Communication

Learning about Time, Work, and Life

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope that your week has gone well and has been productive. I can hardly believe that we are coming to the end of August. Where does the time go? Today I want to share some of my thoughts on time, work, and life as I’ve been thinking a lot about the next steps in my life (especially since the question of, “What are you doing next?” has been asked by a lot of people after they learned I finished my PhD).

With limited time, we all know that we we can’t do everything, but that doesn’t always make it easier to figure out what we should be spending our time on each day and overall. There are many posts, especially on Lifehacker, about making your job better, working more productively, or making work feel less like work (including the great articles on the 80/20 rule and on the joy of missing out). But, even with help on making the daily work more productive, without having a plan or at least an idea of where we want to go, we can just feel the time slip away without having a sense of fulfillment. I know, personally, that this can happen incredibly easily, especially in public services like libraries and archives where we often have to respond to varying levels of emergencies and last minute events that can derail a well-planned day.

I probably think way too much about what I should (and want to) ultimately be doing in life (especially if you ask my friends and family), but I still believe it is important to plan one’s life and not let everyone else dictate my priorities. Luckily, I was able to have a lovely, long chat with one of my doctoral supervisors about the issues of work , life, finding balance and purpose, which made me feel much better about my life and where I want it to lead.

It is a cliche, but still true, that in the end the majority of people will not bemoan not spending enough time at work, but will bemoan not spending enough time with family and friends, with hobbies that s/he loved, and on enjoying life. Now this of course doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t work hard at work, but that we should enjoy all the parts of life and not become workaholics, which I find a seductive, but unhealthy trap that I can too easily fall into, especially as I’m fortunate and love the work that I do because I love to teach, mentor, research, and connect people to others and to new ideas. So after much thought and thanks to my supervisor, I’m going to share with you some of my plans for the coming years.

I’ll continue to work efficiently and effectively at my position as Online Literacy Librarian and Archivist. I will be the one who gets in early in the morning and works, in a single tasking manner all day, but leaves without staying 10 hours (unless absolutely necessary, because we all know there are times when deadlines hit). Then I’m going home and transitioning into home and project time. Because, as one of my most admired colleagues/friends said, “If you can’t get it done in your working day, you’re probably doing something wrong.” And when I mindfully plan, prepare, and truly work, I can get it done in a day. There’s always more work to do, but it can almost always wait. As an added bonus, I’ve found that when I plan my work like this, I don’t hurry and make mistakes and usually come out the other side with a much better product.

Being mindful, as my dear friend, Hanna, would say, is key. There are always work projects that need to be done, even if they are not something thrilling, but I can be mindful about controlling how the majority of my time at work is spent. That is what has been allowing me to get a lot of work done, help out other colleagues from different departments on campus with their projects, while still being able to go home at the end of the day knowing I’ve accomplished what needs to be done and having a plan for the next day. Also, completely turning off work email notifications on my phone while at home has been one of the best contributors to my more relaxed state in the last few weeks. Because, as another lovely colleague reminded me, “We’re not doing brain surgery here. No one is going to die if you don’t check your email at home.” Thank goodness for that.

Since I no longer have a PhD to work on when I go home from work, I’m taking time to get back into some of the activities I had to put away during the last three years. I’m excited that I’ll have time to work more on my photography (maybe even brushing up on some darkroom work), to finish up designs for friends (including wedding announcements for two of my favorite people on the planet), to read all the books that have been sitting on my “to read” list for years, to bake all the recipes I’ve been saving from Joy the Baker, to find more ways to give back, and to spend more time with my friends and long-suffering partner (not to mention my cat, who will tell you that she suffered the most during this last period of schoolwork). In short, I’ll be able to balance my work and research with relaxing projects that feed the other passions in my life. To me, this is one of the most exciting developments post-degree of all.

Speaking of exciting developments, I’m going to be traveling to Australia at the end of the year to attend graduation in Brisbane. So don’t be surprised to see some photos in the new year. I’ll also be speaking at Library 2.012 online conference with Clarence Maybee and Virginia Tucker on October 3 at 9am Pacific Time. We’ll be talking about publishing from your thesis and dissertation. So login in if you have time; it’ll be a great presentation.

I hope my ramblings have spurred some thoughts about your own work and life balances. I’d love to hear your advice and thoughts in the comments. What makes you happy/content/fulfilled in work and non-work lives? It’s all a process and luckily we can always get better at how we live our lives.

I’ll be back soon with more thoughts on libraries, archives, tech, and life. I already have some musings on e-textbooks, which I hope to share soon. Until then, dear readers, allons-y!

Writing

/ dwakimoto

Happy Tuesday, dear readers! I hope you are well and are enjoying the last bits of summer. One of the local high schools in my area is already back in session, which makes my morning commute rather interesting. But today, instead of focusing on that, let’s talk about writing.

Writing has, perhaps obviously, been on my mind a lot recently. Now that I’m done with my dissertation, I’m working on a number of articles with various supervisors and other colleagues. So no break from writing for me. Luckily, for the most part, I like writing and I really like getting my ideas and research across clearly to others. That’s probably why I like teaching, too. But what has really fascinated me, both in writing articles and writing in the dissertation process, is how differently everyone writes and what is considered “good” writing.

I’ve really enjoyed this article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, Becoming a Stylish Writer, because it discusses many of the issues I’ve encountered while writing, editing, and revising. I think we should all agree to write more clearly, just say no to convoluted work, and write so that it is a pleasure to read, not a task to endure. I’m in agreement that convoluted, dense writing does not make for a joyful reading experience, nor does it mean that the writer is more intelligent or smarter necessarily.

I know it is a very old piece of advice, but I still like it: Write like you talk or like you think. I just have a conversation with an imagined reader when I’m writing an article, or presentation, or class lecture, and try to be as engaging as possible. Let your passion show through your work. It makes for better reading.

While this article isn’t about writing, it is about communication: a better way to ask for career advice. Share widely and help out yourself and your friends/family members/patrons. This article has fantastic advice and, as someone who talks a lot with graduate students, I can attest that using this advice makes for a much more satisfying and productive informational interview experience.

Also, since hacked accounts have been in the news recently, I had to share Should I Change My Password? Use the site to check if your password has been compromised. Great service.

I hope you have a fantastic day, dear readers. Write something, create something, cook something, and have a relaxing time. I’ll be back soon with more thoughts about libraries, archives, technology, and life. Allons-y!

Getting ready for summer improvement

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I know I’ve been away a bit, but I plead end of the quarter chaos, needing time with friends, and finally getting finished with various projects which I will describe in upcoming posts. But today, today I want to talk about summer. Because yay and *happy dance* it is now officially summer and it is time to seriously consider what you’re doing this summer and I hope it is a mixture of wonderful relaxation and improvement.

For the bakers out there, definitely get yourself over to Joy the Baker and check out the lovely summer recipes she’s been posting including: roasted strawberry buttermilk cake. Yay for summer produce!

And, if you are on a budget like me (and really, who isn’t on a budget?), check out Lifehacker’s helpful article on finding free/cheap things to do this summer. Then let me know your favorite things to do. This weekend I’m going to CuriOdyssey via using a Groupon. I’m excited and I’ll let you know how it goes.

Summertime to me always seems like a good time to stop and take stock of how’s it all going. I’ve been thinking a lot recently about conceptions of success and what it means to have a good life. Maybe I’ll have coherent thoughts to share soon. But until then, check out This is Indexed: is that a pulsing vein on your forehead? Truly doing well and being happy are the best revenge (but if you are doing well and are happy, you’re probably not thinking about revenge).

Also, on the happiness front. I really enjoyed this article: 15 things you should give up to be happy. It’s a good reminder to live the life that you want to live and stop worrying about what other people think about it and about you. And while giving up useless criticism is a good thing, sometimes you will still be called upon to give constructive criticism/critiques (especially if you are in a teaching profession), so check out how to give criticism without sounding like a jerk by Lifehacker. Great techniques for all of us.

And because, I can’t help but share cool, beautiful designs, check out how to: hide your ugly wi-fi router in a book cover.

Have a wonderful weekend full of laughter, love, relaxation, and creativity. I’ll be back soon with some thoughts about finishing up projects and moving on to the next projects. Allons-y!

A few resources to peruse during your weekend

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I just have a few resources to share with you that shouldn’t overwhelm your weekend because I think everyone deserves a relaxing weekend. I have a lot of topics that I want to talk about, especially related to jobs and hiring in library and archives organizations, but need a few more weeks to really wrap my head around what I want to say. So, until then, here are the resources and some lovely photos to get you into the weekend mood.

First, don’t you just feel like it should be time to travel? I can’t wait for summer vacation. I had a small taste of vacation last weekend when I went to Half Moon Bay. It was lovely, as you can see from the photos below. Thus, I had to share the 2012 HotelChatter Hotel WiFi Report. Super-helpful for deciding which hotel to stay at given the wifi situation. Yay for free wifi in many hotels!

Colorful Pots

Colorful Pots

Beach along Coastside Trail, Half Moon Bay

Beach along Coastside Trail, Half Moon Bay

After relaxing for a weekend, I always feel like I should take on something new. So while this Lifehacker article, I learned to speak four languages in a few years: here’s how makes me tired just reading it, it also inspires me to start learning another language.

Also from Lifehacker is this great post, Email is not broken, we are. This is great to read and share with your colleagues to try to tame the email beast. I love the advice to set up a social contract about email with your colleagues. I started doing this with my students and it has worked fantastically well. They know how long it will take me to respond to their emails so they don’t stress if they haven’t heard from me immediately and know when to recontact me if the school’s spam filters have eaten their message. If you have any tips on handling email, please let me know in comments.

Finally, if you just can’t face doing one more thing and everything seems like tedium. Henri the cat understands (thanks to my colleague, Liz, for sharing this wonderful video):

I hope you have a wonderfully relaxing and inspiring weekend. Allons-y!

Need for Reflective Space

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope you’ve had a lovely week and have a relaxing weekend planned. I’m looking forward to having a relaxed, quiet weekend. I’ve been incredibly busy the last few months (who isn’t?) and I wanted to take this time to talk about why I’m looking forward to stepping back in another few months to reflect and figure out what is next. So let’s have a moment to reflect together on the need for reflective space in our heads and lives.

I love this photograph:

"Pixies backstreet" by sofiatown via Beautiful Portals Tumblr

"Pixies backstreet" by sofiatown via Beautiful Portals Tumblr

This photograph, to me, is beautiful and also invites the viewer to image what is just down the passageway. It also reminds me of peaceful, quiet moments that give me room to breathe and think and be.

So what does this have to do with libraries and archives? Well, I just sat through another webinar on innovation and change, which was interesting, but had the focus on collaboration and spaces with lots of people and things going on to help with thinking of new innovations for libraries. All of which, I hasten to add, is good and important, but not enough for innovation either in the libraries or within ourselves. We need time alone, time to think, and time to reflect (and meditate) if we are to have those sparks of creativity and find the path forward.

I’m reminded of this post by Gizmodo Why you never hear about world altering inventions created by committee. I’m hoping to read the book the post is based on, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, next week when I get it through LINK+ at my library.

If we don’t have space to reflect, by ourselves, we can spend a lot of time spinning our proverbial wheels and not making deeper connections and figuring out the roots of problems, innovations, or ideas that can help us grow and change. So I’m challenging myself to take more time to reflect, to build in the space to meditate so that I can actually see what needs to be done next, instead of only putting out fires when they happen, whether at work or in my life outside of work. Remember, as other articles and research have shown us, if you’re working over 40 hours a week, you’re probably not working at your peak. I have to remind myself of this daily and I’ll let you know what I find out in the coming months.

If you want one thing to read (and like to meditate on typography) over the weekend, check out Lifehacker’s A Non-Designer’s Guide to Typefaces and Layout. I’m biased, I know, but I think learning about design and working with layout a way to actively reflect and meditate.

I’ll be back soon with more on libraries, archives, and tools for you to use in your work and in your life. Allons-y!

Friday Priorities

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers. I hope your week has gone well and you have a lovely weekend planned. Here in the Bay Area, we are looking forward to a weekend of rain and perhaps even thunderstorms. I’m looking forward to it because we definitely need the rain. It has been a busy week here (but really, what week doesn’t seem busy?) with candidates interviewing and our wonderful archives assistant leaving for another opportunity. So I just have a few things to share about how to prioritize, along with some tips and goodies as always.

I really like this post from Lifehacker on instead of saying I don’t have time, say it’s not a priority. It’s a nice, simple way of prioritizing what you do in your life. I know I have to stop and reflect often to make sure I’m both 1. not doing busy work just because and 2. am making time for those things that are important in my life. It’s like my momma always says, “You always have time for the stuff in your life that is important to you.”

Also, click through to the original article that Lifehacker is riffing on to get some more tips and thoughtful advice. And, I have to say, I’m definitely in the camp of people who work intensely instead of longer hours (yay for single tasking!) and yes, I definitely need 8 hours of sleep a night (and that is a huge priority for me).

If saving time is a priority for you (and really, who doesn’t like to save time), check out how to quickly read a terms of service. Not only will you be able to save time, you’ll also be more informed about all those services you sign up for and what you’re actually agreeing to.

I love design and I appreciate those who take the time to make sure that products, websites, and services are not only functional, but also beautiful and a joy to use. Thus I quite like Lifehacker’s top 10 pro tips and tools for budding web developers and designers. Check it out and share it with those people in your life who are getting into web design and development.

I leave you with this absolutely lovely image found through the wonderful Beautiful Portals Tumblr:

"A Touch of Rose" by Emerald Depths

"A Touch of Rose" by Emerald Depths

Have a wonderful weekend full of relaxing and doing things which are priorities for you. I’ll be back again next week. Allons-y!

Friday Round-up: Traveling, Jobs, Typography, and Baking

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! Can you believe another week has come and gone? I don’t know where the time goes. Anyway, let’s get down to business. I have some interesting, helpful, and fun links to share today before we head off into what appears to be a rainy weekend here in the Bay Area. (I hope soon to return to longer posts about the nature of archives and libraries, but that will happen after I’m finished with the few massive projects–more on those later, too.)

Anyone else want to take a vacation? I’m so ready for a vacation, especially since it will be summer soon. If you are like me and are a bit of a geek, you’ll want to check out the geek-friendly travel checklist before your next trip. Yay for travel checklists!

Another thing that has been on my mind recently is hiring librarians, probably due to the fact that my library is currently in the interviewing process. If you are hiring or looking for jobs, I suggest you check out Hiring Librarians blog, which reports on survey results from hiring managers on what to do and not do when applying and interviewing for jobs. Very interesting read and if you are a hiring manager you can complete the survey to share your knowledge and experience with others.

Also, on a hiring/job hunting note, check out Lifehacker’s hidden meaning behind phrases in job ads. Good read and very true.

Do you stare at your computer screen a lot every day? Me, too! So check out and make use of some tips on how to make reading on your computer a better experience from Lifehacker.

Now on to something near to my heart: typography. I love the I Love Typography blog and the latest post is fantastic: Letters & Stone: Fergus Wessel. The photos of the carved stone alone are worth the click through to the blog. I love reading interviews from masters at their craft and seeing beautiful designs.

In other exciting news, Joy the Baker is still on her book tour. I met her last weekend in San Francisco and she is just as lovely in person as she is on her blog. It was super-packed in Omnivore Books, but a lot of fun and now I have a signed cookbook! Check out one of her yummy recipes for biscuit cinnamon rolls. I think these may have to be made for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Have a lovely rest of your day and fantastic weekend full of relaxing, reading, good food, and good company. I’ll be back next week with more. Allons-y!

Quick Tech Tips for Friday

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope you are ready for the weekend and the tailend of your workweek is going well. Today, I just want to share a few cool tech posts that have come through my feeds recently and then send you on your way for the weekend.

Obviously, this post is not going to be one of my long posts about the nature of libraries and archives or thoughts I’ve had recently about teaching. Instead I feel like the kitten in the image below and want to just share a few links before heading out on an adventure (or at least going home to work on my laptop while sitting on the sofa instead of at my desk).

image of a black kitten looking out a window

kitten by My Aloysius via Beautiful Portals Tumblr

Since we are in the process of interviewing for positions at my institution, I’ve been thinking a lot about how people go about promoting themselves and building a reputation. To that end, check out how to promote yourself without being sleazy. There is definitely a line between promoting yourself and being pushy/sleazy/annoying/etc.. Share this with your students to help them as they start to prepare for their careers and to build their networks.

Also, from helpful Lifehacker is the article on the best sites to raise money and get your ideas off the ground. Think of it as inspiration to do something productive this weekend and get some of your ideas launched.

Because we’ve been working on a digitization grant in the archives, I’ve also been thinking a lot about calibrating your monitor. This is a good overview on calibration and tools to help with it. Trust me, calibration is your friend and will make your work much easier.

Finally, is anyone else getting wanderlust? I definitely want to do some traveling this year. If you are looking forward to some travel time, check out the top 10 ways to travel smarter, safer, and cheaper. I especially loved seeing just how much a person can pack in a carry-on bag. I definitely need to up my game for carry-on packing for airplane travel.

And, finally, if you are feeling a bit blue (or need to make something because you might have forgotten that this coming Tuesday is Valentine’s Day), go make some lovely peppermint bark cheesecake truffles. I mean, who can feel poorly when eating one of these?

Have a wonderful rest of your day, a terrific weekend, and I’ll be back next week with some thoughts about libraries and archives. Allons-y!

Personal Connections FTW

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! It has been a long week, hasn’t it? I can hardly believe we are already in February and on my campus we are in the midst of midterm exams. Today, though, I don’t want to focus on exams or the fact that time is getting a bit to wibbly wobbly for my taste, but instead take a few moments to talk about personal connections and how they really are for the win.

We all know the saying “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” And, I have to say, that for the most part this still holds true. But more than a trite saying, I think it’s the personal connections that we foster that make any of our work successful and our lives fulfilling.

For example, the last conference I attended was interesting to say the least. (Three people in the small cohort of which I was a part got horribly ill and we were all rather shocked by the lack of sidewalks around the hotel the conference was at which necessitated some interesting maneuvers to walk anywhere. But really, that’s neither here nor there.) What I really wanted to point out was that the personal connections I have with my cohortmates and the connections I made while at the conference were the best parts of the whole experience. I also found many of the sessions interesting and relevant which was awesome, but the time spent talking one-on-one is what really stood out for me at this conference as worthwhile.

Now I know that everyone seems to talk people’s ears off about networking, but I find networking difficult and awkward. However, doing research and keeping up with others and having something substantial to talk about it is easy and fun. It takes a while to build up a research agenda and relationships to make it to the point where “serendipitous” moments occur, but it is so rewarding when it happens.

Which brings me to the dreaded committee meetings. I think everyone knows my feelings about committee meetings–I love them when they are productive and get so frustrated and antsy when no progress occurs. As one of my wise colleagues said, “Little work actually happens in committee. Most of the work happens in the hallways before and after.”

So in committee work too, it’s the one-on-one, personal connections that get things done. For example, the last three years I’ve been working in the archives at my university (on top of all my work I was actually hired to do). Along with one part-time staff member, we’ve been processing collections, writing and managing grants, giving talks to classes, working with students on projects, planning digitization projects with the anthropology museum, and promoting the archives at every chance we get. And while we still don’t have the staff or the funding we need to have a full archives program, we are making more connections and more partnerships every day. (Soon the problem will be finding enough hours in the day to get it all done.)

Yesterday, after a committee meeting, this power of personal connections was brought home as we are now in beginning talks to work with the Biological Sciences Department through their natural history collection. It was a combination of meeting an awesome biology faculty member, having worked with the biological sciences department for the last 4 years, and trying to always connect with others that enabled talks of this new collaboration. Personal connections ftw! (Also hard work, lots and lots of hard work. There is no way around putting in the time that then allows one to build the credibility and body of work that reassures others that when you say you will do a project, you’ll actually come through.)

So those are just my few thoughts on personal connections for this Friday. To all my fellow librarians, archivists, and teachers out there, keep the faith in the work you do and the successes will come (even if they bring extra work with them). And, like my momma’s says, always be polite and help others because it helps you out, in the end.

On a techie note, I couldn’t help but share this article from Lifehacker:
stupid things you do online and how to fix them. I’m using this with my next information literacy class. Share it with anyone who needs a brush up on online security, behavior, etc..

Finally, let’s get you on your way to the weekend with Tolkien:

Tolkien from barrow blades via Beautiful Portals Tumblr

Tolkien from barrow blades via Beautiful Portals Tumblr

Have a wonderful weekend, full of tea and kittens with some good reads and eats, too. I’ll be back next Friday with some more thoughts on libraries, archives, and tech. Allons-y!

Happy Friday!

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday and Happy Veterans Day, dear readers! I know I’ve been away for a while after the crazy busyness of Internet Librarian, but now I’m back. And, I have a good excuse for being away for a bit: my sister got married last weekend! It was a lot of fun and if you want to see a beautiful photo of my sister and her husband by Ryan Greenleaf, check it out here. So now that I’m back in archives and library-land, it’s time to get back into the swing of things. So let’s get on to the good stuff!

When I saw this article from Lifehacker, how to make and sustain a good first impression every time, I had to post the link to it. It is a fantastic article and great to share with your students, friends, and family. Making a first impression is utterly important, so check out some tips that will help you make a better one.

For those of you doing usability testing, check out Smashing Magazine’s Comprehensive Review of Usability and User Experience Testing Tools. Super-helpful reviews. And, as Internet Librarian has taught us, usability testing is key for success.

And, because it makes me happy to see an article about an university’s archives and special collections (especially one that is so heavily used), I had to include this article on Iowa State University’s Parks Library. Archives and special collections (and libraries) are super-important and still relevant to researchers today.

Now to just for fun stuff. This photograph makes me smile (and makes me want to take a vacation to Ireland asap!), from Beautiful Portals Tumblr:

National Library of Ireland by faceted nerd

National Library of Ireland by faceted nerd

Have a lovely, fun-filled weekend! If you need some inspiration for weekend baking, check out Joy the Baker’s Pumpkin Millet Chocolate Muffins I’ll be back next week with more tips and tools. Allons-y!