Happy, Happy Day to Hanna and Anna!!!

/ dwakimoto

Hello, dear readers. I hope you are well. This is going to be a short post today as I’m still suffering from jet lag from my recent trip to Ireland, but I had to write to share the news that two of my dearest friends got married today! Happy Wedding Day to Hanna and Anna!

As you can see from today’s post on Anna’s blog, my two friends are now married! *happy dance* And because of my jet lag, I was actually awake when they got married in Brookline, Massachusetts this morning. I am so excited and happy for them. Also, isn’t Anna’s father ridiculously talented? He designed the Celtic knot that was used on their announcements and for their wedding tattoos.

So I’m just thrilled for my friends and had to give them a shout out on this blog. Also, I will leave you with a couple of photos from my trip that should put a smile on your face and will be back next week with our regularly scheduled library, archives, and technology programming.

Sally Gap

Sally Gap

From the Dingle Penisula Tour

From the Dingle Penisula Tour

Have a wonderful weekend, dear readers. Allons-y!

Photo Fun on Friday

/ dwakimoto / 1 Comment

Happy Friday, dear readers! Can you believe it is Friday…again? The time is just flying by. This week I just wanted to share some fun in the form of photos because who doesn’t like looking at some lovely photos on Friday?

I’ve finally gotten time to travel after finishing up my schoolwork and I went to visit one of my dearest friends in Monterey. She happens to be an aviculturist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium (because she is amazing) and so of course, we went to the aquarium.

Pacific Sea Nettles

Pacific Sea Nettles


It was awesome because I saw some of these sea nettles by the wharf when I went walking after visiting the aquarium.

I also finally made it out to Gilroy Gardens. It is an lovely theme park–very family friendly and much more relaxing than any other theme park I’ve ever visited. I loved the gardens, including these amazing circus trees.

Circus Tree

Circus Tree

Gilroy Gardens also did an amazing job with signage as can be seen from the sign at the entrance to the Monarch Garden. It reminded me of how important it is to have beautiful signage that conveys a clear message to the public. It’s a concept that libraries and archives that sometimes forget when putting up handmade signage. (And you thought it would just be about pretty photos.)

Monarch Garden Sign

Monarch Garden Sign

Also, I made it down to the Alameda County Fair, which was a lot of fun and the first fair that I’ve been to in quite some time. The highlight of the fair was definitely seeing all the cute bunnies.

Bunny Close Up

Bunny Close Up

And, for the PSA for the week: if you use Dropbox, you should turn on two-step verification. Let your friends and patrons know about this extra level of security for your account.

Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend, dear readers. I’ll be offline for the next week or so as I’m off traveling again, but then I’ll be back with more information to share. Allons-y!

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!

Where do you get your inspiration?

/ dwakimoto

Hello, dear readers! I hope that your week is going well. I’ve found it a bit difficult to find motivation this week so I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about inspiration. Where do you find your inspiration? Since the only way to to get guaranteed results in anything is doing nothing, we probably all could do with a bit of inspiration now and then to actually get up and get things done. So without further ado, I’m going to share where I get some of my inspiration and hope you will do the same in comments.

Books
Unsurprisingly, I get a lot of inspiration from books I read. Whether it’s Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, or Neil Gaiman’s Instructions (preferably the Charles Vess Illustrated version), I find lots of inspiration and motivation through reading. Reading often motivates me to write, which also helps then inspire more research and discovery. Although, sometimes reading just inspires curling up for a nap, too, which I think is perfectly fine (especially on a lazy afternoon).

Beautiful Portals Tumblr
Without a doubt, one of my favorite places to go for beautiful images and scenes to inspire my creativity. With images like the one below, how could I not feel a sense of calm and desire to go create beautiful things?
photo of Petersen Wyoming reclaimed timber home foyer

Blog Posts
I don’t care what anyone says about blogs being passe or unimportant, I love blogs and get lots of inspiration from various posts about work stuff, designs, and projects. Lifehacker inspires me to be more efficient and learn new skills. Craft Blog inspires me to do creative projects and taught me about pie-in-a-jar which is truly one of the brilliant inventions of this age. More library blogs inspire me than I can possible mention here, along with the brilliant blog posts of my friends. And some blog posts make me angry, which then inspires action.

Walks and Yoga
I am a fan of walks and yoga because both can be done with minimal equipment, make me feel good, and aren’t competitive. I quite like those properties of walking and yoga. I also find them to be forms of moving meditation which is good for people like me who find it hard to sit still for long periods of time, but still crave clarity and need to get away from a computer screen sometimes.

So where do you get your inspiration from, dear readers? Do you find the need to recharge to find inspiration or does your daily living give you enough inspiration that you are filled to the brim?

I’ll be back soon with more thoughts on libraries, archives, technology, and connections. Until then, read, pause, and enjoy the summer. Allons-y!

Job searching, success, and life

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! How excited are you that it is almost the weekend? I’m super-excited because this is the first weekend in months that I don’t have anything planned. An entire weekend of relaxing is almost too much to contemplate. But first, let’s talk about some important stuff like job searching and success.

I think about job searching a lot because I have friends who are looking for work and I talk with a lot of graduate students who are looking for work. Also, I’ve been on hiring committees and that always makes me reflect on the entire job search process. Luckily for those of us who help others with their job searches, or are looking for work ourselves, Lifehacker has a ton of great information on the entire process. So below I share some of my favorite recent-ish links so you can use them or share them with others.

I think everyone should read this article: your resume is a sales letter. I try to get students to realize this fact, but most seem bent on making it difficult to read their resume. Make it easy for the people on the hiring committee to find the information they need. Don’t make them search for it.

This is a great article on how to combat the most common problems when searching for a job. Seriously, it should be bookmarked and re-read periodically whenever you are looking for a job.

Once you get a job, or have a job, you need to be careful to set boundaries and actually define success for yourself or else you may find yourself consumed by projects without making any forward motion on your own goals. Also, stop working all those long hours. Long hours don’t make you more productive or efficient or even effective. If you can’t get it done in 8 hours a day, you may be doing something wrong. Also, saying “no” strategically helps to no end in reasserting power over your workday. Remember, if you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.

If you want to be part of the solution to not wasting people’s time at work, be a good committee chair because we are all stuck in too many meetings that we are required to attend. There’s a reason why people like having me as a chair of committees. I don’t waste people’s time, I’m prepped and have agenda items, reports, working documents, etc. out to committee members in enough time for them to actually review them, I don’t let one person dominate the meeting because everyone should get a chance to be heard, and I make sure that we always get out on time, if not early. (Seriously, that’s all it takes to be a good committee chair. I’m not saying that it’s not work, but you will save everyone so much time by being a good chair.)

Also, I love this idea of always having two lists, one of things to do and one of things to ignore.

Oh, and because we can’t be and shouldn’t be about work all the time, check out a geek’s guide to budgeting hobbies.

And finally, something inspiring for your weekend, watch this artist create some amazing 3D chalk art:

Have a wonderful weekend full of relaxation and fun. I’ll be back next week with more thoughts on libraries, archives, and life. Allons-y!

I'm a Doctor, now what?

/ dwakimoto / 3 Comments

Well, not that kind of doctor. But I did receive notice that my PhD was conferred last week and I can now officially use the title of Doctor (at least in academic circles). It’s exciting and I’m relieved to be finished, but it does leave the question: now what?

Working on my doctoral research has consumed the last few years of my life. While some were able to go home and relax or catch up on the latest best sellers, I went home and read articles for my literature review or revised a chapter (again) based on supervisor feedback. My research has been the project that has kept my blogging to a minimum, my pop culture knowledge virtually non-existent for the last few years, and my weekends full of work. However, it has also been the reason for new friendships through the doctoral program, lots of contact with new ideas, and much intellectual growth. It’s been almost all-consuming and a process that I’m very glad I did, even now when I’m too tired to think about having a celebration. This has been my life that now, at the end of it, I have to figure out what it actually means and where I want to go (in all senses).

Since people have found out that I have gotten my degree, I’ve been asked numerous times what I am going to do next. My usual answer is “sleep” because I’m a bit tired (understatement) and need to get over the last bit of stress that accompanied trying to get all the last minute stuff finished. And since Hobbiton doesn’t seem in need of an archivist right now, I’m left to try to figure out what I actually want to do. And you know what? That’s okay.

It’s okay that I don’t know exactly what the next steps are going to be. It’s okay just to be. I love my work with the students and my colleagues here on campus. I’m super-excited about some upcoming collaborations with our amazing Theatre & Dance Department through my archives work and suddenly being “Dr. D” as some of my colleagues have dubbed me doesn’t mean I’ve completely changed. I’ve just grown some. More than anything, I need time to think and reflect about what I want to still accomplish professionally and personally before I undertake any radical changes. Why, after spending years working towards a goal, would I jump into another thing without seriously contemplating where it will take me? As J. R. R. Tolkien wrote,

It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.

I’d like to be in a little bit of control of where I’m swept off to next and I’ll keep you up to date on my journey, dear readers.

Now that we’re done with the update, a few other items. First, one thing I do know that I want to do is get back to blogging more regularly and start processing some of the ideas that I’ve had rattling around in my head for the last few months. So, expect to see more frequent posts here at The Waki Librarian. Also, for all my dear readers who are introverts, I can’t recommend Susan Cain’s Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking enough. I received a copy for my birthday and devoured it. Cain blends thorough research with an engaging writing style that will have you wanting to read it cover to cover in one go. It will make you feel good about being an introvert, if you are one, and understand introverts more if you aren’t one. Until you are able to get a copy of the book, check out Susan Cain’s TED Talk:

Have a wonderful day, dear readers, and I’ll be back soon with some technology and library talk. 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!

Thoughts about Teaching at the End of the School Year

/ dwakimoto / 1 Comment

Happy Friday, dear readers. I hope your week has gone well and you have a lovely weekend planned. It has been a very long week here. I’m not exactly sure why, perhaps because it is near the end of the school year. So today, I just have some thoughts to share about teaching at the end of this school year.

I love teaching. It’s just who I am. I love it, even when it is at the end of the school year and I’m exhausted. It has been a long year here, as I’m sure it has been at your institution, too. But I think what gets me through all the craziness, the budget woes, and the inevitable long committee meetings, is that I love teaching and all the other stuff is what I need to do to get to my teaching. And I hope, if you are in the position to teach, that you love it and that it is something that you truly want to do.

Last Saturday, I was at the library for five hours, not because it was my turn on the reference desk but because I had volunteered to come in and teach a class of AP history students from one of our local high schools how to do research for their papers in our databases. I was the replacement librarian for this class as my colleague who had taught the high school teacher’s class last year wasn’t available this year. It was a blast. We had just over 20 students come and we got to use the new laptops. I got to listen to interesting research questions and suggest books and journals that might help with their research. I was able to reintroduce the teacher to the wonder that is Calisphere (she was already a fan, but hadn’t used it in a while). I got to troubleshoot a host of issues and questions that come from using new resources for the first time (from the students’ perspective). It was the kind of class that makes me excited to take time out of my weekend to teach instead of puttering around the house or catching up on much-needed sleep.

That class was just what I needed at the end of a long school year. I wish everyone could have that kind of teaching experience–the kind that absolutely exhausts you, but at the same time completely, utterly, and fully excites and energizes you because you know what you are doing is making a difference. It may not be a flashy or showy difference in the world, unlike the release of a new shiny tech product, but it is a lasting difference. Because teaching, in my mind, is one of the best things in the world. I’m here because I love to teach.

Why are you doing the job you are doing? I hope it is because it inspires you and keeps you motivated even when it is the end of a long, challenging year, even when your eyes start twitching, and even when you can’t believe there is possibly one more piece of paperwork in the world that you need to fill out. Plus, if you are really lucky, you’ll not only be doing work that inspires you, you’ll also get a lovely thank you card occasionally, too.

In the end of the school year theme, go watch Neil Gaiman’s Commencement Address (unfortunately WordPress won’t let me embed it here). It is lovely. My favorite bit comes near the end when Gaiman says, “So be wise because the world needs more wisdom and if you cannot be wise pretend to be someone who is wise and then just behave like they would.” That is fantastic, wise advice for all of us at whatever point in our journeys we happen to be.

Have a wonderful weekend full of wonder, relaxing, good food, and good friends. I’ll be back soon with more. Allons-y!

Tech Improvements for Your Weekend

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope your week has gone well and you have a fabulous weekend planned. Today I want to share a few tech things you can do over the weekend and a few fun, relaxing things to check out this weekend, too. It is midterms at my institution this week which means everyone, students, staff, and faculty alike, are definitely ready for the weekend. So, let’s get to it.

Lifehacker is probably my favorite site for finding information for acquiring new tech skills, tips, and tools. Check out the article, top 10 highly desired skills you can teach yourself. I love articles like this because they are inspiring and a kick in the pants to actually start working on all those skills I always say I’d love to learn, but don’t have time for. As my momma always says, we have time for the things that are important to us, so if learning Photoshop, programming, or fixing your car is important to you, you’ll find the time to do it. (Also, online learning spaces like Codecademy’s Code Year help a lot.) And, luckily, for learning things like Photoshop and programming, you can do it from the comfort of your couch while in your pajamas this weekend. That is definitely a win.

Also in the useful and not-too-difficult tech realm: turn your underused or unused thumbdrives into awesome indispensable tools this weekend. I’m sure most of us have numerous thumbdrives hanging around our offices and homes, so let’s actually do something useful with all that storage. Yay for getting organized!

Finally, if weekend means having time to actually do cooking/baking projects, you might like DIY Larabars. These sound yummy and fairly simple to make.

And, if none of this sounds like a fun weekend to you and you’d rather just take a nap, curl up with the cat below (I’m sure she won’t mind):

Cat napping from Beautiful Portals Tumblr

Cat napping from Beautiful Portals Tumblr

Have a wonderful weekend. I’ll be back soon with some more tools, tips, and thoughts. Allons-y!