Award Tour* or, I Made You a Mix Tape

"People give your ears so I be sublime..."**
I can not get A Tribe Called Quest out of my head since I added two more conference presentations to my schedule this year. Posters aside, that puts me at a total of 4 presentations over the next 7 months. I think this is what happens when you throw a whole bunch of stuff at the wall and see what sticks. My schedule is something like, East Coast/ West Coast/ East Coast/ North Coast. (I call Cleveland, OH -my hometown- the north coast.)

"Going each and every place with the mic in my hand."
I'm doing a couple of presentations on the Cherry Hill Oral History Project -one here in Baltimore next week and the other as a panel member in Cleveland for OHA's (Oral History Association's) annual conference in the fall. I'll also be facilitating a panel on residencies at ALA in Anaheim this June and am teaming up with the members of the working group of my university committee to discuss our diversity award at an international education conference this July in NYC.

Photo via Flickr by NRK P3

"Do that, do that, do do that that that."
How in the world did you have time to do all of that proposing, you ask? Well, I'll be honest. I really didn't have time to put together all of these proposals on my own. Two out of four I am doing the bulk of the work preparing. But, the other two are due to the power of others hard at work that were kind enough to include me in their proposals.

"Buddy, buddy buddy all up in your face!"
I suppose this just speaks to the power of networking. I would never have the time to do all of this on my own so I'm so thankful for the connections and work I've done and talked about -and the work that others have done and talked to me about -that has lead to these collaborations and presentations and plenty of potential future endeavors.


*I always thought they were saying, "We're on a WORLD tour." (I'm sure I'm not the only one.)
**I love you Q-Tip!!

Speaking of hip hop....

It totally trips me out that hip hop, which was kind of sort of considered subversive when I was a kid, (and I'm sure in some super conservative circles, might still be considered so), is actually now a common area of study. My dad would actually storm into my room and pull the plug out of the wall if I had the volume up too loud. (Those devil beats!) So, since the advent and rise of hip hop is becoming an increasingly popular academic subject, I ordered this book earlier this year for our cultural studies department. It's set up like an actual "biblical" text.

The Gospel of Hip Hop by KRS ONE

 The Third Overstanding, "The Divine Performance," chapter 18, verse 16 says:  

"Therefore, let us perform Hip Hop on a higher level. Let us Hiphoppas strive to be better than we were yesterday. Everyday let's seek ways to be responsible toward one another and collectively mature with our handling of Hip Hop. We may start out criminal minded but indeed we shall all end up spiritual minded."

Whether you be a "hiphoppa" or a librarian, or both, the sentiment applies. Go and be responsible toward one another by sharing your awesome ideas and work and I will see you on the conference circuit! (I'm totally going to order a copy for my dad!)

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!

ALA 2010!

I'm heading down to D.C. tomorrow for my very first ALA National Conference.  And, I'm really, really, really, excited.  I have scheduled and double-scheduled and triple-scheduled myself into sessions and happy-hours, and poster-sessions and lectures, and can't wait to meet and hear and just be inundated with the library masses.  

Here are some of the things that look especially appealing to me:

Friday:  
The Unconference / Town Hall Meeting on Diversity (Same time, different   places -decisions!)

Opening Exhibits

Resident Happy Hour in Dupont Circle (Come if you can - we're meeting at the ALA store at 7pm and then taking the metro.)

Saturday: 
LIS Doctoral Program Options Fair

POSTER SESSIONS!!!

Salmon Rushdie / Pecha Kucha Presentations of Marketing Ideas / BCALA     International Filmmakers in the DC Area  (All at the same time! What a cruel world.)

What to do Before you Digitize

Toni Morrison / University Libraries Happy Hour (ugh! same time!)

Sunday:  
Residency Interest Group Meeting

Digitization: Preserving African American Collections & Dave Isay

Teaching AAME Resources by Using Primary Source Materials

POSTER SESSIONS!

 Bookcart Drill Team World Championship (YESSSSSS!!)

Monday:  
Fundraising 101 / Graphic Novel Panel

President's Program: For the love of reference

Exhibits Closing (free swag!)
Battledecks: ALA Rumble Royal (I want to do this next year!!)

Tuesday:  
Amy Sedaris!!!

I have even more on my schedule and lunches and dinners, but this is an idea of what I'd LIKE to attend at ALA.  I know I'm going to miss some stuff or end up at something unplanned, but I'm sure the whole thing will be a big fat great tiring time.  

I'd love to hear from anyone attending and find out what you're most excited about seeing, hearing or attending.  Maybe I'll see you there!