5.12.2007

Why do we have to wait?


Why do we have to wait?

"One of the conversations was about "paying one's dues." I said that my weakness was maintaining a patience level that would pace me with my organization...I retorted that I did not want to wait 10 years! I am here now!"

All the field is aflame with change, why don't more people see, like this, that the time we really have for relevancy is: now. The world isn't going to wait for us to acquiesce to our colleagues who don't want to change, innovate, and create the future. If you look around and don't like what you see, then you haven't participated. Sometimes that's very hard for so many reasons; but you must try. This is the era of inclusion -not exclusion.

There are three types of people: (1) those who have a job, (2) those who come to work & think they can separate out their private persona from their work persona (they can't), and (3) those who want to go bed exhausted everyday because everyday they worked to make profound changes in their own life, the lives of others they know, and the lives of people they will never know and they keep on doing this everyday.

While experience is valuable it has nothing to do with paying one's dues; that's something from an arcane era where maps warned of dragons. Now, the dragons stand for a place of creativity & not something to be feared as unknown.

Perhaps if the gatekeeping dues-collectors realized they are more effective as mentors they could take proud ownership of what we could accomplish for them.

hey, it's just a thought. relax. i'm not advocating information anarchy -or am i? and i love all my mentors who are brilliant and mean not a lick of disrespect to them.

By the way, the reference desk is dead, yet reference lives on. The book is so ubiquitous it's barely visible, yet more important than ever, and the library has been blown to bits while becoming a focal point in people's lives,
(hopefully more so, not less so.)

What won't change?


What won't change?
This is a great idea. Along with permanent innovation, we should see change as the metronome, chaos as the pace-setter, and relinquishment (you have no control save the control over one's self) as the cadence.

How do you learn 2.0?


How do you learn 2.0?
My man wasn't joking when he said "know thyself." So, know more about how you learn. Thanks jennimi.

5.10.2007

Can you visually represent the connections?


Content Analysis Day 1
Originally uploaded by mstephens7.

Can you visually represent the connections?
Yes, I take pics of the documents( that's a tametheweb.com pic by Michael Stephens) I create too; there are many reasons but in a way the pics capture some of the organic feel of information plus serve as a back-up copy, allow for sharing. Also, it's nice to know what came out of the research; visual representations of information/data often help with this. But, I'm a graphic novel fan and became a passionate reader because of comic books. So, I like the visuals.

5.09.2007

How do I stay current?


How do I stay current?
I use googleReader keep up with some of the trend finders in my field.
Perhaps of interest? It's not that exciting of a screenshot because I already read my feeds.



5.07.2007

Do you need to remember?


Do you need to remember?

"Blogging has not made this easier... if anything, the idea that a gazillion bloggers and commenters (or even ONE loud one) will seize any opportunity to find fault with your ideas and attempts can dampen one's willingness to be brave. So here's my quarterly reminder to all (me included) that if you're not doing something that someone hates, it's probably mediocre."

I did sure did.

What do you think about “Task” orientated maps?


What do you think about "Task" orientated maps?


Like "To Print, Go here…"


http://ci.fsu.edu/go/userservices/students/student_printing


Shouldn't libraries help users not only find their way but accomplish their tasks?

5.06.2007

What's pulling the rice?


What's pulling the rice?

"One saying describes an impatient farmer who pulls on rice stalks to make them grow faster. The result: In his impatience, he uproots the plant before its time and loses the crop altogether."