Hot Stuff

Of course! As soon as I posted about semi-retirement, I received a phone call from Springfield City Library asking if I could work for them part time. 

Because the migration to a new Integrated Library System did not go as smoothly as everyone hoped, their cataloger has fallen way behind on original cataloging and they need someone to help. That's me.

So now I'm working just about full time: 10 hours each week at MassCat, 1 or 2 days each week (depending on what else I have scheduled) at SCL, and one full day and evening for preparation and teaching Information Organization. And let's not forget the senior Osteo Exercise class which now meets two mornings each week because it is so popular.

Last year at this time I had no work other than the Info Org class. Now I can barely fit in all the things I have to do. Guess I'll just have to cut back on cleaning house :-)

Settling into Semi-Retirement

I was laid off from a full-time job more than two years ago. I collected unemployment for a while and have worked in a variety of part-time jobs. Finally my life seems to be settling into somewhat of a pattern that I enjoy.

This is what my schedule looks like for the next few months: Two mornings each week (Wednesday and Friday) I attend the senior exercise class in town. I share leading the class with another woman. Sometimes I lead the entire class; sometimes we each lead a part of it. Now that there are two classes each week, she'll be leading more. If I find myself short of time, I may not go to both.

After exercise class, I head out to the Massachusetts Library System-west office where the MassCat office is located. There I spend the rest of the day on database maintenance and original cataloging for member libraries.

Thursday evenings I teach LIS415 for Simmons GSLIS-west. I spend most of Thursday (and some of the other days not otherwise accounted for) preparing for that class.

For the next few months, I'm contracted to teach one Continuing Education class/month for the Connecticut State Library or the Mass Library System. The workshops will be Cataloging Equipment, RDA, and an overview of cataloging for "accidental catalogers".

That leave me plenty of time to read (current book: Dearie), work on crossword puzzles and cook. Now that the weather is getting cooler, I'm baking muffins and quickbreads. I also made a pan of lasagna and included a layer of roasted summer squash. Yum.

This is the life - hope it continues this way for a long time.

First Day of School

It doesn't matter if it's second grade, high school, or college; if you're a student or the teacher, the First Day of School still feels like the First Day of School.

Tonight, I teach the first class of the fall semester of Information Organization. There are 13 students enrolled - a nice size. It's large enough for variety and discussion, but small enough that I should be able to learn everyone's name in a couple of weeks and not be overwhelmed when I grade papers.

This will be my 4th time teaching the course. I had really become comfortable using eLearning (aka Blackboard) and recently figured out a bunch of neat features when Simmons decided to switch to Moodle. I spent a few weeks last month copying and pasting materials from one to the other. Moodle isn't as pretty as eLearning, but maybe I just haven't found how to add interesting colors and designs.

This morning I finished revising the slides and lecture notes for tonight's class and just uploaded the slides to Moodle under Unit 1. I have the hard copies I need, several files on a flash drive to print at the GSLIS-west office before class, the props I'll be using for an organization exercise, my water bottle and a snack. I'm ready to go!

A Lottery Ticket

I have rules about buying lottery tickets. I never spend more than $1/week and anything I win under $100 gets plowed back into lottery tickets. I don't have to worry too much about that second rule. I've never won more than $20 and that was only once. It was pretty exciting, though.

Most weeks I buy a $1 scratch ticket; sometimes I go for several weeks without buying any. Last week when I bought my ticket and scratched it -  nothing. I consider that a contribution to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A couple of days ago, I bought a ticket and won $2! Next week, I'll exchange it for a $2 ticket for which I won't have to pay anything. We'll see what it nets me.

I know that I'm unlikely to win more than a few dollars playing the lottery, but I can always hope. And that's what keeps my playing - that possibility that I might actually win big money. Then, of course, I think of all the things I would do with all that money.

I hope I would be altruistic enough to donate a lot of it to my local public library which is planning a major renovation/addition as soon as grant money is available. There are lots of other worthy causes I'd like to support as well.

If I do win big, I'll be sure to post the information on my blog - but don't hold your breath.

Two Books

Sometimes I take a break from reading mystery novels. When I do, one of my favorite authors is Fannie Flagg. I remember Fannie Flagg from watching afternoon game shows when she was one of the celebrity guests. I didn't know why she was a celebrity, but she was always on the shows. Then I saw the movie Fried Green Tomatoes and learned that Fannie was a writer. Since then, I've read all of her books. The most recent is I Still Dream About You. Fannie is like the southern U.S. version of Maeve Binchy - another of my favorite non-mystery authors.

Fannie's characters are unusual, interesting, have unique perspectives on life and just fun to know. As much as I want to finish her books to find out what happens, I'm always sad when they end. While the endings may sometimes be bitter-sweet, they are overall very happy. I can always depend on Fannie Flagg for a totally satisfying read.

The other book I'm reading is Amy Hart's The RDA Primer : A Guide for the Occasional Cataloger. I've been trying to keep abreast of RDA so that I can offer Continuing Education programs on its basics. I'm already scheduled to give one in the fall. I'll also have to cover it more and more in LIS415.

For those of you facing RDA in the near future, this book is a great introduction. I attended a 3 session webinar a few months ago, and I follow all of the on-line discussion lists so I already know something about RDA. Amy's book has helped fill in many of the gaps. It's not that RDA's rules are so very different from AACR2's, but the thought process is very different and that's what Amy stresses through this slender book. I'm nearly finished with it (yes, I'm reading it cover to cover) and I expect I'll just start again at the beginning.

Thanks, Amy, and thanks, Fannie. Now I'm ready to delve into another mystery book.

On Hiatus

It's that time of year again: the end of the fiscal year, when money runs out, but dollars for the next year's grant haven't yet come through.

So I get a break. I'm not certain for how long because DGI's client doesn't know exactly when the check is coming, though they know it will be coming sometime.

However, I'm starting a part-time job beginning in early July for MassCat. This is the same job I had last summer; then it was only temporary, now it's permanent. For 10 hours/week I'll be doing database cleanup, copy cataloging on OCLC when there is no record in the MassCat database, and original cataloging when there is no record anywhere. The job is a short commute and coffee is available for employees.

I'll have money coming in, but plenty of time to catch up on house and yard work. And I need to begin preparing to teach Information Organization in the fall. Simmons GSLIS has changed all of its software, and I need to transfer my materials from BlackBoard to Moodle. It's also a good time to work on some revisions to the course.

What was that about a break?

Painted Toenails

In my nascent feminist days, I viewed painted toenails as rather frivolous and women who wore them as less than serious. Over the years I've met many women who are decidedly NOT frivolous, definitely serious about things that matter and still have painted toenails. Some of them even have iridescent blue toenails!

As my own feminist philosophy has matured, I realize that a woman can express herself in many ways, including ways that may appear superficial. What's most important is that she feel comfortable (both inside and outside) with what she is wearing whether it be jewelry, tatoos, high heels, hiking boots, skirts, jeans, shorts or nail polish. A woman who is secure in her own skin can try different styles and discover what works best for her. Over the years  that style may - in fact will probably - change. Mine certainly has.

I used to be envious of women and girls that had a distinct style; I never seemed to have one. But I've discovered that I have several styles simultaneously: one day is casual with cropped pants, the next may be flirty with a skirt and wedged sandals. I now like the fact that I can look entirely different from day to day depending on what feels right for me.

Even with my pared down wardrobe (I'm still weeding it, though more slowly, and purchasing very few replacements) the person I present changes from one day to the next.

I have many different, diverging interests. I can't be categorized easily. There's more to me than my shiny, rose colored toenails.