I sometimes have a hard time talking about technologies I don’t know much about. I can see things like cell phones in a professional context — library policy, kids IM on them, they’re good for updates — as well as in a personal context — I don’t have one, I can’t get service at my house, if I really wanted one, I would have one. I feel this way about podcasts as I’ve said before. I don’t listen much to radio shows, sometimes I feel like the only person of my political persuasion who isn’t an NPR junkie, so podcasting doesn’t appeal. On the other hand, the whole idea of personally created content appeals to me much the same way that zines do. How great is it to be able to produce your own radio show and immediately be able to distribute it internationally? Seems sort of great. With that in mind, I point you to InfoSpeak created by the tech-positive smarties at the University of Washington iSchool (yes I went there, no it wasn’t anything like this when I was there). It’s “student-produced serial media” which, yes, is a podcast, but if you don’t get the whole podcast blah blah blah, you can also just listen to it online, simple. First episode, one of my favorite talkers Joe Janes, iSchool prof and Google pundit talking about how Google is changing the way we work, among other things. Check out the links next to the description, that’s what I’d like to see from more podcasters. Happy inaugural podcast, iSchool! [thanks carolyn]
Rivkah Sass—Librarian of the Year 2006
Rivkah Sass, Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year for 2006, talks about what she’s done with Omaha Public Library, and where she’s come from. Of particular note: she came from Multnomah County Public Library in Portland, OR which has spawned other great library directors like Seattle Public’s Deborah Jacobs (and one of my favorite librarians and friend Sara Ryan)
Rivkah Sass is a librarian unafraid of, indeed energized by, risk, happy to force change, and rooted in a library philosophy of service and “give ’em what they want.†A teller of truth, willing to risk the consequences. A person boiling over with enthusiasm for people and passion for librarianship. Couple these with a career odyssey that has taken her to all kinds of libraries, both as manager and front-line worker, and you have the ingredients for an exceptional “Librarian of the Year.â€
radical, militant, librarian
You knew it would happen, ALA offers the Radical Militant Librarian button. Update: better looking and similarly priced RML gear available here.
being a librarian “most stressful job of all”?
Apparently a study done in the UK says that being a librarian is stressful, really stressful. More to the point, people in professions known to be stressful — police officer, fireman — haev support structures in place to help them deal with that stress while people in other occupations like librarianship and teaching encounter high stress levels and don’t get as much help in dealing with it. [thanks paul, bri]
Are you a librarian? Do you score like a librarian?
Hey, it’s one of those stupid online tests except this one tests some actual knowledge. Take the Are You A Librarian test.