find that one artist paints the copyright symbol next to his name when he’s signing the paintings. I knew better than to take a picture, but I just got a kick out of it. I’m not really sure that painting the symbol protects him more than if he just signs his work, but then again, I’m not aware of how someone could break his copyright–I mean, if they’re going to go to the trouble of mass-producing and selling his work, they’ll probably be able to remove the copyright notice, right?
Cliff February 26th, 2008
I must say, it was a real treat to be able to present at the South Georgia Regional Libraries‘ Staff Development Day in my hometown of Valdosta, GA. I presented Using the “C” Word: Change and the Future of Libraries, which covers Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and adjusting to the rapid pace of change in libraries. The audience was excellent, had some good questions, and showed real enthusiasm for improving their libraries’ service. It was great to hear some of the things that folks were interested in doing at their libraries (and a big thanks to Chuck for playing tag-team with answering questions after the talk!). I was also lucky enough to watch the library staff do a SWOT Analysis of their libraries; I have done this before in my own library, but it’s always neat to see it from an outsider’s perspective. I’m really looking forward to what SGRL will produce in the upcoming months!
Cliff December 10th, 2007
I had a great time keynoting at the Forsyth County Public Libraries Winter Staff Day! We also had a great time popping the cellophane on our gift boxes! W00t!
You can also check out my presentation, “Library. Two Point Oh.”
Everyone was very friendly and welcoming, and I received a copy of Oglethorpe’s Dream as a thank-you gift (I’m a photography nut)! Since my presentation, I’ve had online conversations with folks from FCPL via email, MySpace, Facebook and IM. Since I knew I was going to be speaking to a crowd with a diverse range of technical experience, I tried to make my presentation of Library 2.0 more concept-driven than a blurry tech-fest. I seem to have succeeded, since one person commented that my presentation was “non-threatening”. Now that’s a compliment!!!
Cliff October 5th, 2007
I had a great time at the afternoon sessions. I learned a lot of new tricks in flickr and del.icio.us. Since most Web 2.0 tools are constantly adding new features, it’s always nice to have an overview from a colleague–we each use the tools in different ways!
The closing speaker was Dr. Kristina Jaskyte, from the UGA school of Social Work. She gave a brilliant presentation on organizational change and innovation, and how we deal with change psychologically. It was quite insightful, and gave me a lot of food for thought. She was kind enough to give me a copy of her presentation before she left–I’ll definitely be making use of the notes that I took in the future!
I had a great time, met some cool librarians, and learned a lot about Athens and the surrounding area. Thanks, everyone, for making me feel so welcome!
Cliff September 27th, 2007
I’m halfway through another great experience, hanging out with library folks. I presented this morning at the Athens Regional Library System Staff Development Day, and had the pleasure of a great crowd:
I presented Keeping Your Bearings in the New Digital Landscape. I also recorded the audio for the presentation, which I’ll sync and attach to the power point later.
I’ve learned a few new tricks on Google and RSS feeds already, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the day–hanging out with new library friends, and learning more about flickr and del.icio.us.
Cliff September 20th, 2007
09/27/2007: Athens Regional Library System Staff Development Day: Keeping Your Bearings in the New Digital Landscape
10/31/2007: Internet Librarian 2007: Cybertour - Conquering Info Overload with Citation Managers
12/07/2007: Forsyth County Public Library December Staff Day
I’m still trying to squeeze in a few more things, of course!
