Globally Irrelevant

Academia demands professionals be globally relevant and locally responsible. In recessionary times, such demands become ludicrously impossible to achieve. Global interaction, even national interaction must consist of some form of contact, preferably, face to face. Academics have long shared ideas nationally through professional and educational association conferences, provided expertise through national organizational committee membership, and collaborated with colleagues from other institutions in research.

Then came 2010-NO TRAVEL ADVISED OR SUPPORTED, DO NOT ASK UNLESS YOU PAY YOUR OWN WAY AND THERE WILL BE NO SALARY INCREASES FOR THE NEXT 2 YEARS.

Technology must be the answer unless your campus bandwidth is grossly inadequate, your tech gurus classify all your global e-mail as SPAM, wikkis are forbidden, and blogs are evil.

Relevance in an irrelevant environment-the rest of the world (outside of academia) might say “so what?”

Kurt Vonnegut merely said “So it goes”.

Title Seeking Librarian or Librarian Seeking Title?

I have many esteemed colleagues in academia whom I esteem and are esteemed and expect esteeming from titled privilege. Now titled privilege in the Middle Ages afforded the titlee amenities not afforded to untitled. Since I indeed am not untitled, but under titled, my esteem is not as high as it could be. Therefore, the title I seek is “The Grand & Glorious Leader of the Library Underworld”. (Unfortunately, there are no associated titled privilege amenities, but it sounds cool.)

Happy Spring.

Confessions of the Feral Librarian

Awhile back, an article was published in one of our esteemed library journals examining/commenting on the qualifications of librarians that earn their degrees online. The author, whose name we shall not speak, determined that Distance Educated librarians were feral beings, not having been properly socialized in the classroom with other neophyte librarian-wanna-bees. Well, this feral librarian, (UNT, Minnesota Cohort, 2003), is being s-o-c-i-a-l-i-z-e-d! 

Well, the socialization began with Librarian Bootcamp, sponsored by the Mountain Plains Library Association and Syrsi Dynax. Librarian Bootcamp, is/was actually, the MPLA Ghost Ranch Leadership Institute held in the most unbelievably mystical geographic nearAbiquiu, New Mexico. There, 32 newly-to not so newly conferred librarians met to learn, experience, live, breath, sleep, eat the finer elements of leadership. What a fabulous socialization exercise, ’twas, leading to higher plains of thought for librarianship and ultimately the biggy of all biggies………the American Library Association’s Emerging Leaders Program. This Feral Librarian is going to the big time–ALA MidWinter (Denver) and ALA Annual (Chicago).

Thanks to all my colleagues in my institution and my libraryland, my socialization has been far from lacking. (Although, my office and collection are in the basement, fondly known as the “Batty Cave”). Obviously, even the distance educated can and do make a difference in this wonderful world of libraries.

So, the next time someone calls me feral, I am going to howl…with uproarous laughter. Despite the disadvantages we distance educated librarians faced, we are a force and asset to the profession. Socialize away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Documents for Democracy

Tuesday, November 4, 2008 is election day nationwide. Documents staff have prepared a display on the library’s lower level of materials and resources available for an informed electorate. The Guide to Voting and Elections provides additional resources. Check us out!

Briggs Library Documents Display Lower Level

Did You Know …. Documents Databases Rock!

Did ya know? Do ya care? Of course you should. Yes indeed, the Information Highway can be a bit easier to navigate with government databases just a few keystrokes and clicks away. Federal government information is available not only from agency web sites, but also from a multitude of federaly sponsored databases, or search engines. Interested in medicine? Try the National Library of Medicine! Search tools include MedlinePlus, Clinical Trials, DailyMed, and PubMed. Topics covered range from basic consumer information to scholarly scientific and medical research. And oh yes, much is availble full text online. BONUS!!!!!!!!!!

If you’re interested in energy topics, try the Department of Energy’s Information Bridge. Scientific and technical information is at your fingertips. From 1991 forward, many full text documents and bibliographic citations of the Department of Energy’s research reports literature awaits your discovery.

For a number of federal databases related to the presidency, legislature, and judiciary, try GPO ACCESS! GPO Access is one stop shoping for the US Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, Core Documents of Democracy, Bills, Laws, the Catalog of Government Publications and much, much more.

For more government search engines check out http://lib.sdstate.edu/find/govdocs/Finding%20Information/feddatabase.htm.

Happy Surfing!

High School Debate ‘08

The 2008-2009 High School Debate season will soon be upon us. Young arguers from across the land are or will be clamoring for the latest and greatest sources for plans and briefs. In the search for truth for the resolution, The United States Federal Government should substantially increase alternative energy incentives in the United States, consider a number of sources listed at http://lib.sdstate.edu/find/govdocs. There is  a link to a guide to research for this year’s resolution, as well as links to other really cool library stuff–well at least in my world. ARGUE ON-with proof.

Hello world!

Let’s delve together into the vast mysteries of  government documents, academic libraries, and lonely, no LIVELY Librarians here to serve you!!!!!! If you want to find out more, stay tuned or check out http://lib.sdstate.edu/find/govdocs. Hope I can figure out how to spruce this site up a bit!