A new conversation is going on around the library blogosphere about being paid to speak at library conferences, particularly state library associations. Since there don't seem to be many bloggers who are actively organizing programming for state library conferences, it looks like I have something to add. I'm not disagreeing with the sentiments expressed by "Jane Eyre," Dorothea Salo, Meredith Farkas, and David Lee King-- who specifically mentioned my home state organization, the Missouri Library Association. But I am going to reiterate David Lee King's point that the only path to change is to get involved.

There seems to be some assumption that speaking fees can be changed in some kind of top-down way, right now, just because it's the right thing to do. I can't speak to other library associations (in fact, a point I'll make further down is that I can't even speak authoritatively about my own), but in Missouri, we have one paid administrator. She has a lot of power in some senses, but she tries very hard to be an administrator and to let the librarians run the show.

The powers that be at any given time are the officers. Many offices are held only for one year. If you went into the office with the intention of rationalizing speaker fees, you might be able to get it done. If you are a current officer who is just now hearing about this issue, who became involved with some other intention, it's probably too late already. The officers are librarians. In the words of Walt Kelly, "we have met the enemy and he is us."

So, here's my experience thus far. Two years ago, I was a speaker at MLA. I asked for an honorarium for no other reason than that there was a slot to do so. I was told that I couldn't get one because I was a member of the association. That is now on the form so I wouldn't go in with that assumption today. My motivation for speaking at MLA that year was that I was still in library school and it would look great on my resume, so I said "no problem, just thought I'd ask"--frankly, at that point, I was just grateful that anyone was willing to listen to me.

Last year, I was a clueless Recorder for the Special Interest Group with the smallest number of active participants in the Missouri Library Association--the Computer and Information Technology SIG. Why is it the smallest? Why did it almost die when that's the area where lots of exciting things are happening? I don't know the history, but I could see that it was dying and I resolved to do what I could to bring it back to life. My main motivation is to see that there is great programming at the conference about technology.

So, this year, I am a slightly less clueless Vice-Chair for the smallest SIG in MLA. I'm also a busy librarian. I've missed meetings that I should have gone to that might have given me a few more clues but, of course, this activity doesn't take priority over teaching my Writing 1 classes or many other aspects of my job.

So, now it's conference planning season and I've begun to realize just how clueless I am. I want good programming, but I don't even know what the process is for paying speakers. Naturally, under the current system, I'm mostly encouraging MLA members to speak because I know that I can't promise them money and they know not to expect it. In the one instance where I actively recruited someone outside of that group, I had to say that I just don't know whether there is money available for them or not. I'll make sure we get that figured out in the next couple of months (and I know I can because I did go to the May conference planning meeting last year, so I know that all questions are answered there--had I not done that, I wouldn't even have that much of a clue). So, at least, I know I won't put someone in Jane Eyre's position. But I am asking people to prepare proposals without knowing what will be available to them in the way of renumeration.

Early next month, the SIG will submit the proposals for programs that we get to the conference planners who will have no way of knowing which proposals are a result of someone volunteering out of the blue and which are a result of my active recruiting efforts--so the concept of "invited speaker" is not all that clear in my association.

I am, by the way, submitting two proposals to speak at MLA with no expectation of being paid. As I said, I'm motivated by wanting good technology programs at the conference. My professional travel money from work will cover this conference (one of the things I really like about my state conference is that it's the one conference I can go to that will be fully covered by my professional development money)--and I may not have time to do more professional travel in the next fiscal year given how much effort I'm putting into MLA.

So, next year, I'll be an even less clueless Chair of what will hopefully, by then, be a SIG with a larger active membership. I might even figure out how to submit a budget so that I know that I have some money to promise to speakers. And, then, I'll be done. Just as I've figured out how to do things right.     #    (3) comments

2007-03-23

Logging work

I haven't committed to Twitter fully, but I am thinking of ways that it can be useful.

First, it's already helped a couple of times as an action-provoking positive affirmation. On Monday, when I wrote "Making the most of my morning off to balance working until 9:30 tonight," it wasn't true -- yet. I made it true with the actions I took over the next two hours. On Wednesday, when I woke up early and messed around on the computer a bit, I wondered what I could twitter and realized that I could be doing the same thing in the sun room so that I could write "watching the sun rise--on the first full day of spring. Surely a good cosmic sign of revitalization and growth and balance."

Second, I can use it as a log. My daily work log is in transition. I started keeping one rather accidentally a bit over a year ago during my first week on the job. I was carrying around a small notebook just to keep track of things and I started noting what I was doing during the day as a grounding exercise during an overwhelming time. The value of that habit became apparent when preparing my 3-month new employee review. After that, I began compiling my daily logs into a weekly report for myself (during my Weekly Review on Friday for all you GTD adherents). Monthly, I use the weekly reports to update my annual review form.

The daily log underwent a change when I started using a paper planner a few months ago. I didn't want to carry a notebook, too, so I thought I'd use the space for a work diary provided in my planner. But it's a little tiny space and I haven't found it at all inspiring. So, along comes Twitter which I do find inspiring, so why not use Twitter for my work log? Granted, I'll have to sift through all my goofy twitters to find the ones that actually say something about work, but I'm a goofy person so that will only add to the amusement. I'll give it a shot for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.

Of course, I won't look at Twitter multiple times a day for any of these productive purposes. I'll do it because it's fun. As the Tinfoil Racoon said in a twitter this morning, "you know. i really like twitter. i like getting tiny glimpses into lives, personal and professional. it suits who i am." 43 Things works the same way for me--it's fun so I use it a lot so I accomplish more of my goals.     #    (1) comments

2007-03-22

Being collegial AND pushing for change

I've been thinking, for a couple of weeks now, about "What Price Collegiality?" the post on Library 2.0: An Academic's Perspective. I've seen this idea on other library blogs, too, in various contexts -- that we can't promote change in our libraries if we're too nice, too agreeable, too collegial. Since I haven't heard any dissenting voices, here's one.

You can be collegial and make changes in your library at the same time. It takes some finesse. Sometimes, it takes some patience, but not as much as you might think.

If you bring up your idea in a weekly meeting every week for a month or six weeks, the person who thought it intolerably scary at the beginning of that time is now thinking "that old idea again? why doesn't she just get on with it!" And, the next day, you're registering an IM address for the reference librarians and downloading Trillian on the computer at the desk.

Here are some other strategies:

• don't surprise everyone in a meeting with your idea--have an ally or two briefed beforehand to show support


• solve problems that everyone knows exist rather than tackling the ones that only you see (and start pointing out the ones that you see so that eventually they will meet the criteria of common knowledge, as well)


• remember that sometimes it's easier to get forgiveness than permission -- for small things that you can do yourself or with a small group of like-minded individuals, present a fait accompli


• do your research -- show examples of other libraries doing what you propose


• write really professional project proposals--especially, if they aren't part of your organizational culture because they will often get approved just because they look so good


• use the words "pilot project"--a lot


• ask for more than you need -- then administration can confidently turn down your $800 advertising budget while approving everything else you wanted

    #    (1) comments

2007-03-19

Petition for Public Access to Publicly Funded Research in the United States

I almost signed this petition the day that I read Dorothea Salo's plea on Caveat Lector. But I got a little squemish when they requested my place of employment. So, I put it on my "think about this later" list. I'm reading my backlog of work email, today, only to discover a similar plea from my dean to the librarians. I work in a good place.     #    (1) comments

2007-03-18

Twitter mapped

Okay. Twitter just got more fun. I'm currently mesmerized by twittervision. Via Robert Scoble's blog via David Lee King's post on Twitter.     #    (0) comments

Spring Break

I just joined Twitter as joyweesemoll since that seems to be one topic of discussion on the blogosphere the week that I was gone. I suspect it would be more fun if I had any friends :-(. If you want an invite let me know. If you're already on Twitter, please add me or whatever you do. Maybe I should read more blogs to see what's going on. Or the instructions.     #    (0) comments

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