GENERAL NEWS: Labor Day and ICOMM plans (Sept 3, 2010)

Sept 3^rd, 2010

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is Friday afternoon and the Carolina campus is very quiet and serene. It is the start of an official three day weekend AND the Gamecocks football team won their season opener last night. All is good! I have been meeting with students and trying to catch up on some of the research projects that I am working on. My work feels very scholarly and academic today and as you know, that is not always the case so I am very grateful.

Monday is Labor Day and I’ve always liked the holiday yet feel a little sad at the thought that summer is going to be ending soon. The first Labor Day celebration was in 1882 in New York and in 1885 as a national event. It has nothing to do with the end of summer; it is a celebration of the workers that helped give our country one of the highest standards of living in the world. The U.S. Department of Labor provides a brief history and describes the day as follows:

“Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm

So when you’re playing and studying and cooking good food on Monday, say a thank you for the billions and billions of hours of hard work from a labor force that more than deserves a day off every year!

Now, back to SLIS – our graduation celebration in Virginia was wonderful. The graduates and their families were very grateful and Dr. Wallace made the whole event very grand and elegant. Sara Mason, one of our Virginia students and secretary of LISSA, introduced our commencement speaker. Bradley Daigle is the Director of Digital Curation Services at University of Virginia Libraries. He told the graduates that any job with the words “analyst” or “data” or “information” were jobs that our MLIS graduates are qualified to do. By expanding the world of potential jobs, we show how valuable our skill set is for a variety of institutions and companies. Thank you Bradley for being a librarian and sharing your enthusiasm for the good work we do. You gave our graduates perfect advice!

Don’t forget that the 4^th Annual Literacy Leaders’ Award celebration is Tuesday, September 14 at 5:00 in the State Library on Senate. It makes the Academy Awards look pale and boring so please don’t miss the fun!

In October, two of my favorite events are I-COMM VII, October 3 – 8 and SC Library Association meeting, October 20 – 22. Be sure to check our website for information about the events on Sunday evening, October 3. Dr. Pat Feehan and a cast of hundreds are planning a fun filled tribute to Augusta Baker, story teller extraordinaire. We will have our SLIS Alumni Tea at SCLA in Myrtle Beach on Thursday, October 21. I look forward to seeing many of you there.

Since it is a holiday weekend, I only have three items for you think about:

1. Your reality augmented [American Libraries] http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/columns/practice/your-reality-augmented Note: We are developing some similar applications here at USC

2. For a fee, digital dirt can be buried [The Boston Globe]

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/08/26/for_a_fee_digital_dirt_can_be_buried/

3. Google’s Earth [The New York Times]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/opinion/01gibson.html

Take care and let us know if you need anything. Enjoy your Labor Day, try not to labor (at least on Monday), and hug a librarian every chance you get.

Dr. Sam