Ditters - What In the Heck Were You Thinking?

There's a story behind Ditters... and one day soon I'll write that up, but today I must tell you what our crazy, spooky-in-his-old-age, "good for nothing" doggie did last night.

But first, some background:

Ditters has become quite skittish around floor vents. You know the kind: they blow hot air at you in the winter as you walk by, or you stand on them to get warm after stepping out of the shower. Yes, those vents have become a source of angst for our nearly 9 year old pup. Since moving to our new home, the problem has increased. There are vents *everywhere.* When Ditters walks by one, he'll stop and stare at it, only to spastically scurry away. It's really quite entertaining!

Now back to last night:

I had just laid down for the night, and was just entering that good sleep that happens right before drifting off to dream land, when all of a sudden I hear whimpering. Not whimpering from being hurt, or whimpering from wanting to go out, but the kind of whimpering that Ditters makes when something isn't right in his little puppy world. I started to turn over to see what in the world was the matter, when all of a sudden, he jumps up on the bed, scurries around my pillow, and promptly jumps down on the other side of the bed to lay down on his makeshift dog bed made of pillows. I thought to myself - what is this dog thinking?... But I didn't even have time to get up before he did it again! He jumps up on my side of the bed, around my pillow again, and then jumps back down onto his real dog bed.

He *knows* he's not supposed to be on the bed... so that was problem #1 in his doggie mind that caused some whimpering.

He also knew that there was an evil vent at the foot of the bed... so that was problem #2 in his doggie mind that caused even *more* whimpering.

So, all he could think to do was to jump onto the off-limits bed in order to get to the other side.

Now what *I* can't figure out is why he wanted to be on the other side in the first place...

So with that, I leave you with a picture of my spooky dog. He's loved, spoiled, and I wouldn't have it any other way!













Ditters lounging on the back of the couch

Online Collaboration: The Next Big Thing Is Not You.

The Next Big Thing Is Not You.

View more presentations from danielgoh.

I frequently read a blog by Buffy Hamilton, a High School Librarian in Canton, GA. She recently posted the presentation above that got me thinking about my own online identity.

Since switching jobs from the public library sector to the academic library, I find myself with less and less time to collaborate/participate online. It's important to note that my academic library is not a traditional library. I work in a very small post-secondary, proprietary institution that is aimed at business, public and medical industries. The library was non-existent 2 years ago, but a heavy push for academic standards was made, and libraries at the different campuses have been created. Most of our resources are online and accessed through library databases, and each location has begun a small "core" collection that is housed in the "library" setting. I use the word library very loosely when talking about the setting, though, since we actually refer to it as the Learning Resource Center (LRC). It's within the size of a regular classroom housing 4 bookshelves and 12 computers that students can use for research and homework project purposes. My desk sits right inside the door and is the first thing anyone sees when they enter.

Now I've set the stage to explain what my duties cover:

• Reference and Instruction -- I enter classrooms at the instructors request to provide research help for certain classroom projects. Students are then encouraged to stop back by the LRC for additional help.
  
• Cataloging -- All new materials are cataloged and added to the collection.
• Inter-Library Loan -- We do quite a bit of this since our physical collection is so small.
  
• Collection Development -- As programs of study evolve, new materials for the core collection must be evaluated, and old materials within the current collection are weeded.
• Subject Specialty Areas -- I am in charge of Project Management, Gaming/Interactive Media, and Computers/Keyboarding. This Quarter, the librarians have been identifying standards for each area of study. This has taken quite a bit of work to dig through relevant information.
  
• Adjunct Instructor -- I will be teaching 3, yes 3, Information Literacy classes during the Winter Quarter. Two will be ground classes, and one online section. YIKES
• Various Committee Involvement:

1. ILS Search Committee
   
2. LibGuides 2.0 Committee
3. Campus Student Satisfaction Committee

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but as you can see, I stay quite busy! Now, let me get back to my reason for writing this whole bit. If you perused the slides above, you see just how far social media and the like has come in recent years. I have a pretty heavy online presence, and most of it has been geared towards library collaboration and gaining ideas from others in the field. I have an online presence on:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Friendfeed (Library Society of the World) -- This place is GREAT for asking questions and getting instant feedback from librarians at the forefront of our industry.
  
• Goodreads
• Flickr
• Blogger
• LinkedIn

You get the idea. With so many online areas, it's been difficult to keep up with everything. It truly is information overload.

So I ask you, how in the heck do you keep up with everything online when other work demands keep you focused? How do you continue to stay abreast of every new trend/technology when you simply don't have the time to stay current throughout the week? And... if you DO find the time (say, when you make it home from work), how do you balance your online presence with your family obligations. A weary mind wants to know!

A New Look

Welcome to the new digs. I figured I would spruce up the blog a bit in hopes that it will help me to begin posting more frequently. I've never been able to keep up with blogging in past years (and you can see that just by scrolling down a bit and looking at the date range), but I have many exciting things (to me) going on, that I really need to start documenting things better.

Since finishing my graduate degree, I really thought I would have more time to do the things that I like to do. Things such as:

• Designing a website for my husband to help market himself in the trombone world - - he's an orchestral trombonist.
• Blogging - - you see how far that went!
• Reading - - I think I've only read a total of 4 books...I repeat...4 books since May. P.I.T.I.F.U.L
• Knitting - - This is the one area where I have been doing more. I've finished several projects since the weather has turned cool.
• Cooking - - I really like to cook, but my crazy schedule makes it difficult.
  
• Losing Weight - - We won't be discussing this one...

You get the idea. Life always seems to always get in the way. Since taking a new job as a campus librarian here in Northern Indiana, I have been so stinkin' busy with everything work related. With a new job comes new things to learn, as well as oober preparation for presentations and teaching opportunities. Eventually it has to settle down right?!? I am thankful to have a husband that helps around the house, cooks, and keeps me sane. The nature of his job is such that he's home during the day, and works a couple of hours at night throughout the week. Sweet gig if you ask me!

So, in the coming days, I plan to post about some knitting projects that I have going, some Christmas cookies that I need to bake, and any crazy library related things that pop up. Pictures of Ditters are always free game too...which means I need to take my new camera back out!

That's it for now.