Friends Lake Originally uploaded by ftzdomino Tomorrow morning, Adam and I are leaving for a vacation in the Adirondacks. This is the first time in AGES that our vacations haven’t either centered around a talk I’m giving or a trip to visit family. This is an honest-to-goodness no obligations, do-as-little-as-possible, email-and-feed-free vacation. And after the …
I was thrilled to hear last week about ACRL’s decision to start offering some free Webcasts for members. This is something that many people have suggested to ACRL in the past and I’m happy to see that the organization is starting to respond: Join us on Wednesday, April 2, from 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. …
This will actually be my very first trip to ALA Midwinter, and I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. With my job covering the exhibit hall for American Libraries, I suspect that I’ll be spending more time at the exhibit hall than I’ve spent at the three Annuals I’ve been to …
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on how I was probably not going to ALA Midwinter due to the high cost of travel to attend two meetings. Well, it looks like I will be going after all. I have been asked to cover the exhibit hall for American Libraries, taking over for Andrew …
Jason Griffey the other day suggested alternatives to the traditional funding streams ALA has, and it got me thinking about how ALA could make money in the online medium. I sometimes forget that I have this amazing resource at home (my husband) and that the things I learn from him can sometimes be translated into …
I’ve written some posts critical of ALA in the past and have had a number of people encourage me to get involved so that I can try to make a constructive difference (instead of just complaining). So, when I was asked to be on two committees whose missions I felt strongly allied with, I said …
Speaking of libraries doing 2.0 things just to look cool, there is an organization that I’ve criticized about that in the past. I’ve been concerned that many of the hip, 2.0-ish things ALA has done have been mere window-dressing to make the organization look cool to new members. I didn’t see a lot of changes …
Over the next week, I need to write my column for September’s American Libraries magazine. I’ve already decided that I want to write something about libraries and Flickr, but I’m not sure which library (or perhaps 2 libraries) to focus on. I have a few ideas, but I thought I’d put it out to my …
Oh Meredith, why can’t you just write a nice, short, concise post? I really don’t know what happens! I start writing and my fingers just seem to take over. This is what happens when my husband goes away and leaves me alone with my thoughts. Sorry folks! Something I frequently think about when I go …
When I was asked to be one of the Top Tech Trend experts, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to attend the actual panel session this year, because I was slotted to be on another panel at the same time. I knew I’d at least post something to the LITA Blog, but I …
I’m kicking myself for having turned down the opportunity to take part in this, but I was (and am) way too swamped to take on anything else. My delightfully subversive friends Michelle Boule, Jason Griffey and Karen Coombs have come up with a brilliant reinvention of the conference session, which makes it possible to benefit …
I’m really excited about ALA and I can’t believe it’s coming up so soon! I’m giving three talks and have to do signings and appearances at the exhibits on Saturday, so I don’t have a lot of time to see DC or to go to sessions other than my own. Still, it’s going to be …
A couple of weeks ago, I finally received copies of my re-printed book. The laminate is on nice and tight as it should be and the cover colors are a bit lighter. It looks good. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like my book is shipping (at least I have not heard of anyone receiving a copy) …
Last night, I got an e-mail asking if I’d like to join the LITA Top Technology Trends panel as one of their experts. And it didn’t take me more than 2 seconds to decide that I was going to say yes. Wow! What an honor to be included with such a distinguished group of professionals! …
One thing I have loved about the whole Library 2.0 movement is the push to stamp out the “but we’ve always done it this way” attitude. I am a strong believer in questioning the common wisdom. So often we do things because of tradition, not because it’s the best way to do it. I think …
Could you ever have imagined a couple of years ago that a candidate for ALA President would have a campaign video on YouTube??? 🙂 This isn’t why I personally endorsed Jim Rettig for ALA President. Nor is it his very cool blog. I think Jim is a librarian who has not lost touch with the …
I remember when I got my job at Norwich, but before I started, I wondered what the new job would mean for my blog. How would my writing reflect on my organization? Would people ask me to censor myself? Fortunately, it has not changed what I write in the least. My blog is separate from …
I went to an arts magnet school for high school (and yes, it was a bit like Fame with people dancing and singing in the halls — not exactly the typical high school experience, thank goodness). My “talent” was creative writing. In 9th grade, Frank Cerabino, a columnist for the Palm Beach Post came to …
It’s been almost a year since I wrote some posts about gripes I had with ALA and suggestions of how the ALA could do better. At the time, I was seriously considering letting my ALA membership lapse in the Fall of 2006. Yet last week, I put $200 on my credit card to renew my …
I had really wanted to go to Library Camp East since some of my favorite people would be there as well as people I have been dying to meet for ages. It also sounded like a great opportunity to share ideas with other folks who are passionate about innovation and libraries. However, in early September, …