It is almost worth signing up for Nerve.com’s premium service just so I could see the uncensored winners of the amateur photo contest “sexiest photo of someone in a library“. You’ll just have to scroll down and imagine what’s under those strategically placed stars.
world book [and copyright] day
Most web sites seem to call today World Book Day but UNESCO is calling it World Book and Copyright Day [“celebrating the protection of intellectual property through copyright.”]. Maybe it’s because the International Publishers Association is a big partner? In the UK and Ireland, World Book Day was last month. Does anyone know why there is a date discrepancy?
how to talk at conferences
Michael has a great short list of tips for giving presentations at library conferences. I agree wholeheartedly with everything he says [especially being prepared to do the material cold, and sitting through other speakers]. I even have a few more points based on my experiences…
- Being well-prepared includes being mindful of time limits. Even if you have a normal stump presentation, try to tailor it for the time you have available. It’s good practice for you and polite to your audience who often has many presentations to attend.
- I always tell people to raise their hands if I use words they don’t understand. This reminder gives me a chance to informally talk to an audience beforehand and lets me know if I’m misjudging their level of knowledge.
- Offer multiple ways for people to talk to you after your presentation. Not everyone feels comfortable asking questions in front of a large group, but if you stick around afterwards, or make your email/IM/web address clear, they can follow-up with you. I also put all my talks online so people can refer to them, or click through some of the links I had later on.
- I always try to thank the people who invited me or otherwise facilitated my being there. Conferences are often stressful for everyone involved and trying to be affable and low-maintenance as a speaker, as well as appreciative as an attendee afterwards can help ensure that you are invited back.
hi – 22apr
Hi. I used up all my hours at work early in the week so I have to stay home and do nice National Library Week things from home, like read! I reorganized my one real reading bookshelf today. See if you can see what classification scheme I used.
letter writing for prisoners
Karen Schneider and others have launched a NLW campaign to assist the imprisoned Cuban dissidents. This is one of the first approaches to this issue that I have seen that focuses on the plight of the prisoners themselves and doesn’t make their librarianness [or lack thereof] the central issue. You can work on this project and not have to listen to a lot of polemic vitriol against ALA, you can just help. If you want to work for reform within the US Government and the Helms-Burton Act, this may not be for you. Check out their Freadom Project. Nice going, team.