Plugs

To explain something from the podcast further: podcasters-in-residence

StephenK — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:57:49 -0500

I imagine that the opening to this week's podcast was a little jarring. All I can say is that that was necessary. I will try to explain such further.

What was in the script was:

The production team for Listen is looking for a new home. Due to workplace uncertainties we want to move the show soon. Any library, whatever the type, willing to host the production team that might have related tasks the team could work on is asked to think about it. Provided that work visas are possible, we are willing to consider moving to locations in the Commonwealth of Nations. Our main preference is to stay away from Lake Erie Lake Effect Snow areas within the United States. With a former federal contractor computer technician on the production team, we have knowledge and skills that could bring value to your institution. To talk about this, hit us at the contact form on LISNews but please make sure you complete ALL options shown so Blake is not flooded. You can also send us faxes and e-mails by following the instructions found at lisnews.org/podcast.

Perhaps I might have been too delicate in writing that. Unless we hear otherwise my father is out of a job on April 28th. To use a slang word popular in local television ads, we do not need a blamestorming session for that. Efforts are underway to keep him in place but due to the budget at work being in deficit for the second fiscal year running his departure may be unavoidable. In my own workplace environment things have become unstable due to circumstances beyond my control and the likelihood of a RIF is increasing.

Can the team find new work locally? Right now the mix of available jobs is not pretty in Las Vegas. I do not see either of us able to pull off being waiters all that well. Beyond that, there is not a whole lot out there.

For the purpose of having it on-hand, I put together a budget showing hold-in costs to keep us in place in Nevada until the end of the calendar year. The budget would assume that we would handle the podcast full-time with other production duties mixed in. The total budget including payroll, fixed costs like rent and utilities, and other such expenses came out to a little under sixty thousand dollars. The budget assumed nothing for benefits as frankly nobody here has that at the moment.

So, what was the pitch about at the beginning of the podcast? A potential way around that hold-in scenario would be to have the production team relocated. If there happened to be a library that could host us we would be happy to join your team on a visiting basis. The podcast audio engineer has a few years experience as a computer technician making all sorts of things work ranging from old boxes running CP/M to Sun SPARCStations to SGI Indy and beyond. I have limited experience in electronics and have been a serving cataloger.

The notion would be that a library, preferably academic or public, would host the production team on a visiting basis. The team would have normal and appropriate day to day duties but also have podcast production included in the mix. In terms of relocating, we will be free pretty soon to do such I fear. Some areas we would consider relocating to include:

Pacific Northwest
Areas of the southern United States not prone to hurricanes and otherwise not California
West Virginia
Mid-Atlantic states except for Lake Effect Snow areas
Canada
England
Guam
Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands
Australia
New Zealand

I am trying to be prudent in bringing this up. If anything I want to throw the notion out there for folks to consider. There are several ways to reach me. You can find those at http://lisnews.org/node/29265 with telephone numbers in standardized format. If anybody has interest in exploring this seemingly radical notion that is somewhat old-fashioned outside librarianship, please let me know.

Life sometimes throws curveballs. Living is not always a matter of determining how one might act. All too often this modern life requires more attention to how to react.

Stop By Booth #113 If You're Heading To PLA

Blake — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:53:46 -0500

LISNews author "birdie" (aka Robin K. Blum) has a booth at PLA this year. Stop in and have a look at Her IN MY BOOK cards. The cards have been acclaimed in the press (Publishers Weekly calls them "sentimental greetings that make endearing gift enclosures") and you can get one for free, just say "Birdie sent me!"

Insanity @ My Library: A Photo Contest

Anonymous Patron — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:57:15 -0600

Scott Douglas has released full details of a book give away contest here:

Do you have a picture that perfectly illustrates the insanity that takes place at a library? Maybe it's the book drop that was destroyed by a firecracker, the librarian who never matches his socks, or the library that is completely falling apart and has structural damage to prove it! If so, send them to me and you will automatically be entered in a drawing for a free signed copy of Quiet, Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian.

Job

mdoneil — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:51:54 -0600

Apply

http://floridalibraryjobs.com/more/index.cfm?fuseaction=job.view&jobID=2325

TalkShoe Errors Delay Uncontrolled Vocabulary Until Thursday

StephenK — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:40:26 -0600

As noted at the show's blog, the thirty-first episode of Uncontrolled Vocabulary is delayed until Thursday at 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (3:00 AM GMT Friday, 7:00 PM Pacific Standard Time Thursday). Details on how to participate can be found at the show blog. Technical issues with TalkShoe prevented recording an episode at the appointed hour on the regular day.

Folks with stories as well as fun things happening in their library or other sort of knowledge management organization can also contact the LISTen team. Interviews are possible still this week. By calling any of the four telephone numbers posted based around the planet, a voicemail can be left for the team to consider.

Book Giveaway Contest News

Anonymous Patron — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:07:05 -0600

"Quiet, Please" & McSweeney's author Scott Douglas has announced plans for a book give away; one book a week will be given away beginning at the end of March and extending into April. He is currently looking for ideas on what the contest should be. Share your idea with him at scottdouglas@scottdouglas.org or by commenting on the blog:

Complete contest details will become available in February.

LISjobs.com launches online community

Anonymous Patron — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:53:00 -0600

Hi all - I launched online discussion forums at LISjobs.com yesterday, and would love to see you there!
LISjobs.com, the largest free library career portal on the Internet, is pleased to announce the launch of its new online community for librarians. Devoted entirely to career development and job hunting, these forums provide a space for librarians, LIS students, library workers, and information professionals to discuss professional development issues: http://lisjobs.com/forum/.

“I’m excited to be able to offer this space for collaboration and discussion,” says Rachel Singer Gordon, webmaster, LISjobs.com. “As librarians, we know that we work and learn best in community — I look forward to watching the forums grow.” Current forum moderators include:

* Michael Stephens, LIS schools
* Jess Bruckner, Jumpstart your career
* Meredith Farkas, Professional development and participation
* Susanne Markgren, Talking tenure
* Kim Dority, Professional writing
* Sophie Brookover, Work/life balance

In recent related developments, Info Career Trends, LISjobs.com’s professional development newsletter, has moved to the Wordpress platform to better serve its subscribers. Its long-time career Q&A columnists, Tiffany Allen and Susanne Markgren, have moved to their own blog, and author/entrepreneur Kim Dority joins in with her new monthly column on “Rethinking Information Careers.”

Info Career Trends continues to fill an underserved niche, devoted entirely to career and professional development issues for librarians and information professionals. The newsletter and column content are accessible at: http://www.lisjobs.com/career_trends/. Rachel Singer Gordon shares: “I’m so pleased to bring Kim on board, and to watch the Library Career People column evolve in its new blog format. I look forward to hearing others’ opinions across the LISjobs.com online community.”

LISjobs.com, launched in 1996, provides free library-related job listings to both employers and job seekers, as well as related services from resume postings to career development blogs.

FreeRice - Boost Your Vocabulary and Feed Hungry People

Karl — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:20:53 -0600

The website FreeRice (http://www.freerice.com) has two purposes. First, they want to help people improve their English vocabulary. The site gives you a word and four possible synonyms. Get it right, and you advance to a higher level with tougher words.

At the same time, advertisers who appear at the bottom of the screen donate 10 grains of rice per correct word to the World Food Programme, which in turn sends it to countries in need around the world.

As of now, FreeRice has paid for just under 4 billion grains of rice, hovering at around 200 million grains per day. Not bad considering it launched on October 7 with 830 grains!

Hale Manufacturing: Lovely Library Furniture

Blake — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:19:00 -0500

I feel like I owe a plug to those nice guys over at HALE for all the free beer @ALA. Hale Manufacturing prides itself on being artisians in quality wood craft and although they are best known for bookcases, they can also custom build any variation of bookcases or office furniture that you can dream up.
Check out some of their custom built library pieces, Recent Installs, or The Catalog.

May is Free Museum Month, for BOA cardholders

Blake — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:47:00 -0500

mdoneil writes "Bank of America is underwriting admission fees to museums. Many museums in a dozen or so states are participating. A BOA credit card, ATM, or MBNA card plus ID will get you into 85+ museums for free.
I wouldn't run out and open a BOA card just to get this, but since I already have one I may take advantage of it.
For the complete scoop see the BOA Museums on Us website.
If it is free, it is for me!"