Library road trip update…

At this point, I have visited over half of the libraries that were on my initial list. I am truly enjoying getting to speak to library directors and and librarians, getting to know the state of their technology, their technology needs, and their plans/hopes for the future. I have started to see some commonality amidst the central Texas libraries and am gaining a good understanding of how I may be able to support them. This phase of my business initiation plan should be complete by the end of April or first week in May. A hearty thanks to the 20+ libraries that have participated. I hope to see many of you again soon!

Another four libraries!

I visited four more libraries today: Cedar Park, Lake Travis, Bee Cave, and Johnson City. I see the need for my skills. I enjoyed each one. Being on the road makes me remember how much I love being part of library world. I get to talk to amazing people that are committed to providing their best in the face of minimal financial support. They are dedicated and want to see their communities thrive. 

Road trip!

As part of start my business, I am driving around central Texas and visiting small public libraries. On Monday I sent email to 23 library directors introducing myself, what I am attempting to do, and to offer them an opportunity to schedule a specific time to speak with me. I have had over half write back. Half of those I have scheduled appointments with for next week.

I wonder about the wording of my initial email. Perhaps these conversations will help me to clarify my language for the future. I am not looking to replace anyone's existing IT services, as many have city or county IT departments that they have to use. My hope is convey that I am the IT professional that specifically knows not only library systems but technology work flow with in libraries. I have spent many years as an in-house systems person. I understand the WHY a library wants/needs different network configurations or firewall considerations. And so much more....

I hope to be the IT person they bring to the table when planning a special project or trying to compose a tech related grant. Of course I can and am willing to do some computer maintenance, but I excel at speaking library with/to IT people. Or most importantly, I speak IT to librarians and their community. 

Simmons University

I spoke with the wonderful people at Simmons earlier this week about possibly being Adjunct Faculty. Specifically, we were talking about their LIS488 - Technology for Information Professionals course which is described on their website as: "This course provides the conceptual foundation and context of computing, Internet and related technologies as used in information-intensive professions. With an emphasis both on concepts (along with an emphasis on terminology that appears in the professional literature) and skills (interactive demos and/or hands-on sessions), the course encourages students in trying out and learning new pieces of technology. The course provides an overview of topics such as how computers work (hardware, software, history of IT); networking; internet, related technologies and the future of WWW; content management systems; RDBMS and XML; ethics; security; information search and retrieval; the impact and implications of technological change on libraries, archives and other information centers; technology today and tomorrow; and other related topics" (http://internal.simmons.edu/students/slis/current/courses/course-descriptions/all-courses). The syllabus reads as a wonderful parallel to my experience and a chance to give new librarians the extra tech edge they meed to get started on their path.

I am pleased to say that they have since expressed an interest in having me join their teaching pool. As with all adjunct opportunities, whether I will be teaching in any given semester depends on demand. However, the first hurdle has been jumped and there is a possibility that they may have need in the fall. 😀

What's next?

Well, indeed, I made it through. I am officially Dr. Tine. Of course the question everyone is now asking is "what's next?". This has been challenging for me to answer to myself. I have a very strobg desire to give back to the library profession. Libraries have saved my life in a number of ways throughout my life by giving me a home and purpose. Coupled with this is a strong sense of helping people and traching/training. My specific area of practical expertise is technology. My research area of interest is international librarianship. So how do I find a path which may afford me some joy at all of these levels?

Currently, I am seeking adjunct faculty opportunities to feed that teaching piece. I am trying to write about my international experiences, not soley from my dissertation. I am tryibg to create and build a library technology consulting practice to assist small and rural libraries. Of course, eventually I may need to get a day job if none of this is fruitful. But until then, I am trying to follow my passions.

I expect I will be posting here more as my world evolves. I encourage you to get in touch if anything I say touches a cord.