My year in books (and podcasts) 2019
This was a pretty good year for me. Nothing particularly amazing or wonderful or eventful happened to me, though my son has been such a source of pride and light for…
Posted inintellectual freedom librarianship libraries
When libraries and librarians pretend to be neutral, they often cause harm
Two recent events made me think (again) about the toxic nature of "library neutrality" and the fact that, more often than not, neutrality is whiteness/patriarchy/cis-heteronormativity/ableism/etc. parading around as neutrality and…
Thoughts at Mid-Career Part 5: Where to From Here?
This is the fifth in a series of essays. You can access the rest here, though it’s not necessary to read them all or in order. "To me, the only habit worth ‘designing…
Thoughts at Mid-Career Part 4 – The Cult of Productivity: You’re Never Doing Enough
This is the fourth in a series of essays. You can access the rest here, though it’s not necessary to read them all or in order. “These days, I just want to slow…
Thoughts at Mid-Career Part 3 – Our Achievement Culture: What You’re Doing Will Never Be Enough
This is the third in a series of essays. You can access the rest here, though it’s not necessary to read them all or in order. Of all my annoying qualities, my…
Thoughts at Mid-Career Part 2 – Ambition: You are Not Enough
This is the second in a series of essays. You can access the first here, though it's not necessary to read them all or in order: “So maybe my great…
Posted inabout me librarianship mid-career Work Work-life balance
Thoughts at Mid-Career Part 1 – Letting Go, Questioning, and Pathfinding
This is the first in a (probably) five-part series of essays. For about two years, until January, I felt a disturbing lack of ambition. I felt directionless and passionless; devoid…
Posted inhi
My year in books, 2018
I had such good intentions to blog more this year, but the second half of 2018 has thrown me a lot of curveballs emotionally and it's pulled me away from a…
Posted inALA librarianship libraries library school management Work
“Devaluing” the MLS vs. respect for all library workers
I'm sure some of you remember the big push last year and early this year to require the MLS for the Executive Director of the American Library Association (ALA) --…
Posted inour digital future social software tech trends
We are atomized. We are monetized. We are ephemera. Do we deserve more online?
In March and April, I took about 5 weeks off from social media. I didn't post anything to or look at Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. I'd wondered if I'd feel…
Wayfinding and balance at mid-career
It's LIS Mental Health Week; a week focused on raising awareness of mental health. This post isn't about mental health per se, but something that I think, for me, is very…
Posted inabout me ebooks Work-life balance
My year in books 2017
Reading this year has been so many things for me. An escape. A way to educate myself. A way to see my own struggles in a different way through another's…
Posted inWikis
Saying goodbye to the Library Success Wiki
In July 2005, on the heels of the successful ALA Annual 2005 Wiki, I developed the Library Success Wiki. Here's what I said about it then: "I would like this…
The ballad of the sad instruction librarian
It's been a busy Fall term so far and I haven't had much time to spend on Twitter, but I usually check it first thing every morning. When I did…
Whose rights matter more?
My dad recently shared with me a book, written by a distant cousin who is a professor in Israel, about her grandmother's immigrant experience and her relatives. Her grandmother just…
Posted incommunity colleges Higher Ed Work-life balance
Dear Professor
I knew something was very wrong toward the end of Freshman year at Wesleyan. I'd begun to withdraw from the circle of friends I'd become so close to over the…
Framework Freakout presentation and Questions Answered
Last week, I gave an online presentation about the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for the ACRL Student Learning & Information Literacy Committee. It was entitled Framework Freakout: How to Stop…
The dangers of the backchannel: my observations from the #ACRL2017 hashtag
When I took my current job at PCC almost three years ago, I gained so many things: work I love, amazing engaged colleagues, a mission I identify with, terrific students, and…
Posted inALA free the information! intellectual freedom librarianship libraries open access our digital future
Holding to our values during difficult times
I write a lot in my American Libraries column about library values, particularly those around access and privacy. My latest column (Jan/Feb 17), which should be out soon online just…
Posted inabout me
2016 wasn’t all bad
As I alluded to in my last post, this year was a difficult one for me personally that ended up turning out for the better. I know that many of…
