Auld Lang Blog

We're a week and a half away from the New Year, and I feel like I didn't get anything done, (folds arms across chest and sticks out bottom lip). And, then I reviewed my blog from 2011 and my lord have I had a full year!

I accepted my new position in January and got to work as an art librarian and archivist. Then I got to travel to Midwinter in San Diego -so great! My dance card was full catching up over early morning and late night meals with fellow librarians. I got to stay with friends and family in SoCal while attending sessions and getting residency things squared away. It wasn't exactly a vacation, but it sure felt like one.

In February with new classes to teach I also had a brief brush with fame while guest blogging for The Desk Set. That was a fun and strange experience. I have my own blog... but, I'm blogging for someone else, virtually about the same stuff.... Well, it was a good experience! Then in March I got the flu and I'd like to say I learned a lesson, but I STILL have not gotten my flu shot yet this year. (I'm going to hell.) Then there was ACRL in Philadelphia where I also managed to attend really amazing sessions and learned a lot. Most memorably from a Towson colleague, David Dahl, that gave a great presentation on capturing ideas.

In April I started talking about how I use Google Docs and a few librarians here have implemented my design into their classrooms, which is really neat to see! I guest blogged on the subject and did a short presentation at a local workshop and am keeping my fingers crossed over a national publication on the topic in 2012.

I took a hiatus and a fellow resident, Hannah Lee (check out posts), and fellow Kent State grad, Melissa Ravely, (check out posts), stepped up with some great guest posts. When I returned I found out that I was accepted to present at two national conferences. I did one presentation on my oral history project in October but not having sound, despite being assured there was audio, (among a couple of other glitches), turned the whole experience into a complete flop. My head is still partially buried in the sand from that one. I'm hoping to make a comeback, however, when I facilitate a panel on residencies at ALA Anaheim in June -thank goodness we won't need anything other than Powerpoint for that!

What else? I wrote a Manifesto, talked about an Occupy Wall Street Guide, and... What am I forgetting? Oh yes, I had a baby. And yeah, all that mushy gushy, "best thing that ever happened to me," blah blah blah, yadda, yadda, yadda, is all true. I couldn't go into all of that if I tried. But, suffice it to say that if you run into me with my phone and ask about the baby, you will be stuck watching me flick through my online photo album while sighing wistfully over how she's grown so much in the last 7 months. I hope you won't have any plans immediately following our hypothetical rendezvous, because you won't make them. Go ahead and cancel them now. I'll wait. Take your time. Did I mention our READ posters? If you're in my family a framed edition may be coming to you for the holidays this year. What better gift than the gift of me! (She remarked, modestly.)

What's next? Well, I have a lot of irons in the fire. I think that's the way to make it in this complex academic librarian world. I've submitted to present with a number of colleagues on different subjects at next year's JCLC, (Joint Conference of Librarians of Color), and am waiting to hear back. I'm also hurriedly working on getting some publications finished before students return to campus and teaching consumes my every moment. I also have my dates set for working on my oral history project this year, and this new group of students are so excited based on the little video I showed them. I'm also putting together a proposal to teach an honors course in the fall that incorporates the oral history project. So, it looks as if next year is shaping up to be just as busy, if not more so than last. I'm getting a little excited! Bah-RING IT!