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
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.
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!
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
Have a wonderful weekend full of relaxing and doing things which are priorities for you. I’ll be back again next week. Allons-y!
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.
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!
Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope you are well and have a lovely weekend planned. I was going to write a long, involved post about my experience at last week’s ALISE Conference and how I’ve changed my perceptions of conferences over the years, but unfortunately work tasks have caught up with me and I don’t have sufficient time nor brain space to write coherently about that topic today. I’m hoping that next week’s post will be about musing on conferences, networking, and our lovely professions. Instead, today I want to share some inspiration things I’ve seen/read on the web this last week because who doesn’t like some inspiration?
I highly suggest reading Neil Gaiman’s blog post, A speech I once gave: On Lewis, Tolkien and Chesterton. It is a lovely read and will probably make you want to break out your copy of The Lord of the Rings for a read.
If you have some old books that are seriously beyond repair, you could get crafty this weekend and turn them into cute planters such as these. Usually I’m not up for cutting up books, it’s the librarian and archivist in me which objects, but these are adorable and you could always make up quasi-books (you know, if you’ve taken a book binding course or are super-crafty) if you didn’t want to cut up an actual book.
If you need some inspiration on what to make for food this weekend, check out this recipe for fresh spring rolls. Always a good choice for tasty eats.
Finally, how awesome is this escalator in the Tel Aviv Municipality Building? Super awesome!
Escalator in the Tel Aviv Municipality Building via Beautiful Portals
Have a lovely weekend, full of reading, good food, talks with friends, and some time to sit back and get inspired. I’ll be back next week with actual talks about libraries, archives, conferences, tech, and such. Allons-y!
Hello, dear readers! I hope you are well and getting into the holiday spirit. Here on campus it is finals week which is always such an interesting week on campus. The term is coming to a close and yet before the campus goes completely silent, there is a mad rush of energy and activity. Anyway, today I just want to share some thoughts I had as I’ve been meditating on what I heard, learned, and experienced at the Women’s Leadership Institute I attended last week in Laguna Niguel.
First of all, it was my first time at the Women’s Leadership Institute and my first time in Laguna Niguel. Both were wonderful experiences and the first takeaway from the experience was how supportive a lot of supervisors are to fund the travel to the institute for their employees. There were about 150 women who attended the conference and the California State University system was well-represented at the institute. It was nice to see that many supervisors hold professional development of their staff to be important. (I’m very lucky that our University Librarian told me about the conference and supported my attendance.)
Overall, it was one of the best experiences I have ever had at a conference. All of the speakers, from the panelists to the keynote speakers, were amazing. I’ve never been to a conference that had speakers who were so good across the board.
One of the best sessions was the opening keynote by Sara Laschever who, along with Linda Babcock, wrote the book: Ask for it: How women can use the power of negotiation to get what they really want. She was a fantastic speaker and her book is great (I bought it while at the institute and devoured it on the flight home). Her research shows that women are fantastic negotiators when negotiating on behalf of someone else but not good at all when negotiating for themselves. Because of this, women don’t get promoted or get the perks and benefits that men get simply because they don’t ask. Now there are a lot of other gender biases that women have to overcome that men don’t, but actually asking for what they want is a huge first step.
After Laschever’s talk, lots of the women were sharing stories of when they should have asked or negotiated for something and what they had asked for that they never thought they would get. It was great because many then started asking for things, that may seem small but that they would not have thought of before the talk. For example, on the last night of my stay I noticed that I hadn’t been left one of those tiny bottles of lotion in my room. I really wanted one because I hadn’t packed any, but was going to just forego it because I didn’t want to inconvenience anyone. Then I stopped and thought that was silly, picked up the phone and requested a bottle of lotion. Three minutes later, housekeeping was there with two bottles of lotion and I was happy (and proud of myself for actually asking. This may seem like a small thing to you, but to me it was a huge victory to actually ask for something, even if it was just lotion). I highly recommend the book to everyone and suggest you share it with the women in your life.
One of the major themes that ran throughout multiple talks was the large issue of work/life balance. I know I continually struggle with balance in my life (even on the yoga mat) and I was excited to hear about what the very powerful and influential women leaders had to say about work/life balance. Basically, no one has a grasp on work/life balance and the take away message was that you can’t have it all, something always has to give.
I was talking with a library director while I was there and she said that the best thing one can do is extend grace to one’s self because not everything will go perfectly and that’s okay. I think this was one of the most important pieces of wisdom I heard while at the conference because it helps me remember that I don’t need to be perfect when I would never expect anyone else to be. The other very important idea, which we all know but it is a good reminder, is that you have to decide what is most important in your life. To do this, you have to determine what you define as success for yourself and not what others think should define success in your life.
There were also some amazing talks on different styles of leadership, developing your career and your brand, and successfully having difficult conversations. It was an inspiring three days surrounded by many current and future leaders in higher education and now my reading list for the holiday break has grown about three-fold.
Throughout the institute, one of the most enjoyable and rewarding parts was the structured wellness time each afternoon. During wellness time, there were different activities you could choose to join or you could choose to go off on your own for a walk on the beach or time just thinking. It was a great mix of activities and a reminder to take time to slow down and actually be present instead of trying to multi-task for the entire day. It was also a great time to reflect on what we were learning and it made the institute feel less like a blur than other conferences I’ve been to in the past.
In the coming weeks, I hope to share more with you, dear readers, about what I learned and how I think it will impact my career path and journey in the coming years. I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments about leadership and any of the conferences you recommend.
Have a wonderful rest of your day, read a good book, talk with a friend, and remember to enjoy the journey. I’ll be back with more libraries, archives, and tech news soon. Allons-y!
Happy Saturday, dear readers! You read the post title correctly–The Waki Librarian blog turns three years old today! I can hardly believe that I’ve been blogging for three years or that I’ve been at my current position for just over three years. Time really does fly (even if it’s a bit wibbly, wobbly).
I was thinking about what I should write about for my 3-year anniversary post and I had a lot of ideas. But the phrase that kept running through my head over the last few weeks is: “Momma was right.” So I thought I’d share some wisdom and things my momma taught me that have helped me in my first three years as a professional librarian and archivist because they might help you, too. So let’s get into the good stuff.
First, you have to understand that my momma is a pretty brilliant woman. Besides teaching me to bake a mean pie and replace a kitchen garbage disposal, she also taught me that we are in control of a lot more of our lives than most people want to believe. She sold her car to buy a motorcycle in order to afford the first payment for tuition to veterinary school at a time when women just didn’t become veterinarians. She doesn’t buy into the societal delusion that there are just some things that women don’t do. And, even though she’s not a librarian, she instilled in me an awesome appreciation for libraries and self-taught learning. And she was pretty much right about everything, not that this fact is at all surprising to her.
So what did my momma teach me that have been essential in my work? I’ll give you three things that are essential for success at work and in life that I still don’t see a lot of people doing.
Being kind is super-important
Being kind (aka being nice) seems to be a lost art on most people. But my momma impressed upon both her daughters that being kind is super-important. It’s what keeps us civil and makes the world a little nicer place. Everyone wants a little kindness and not only will being kind allow you to sleep with a clear conscious at night, it will help you in your work, too. People like to help the people who have been kind to them and who go (even a little) out of their way to be nice. So as you are fast-tracking your way to the top of the librarian or archivist heap, be nice about it. Say hi in the morning to everyone, remember that it was their niece’s birthday party over the weekend and ask them how it went, and even bring in cookies once in a while.
The great thing about being kind is that it makes the world a better place and it doesn’t matter if you are an introvert or an extrovert, you can still be a nice person. Being nice shifts your perspective and will get you through the chaos, trust me on this. But, if you are like some people I know, and need a concrete reason for changing your behavior so you get ROI, think of it this way: being nice will ultimately get you what you want. So if you can’t be nice just because it’s the right thing to do, be nice because it will help your career (although my momma might have a thing or two to say to you if she finds out this is why you are being nice).
Being kind is not the same thing as being a pushover
This is something my momma made sure we understood when growing up. Being nice doesn’t mean you have to be the pushover that some sections of society thinks you should be if you are kind (especially if you are a woman). I think this is one of the stereotypes that I’ve had the most trouble fighting most of my life. People need to understand that you can be both a nice, kind person and a strong person.
Especially when you start your career, there will be people because of your age, or your inexperience, or because you smile, who think that you’ll be easy to push around and use for furthering their agendas. Remain civil, but nicely say no to their machinations. You don’t need to put up with any of that. And, if you’ve been nice (and I mean sincerely nice and caring) to others at your work and in your life, they’ll have your back, too. See? Being nice creates an environment that allows you to be strong. It won’t be easy all the time, but it’s worth it. If being kind allows you a clear conscious at night, being strong will give you a happy state of mind and confidence.
Being yourself will ultimately make you successful
Everyone says this and they’re right, but my momma’s lived it and that makes her evidence stronger, in my mind, in support of being ones’ self at work and in life. I’m not an extrovert by nature and I’m definitely not someone who is comfortable with “tooting my own horn.” I also don’t promise pie in the sky to people, if I can’t deliver. And, while I love bright and shiny tech tools as much as the next person, I’m a private person by nature and so some social media and I don’t really get along. To some, especially if you read marketing blogs or professional development advice, this means I’m on the fast track to oblivion.
I beg to disagree. Hard work, as my momma would say, wins out in the end. If nothing else, us Waki women work harder and smarter than a whole heck of a lot of people. And this, over the course of say three years combined with being kind and slowly building relationships, will make anyone successful. Does it take more time? Yes. Is it as glamorous as blowing up on Twitter over night? Nope. But it is the way to building a lasting career? Totally.
I believe in continually learning and growing. My momma taught me that. But I also believe in staying true to what makes you unique and you because then you do your best work and hopefully find success and pleasure in your work and in your life.
So those are just a few of the life lessons my momma passed on to me and that I’m now doing the nice thing and passing them on to you. You’ve probably heard it all before, but have you taken the time to try being kind, being strong, and being yourself? Try it out and don’t forget to have a cookie once in a while, cookies are cool, too.
And whenever I get down or need to remember my momma’s advice, I hear this song in my head (really not surprising, if you knew my momma, even if it’s not quite about what we’re talking about now):
Have a wonderful rest of your weekend, give your momma a call, have dinner with some friends, and curl up with a cat and a good book (and a cup of tea or glass of cider, whatever wrinkles your prune). I’ll be back next week with our regularly scheduled archives, libraries, and technology programming. Allons-y!
Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope your day is going well. Today I just want to talk a bit about balance and leave you with some fun for the weekend.
Now I’m probably not the person to talk to about finding balance in one’s work and personal life. I’m the first to admit that I often get too caught up in projects, research, and teaching and work some crazy hours. But I’m trying to be better and find some balance–even if that balance only shows up if you look at an entire month or year of my life and not on a daily or weekly basis.
Luckily there are others that have the balance thing down much better than I do. So if you need some help with balance, especially going into the weekend and end of the summer, check out Lifehacker’s great article, how to stop working and go home at night.
And for a librarian-focused article, check out Michael Stephens’ post, Finding Balance?. It’s a nice overview about the different facets of balance we should all try to achieve in our lives.
For me, one of the best ways to de-stress and find a bit of balance is in the kitchen so I love Joy the Baker’s post Summer 2011 as it goes for its great thoughts and recipes for summer. If you like cooking then you should check out this article from Lifehacker, eat like a foodie at home without breaking your budget. Getting good food while on a budget is great.
And we should end on something that will make you smile in an instant (instead of after an hour cooking in the kitchen), so watch and smile at this animated GIF from Beautiful Portals. I love it and it always makes me smile.
tumbling kitty
I hope you have a lovely weekend full of good reads, good food, and good friends. I’ll be back next week with more reflections on libraries, archives, tech, and life. Allons-y!
Happy Friday! I hope you are doing well, dear readers, and are getting ready for a wonderful weekend. Today I just have a few lovely infographics and some fun to get you into the weekend mood. So let’s get to it, shall we?
First, before getting into the tech tip links of the day, I want to turn your attention to this lovely little post by The Art of Non-Conformity on Legacy Projects and the Love of True Friends. This post is absolutely fantastic and true. Every time you step out of your comfort zone, every time you are courageous enough to do something that matters, there will be people who don’t get it and want to put you down. But, luckily, there will also be wonderful people who will support you and help you and make you feel like you are joining a community of people who actually care about making a difference. Read the post. Bookmark it. And come back to it anytime people are making you doubt yourself.
Now on to the tech stuff of the day. First there has been a lot of talk about Google+ lately and if you have an account, you’ll definitely want to check out Lifehacker’s How Do I Make the Most of Google+?. (Also, if you want an invite, let me know in the comments and I’ll be happy to send you one.) You may also want to check out Lifehacker’s What your IM status says about you.
There have been a lot of cool infographics making their way around Twitter and the blogs lately, so I thought I’d share just two of my favorites on social media. First there’s this great Periodic Table of the Social Web. And then there’s this great one that let’s you decide Do You Need a Social Media Detox? If you happen to need a social media detox, may I suggest going outside without your smartphone and enjoying a nice hike or pleasant stroll by the beach? You may also find making some blackberry pie bars and taking them over to a friend’s house for tea relaxing and social engaging without every touching a status update. Just saying.
Or, if that doesn’t work, you could always make like the Doctor and dance as part of your social media detox routine. Enjoy the video clip from “The Doctor Dances”:
Have a wonderful weekend full of friends, good food, great books, and lots of fun. I’ll be back next week with more. Allons-y!
Happy Wednesday! I hope your day is going well, dear readers. It finally feels like summer here in the Bay Area, which is actually a nice change from the cold (at least in my opinion). Today I just want to write a little bit about courage as I’ve been thinking about it a lot and want to hear your thoughts on courage and your work. Let me explain.
Most people would probably agree that courage is a positive attribute or characteristic to possess. Two of my favorite quotes about courage are from Ernest Hemingway and Ruth Fishel, respectively. Hemingway wrote that “courage is grace under pressure” and Fishel wrote that “courage is fear that has said its prayers.” What I like about these quotes is that they remind us that it’s not an all or nothing proposition when it comes to courage. We can still be scared and worried when we are courageous. Courage is not, then, some super-human feat of perfection. It completely works in with my “fake it ’til you make it” approach to a lot of things in life.
So why am I thinking so much about courage lately?
Three reasons:
It is summer quarter which means I have time to breathe and actually reflect instead of simply running around trying to keep up with day-to-day stresses of the regular academic year.
This reflection has led me to ponder how I can foster more courage in my students to stand by their own goals in their education and life. How can we foster courage?
I also wonder how I can have more courage to boldly challenge, share, and implement ideas, research, and projects that may be challenging to my current work and colleagues.
It can be difficult to be courageous and also difficult for some to separate being courageous from being pushy or foolhardy. Perhaps, it comes down to creating an environment that is supportive and encourages people to speak up and share what could be unpopular ideas. Maybe that’s the classroom–it’s a training ground for being both respectful and courageous and through these experiences we (both teachers and students) can be courageous in our work, in our sharing, and in our lives.
Or maybe I’m just over-thinking things and others feel that they are courageous enough in their work and are, for lack of a better term, “change agents” who actually get things accomplished in ways that bring people, ideas, and projects together.
Let me know what you think in comments.
That’s all I really have to share today. Let’s end with today’s great comic strip by xkcd. It *so* reminds me of the craziness with metadata standards.
standards by xkcd
Have a wonderful day and I’ll be back on Friday with the usual round up of tech news and notes to share with your family, friends, and archives/library patrons. Allons-y!
Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope your day is going splendidly and you have a wonderful weekend planned. Today I have a few tools and articles to share with you on relaxing and planning. So let’s just get into the tips so you can get on with planning your weekend.
Yes, I want to share some Lifehacker links on planning, just in case you missed them. I find thinking about planning things anxiety-producing, but actually making and executing a plan very relaxing. Yeah, I’m that kind of person. Anyway, if you haven’t thought about retirement planning, you should, and Lifehacker has a great guide to retirement planning. Sometimes, the Internet is wonderful and the online tools in the article are super-helpful. If you have any other tools you recommend, please share them in the comments.
Also good for planning is Lifehacker’s article on creating a master information kit. I’m totally finishing this kit this weekend and making sure the important people in my life know where to find it and how to access it. Being prepared is good. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Another cool tip is this one from Gizmodo on how to get rid of Google’s black bar. Share it with your friends, family members, and patrons who don’t like the new look of Google. They’ll think you are awesome, really. When I told some of my colleagues how to turn off threading in Gmail conversations, they thought it was wonderful. (I happen to love threading, but you know, different strokes for different folks.) Customization of your online experience= brilliant.
I hope you have the time to take a true vacation this summer. As you get ready for vacation, consider implementing danah boyd’s email sabbatical. This is truly a great idea to avoid having to check email while on vacation and also avoid the dreaded email avalanche when you get back to the office. I find breaks away from work email truly wonderful and plan on implementing an email sabbatical when I go on my next trip, which hopefully will be in the not too distant future (*fingers crossed*).
Finally, I want to leave you with another wonderful photograph from beautiful portals. I hope you have some place similar to curl up with a good book this weekend.
Stairs and Doorway
Have a lovely weekend, full of relaxation, good food and good company (also, a good book and a cup of tea are always nice, too). I’ll be back next week with more tech, archives, and library notes and news. Allons-y!
