I'm Moving...

I have decided to consolidate my two blogs into one and after much hemming and hawing, I have decided to move everything over to Curious Child's Library Wanderings. It was just too hard to maintain two blogs without becoming redundant and I didn't want to further contribute to the overwhelming Data Smog that exists in the blogosphere.

The decision to switch over to Wordpress was a hard one to make. I like many of the functionalities of Blogger, for example I can see my tweets and books without any problems. And if Blogger provided an easy import button, I would have gone with Blogger but they don't. Another reason I went with Wordpress is recognition. I use Curious Child's Library Wanderings as my "calling card" more often than I use this blog, so....

I'll leave this site up for a month or so and then it'll be gone. But, please, join me as I continue my journey at Curious Child's Library Wanderings.

Black Independence Day

Today is Juneteenth. Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas. The holiday originated in Galveston, Texas but celebrations have spread to 26 states as well as the District of Columbia.

For more information...

Welcome Web 2.0 Wednesday

You have to love Michelle! This month she's back with Web 2.0 Wednesday after guiding all of her readers through the 31 Day Comment Challenge. I am so looking forward to participating in this challenge because I've found that I have sort of petered out when it comes to web 2.0 applications. I want to move beyond basic social networking and learn something that can be applicable to my job as a librarian and as a history instructor.

I decided to record a screencast of why I use Twitter. I downloaded screencasting software from Jing and it took it from there. First of all, I had to figure out how to use Jing. Did I mention that I'm not very tech savvy? Good thing I have no fear of the unknown (thank you to my drill sergeant from my former life as a soldier in the US Army).

Ok, so signing up for Jing didn't work out. Not sure why, but it kept telling me that I'm not connected to the internet. I am connected. Moving on...

Well, I ended up recording a short video of myself on my computer and posting it to YouTube. Both of which are new to me. So I had fun playing around with my camera and trying to find the proper lighting (side note, I found out my house is REALLY dark). And now I have a YouTube account to boot.

Thirty minutes later...

Ummm, how long is it supposed to take for a video to load?

Lessons of the Square Watermelon

Japanese grocery stores had a problem. They are much smaller than their US counterparts and, therefore, don't have room to waste. Watermelons, big and round, wasted a lof to space. Most people would simply tell the grocery stores that watermelons grow round and there is nothing that can be done about it. But some Japanese farmers took a different approach. "If the supermarkets want a space efficient watermelon," they asked themselves, "How can we provide one?" It wasn't long before they invented the square watermelon.

The solution to the problem of round watermelons wasn't nearly as difficult to solve for those who didn't assume the problem was impossible to begin with and simply asked how it could be fixed. It turns out that all they needed to do was place the watermelons into a square box while they were growing and the watermelons would take on the shape of the box.

This made the grocery stores happy and had the added benefit that it was much easier and cost effective to ship the watermelons. Consumers also loved them because they took less space in their refrigerators which are much smaller than those in the US - which resulted in the growers being able to charge a premium price for them.

What does this have do with anything besides square watermelons? There are a few lessons that you can take away from this story which will help you in all parts of your life.

Here are a few of them:

Don't assume: The major problem was that most people had always seen round watermelons so they automatically assumed that square watermelons were impossible before even thinking about the question. Things that you have been doing a certain way your entire life have taken on the aura of the round watermelon and you likely don't even take the time to consider if there is another way to do it. Breaking yourself from assuming this way can greatly improve your overall life as you are constantly looking for new and better ways to do things.

Question habits: The best way to tackle these assumptions is to question your habits. If you can make an effort to question the way you do things on a consistent basis, you will find that you can continually improve the way that you live your life. Forming habits when they have been well thought out is usually a positive thing, but most of us have adopted our habits from various people and places without even thinking about them.

Be creative: When faced with a problem, be creative in looking for a solution. This often requires thinking outside the box. Most people who viewed this question likely thought they were being asked how they could genetically alter water melons to grow square which would be a much more difficult process to accomplish. By looking at the question from an alternative perspective, however, the solution was quite simple. Being creative and looking at things in different ways in all portions of your live will help you find solutions to many problems where others can't see them.

Look for a better way: The square watermelon question was simply seeking a better and more convenient way to do something. The stores had flagged a problem they were having and asked if a solution was possible. It's impossible to find a better way if you are never asking the question in the first place . Always ask if there is a better way of doing the things that you do and constantly write down the things you wish you could do (but currently can't) since these are usually hints about steps you need to change. Get into the habit of asking yourself, "Is there a better way I could be doing this?" and you will find there often is.

Impossibilities often aren't: If you begin with the notion that something is impossible, then it obviously will be for you. If, on the other hand, you decide to see if something is possible or not, you will find out through trial and error.

Thanks to Alistair Johnston for sharing this terrific lesson in innovation!*

*And thank you to my husband for sending this to me!

Chain Survey

I saw this on Spinstah's blog and decided to give it a try.

1. Ten years ago I was: Hmmm, it was 1998 and I was preparing to take summer classes at Luzerne County Community College.

2. Five things on today’s to do list: read archives email, go to the manager's meeting, work at the reference desk, read my email and process unarchived materials

3. Things I’d do if I were a billionaire: pay off my student loans, pay off my mortgage, pay off my cars, give both my sisters some money, fix up my mother-in-law's house, donate money to Mount Zion Baptist Church in Wilkes-Barre, PA (they do a lot for the community), set up college funds for my children, nephews, nieces and grandchildren.

4. Three bad habits: I can be moody. I expect a lot from people in positions of authority. I have a low tolerance for stupid.

5. Six places I’ve lived: Fort Polk, LA, Camp Eagle, Korea, d'Iberville, MS, Roveredo, Italy, Colorado Springs, CO. and Washington D.C.

6. Six jobs I’ve had in my life: Librarian/Archivist, Model, Unit Mailroom Supervisor, Ammunition Specialist, Secretary, Fast Food Worker @ Cajun's Fried Chicken

Alumni Weekend 2008 Wrap Up

So this was my first Alumni Weekend and I was prepared for the onslaught of visitors who would be waiting at the door each morning for my arrival. I was disappointed. Not in the quality of visitors but in the quantity of visitors. The people that I met, in person and on the phone, were funny, warm and inviting. They shared stories with me about their days roaming the campus and "trolling for men" as one of the alumni put it (this used to be an all girls school).

From Thursday to Sunday, I had a total of ten visitors. I think the reason for the low turn out was two-fold: 1) there were numerous back-to-back events scheduled for the alumni and 2) the archives closed just as the major events were ending on Friday and Saturday. Therefore, I will adjust next year's schedule more accordingly and make sure that the archives is opened at least an hour after the last big event ends.

I'm also wondering if I didn't do enough publicizing for the archives. I made up a flyer and I posted the hours that the archives would be opened. I was also in contact with the Alumni Reunion Committee to make sure that they knew the hours. There were displays set up for each of the reuniting classes.

I am opened to suggestions for next year. Tell me how you market your archives.

Alumni Weekend 2008

This has been an incredibly busy 2 months: starting a new job, preparing for Alumni Weekend, finding out that I have been accepted as an instructor for an American history course, running my children back and forth to their events and just trying to maintain the greatness that is me. So everything that I have been doing, workwise anyway, has boiled down to this weekend: Alumni Weekend.

My colleagues have offered their assistance in any capacity I feel necessary, other folks around campus have offered their support and best wishes and my predecessor has sent me numerous messages guaranteeing me that I'll "do just fine." Hmmm, now I'm scared.

I've set up displays for all of the classes ending in 6 and 8 from 1948 through 2003. I've put out yearbooks, memory books, scrapbooks, photographs, etc. Now I'm wondering what more I could have done. Should I have done more?

I have papers and pens for people to write down their memories, if they'd like to share. I will also take notes as people talk to me, assuming they talk to me. So far, the alumni that I have met have been so funny and gracious; sharing all sorts of stories with me about their time on campus. Some of the stories have made me blush, some have made me roar with laughter and some have made me shake my head with wonder.

No matter the sliver of fear that resides in my belly, I know it won't be my shortcomings that people will remember from this weekend, it will be the memories long buried that have been uncovered, it will be the renewed friendships and the shared laughter. And I'm happy to know that I have had the opportunity, as archivist and memory keeper, to play a small role in this, my first Alumni Weekend.