Author: Barbara

A view from the front lines

I’ve received lots of good wishes on the new job. Thought I’d share a photo of what we’re facing here (a picture’s worth a thousand words, right?)

and even more
and this is only one of 14 branches

We’re in the midst of bringing a new integrated library system online. This is happening following a major system failure, caused by the perfect storm of circumstances that resulted in significant data losses (defined as re-cataloging bunches and bunches.) Hats off to one terrific cataloging team! . . . . as well as the entire dedicated, hard-working staff. This is a good place to be.

Happy Birthday, Blog!

2 years ago today, I got brave enough to make my blog public. This is the 193rd post since then. My Blogger profile says I’ve been on Blogger since November 2003, which is when I came back from Internet Librarian, inspired to blog. There were lots of posts back then, but one day I (foolishly) deleted them, thinking I didn’t have anything worthwhile to say.

Lots of studies have been done on why people blog. Just today, the venerable Michael Stevens of Tame the Web wrote about the ideology of blogging. I identify with the comment in his post: “It amazed me how ingrained in my life the act of blogging had become.” I am often aware of how what a great blog post a certain experience would make. Now, if only I had time to act on all those inspirations.

I recently said to a colleague that blogging was so “yesterday.” I guess what I really meant was that blogging has become so mainstream that it’s hardly a phenomenon any more. We just accept and expect that the voices of our culture are heard through the blogosphere.

I think librarians as a group blog more than any other profession — maybe it’s a perception thing, since I know more librarians than anything else. Or maybe, it’s because we’re information professionals, and blogs are about information. Some of us blog because we believe we have something philosophical (or pithy) to say. Others use blogs as a super-easy to create marketing tool or billboard for what’s happening at the library.

Blogging was a natural progression for me, since I started writing for my adolescent self in a little pink diary with a teeny tiny ineffective key. I don’t write anything very controversial (witness the lack of comments), but I’ve sure made a lot of friends through this blog. While my blog is largely related to my professional life, it also reflects my whole person.

Wonder what this blog will have to say in another 2 years.

The War

Ken Burns’s film The War premiered tonight. I’m looking forward to the next six episodes, three more to be aired this week and three next week on PBS. I recommend it. There have been many reviews even before the first episode aired – everyone has an opinion. I probably won’t critique it – but it totally captivated me.

A number of my family members are WWII veterans, and they have shared virtually nothing about the war. I was in Washington D.C. shortly after the World War II Memorial opened, and shared pictures when I got home. While Dad and others are not able to travel, they were pleased that there is a memorial. Even those family members who were not in uniform were profoundly affected. Many of the things said on The War, I’ve heard from my mother, who was a college student at the time.

New perspective

A new job! What a humbling experience. As I accepted the master keys to virtually everything in the building from my administrative assistant, I felt the weight of the responsibility of my new position. On the other hand, shortly thereafter, on my way back from the bathroom I lost direction and momentarily forgot where my office was. That’s the kind of couple of days I’ve had this week, one moment answering questions about how I would like something done, the next being totally baffled by the most basic task, like how to listen to my voice mail.

Yesterday I started the next phase of my career as the Director of the East Central Regional Library, a consolidated library system comprised of 14 branches (15, counting the bookmobile) north of Minneapolis and St. Paul. While it’s been a long time in preparation, it seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. My interview with the hiring committee was July 20th, followed by the waiting, then the offer, then the deliberation and acceptance. Four weeks notice with my previous employer flew by, two weeks off filled with a family vacation, and all of a sudden – here I am!

Sunday I packed all the household goods I could into an SUV and headed north two hours from my home for over eight years. A “For Sale” sign now sits in the front lawn — as friend AJ is fond of saying “good luck with that.”
Reality check

For now, home is a very small basement apartment a new acquaintance was kind enough to rent to me on a month-to-month arrangement, in hopes that when the house sells, I will find a more permanent home.

Basement seems to be a recurring theme. In the morning I leave my basement apartment (well really, it’s the lower level of a walk-out rambler) to go to my office in the regional headquarters, which is in the basement of one of the libraries. My previous corner office had two huge windows. For the moment, my new office, which has no windows, is cheery with flowers sent by the predecessor director and his wife, the Friends group, and friend MB. Besides that, there is a coffee gift basket from my new staff. When the Board President came in today, he was quite impressed.
My welcome

As if starting a new job isn’t stressful enough, I’ve walked into a library world in the midst of an automation system crisis. The libraries have resorted to pen and paper procedures after a system failure over two weeks ago. We’re bringing a new system up, through the Herculean efforts of an incredibly committed and hard-working staff and SirsiDynix. In fact, I spent the afternoon of my first day in training, learning the circulation system, along with many of the branch managers.

As I’ve talked with our leadership team, we’ve all agreed that it’s the beginning of a new era. And I’m sure will provide much inspiration for this Blog. Stay tuned ;^)

Happy Blog Day

Today is Blog Day – the third annual. Today, each Blogger is tasked with recommending 5 new blogs – to expand the reading of others. Here are some of my local favorites (in no particular order). All have been born in the last year.

1. Library Tree — from Red Wing Public Library. News about upcoming events at the library.

2. Albert Lea Public Library — from Albert Lea Public Library. News about the library and new items.

3. Kids’ Info at NPL — from Northfield Public Library. News and lots of pictures.

4. MLA Update — news from the Minnesota Library Association.

5. Metronet Director’s Chat — observations about libraries and the profession written by Tom Shaunessy.

Useful mess?

Watching CBS Sunday Morning yesterday, my ears perked up when I heard the words messy desk as a story lead-in. Keeping storage spaces organized has always been a challenge for me. When I was being hired for my current position, my former supervisor warned my current director of the piles of stuff on my desk – I call it “file by pile.”

The Sunday Morning story featured one worker with a similar filing philosophy, who said they could find anything just by going down from the top of the pile an appropriate distance to coincide with the span of time since the document was created. I find things the same way, and often so quickly that many of my colleagues have been amazed at how organized my chronologically ordered stacks of papers are.

CBS newsman Andy Rooney was cited as an example, as he displayed his desk, which makes mine look really neat. Andy suggested that someone who’s too organized is not productive. The story went on to quote a study that found employees with a messy desk as being 36% more efficient than their counterparts who are neater.

While the majority of busy, successful acquaintances have desks that are less than tidy, there is a hypocritical attitude toward those with messy desks that suggests that you can’t possibly have confidence in someone who doesn’t know which file drawer perceived important information is in. Zoom in on a Presidential press conference from the Oval Office, with W seated behind a shiny (empty) desk. If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what can be said of an empty desk?

A colleague whose life presently seems to be spinning out of control said, “I’m keeping up on my filing; it feels good to be in control of something.” Good thought. So maybe the confidence to let things go is a corollary to being confident in life.

I’ve been doing a lot of desk cleaning lately, as I prepare for a major life change. I have gone through everything on top of my desk, and found that by the time I got back to it, all those agendas, and notes have lost any lasting value. Maybe that’s the key – just pile it up until you can throw it away.

Booktalks 2.0

Just in time for back-to-school, Joyce Valenza, on NeverEndingSearch posts a list of podcasts and online booktalks for kids. What a great idea to get kids interested in reading – link this to your library website, and lead the kids to try it out. Hope the kids can find the books in libraries.

Even better, record podcasts for the new books added to your library! They’ll think you’re really cool.

Why a baseball stadium needs a roof

We went on our regular family pilgrimage to a Milwaukee Brewers game on Saturday night (Brewers win 8-4). We planned it all summer, and cousins came from far and wide. We traveled through the beginning of the record-breaking rainfall across Minnesota and Wisconsin. And guess what! The game was not rained out – thanks to the Miller Park retractable roof. Yeah, I was disappointed that it wasn’t a beautiful night out for baseball. But I’d have been more disappointed had our one shot to carry on a family tradition been rained out and our miles on the road been for naught.

I’m not terribly invested in the Twins stadium debates (being an immigrant from across the border), but it just seems so short-sighted to build a fair-weather stadium without a roof. Think of all the fun family outings that won’t happen. Glad my family gathers at Miller Park.

OK – so what has this got to do with libraries? Well, at the appointed time, everyone with ATT phones sends text messages, and the messages come up on the scoreboard, and guess what – “Librarians are sexy” appears in lights (and no, it wasn’t me, with my Alltel phone.)

Librarians are sexy – 3rd line down
Miller Park

The roof – dry as can be
Miller Park

Here we are
Ron and Barbara

The Dip

I consider a book to have value for me when concepts I read start demonstrating themselves during my daily activities. Such is the case with Seth Godin’s The Dip, which I finished a few days ago. Godin is “a a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change” – from his Seth’s Blog.

I knew that this book had taken root in my mind when yesterday during a meeting, I heard myself say “do you see the light at the end” (the end being what Godin says you power toward when you’re in “the dip.”)

Here are a few other concepts from the 80 page book that stuck with me:

  • It matters to be number one – people don’t have a lot of time and don’t want to take risks, so they narrow their choices to those at the top.
  • It’s important to be “the best in the world.” Best as in “best for them, right now, based on what they believe and what they know.” In the world is as “in their world, the world they have access to.”
  • Almost everything that matters is controlled by the Dip – the long slog between starting and mastery (after the fun of beginning is over.)
  • The Dip is hard. It creates scarcity (because lots of people quit) and scarcity creates value. Successful people lean into the Dip.
  • The Cul-de-Sac is a dead end. It goes nowhere and uses up your resources.
  • If you can’t be #1 or #2, get out (ala Jack Welch)
  • When faced with the Dip, many diversify, instead of obsessing to be the best in the world.
  • It’s easier to be mediocre than it is to confront reality and quit.
  • Godin lists 8 “Dip Curves.” The “Education Dip” is particularly relevant to our field. Your career starts when you leave school. The Dip happens when it’s time to learn something new, or reinvent or rebuild skills.
  • Quitting at the right time is difficult. Most people play it safe, and try to average their way to success.
  • If you’re not able to get through the Dip in an exceptional way, you must quit.
  • The opposite of quitting isn’t waiting around, it’s rededication.
  • It’s OK to quit if the project isn’t worth the reward at the end.
  • Pride is the enemy of the smart quitter.
  • Decide in advance when you should quit.