Comments on: The Last Mile: A Chance to Get Started http://freerangelibrarian.com/2005/01/31/the-last-mile-a-chance-to-get-started/ K.G. Schneider's blog on librarianship, writing, and everything else Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:59:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Sarah Houghton (Librarian in Black) http://freerangelibrarian.com/2005/01/31/the-last-mile-a-chance-to-get-started/comment-page-1/#comment-1110 Sarah Houghton (Librarian in Black) Tue, 01 Feb 2005 22:28:53 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2005/01/31/the-last-mile-a-chance-to-get-started/#comment-1110 A good deal of us LITA-folk (and just tech folk) look to the TTT to help guide our technology plans for the upcoming year. We need it, sometimes even to justify to our administrations that a particular technology of project is worth investing in. Kind of a "if LITA says so, then it must be so" rhetoric. I do think that having the TTT panel, always a quality bunch, drive the trends is a good system. But perhaps it shouldn't only be in-person. I know I can't attend midwinter--no library budget to support that. An online forum, in the form of a blog or wiki or even an old-fashioned e-mail listserv, would allow ongoing interactive collaboration among the TTT panel, as well as allowing those of us not on the panel to comment and even participate in the choosing of the trends. I'm starting to see a lot of what used to be "in-person only" fall to the wayside. Even within Northern California we're starting to do more teleconferences, webconferences, and online interaction instead of in-person meetings. Whether that's for better or for worse, I don't know. But it is. And I think LITA would benefit from taking that direction as well. A good deal of us LITA-folk (and just tech folk) look to the TTT to help guide our technology plans for the upcoming year. We need it, sometimes even to justify to our administrations that a particular technology of project is worth investing in. Kind of a “if LITA says so, then it must be so” rhetoric. I do think that having the TTT panel, always a quality bunch, drive the trends is a good system. But perhaps it shouldn’t only be in-person. I know I can’t attend midwinter–no library budget to support that. An online forum, in the form of a blog or wiki or even an old-fashioned e-mail listserv, would allow ongoing interactive collaboration among the TTT panel, as well as allowing those of us not on the panel to comment and even participate in the choosing of the trends. I’m starting to see a lot of what used to be “in-person only” fall to the wayside. Even within Northern California we’re starting to do more teleconferences, webconferences, and online interaction instead of in-person meetings. Whether that’s for better or for worse, I don’t know. But it is. And I think LITA would benefit from taking that direction as well.

]]> By: library.lisle http://freerangelibrarian.com/2005/01/31/the-last-mile-a-chance-to-get-started/comment-page-1/#comment-1109 library.lisle Tue, 01 Feb 2005 20:09:47 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2005/01/31/the-last-mile-a-chance-to-get-started/#comment-1109 I hope that neither Karen nor Walt resign from TTT. I attended TTT in Boston. I also read Karen's post on FRL, and commented on it. I first attended TTT many years ago, in the 90s, I think. It was very different from what it was this year in Boston. There was little give-and-take between the commentators. Maybe it needs to be "rethunk". But I still wanted to hear what the panelists had to say. There is value to having more that one method of information delivery. I subscribe to C&I. I am still fighting battles over technology in my library, even if now I get to complain over a T3 line. I like to think that if I listen to Walt, and Karen, and Clifford Lynch, and many others, I can't be completely clueless. I hope that neither Karen nor Walt resign from TTT. I attended TTT in Boston. I also read Karen’s post on FRL, and commented on it. I first attended TTT many years ago, in the 90s, I think. It was very different from what it was this year in Boston. There was little give-and-take between the commentators. Maybe it needs to be “rethunk”. But I still wanted to hear what the panelists had to say. There is value to having more that one method of information delivery. I subscribe to C&I. I am still fighting battles over technology in my library, even if now I get to complain over a T3 line. I like to think that if I listen to Walt, and Karen, and Clifford Lynch, and many others, I can’t be completely clueless.

]]> By: Canuck Librarian http://freerangelibrarian.com/2005/01/31/the-last-mile-a-chance-to-get-started/comment-page-1/#comment-1111 Canuck Librarian Tue, 01 Feb 2005 00:01:30 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2005/01/31/the-last-mile-a-chance-to-get-started/#comment-1111 <strong>OLA is on the way</strong> Just a couple days before the OLA the Free Range Librarian discusses what she may include in her session. Unfortunately, she doesn't mention what day she is presenting, and I've lost my Superconference booklet, so I'll have to go rummaging through... OLA is on the way

Just a couple days before the OLA the Free Range Librarian discusses what she may include in her session.

Unfortunately, she doesn’t mention what day she is presenting, and I’ve lost my Superconference booklet, so I’ll have to go rummaging through…

]]> By: kgs http://freerangelibrarian.com/2005/01/31/the-last-mile-a-chance-to-get-started/comment-page-1/#comment-1108 kgs Mon, 31 Jan 2005 21:56:47 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2005/01/31/the-last-mile-a-chance-to-get-started/#comment-1108 Walt, you have got your shorts in a bunch. They must be wrapped around your head, because you definitely aren't listening to what I've saying. I'm not disrespecting the contributions the trendspotters make, though clearly you read it that way. It's great that we have trendsetters. It's great that LITA added one more currently active female member of ALA to the panel (the roster isn't very up-to-date). I'm sorry that it was me, because, as I have explained in other venues, as I warned the panel about months in advance, I have a responsibility to ALA governance duties, and as long as the panel and ALA Council conflict, I can't be there the entire time. (If you recall, I offered to resign. Feel free to resign with me if it makes you feel better.) But as I have observed, not without waiting for the arrows to fly (and at least you say things to my face), TTT "happened" for me far more fully in the third plural person conversations on this site, as well as the private discussions I had mano a mano with respondents. I also found the post-TTT discussion frustrating because it happened on what is essentially a closed list. That doesn't mean the trendspotters (who get up no earlier than their audience) don't have interesting, fun, valuable things to say about technology. Nor does it mean that the panel is unimportant. But I will stand by my observation that for me it was interesting, and powerful, to watch a sliver of the same discussion turn into a conversation. If that observation makes me a rude ingrate, so be it. Walt, you have got your shorts in a bunch. They must be wrapped around your head, because you definitely aren’t listening to what I’ve saying.

I’m not disrespecting the contributions the trendspotters make, though clearly you read it that way. It’s great that we have trendsetters. It’s great that LITA added one more currently active female member of ALA to the panel (the roster isn’t very up-to-date). I’m sorry that it was me, because, as I have explained in other venues, as I warned the panel about months in advance, I have a responsibility to ALA governance duties, and as long as the panel and ALA Council conflict, I can’t be there the entire time. (If you recall, I offered to resign. Feel free to resign with me if it makes you feel better.)

But as I have observed, not without waiting for the arrows to fly (and at least you say things to my face), TTT “happened” for me far more fully in the third plural person conversations on this site, as well as the private discussions I had mano a mano with respondents. I also found the post-TTT discussion frustrating because it happened on what is essentially a closed list.

That doesn’t mean the trendspotters (who get up no earlier than their audience) don’t have interesting, fun, valuable things to say about technology. Nor does it mean that the panel is unimportant. But I will stand by my observation that for me it was interesting, and powerful, to watch a sliver of the same discussion turn into a conversation. If that observation makes me a rude ingrate, so be it.

]]> By: Walt Crawford http://freerangelibrarian.com/2005/01/31/the-last-mile-a-chance-to-get-started/comment-page-1/#comment-1107 Walt Crawford Mon, 31 Jan 2005 20:58:30 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2005/01/31/the-last-mile-a-chance-to-get-started/#comment-1107 Re #2: That's the third time now (twice here, once on LITA-L) that you've touted the superiority of your commenters to the "talking heads" who were there in Boston (six of the seven staying for the full session). Maybe you're right. In which case, since you're on the LITA board, you're in a position to take action: Not just to start a TTT list/blog/wiki/whatever--but to shut down the clearly-inferior group of trendspotters, all of whom were asked to serve, none of whom gets paid a cent, several of whom have gotten up early Sunday for this session for five or six years now. I think we used to get continental breakfast, but that's gone by the wayside. When only seven of 19 invitees (roughly 40% of whom are female, btw--but the committee doesn't seem able to force them to show up) show up, there's a raised stand and linear table instead of circle of tables, and there are 10+ times as many observers as participants, the Midwinter session is no longer what it started out to be--a freewheeling discussion--anyway. Maybe the time for trendspotters has come and gone. Fine with me. I never claimed to be an "expert" anyway. Hell, I'll even offer to resign to get the ball rolling. Re #2: That’s the third time now (twice here, once on LITA-L) that you’ve touted the superiority of your commenters to the “talking heads” who were there in Boston (six of the seven staying for the full session).

Maybe you’re right.

In which case, since you’re on the LITA board, you’re in a position to take action: Not just to start a TTT list/blog/wiki/whatever–but to shut down the clearly-inferior group of trendspotters, all of whom were asked to serve, none of whom gets paid a cent, several of whom have gotten up early Sunday for this session for five or six years now. I think we used to get continental breakfast, but that’s gone by the wayside.

When only seven of 19 invitees (roughly 40% of whom are female, btw–but the committee doesn’t seem able to force them to show up) show up, there’s a raised stand and linear table instead of circle of tables, and there are 10+ times as many observers as participants, the Midwinter session is no longer what it started out to be–a freewheeling discussion–anyway. Maybe the time for trendspotters has come and gone.

Fine with me. I never claimed to be an “expert” anyway.

Hell, I’ll even offer to resign to get the ball rolling.

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