Hey all – just want to check in. Is everyone okay? The pace of the class is pretty fast between now and when we end. I want to make sure everyone feels on track with the assignments, etc. Comment, send me a message, IM me, etc.
45 thoughts on “Check In – Folks Okay?”
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Doing well here and look forward to working more on the director’s brief assignment this week!
@dw082 Cool! Thanks giving falls at a weird time this year. I struggled with the due date.
I’m doing well now. I just submitted my last competency for my ePortfolio, so I’m able to devote my full attention on this course from here on out. Yay!
I’m still considering my options for the Director’s Brief, but I’m leaning towards Tech & Trends. I like creating assignments that I can put into play with my job, so I’m considering what is actually doable at my library. A co-worker recently attended the Arizona Library Association annual conference and told me that our library is already doing most of the suggested programming. This makes it difficult for me to find an idea that we haven’t attempted yet.
@jjoseph Yah for the e-portfolio! I need to do a post for everyone about that!
I am all for the Brief being about something you can implement at your library. Tech or trend would work well.
Thank you, @michael. I’ve passed the e-port, so I’m going to relax a little now. I decided to write the Brief on streaming video and music services.
@jjoseph That sounds great.
@jjoseph Congrats! That is a great accomplishment. Was it very demanding, taking it along with another class? I would like to graduate in May and I have one class and the e-port left. Just wondering about the workload.
@cbrightwell Thank you! This was a good class to take with the e-port. If I had to take it with a more demanding or boring class, it would have been a struggle. I recommend creating deadlines for yourself, especially if the e-port advisor doesn’t set them. I really got lucky with my advisor. It is a lot of writing and reflecting. However, once you submit your first two comps, you understand what you need to do. Good luck to you!
@larabriscoe Thanks for this advice! I’ve decided to stick with my original one class at a time for financial and other reasons. I will just graduate later and that’s ok. I’m just trudging ahead. Onward, to the library! 🙂
@michael All is quite here. I can post my brief topic to make it more official. 🙂
@cbrightwell Sure – go ahead – may inspire others! 🙂
@michael, Thanks for checking! All is well on my end- eager to get into the last few weeks of the semester. I am still contemplating the Directors Brief topic- I would like to do something Youth Services- any pointers on where to look for some inspiration?
@amandaharrel Perhaps do some looking around YALSA’s web stuff and blogs about youth services?
Also, look at some of Justin Hoenke’s contributed posts at my blog Tame the Web:
http://tametheweb.com/?s=Justin
I’ll be honest, things are a bit insane for me right now. I leave on Wednesday for Venice, which may or may not be flooded? Who knows. And between now and then I have about 4 separate assignments to do for 4 different classes. I can do it, but there will likely be tears while I do so, hahaha. I plan on hitting the Director’s Brief assignment hard after I get back on the 17th, but I honestly do not have the emotional energy to focus in on an exact topic at the moment, other than knowing I am doing it on a Global Library Trend.
I do promise that it will be done by the 25th, though! I just need to travel to Venice, Montenegro, Croatia, and Greece before then!
@heatherosborn Travel safe and stay in touch. 🙂 Perhaps you will find inspiration in your travels.
I’m also doing fine, at least at the moment 🙂 I have to say, I am in awe of anyone who is working and doing more than one class. I tried that one semester and it was tough! Between a full time job, two kids, and two classes, I had zero time for anything else at all. After that, I decided that the snail’s pace of one course at a time was going to have to work for me.
@danavanzanten Totally cool. I did the same thing. I took two classes one summer session and thought it would kill me. One was CATALOGING!
@michael Ouch – that sounds like a tough summer! One of the courses I took while doubling up was Research Methods, which was heavy on stats, etc. Not a fun time lol
@danavanzanten I survived! But I do remember this when I hear from students balancing a lot of stuff. I also vividly recall one of my professors finding me in the stacks trying to answer the scavenger hunt questions. I had a raging sinus infection. She said: “Go home.” No points lost etc. She understood.
@michael Thank goodness for compassionate people like that! 🙂
@danavanzanten So true!
So far, so good. I’m able to keep up with the pace of this course, as I am only taking one other course this semester. So, it’s manageable!
@angelabardo Glad things are manageable. 🙂
Life in general has been hectic between family, work and school. I put in long hours during the weekends but it has been a struggle to check in during the evening throughout the week. I have been saving the reading material because I want to check out most of the items again – to give it more than a pursual. Enjoying the class, but have to admit as this is the last term of classes before e-portfolio…feeling slightly burnt out.
But excited to continue the learning and have that sense of accomplishment on a job well done 😉
As for the Director’s Brief; my current position is Marketing and Communications Manager; and because of that, I was looking at investigating technology tools that aid with promoting/marketing/advocating for your public library – working smarter not harder. Marketing for libraries is a growing trend and more libraries are devoting staff to the cause…I am completely out in left field?
@onebuseelibrarian Burn out is a thing. I totally understand. I hope break offers you some time to recharge.
Your Brief could be about new ways libraries are marketing services, etc. It could be about what works, what’s new, what doesn’t work, etc. I am open to anything like that. Advocacy too. Might be very interesting, with a strong connection to participatory service and our course. Ponder. 🙂
Heather, I think I’m doing the same thing you are. Trying to balance a full course load, working 40+ hours and managing a baby at home. I set aside two days a week for class work and try to check in during my lunch hour and one hour after work, but it just gets away from you. I’ve also been saving a lot of the reading from all of my classes so that I can refer back to it when I can really do a deep dive on the topic. I have to say that self-care really is what I’ve had to do this term. Taking 30 minutes for meditation or listening to a really great album helps.
@michael it really depends on which day of the week you ask. Feeling a little overwhelmed with work and taking two classes currently but I’m managing. I’ve been taking two classes in the Fall and Spring semesters as I was using GI Bill money and I had to take a minimum of 6 credits to get the housing allowance on top of the tuition. This is my last semester of having GI Bill funds so I may slow down a bit and shift to one class a semester going forward. That way I will have more time to devote to my coursework as I near the finish line. 🙂
@kuhnsman I am glad you are managing okay. Nice to slow down as the finish line approaches. 🙂
I’m ok. This is a transitional year all around with all the major life stresses all at once….divorce (good thing), selling the family home (good thing), but it has not sold in 5 months (bad thing), empty nester as of last Sept (bittersweet but good thing), lost the dog in the divorce (bad thing), got transferred from my beloved job to a smaller rural branch starting Saturday (good? bad? remains to be seen. striving to make it good). I will most likely take on something that will address competency O for the directors brief; I’ve carved out time Sunday to define an idea.
So, I really am ok, I love this class and have had SO many ah ha moments in it. My other class is winding down so I should have time to focus on wrapping up here.
@smeagher Thanks for your kind words about our class.
You are dealing with a lot and I wish you the best with various transitions. 🙂
@michael I had a question about the Directors Brief. How strict are you about wanting 1000-1500 words? Granted I haven’t trimmed anything out yet but I’m at double the max right now. Perhaps I’m trying to make it more complex then it needs to be? Should I be thinking “short summary” or Give them everything they need to know? Thanks!
@elakkad12 It would be fine to go over the word count if you want to. Think of what you would want to turn in to the admin council or governing body… what length would be best for that?
@michael That gives me something to think about. Thank you!
I’m doing OK, though I really shouldn’t have taken 4 classes this term. (I think I say this every term). I work full time and have a 2 year old, so life is pretty crazy right now. I just have to remember that sleeping is OK and to breathe. My workplace also offers some classes on compassion fatigue and workplace resilience, so I’m going to check into them.
For the Director’s brief I tried to think of something that I would actually want to turn in to one of our directors. I’ve really enjoyed the fact that a lot of the projects that I’ve worked on at my time at SJSU I’ve either done based on work I was currently doing at the library, or that I wanted to do at a future date. With that in mind I’m gathering information on wi-fi hotspot lending. It is something that my library doesn’t currently do, but I can see a real need in the community for it. I know from speaking to different admins that they looked at this technology several years ago, but they thought it was too new and too expensive. Now that it has been a few years and we have a few new directors that are tech friendly, it might be time to try again.
@taranash Those classes sound very useful. I would like to experience sessions on both topics. Hope you are doing okay with your four classes.
The brief topic sounds spot on to me. Be sure to connect to our course and you are golden.
I’m doing okay over here too. I’m finding like most of you that the work, school, social life, maintaining sanity and me time balance is a little off kilter. I submitted a blog post a day late, my first late assignment in my four year adventure here with the ischool. I realized I needed to take a break from my 60hr work week and regroup. I took a mental health day and laid in bed playing my old school gameboy. It seemed to work. My other class is starting to wind down and the bulk of the work is complete. A lot of changes are happening at work that are making me eager to complete my degree, so I can say farewell and move into the librarian career path. I;ll be graduating in May! I’m still mulling over topics for the director’s brief. i’m not sure what I want to do, I feel like i need to make a decision soon and start working on it. Reading other people’s ideas and the direction they’re headed have been very helpful to get me thinking! Thank you all for sharing!
@larabriscoe May is not that far away! 🙂
Do not fret about being a day late. If that is the worst thing that happens this semester we are golden. I am glad you took a mental health day. I did that recently too. I have been ripping my blu ray discs to play on my Apple TV and I spent a few blissful hours adjusting all the metadata for Twin Peaks season 1-3. It was glorious.
Let me know your topic when you can.
I’ve been struggling with burn out a lot this semester, which is unfortunate as I’ve still got a year left. Thankfully both my classes this semester are legitimately interesting, so I’ve been managing, but getting things done fairly last minute.
I haven’t decided my topic yet. I’m doing the global option, primarily because I’m tired of coming up with implementation plans for something my library could do and then getting told no, not your position, not our market, not our vision of a premium experience, not your place to make a suggestion. (Kind of burned out with work too, which is not helping me focus on a library degree right now.)
I haven’t decided which topic for sure (as there’s a paper for the other class due tomorrow, so this is priority after that). But I’m thinking probably Dokk1. I came across the National Library building in Singapore recently, researching for another class, and I’m really intrigued by the large scale urban hub, library, city integration, and sustainable development elements of both of those building. So I’ll probably pick one of those aspects to focus on.
@kcole It feels as though it is a very different semester this time. So much happening in the world and in everyone’s lives.
Your brief topic sounds spot on. Might be good to focus outside of the US and leave the implementation plan stuff behind for awhile. 🙂
We are less than a week away from our new website launch at work, so things have been very hectic there and spilling over into non-work time, but other wise things are ok. I’ve been having lots of fun exploring topics for my directors brief and have finally settled on one!
@barbarab Congrats on the web site launch!
Thank you!
🙂
@michael
Things are going pretty good for me. I start a new position at my library district the week after next, so that is exciting. I’ll be part of a district-wide team that will oversee programming for children. I’m looking forward to applying what I’ve learned about innovative and patron-focused library services, thinking outside the box, and evaluating what we do.
I’m also excited because after this class all I will have left is my e-portfolio next semester and I will be a GRADUATE! I took the 5-year one-class-at-a-time route as I work full time. I’m glad I did, as I was able to focus on my class work and my regular work, but I’m looking forward to being done soon.