The Purposeful Bloggist

Well, I hope ya’ll are happy. September 21, 2009

In an effort to go along with my current… idiom… I answered an email asking for volunteers to serve on the “Graduate Studies Committee.”  I was elected, selected, injected, and projected in less time than it took to say “I might be willing.”   It’s good.  They meet at the only hour in the whole week that I have some time to be on campus.   I might even really enjoy it.

What I learned today: if anyone ever inquires about library committee stuff and you even look up to see where the bathroom is, you will be drafted into service.  Tomorrow, I will use this example in my Greek class to teach the “present general” use of the subjunctive.

What did you learn in class today? September 18, 2009

the library information class “Beginning Your Research” which I taught went wonderfully well, if I may say.   There was a little too much material in the presentation and I ran a little short on time what with the online evaluation that got tacked onto the end, but the attendees were attentive and asked a lot of questions – which I was able to answer!    After teaching Greek to the likes of William (who could ask the most difficult and obscure questions), the feeling of “knowing there” (what would that be in German? da… ? come on you Heidegger fans) was a great confidence-builder.   I need to remember to click more slowly if people are going along with me.   Stop.  Make sure everyone sees where the click is to take place.  Wait.   Move mouse slowly.  Click.  Go Back.   Click again.   Make sure everyone is literally on the same page.    Other than that minor adjustment, I felt like I did well with the timing.     My library mentor attended to offer support and to assess.  She had this to say:

yes!  I was so happy to read this.  I’m proud of me too!     I know that I’ve felt the call to teach information literacy and instruction in an academic setting, but I didn’t fully understand until now that it is within my ability to actually become what I want to be when I grow up.    a huge THANK YOU to Lynn, Doc Martens, Dr. H, and all the rest of my library peeps!

teaching as performance art September 14, 2009

In preparing to teach an actual IL and research class (this Wednesday! – gulp!), I jotted down a few notes for myself from my experience with teaching and public speaking.  I realized that this is a lot like the preparation for acting in a play.  Hopefully the following information might help someone who has never done that.   These tips and reminders are from memory, but they are fundamentally from Stanislavski’s method acting:

1 An Information Literacy Instructor Prepares - mastering the subject area promotes confidence.  read up on the given topic and let it congeal.  Remember that there should be, at most, 3 key messages.  2 is better.   The audience won’t process more than that.   Plan pauses.   Count to threeee or fooour during pauses that will allow the audience time to think.  Remeber to take a bottle of water and use the pauses to wet the throat and regroup before moving on.   Reiterate key points at least twice so that the audience hears them.   Connect the features of the topic with direct benefits – what the audience wants / needs and how it helps them acquire those things.  Touch on possible snags and offer possible remedies.   I tell people up front what I believe or don’t believe.   Let them agree or disagree.   It gives them more to think about and makes it more memorable, especially if they disagree! 

 Make an appointment to see the room when it is empty if possible.   Practice with the AV equipment.   do a cue-to-cue rehearsal with slides and any other visual effects.   know where the light switches are and how to adjust the audio settings if needed.   walk around the entire room.   Sense the space.  Set positive emotional energy tokens in the room.  I visualize a rose wrapped around a silver sword that resembles Excalibur for some reason.   Don’t know why, probably a Catholic thing….   I speculate about questions the audience may ask from where they will be sitting and picture myself at the front answering them.   Hold a “dress rehearsal” at least one day before the teaching session.   Time the speaking portion and adjust accordingly.   Just before the actual session begins, do a physical warm-up: shoulder circles, neck circles, big arm circles like swimmers use, shake arms and loosen shoulders with shrugs.   shake like a horse when it flinches – in short, sudden bursts.  Facial relaxation: open mouth as wide as possible, purse lips, lift eyebrows and open eyes as wide as they will go.  release forehead wrinkles keeping eyes open and alert, take a deep breath and blow out air letting the lips flap.   horsie shake again.   deep breathing while seeing colors go from hot-red to orange, through to green and moving down into a relaxing cool-blue.    think of something funny and laugh inwardly.   Build in some excitement for the audience, no matter how dry the topic or how bored they look.   I have a theme song that I play in my head which is actually from the Bugs Bunny cartoon opening: “Overture!  Curtain, lights!   This is it – to hit the heights!   And oh what heights we’ll hit!  On with the Show,  This is it!”    Relax, smile – set shoulders down and close rib cage over pelvic girdle.   Cue applause, and Enter!

2.  An Information Literacy Instructor Delivers – Make immediate friends in the room.  These are nice people who want to relax and enjoy the presentation, not pygmy head hunters with poison darts (or worse, reviewers from the paper).   Visualize and activate the energy tokens in each corner of the room, protecting you and blessing the audience.  Make eye contact with as many as possible in different areas of the room, but not so much that it makes people uncomfortable.   Don’t glom onto the friendly faces or they will look away. 

I read once that there are two presentation styles that work well for formal instructions.   The first is the “director” which is animated and in command.   The second is the “Californian” which is relaxed and friendly, chatty, but to the point.   always stay on target and on topic, no matter which style.   Avoid relating personal anecdotes, especially after the brief and topic-related personal introduction.  Carry a leather binder or lined notepad with a nice pen if props are comforting.   Keep in mind that irony is acceptable, but sarcasm is not.   People buy solutions, not services.   Promote the latter, but remember to sell the former.   Wear a jacket during the formal presentation, but take it off for the Q&A.  It signals a break in the talk and puts you and the audience at ease.   Engage in the Q&A by reiterating the question and responding.   Consider their motive for asking – do they really want to know what you think or are they baiting you and being a jerk?   Keep answers cool and ask others in the room to respond so that you have time to think.   Find ways to move on by bringing up facets of what others say and shift the conversation into interesting directions.   Picture the energy flowing from the tokens in the room and recirculating through everyone present, picking up speed as they are recharged by the discussion.   

3. An Information Literacy Instructor Reflects – When finished, stop.   Allow the spent energy to come back into your body.    I visulize my sword going back into its sheathe and I gather the roses from the corners of the room, letting the rest drift down over the audience.  Again, it may sound silly, but this allows me to decompress before greeting people after the presentation.   That evening, I write down what went well and what fell flat.   I make no changes in the presentation until I come back to look at it the third time.   I then cut like a surgeon – with precision and no pity for my precious words.  for me, editing is like killing my babies.   I love each of them and can’t choose which is to live and which is to die…

These are some of the things that I’ve used in addressing groups.   I hope they help someone else while jogging my remembering…

An Appetite for Space September 12, 2009

I made a site visit to the Juvenile Diabetes Clinic yesterday with Lynn, Stewart and Yolanda to brainstorm some ideas on a room that is called an “interactive library” but is seldom used because it is pretty much kept behind closed doors.  One of the main things we all concluded was that a key to utilization and visibility (and the only way to facilitate use of the space) was to have someone in attendance during operating hours who can monitor the facility.   Let’s here it for physical space and human information systems!  

have been reading about the causes for “information poverty” for 5053 and it strikes me that the people at the clinic are excellent candidates for study.   How much difference does human intervention (a library attendant) make in information seeking behavior?   Can it overcome socially ingrained patterns and cultural norms?  There won’t be time to implement changes quickly enough at this point – file under “phi?”

Notes from 2009 KPM Symposium September 8, 2009

I was very fortunate to be able to attend several sessions at this year’s KPM Symposium.  I came away with a very different impression of the Knowledge Management program and its value to LIS.   My notes are pretty random, but I thought I would post them since “knowledge sharing is at the heart of KM.”

These thoughts were inspired by George Pitagorsky, a management consultant who introduced what he calls the Zen Approach in his keynote speech.  He probably would not mind if I mentioned that his book is available on Amazon.   A few of the comments that struck me:  Zen encourages “cutting through conditioning [in order] to experience things as they are.”   this allows decision making to originate from a sense of ”clarity” (admitting what is) and ”acceptance” (regarding the past and present) which leads to “intentional action” (deciding a future course of action).   “Change is constant” (yes indeed, especially in today’s libraries!) and if we understand the cause of the change, we are better able to understand and connect our actions with the consequences (not sure I agree, but it was very convincing when he said it).  Individuals and organizations that are “dynamically emerging” may fear change because it is a “threat to identity” (I Love That).  on the second day of the conference, he brought up the “disorienting effect of change” and how we may no longer recognize our “self” in the context of sweeping and rapid change.   I think this is especially true in a business atmosphere steeped in tradition and bogged down in the heirarchical business models that permeate the library culture.   In several of the later presentations, a common thread was the “motivation to share” in KM – or lack thereof - which I associated with this idea of fear and change.   People, I include myself doubly, want to remain secure in their knowledge base, but need to let go of that inhibition and develop a “psychology of innovation” (I love that phrase too).  

Pitagorsky said something to this effect about “vision” and “articulating goals” in a business: “different departments need to be operating in balance” with “respect for differences and appreciation for all contributions as positive enhancements” – people need to be “motivated” and “enabled” through the vision and mission of the company.   this promotes a shift from the “me” in our traditional culture to a “we” organization, furthering KM.    while this is highly desirable in the higher levels of management, it is not to the advantage of the lower tier of staff who are not in a position to benefit directly and may be disenfranchised by sharing their tacit knowledge.   All in all, I think the ideal of knowledge sharing is simply out of touch with average workers who are already squeezed by competition and marginalized by existant information systems.

Pitagorsky also mentioned two very intriguing concepts that I hope to delve into.  The first is a Japanese principle, “Ba” which is the idea of shared space.   under this note, all I wrote was: originating, dialoging, systematizing, and exercising.   I bet that meant something incredible at the time… will have to pursue it at a later date.

His other concept was “Cynefin” (which was pronounced something like kun.e.vin), a Welsh term that translates as “habitat” but has something to do with “complexity framework” and cognitive theories – something about their influence on behavior.     must put that on the short list of further investigation.

the roundtable discussion panel brought up several key terms that I hear a lot in KM circles:  “synergy,” “collaboration” and a new one “E3″ which stands for “Education, Employment,” and either “Empowerment” or in this context more likely ”Economic Development”  – they mentioned a website for the Oklahoma initiative.    Another presenter brought up SIPs – statistically improbable phrases that, when grouped together, represent a huge share of the market as in “long tail.”   Again, LIS and KM may be at philosophical odds, but not when it comes to niche markets.   Although that has little to do with SIPs (and algorithmic permutations which is what I am guessing may have been the original point).   NOTE TO SELF:   take computer to meetings and just blog the dang notes instead of planning to come back and do it later. 

Dr. Duffy had an interesting presentation on maintaining vision: “why are we doing this?”  should be a central question that is reviewed regularly and consulted when implementing changes to an existing system.   He brought up the problem with “change fatigue,” having to keep up with rapid developments and not being able to stop the work during the transformation in times of change.   Small business can close, reorganize quickly, and be back out there with a new name in a matter of days.   Public health care organizations (and public institutions such as a library) do not have that opportunity.   It’s like refitting a battleship while engaging enemy fire.   You can’t stop – but you have to adapt while maintaining services.    My favorite quote from this session which I may adapt as a theme for my professional development: ”Work without vision is just a job.”   To make that transition from occupational training requires “personal transformation of the professional.”  That bears further reflection.

Finally, the highlight of the event may have been the second day’s keynote speech delivered by former Apollo engineer Jim O’Neal.   While his presentation was enormously beneficial and entertaining, however, it was not hugely informative.   His idea was that we did not forget what happened in Apollo missions leading up to the Challenger disaster, but we “unlearned” them.   To wit, he quoted his mentor Oswald Lange who looked at the design of a shuttle carrier and said, “stuff (likely a polite euphemism for the real word) falls off tanks.”   Mr. O’Neal was a delight.  it was great to hear him sing to the choir.  

My personal story: I was sent on a flunky errand in between presentations and wound up spending an hour over coffee with Mr. O’Neal.     It is so often those small moments, serendipitous and unaccountable, that offer the most incredible life experience.    With that, let me close this very long and arduous post with the set-up that resulted in the motto for Apollo 13 – stuff happened, the tank blew, men were in space, the resources were limited, and there was less than an hour window to come up with something.   The computers were too slow, so flight controller O’Neal got out his slide rule and began work on the permutations.    Someone from mission control entered the room with a box of odds and ends telling the gathered engineers that lives are at stake, this is what we have to work with, and uttered the famous tag line (that can also be my motto for this little enterprise of mine, 

“Failure is not an option.”

copyright from the inside – out September 4, 2009

In creating a presentation for the orientation class I will be teaching, I would like to use some of the images from “Are You My Mother” by P. D. Eastman for a PowerPoint I am calling ”Are You My Library.”   Although I think that I could take the easy way out and claim an exemption from copyright under the rules governing ”parody,” I am going to see what happens if I request formal permission from Random House to use the work. 

Faxing the request today – will update this post as I hear anything.  Even if it does not come through before the scheduled presentation, it will be good practice.    Now, I will go about creating two presentations, one with the copyrighted images and one sans.

9/8/09 UPDATE:  recieved an email from the Copyright Clearance Center directing me to their website.   Put the title into the search box, after viewing a few options that did not seem to fit, I selected “Republish into a book, journal, newsletter” and found the link to “More”   Finally, the words ”Power Point presentations” which led to a pop-up window “Although Copyright Clearance Center may handle some requests on behalf of this rightsholder, we are unable to grant permission for the specific title and/or content usage you’ve requested. To pursue your inquiry further, please contact the rightsholder directly“ referring me to Random House.   Which is where I thought the original fax went.   Interesting that they filtered me through CCC first without my knowledge.

Resent fax to New York office number, and enjoyed the fact that I’ve now navigated the CCC website.   Could have been easier, but could have been much worse!

Things happen FAST! September 2, 2009

As of noon today, I’ve received word that I was awarded a grant to attend a conference in October, I will be going with one of our librarians to a health fair where we will have a display presentation, I will be updating the library blog 4 times this semester, AND I will be teaching an information literacy class in two weeks all on my own!    Very exciting, especially considering this is less than 48 hours after posting my goals.

now perhaps I should list a goal of having time to do all this!

Personal Mission and Vision Statements September 1, 2009

My immediate goal is to create a vision statement, a mission statement, a set of goals, and a means of self-asssment to guide me in the second half of the program.    Taking what I learned in 5023:

My vision is to be a reference and instruction librarian, teaching information literacy in an academic library at an institution that will also allow me to continue to teach Greek as adjunct professor.

My mission is to earn an MLIS degree while building an attractive CV to present to prospective employers.

Goals

1. Complete the required coursework with as high a grade point average as is reasonable.
2. Attend conferences and meetings that will inform my education and develop professional contacts
3. Become comfortable with social network websites and Web 2.0 technologies
4. Submit a paper to the student paper award contest
5. Consider taking more advanced IT coursework
6. Speak positively about my library program
7. Take more time to appreciate my achievements and give myself more credit
8. Enjoy the journey and recognize the opportunities for growth that are available to me

Assement:  I will measure success by

1. Graduation,  with at least a 3.5, but less than a 4.0 GPA
2. Keeping a list of conferences and meetings along with a list of the people I meet and blogging my notes about what I learn
3. Learn to use Facebook, My Space, Twitter and other emerging applications
4. See what courses are available in Spring and how they might fit into my degree plan
5. Polish a paper by the due  date (find the due date)
6.  :)
7. Verbalize one good thing to myself every evening when I get home
8. Write down one fun thing to do that does not involve school work and, even if it is just 10 minutes, make time to do it.   Volunteer to go places and do things with the librarians here