GENERAL NEWS: Thanksgiving, Mildly Attractive Men of SLIS Calendar 2011, and 5 Things (Nov 24, 2010)

11-24-10

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Of course, I am thankful for my work and my good fortune to serve with such great colleagues. I am thankful for our students and the influence they will wield on library and information services in the future. I am thankful for each and every friend and alumni of our school for helping us be the best.

This year however I am thinking on a smaller scale, a more personal scale and maybe a touch on the hedonistic side. Being thankful for blue skies seems slightly goofy but hey, I find myself staring at our beautiful Carolina skies and I just feel good! And, for the smell of pies cooking, even if not from my oven (or maybe better yet, not from my oven) and the sound of crunching leaves and. . .the right to vote! Okay, I’ll stop there. I just finished the narrative for our ALISE report and I guess it made me a little wacky. On the other hand, when you see everything we do, set in a year’s timeframe, it is pretty darn impressive!

Madonna and I have the summer and fall 2011 draft schedules almost ready. I still love the puzzle part of figuring it all out. Of course, working with Madonna is the best part of the process. Remember, if you are distance student, Madonna is here for you!

Don’t’ forget to vote for Cocky’s Reading Express! Help give books to children and improve literacy in our state! We need your votes to win a Pepsi Refresh grant for $50,000. Vote once a day, every day from November 1—November 30 at http://www.refresheverything.com/readingexpress.

Check out the Davis Center 2.0 is Davis College's presence in Second Life! Please stop by to ask for help, ask reference questions, or just say hello! If you aren’t familiar with Second Life please visit our Davis Center 2.0 Homepage http://students.libsci.sc.edu/secondlife/index.html.

Most important! Just in time for the holidays! Your favorite grad students from the Library and Information Science Student Association (LISSA) bring you all the hits with a calendar that celebrates your favorite album covers throughout the years. Mildly Attractive Men of SLIS Calendar 2011 : Hot Covers! Now Available To Order!

http://slislissa.blogspot.com/2010/11/rock-holidays-with-2011-mildly.html

Tomorrow, I’ll fly to my mom’s in Tucson, returning next Wednesday. I will be checking email if you need me. In the meantime, here are five things to think about while you decide if want another piece of pie:

1. The Visibility and Invisibility of Librarians [Library Journal] http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/reviewsreference/887361-283/the_visibility_and_invisibility_of.html.csp

2. For Baseball Archivists, a Tag Ends Every Play [The New York Times]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/sports/baseball/13video.html

3. Searching For Better Research Habits [Inside Higher Ed] http://www.insidehighereducation.com/news/focus/teaching_and_learning/recent/search

4. Digital Keys for Unlocking the Humanities’ Riches [The New York Times] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/arts/17digital.html

5. Libraries reinvent themselves as they struggle to remain relevant in the digital age [Chicago Tribune] http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/la-fi-libraries-20101112,0,5930158.story

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have many things to be thankful for. Enjoy your families and friends and be sure to hug a librarian and a teacher!

Yours,

Dr. Sam