GENERAL NEWS: Everglades, Graduation, 5 Things to Do

Hello dear friends and colleagues,

I hope you are somewhere cooler than Columbia, South Carolina! It is actually hotter here than it was in the Everglades! Geez. . .but oh the Everglades were beautiful. So wild and unpredictable. We saw some wonderful critters and sights during our two week adventure. It really is one of the last wild frontiers and I feel refreshed and rejuvenated by its beauty.

Photos are up on the blog slideshow at http://fridaymatters.blogspot.com/2007/05/general-news-new-slideshow.html but I haven’t taken time to annotate or title them. Just enjoy! The giant hare sculpture is one of our new art pieces done by our friend Keith Jellum in Portland, OR. It is so much fun to have a wild hare. . .other photo is the neighborhood rabbit. Can’t wait to see what happens when rabbit meets hare.

Graduation is this weekend and I think you will remember that it is one of my favorite celebrations. When our students complete their degrees and set out to change the world, I have great hope. And again, we have a stellar group of graduates, ready to go forth and be leaders, carrying a culture of service and excellence.

This weekend is also orientations for our new cohort with Virginia and West Virginia. We have about 60 new students and I am looking forward to meeting them and welcoming them to this wonderful adventure in library and information science.

Orientation for Columbia is August 17 and 18. August 17 is an optional evening get together at Davis College. Saturday, August 18 is the required orientation. I look forward to meeting our new South Carolina students then.

On September 13, we will be giving the first annual literacy leader awards. These ALL awards are for leaders that have made statewide contributions to the literacy campaign. More information to come.

Make sure you include this important date on your calendar! The SCASL 2008 Annual Conference, March 12-14, 2008 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center-Power Up @ your library. There is a new hotel and a parking garage, so see you in Columbia for spring blooms and a great conference. You still have time to submit a proposal for a presentation by August 15.

Since it’s been awhile, you get six things to do, read or act upon:

1.Big news: CHA CHA (a search engine with human intermediation) replaces Google at Indiana Universities
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070803/BUSINESS/708030434/-1/LOCAL17

2.BT futurologist Lesley Gavin looks ahead to a time when real and virtual worlds mix as easily as making a mobile phone call. The Tech Lab: Lesley Gavin
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6929201.stm

3.Note that Dan Pink's "A Whole New Mind" will be featured as the topic of discussion at the One Book One Conference session during the AASL 13th National Conference this October. http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/july2007/aaslr08.htm

4.Good news: Internet helps libraries, despite predictions it would spell the end. By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/29/good_circulation/

5.Great collection of essays and photos: Cultural Images of Librarians [John Hubbard]
http://www.tk421.net/essays/nwyt.pdf

6.Online Social Networks, Virtual Communities, Enterprises, and Information Professionals [Searcher]
http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/jul07/Reid_Grey.shtml

Best regards to you and yours and be careful out there!

Dr. Sam