Librarian Trading Card

Using the Trading Card Maker was fun!

Flickr

Flickr is one of those technologies that make me a little nervous and yet I also find amazing. I believe that we are all responsible for ourselves and should be self-censoring with the ability to make judgments about the information we choose to reveal to the world. We have developed into a society that displays both voyeuristic and exhibitionist tendencies. Our televisions are packed with reality shows and online YouTube's slogan is "Broadcast Yourself." Little kids and their grandparents have MySpace pages that are chock full of personal information. So it is no surprise that we might like to have a Flickr account and post for the world every photo we take when we also have blogs to record every thought we think. Our "personal" lives are not so personal once unleashed to the Web along with various bits of data that can be put together from our screennames, hobbies, zodiac signs, and even the tags of our pictures. In some ways, I think it's creepy how much information I could have about people because of their penchants for posting their lives online through blogs and related Flickr accounts. There's a difference between peeping in windows and walking naked down the street and expecting people not to look and we are witnessing more and more naked parades. I'm not saying that parades are bad, but we need to be careful...perhaps liberally apply sunscreen.

I enjoy seeing what libraries are doing with Flickr. It's a great tool to use for sharing ideas, success stories, happy occasions, etc. I did not open a Flickr account. I understand the concept and use but at this point, I prefer to use Google Picasa so that I can share photos easily, but control access.

Goal

I feel very comfortable with technology and am generally able to figure things out on my own but I am not opposed to looking at manuals or books as needed. My goal for this program is to expand upon my base of preexisting knowledge of Web 2.0 technologies to determine what practical applications, if any, I may make to my work in the library. For example, a group of library friends and I have already been experimenting with a book discussion blog. We are curious about the feasibility of having a book discussion blog open to the public. Additionally, through this Play to Learn experience, I hope to investigate the application of podcasts to library programming. Perhaps I will find additional other activities to pursue that will enhance how I learn, how I teach, and how I imagine the future of librarianship.

7 1/2 Habits

Of all of the habits the most difficult one for me is to view problems as challenges (#3). I like for things to go smoothly and I want to be successful immediately. I become frustrated when I understand something conceptually and am unable to put it into action as seamlessly as I would like. Recently I made a quilt, only my second one, and the corners turned out poorly even though I knew, in concept, how they should have been. I can definitely appreciate the skill involved in deft needlework. In general, I believe that if I can research something enough, I can learn it and I have the skills to be an effective learner (#4). I can make goals for myself (#1), find out how to do something (#2), and obtain whatever is necessary (#5) to make it happen.

I created 3 other blogs before this one and needed to learn how to do that. I attended a workshop, read a book, have consulted with a colleague on occasion, use online resources when necessary, and puzzle it out on my own (#5). When I learn new tricks, I teach my blogging co-workers (#7).

Finally, there is no person who knows me who would deny that I play! I have gadgets and gizmos galore (#6). I firmly believe in work hard play hard.

Ainsworth Rand Spofford

I collect Library and Librarian of Congress memorabilia. I have letters and documents signed by 5 Librarians of Congress going back to Ainsworth Spofford. Spofford is my total fav! I'm not sure if it is his name or that he was appointed by Lincoln that makes him seem nifty. I always say that my cubicle is on Librarian Blvd. but I am really on the corner of Librarian Blvd. and Spofford's Alley.

Here's a little Spofford bio from the Library of Congress Web site:

When it became apparent that Librarian Stephenson was going to resign, Assistant Librarian Spofford began to gather political endorsements for the job, and on December 31, 1864, President Lincoln appointed Ainsworth Rand Spofford to be the sixth Librarian of Congress. In 1896, on the eve of the move into the Library's first separate building, the leaders of the American Library Association made it clear that they hoped the 71-year old Spofford would step aside in favor of a younger and more progressive professional library administrator. On June 30, 1897, Pres. William McKinley nominated John Russell Young to be Librarian of Congress; the next day, Young named Spofford as Chief Assistant Librarian, an important job which Spofford held until his death. Ainsworth Rand Spofford was born in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, on September 12, 1825; he died on August 11, 1908, and is buried in Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, DC. -www.loc.gov