A New Project

Actually, there are two new projects both starting this week.

Yesterday, I began cataloging the collection for the Early Childhood Resource Center at Springfield City Library. It's mostly games, puzzles, toys and puppets and a surprizing (at least to me) number of them have bibliographic records in the OCLC database. In many other cases, I found similar records so that I could create what I needed fairly easily. Once these records are loaded into Springfield's catalog (an overnight process), I'll need to add holdings information and link the bib. record to a digital image of the item.

I agreed to working on this ECRC project every Monday, except for state holidays. I think that schedule will keep me from becoming overbooked. Once the semester ends at Simmons-west (early May), I can put more time into cataloging games, puzzles, toys and puppets. Funds have to be expended by June 30 (the end of the fiscal year).

The other project begins tomorrow at Donohue Group, Inc. Several of us will be working on retrospective conversion of Boston Public Library's older materials. We'll be working from catalog cards that have been shipped to the DGI office in Windsor CT. I agreed to 2 days a week back before I learned about the ECRC project.

I've been going to bed pretty early every evening and getting lots of bedtime reading done. I may be staying up later at night reading about Organization of Information and grading papers. I'm already looking forward to spring break! I won't be going to Ft. Lauderdale or anything like that. I'll just be enjoying a short respite, probably my last till early May.

Consumed

LIS415 is consuming every waking minute. All I do is think about Organization of Information. I read the textbook, read the handouts for the students, read additional articles, read the students' essays on the discussion board, read the information graciously given to me by a seasoned teacher of the course and keep remembering that it will all be easier next time.

Sometimes I feel so frantic I don't want to take time to practice Yoga. But I also know that's when I need Yoga the most to help me center myself and realize all I'm capable of.

I'm learning so much. As a practitioner, I've always tried to keep up with the issues, but didn't really have to think much about the "big picture." I've always admired the visionary thinkers and wondered how they imagined the new and innovative uses of library metadata, etc. Right now I'm too overwhelmed keeping up with course work to think up anything new and innovative, but I can see how the research environment is conducive to ideas far beyond what I'm used to.

It almost seems like a vacation when I get to spend some time on cataloging projects - which I'm also doing a day or so every week. I also have some CE workshops coming up. What a joy: to present material I know so well and not to have to worry about the session next week because Continuing Education is only one-session and there are no assignments to grade.

My initial unemployment claim should be coming to an end soon. Since I've been working so much, I generally don't withdraw the full weekly amount. That makes it last longer. I believe I'm eligible for an extension. We'll see.

Otherwise, I'm really looking forward to the end of the semester and taking lots of nice long breaths.

Getting Beyond Hurdles

I've been very anxious for the last month.

We bought a new computer and, by default, I'm the tech person in my household. I put off setting it up as long as I could because I just couldn't face something going wrong. It's finally set up along with the new printer and most everything is working okay. The computer came with Windows 7 so we're learning the ins and outs of a new operating system.

And there was the LIS415 Organization of Information, the course I agreed to teach at Simmons-West. As I've stated in earlier posts, this is a new level of teaching for me: Graduate students, an entire semester, having to give tests and grading them. It is all very different from a single 3-hour Continuing Education program. I actually began to visualize having a complete meltdown in the class. Fortunately, I was able to banish the ANTs, and remind myself that I'm an experienced teacher, that I have many years as a cataloger, and that I'm an accomplished professional. While this class is new and different, it's definitely within my range of competencies. My first class was last Saturday, January 29 and it went well. The students are intelligent, curious, and totally open to participating in and out of class. I also have a lot of support from other faculty and tech staff.

Part of what was worrying me about LIS415 was learning how to use Simmons eLearning product. All course information is available to the students via eLearning and there's a lot to it including my learning how to add items, edit items, monitor discussion lists, send emails to my entire group of students. Now that my anxiety level has lessened, I've been able to explore eLearning more calmly and I've done several things with it, including sending an email to the whole class.

I still have the rest of the semester ahead of me, but the hurdles look much lower from here. I'm look forward to fewer sleepless nights.

Perpetual Beta, or, Waiting for the Plateau

In the computer world there is the phrase "Perpetual Beta." It means something that's never quite finished, always changing, that can still be improved.

Back when I was much younger, my goal was to graduate from college, get a good job, and live happily ever after. During my undergrad years, I began working at the Goodell Library at UMass/Amherst, decided I liked the work and added getting a Masters in Library Science to my goal. Since I was going to school part time, it took many years to complete the goal.

Soon after beginning my professional career, I realized that finishing my MSLS and getting a job as a librarian was only the beginning, not the end. Somehow, though, I kept waiting for that plateau where I'd achieve what I wanted and live happily ever after. I thought I'd found it many times at different jobs, but after a few years I'd become restless in that position and move on to something else. When I began work at CMRLS, I figured I had a good job (regardless of the long daily commute) and would stay there until retirement which wasn't all that many years away.

Surpri-ise! Even though I was still happy with the job, the Universe decided I was ready for a change and here I am becoming an Independent Consultant. I'm finally becoming comfortable with that status and thinking about ways I can market myself and my skills. I have a couple of new projects starting soon that will likely continue for a while and a few others in the works.

Still, after all these years, way down deep, I can't quite rid myself of the feeling that there is a plateau not too far away even though intellectually I know that life is Perpetual Beta.

Problem Solved - Again

For the moment I'm in good standing with the Unemployment Office.

Even though I tried calling the 800 number 3 times yesterday, I never got through to a person. I arrived at the Career Center a little after 8 a.m. this morning and I was #26 in line. We weren't allowed into the building until about 8:15, but I (and everyone else) was bundled up. At about 11:00 I was led into the cubby of the representative who looked at my information on the computer screen, made a change to one piece of data, and fixed the problem. It took less than 5 minutes.

Instead of a thriller from the local public library, I had brought along the textbook that I'll be using for LIS415, so I got a lot of necessary reading done.

What relief. I expect I'll have a better night's sleep tonight than I've had for the last couple of days. I don't know why I worry about this stuff so much and no amount of deep breathing seems to help. Perhaps I should be thankful to the Unemployment Office for providing me with blog material.

The Saga Continues

I arrived at the Career Center a little after 8 this morning to learn that there is no Unemployment Representative on January 3 (today). I'll try calling later today. I understand it is easier to get through if one calls after 5 p.m. Many people assume (I would have if I didn't know otherwise) that the telephone service ends at 5 but it continues until 6:30 - at least during this time of heavy use.

So it's back into my play clothes to prepare for Wednesday evening's Library Trustee meeting, a consulting job I have this week, LIS415, and to follow up on some other stuff. I may also have a chance to read my current book.

Watch for the next installment of this adventure.

Oh, No! Not Again!

I logged onto the Mass. Department of Workforce Development - Division of Unemployment Assistance earlier today to file my weekly claim. I answered all the required questions and upon submitting my claim, a Red Message said "Call the Telephone Claims Center. Additional information is required to determine your eligibility for benefits." I thought this was all straightened out.

So I guess tomorrow I'll be back at the Hampshire/Franklin Career Center talking to a representative trying to find out what's wrong. The upside to all if this is that I'm in the middle of a really engrossing book called Die For You by Lisa Unger. I get a lot of reading done at the Career Center. I wonder how early I should show up?