Eagle Dawg Blog

Friday Foolery #58: Bacon hats

2009-11-06T00:03:00.000-08:00

Being a proper grammarian about How To Use An Apostrophe AND involving bacon! What better way to lead more people away from the sadly prevalent trend of writing 'it's' when 'its' is called for?

Do you have what it takes to SWIM with Eagles?

2009-11-03T00:03:00.000-08:00

As a recent Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) scholarship University of North Texas (UNT, the Eagle of Eagle Dawg) distance learning degree graduate myself, I am thrilled to help promote the South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana (SWIM) Regional Collaborative Library Education Project at http://msl.mt.gov/swim/.

The program is for 50 residents of these four states who want to become librarians but not relocate in order to earn a professional degree (see how there are no American Library Association accredited resident programs there), and who will continue to serve their communities as professional librarians after earning their distance learning degrees. The scholarships pay up to 80% of the tuition and fees for the degree (almost $13,000).

I particularly love this concise yet dead-on accurate assessment to help determine if a professional distance learning degree is right for you from the Ask Yourself page:

The combination of the reality of distance learning (critical to have support for your learning and how much time it takes) with active participation in local professional organizations does lead to the best chance for success as a new graduate.

Applications are being accepted now, good luck!

Friday Foolery #57*: It's Not All About Bacon

2009-10-30T00:03:00.000-07:00

A wonderful person at the National Library of Medicine wrote me after last week's post asking if I knew about bacolicio.us, which I had covered for the New Year. I was hopeful they would deck out the bacon in a costume by now for Halloween but that appears not to be the case.

Are you sick of society's (and my own ) bacon obsession in the first place?

Then veg.bacolicio.us is just the thing for your website viewing pleasure with an abundance of fresh broccoli!

In my opinion broccoli and bacon should coexist as Broccoli Salad with Raisins and Bacon, but that might be way too much for some people to handle.

Here is the soundtrack for your broccoli website viewing pleasure....

*Yes last week was also #57, because the week before that while I had probable You Know What 1 flu-like illness I called it #56 when it should have been #55. I've gone back and corrected the sequence now. My bad.

Pew Internet presentation... for medical librarians?

2009-10-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Trends in medical searches online: How e-patients use the internet was rather general despite the "new trend charts" and has left me puzzled. The only Medical Library Association chapter meeting that was happening yesterday didn't have Pew on the program.

What's the context of this presentation? Were you one of these medical librarians? How was the discussion? Or was the crowd in shock about PubMed launching forward for good and that's why I haven't heard anything about it?

Trends In Online Medical Activity

View more presentations from Pew Internet & American Life Project, Pew Research Center.

PubMed: How Soon Is Now?

2009-10-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

10/29 Edit: Yep, we all know it's changed now! In addition to the stuff below,

Need a SlideShare Presentation?

New PubMed

View more presentations from BerrymanD.

Sorry, couldn't resist. Unexpected exclamation points do that to me.

At approximately 10:00 am Pacific time today the PubMed Preview transitioned to the main page, held steady for a little bit, then died. After a while the prior version was put back into place with notice via a listserv (more on that below) that the switch would happen in a few days.

That's normal enough, we've all had databases go down for much longer than a few hours, but this is also your wakeup call: Get familiar with the new redesign now if you haven't already! Don't make me resurrect this post :)

Need quick help and handouts?

Redesigned PubMed QuickTours - by author, author & subject, simple subject, journal
Updated Trifolds - PubMed Basics, Searching PubMed with MeSH, MyNCBI
Where Has It Gone? - comparison resource from University of Washington Health Sciences

Need National Library of Medicine PubMed webinars with questions & answers?

October 2009 webcast - most recent updated information
August 2009 Western regions - please ignore my voice and pay attention to the Q&As
August 2009 Midwest/Southern regions -more written Q&As
August 2009 Eastern regions - no written Q&As

Need a WordPress video tutorial?

MyNCBI -Custom Filters by Melissa Rethlefsen at Mayo Clinics

Need YouTube?

PubMed - New Interface Demonstration by U Manitoba

While the announcement of the transition on the PUBMED-ALERTS listserv was at the same time the PubMed New and Noteworthy RSS feed broadcast (albeit with a broken website link) this morning, notice of the reinstatement (as of 9:45 pm Pacific) still has not appeared on the RSS feed. I consider it noteworthy that a transition had to go in reverse.

I don't like having to second guess which communication channel regarding PubMed is most accurate and reliable. The RSS feed is prominently promoted from the redesigned PubMed front page and there's no mention of the listserv. Communication about PubMed, unlike making sure the entire database platform is stable, should be simple and not require digging nor duplication.

Friday Foolery #56: Unshelved Bacon!

2009-10-23T07:13:00.001-07:00

Me with Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum, creators of Unshelved

Does it get any better than hanging out with our local hometown heroes of the library comic strip world and receiving an autographed copy of their latest book for free as a thank you present for helping out? As a bonus I can add that I know how to operate those credit/debit card swipe machines to my CV!

The truth about the bacon bookmark: Pretty much every library meeting and conference Unshelved goes to (including ours) has someone in attendance who has experienced this strange user phenomenon in their returned books. It's about 50/50 whether the bacon is raw or cooked. Have you had this happen at your library?

Health Care Reform & Medical Librarianship

2009-10-22T07:16:00.001-07:00

Me in front of my first poster!

I had a great but tiring time at the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association (PNC/MLA) annual meeting earlier this week in downtown Seattle.

I wrote a few entries for our conference blog about two of the dynamic speakers we had and wanted to share them with you since they are very timely topics about health care reform:

What Roles Will Medical Librarians Play in Reforming the Nation's Health Care System? by Will Welton
Health Care Reform and the Patient Centered Medical Home Model by Dr. Lori Heim

One drawback to a conference being local is that in addition to the wonderful networking and learning, you don't get to detach from the family routine... lunches still need to be packed and school buses caught by 7:30 am, and there were no late nights over drinks with colleagues for me. Nonetheless, for as much as I enjoy online social networking I truly love face to face connections at conferences and already can't wait for our meeting next year in Portland, OR!

Friday Foolery #55: Oink?

2009-10-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

Getting my first-ever poster done (this is me with the proof) was a minor miracle because I have felt like utter crap for the majority of this week.

It kicked off with our son vomiting (an extreme rarity) after midnight on Monday. He had a high fever, worsened to the point where we had to carry him back & forth to the bathroom because he was too weak and dizzy to stand, but then he suddenly recovered. He was begging to go to school on Tuesday morning, able to do so on Wednesday, and you'd never know he was really ill this week by the rate he's playing kickball with his friends after school now.

On Tuesday the fever hit me and malingered around through Wednesday, and I still feel like I've been hit by a truck. Playing kickball is entirely out of the question. I'm still not all that sure how I'll haul myself out of here and go to work this morning!

I don't know if we have different bugs or if either is H1N1, but the fever is definitely gone and I'm not coughing at all so I promise I won't contaminate anyone at our meeting next week. I'll even bring my own personal hand sanitizer. Come say hi!

H1N1 Resources For Children

2009-10-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

There is a wealth of information at flu.gov for parents about how to prevent H1N1 and other types of flu or take care of their children who are ill , but what about resources the children can actually read or watch themselves to understand just what this thing their parents and communities seem so freaked out about?

For the youngest children I love the Sesame Street public service announcements in English and Spanish. The old ones with Elmo and Gordon are ok, but he and Luis rock in Stay Home From School. Check them all out on PBS.

What so important about washing your hands when they look clean? Check out this video for Kindergarten- 3rd graders from BrainPopJr at Washing Hands.

The best video specifically about H1N1 for children I've found so far is appropriate for 2nd grade and older (I shared it with my 7 year old son) and includes... bacon! My assumption is the same age range applies to their H1N1 for children in Spanish video too but I don't know enough Spanish to know for certain.

This is the link to the embed code source for the English H1N1 for children:

Keep in mind normally BrainPop charges for access to their videos, but my understanding is these particular ones are free for everyone in the name of public education. Kids deserve their own information, please share with them and let me know about other resources to update the medical librarians H1N1 wiki page. Thank you!

Friday You Have GOT To Be Fooling Me #55: Jackpot

2009-10-09T00:03:00.000-07:00

I did it.

I finally won a MAJOR AWARD (not fra-gee-lay)

I reacted to the news as any rational, calm, sane librarian would.

That, of course, after the generous people who awarded me the MAJOR AWARD asked me NOT to post on Twitter about it towards the bottom of the email I hadn't read in full.

I'm still embarrassed and apologized; they still gave it to me anyway.

What is this MAJOR AWARD and how did I win it?

I donated to Komen for the (safe for work page) Boobiethon, originally founded by my friend Robyn 8 years ago and raised over $13,000 this year alone, and entered the Get Moxie! contest.

In the next few months I will have a brand spanking new custom designed blog by Moxie Design Studios™ complete with my own custom designed illustration by Green Couch Designs AND an autographed copy of The IT Girl's Guide to Blogging with Moxie AND possibly something else rather generous too that wasn't part of the original deal.

To say I am totally gobsmacked, floored, blown away and excited would be a MAJOR UNDERSTATEMENT. I am so thankful. My brain is reeling with ideas.

Now, please help me out in brainstorming this weekend: What images come to your mind when you're reading entries here? I know what I am (a lunatic), but what's your picture of me besides the blue tongue version?

Comment or otherwise let me know!

PubMed: All in the Attitude

2009-10-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

During a delightful visit at the Riverpoint Campus Library in Spokane last week, I saw the juxtaposition of an MS6000 MK II Microfilm Converter and a humble mousepad for Internet Grateful Med and could not pass up documenting it.

Channels for information access always have been and always will continue changing in response to available technology, usability, audiences, and a myriad of other factors.

There are plenty of medical librarian perspectives of the current PubMed redesign, mostly negative and often rather whiny on our not-so-private international listserv. There is a public web interface to search the archives and institutional signature lines are included as part of them.

Have medical librarians looked beyond themselves to see what others are saying since the PubMed redesign preview launched/leaked? A search.twitter.com for PubMed brought up the following from non-librarian tweets:

A thread from the Science 2.0 & Life Scientists FriendFeed community includes

they didn't take away any functionality - actually, i think the advanced stuff might be easier to use now. i like it so far.
I like it. I could easily find all the things I usually use and it highlighted the filters option that I had actually missed in the previous version.
Just glanced at it, but I like the look. I've always found PubMed and NCBI in general just fine. It's not the place for radical reform - it's a simple, stable site, nothing fancy.

A freelance science writer, Loving the new tab in Pubmed that shows all the papers that have free full text!!

A PhD scientist, Trying out the "new" PubMed search going live in 2 weeks. Like to think I had a small hand in renaming limits to filters (do tell how..?)

A student in Northern Ireland, Oh, the new PubMed is pretty.

A genetics grad student, oooohh....pubmed just got prettier

A VP working on a chemistry semantic web, Pubmed has changed since I last visited. New interface - easier to navigate now for the generalist

A genomics researcher, Trying the redesigned Pubmed preview: seems better but still playing

A French bioinformatician's FriendFeed thread, including a comment The sad thing is that design has probably been in the making since 1998. So much administrative red tape to go through in an institution like that. Just hope redesigns to subpages come quickly too. It'd be dumb if that was the only spot that gets a facelift.

One of my favorites from a librarian,

Is it any wonder that medical librar*'s continued existence is threatened when their public response to a change that other users are excited about seems to first be negativity and then exploration?

Remember the Discovery Initiative? Scientific and medical research involve a curious ooooh in the first place to develop a hypothesis. It would do our field well to remember this and who we serve. Why would any student, scientist, professor, doctor or other user be interested in learning more about PubMed from you beyond their own exploration if you're whining about it for all to see? Would you rather quash their enthusiasm & curiosity about the new interface and have them continue using Google and Wikipedia first?

Never doubt the power of your own attitude coming across loud and clear in your work and save your constructive, angst-free criticism for providing direct feedback to the developers at PubMed. I did for my own public opinion. I know I don't want to be thought of as a medical bitchbrarian based on how I communicate about change in public, do you?

Friday Foolery #54: Zen and the Art of Spray Paint

2009-10-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

Interpretation of Marilyn vos Savant's quote on the Zen Stairway of the Washington State University campus, Pullman WA

I love that this has been in existence since the year I was born. It was amazing to walk up the entire staircase and see all the different types of art literally covering every square inch during an extensive campus tour graciously given by the boyfriend of a colleague we were visiting in Pullman yesterday.

What stories are buried beneath the layers?

PubMed Preview Goes Stampeding

2009-09-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

Circus elephants need to eat too via c.a.muller

Like retweets through the Twitterverse, so is the elephant stampeding through the information silos of our lives - my current Facebook status.

Edit: I've since learned an entirely different webcast was the source for this information, but it was offered by staff at NCBI. The one I mentioned below was publicly available for a time as well. None of this changes the fact that a streamlined and effective communication policy is needed!

I shouldn't be surprised that the PubMed preview was leaked before the National Library of Medicine (NLM) was ready for the public to know about it via a link from the main PubMed website.

The discussion first began on Twitter this afternoon with the beginning and a sample of how it quickly spread.

Then it popped up in Facebook links.

Then the blogs from Emerging Technologies Librarian, NLM Toolbars and David Rothman, with many more to come I'm sure.

MEDLIB-L should catch up either sometime tonight or tomorrow.

There is one important point of clarification that needs to be made regarding the source though.

The preview website was not disclosed via any public webinar from NLM. I will always share any public information possible as fast as I can, especially when it comes to something we've been waiting for since May.

That 'webinar' was an internal, private staff meeting via web conference last week that was recorded for other staff members to watch if they weren't able to attend. Someone, in my not so humble opinion, made a very serious error in sharing that recording with everyone and to be honest I'm angry about it.

Why? I was the one on the web conference who asked about the preview URL being live and whether or not it should be promoted. The answer was no because bugs are still being worked out with it. What you see may not be what you eventually get. Confidentiality and integrity are at the core of librarianship and business; of course I wanted to share this with the world but I didn't. I still haven't linked directly to the preview site here.

Public URLs want to be free as does information. I keep trying to advocate for clear communication and social media presence. To be fair, @NLM_SIS and @medlineplus4you are on board which is great. The elephant in the medical librarian world is PubMed though, and today we've seen how important it is for things to remain on the development server until they're ready for the world and the need for information to be shared from an authoritative source in social media right from the start.

Friday Foolery #53: The Swinery

2009-09-25T00:03:00.000-07:00

Introducing The Swinery, Seattle's first sustainable butcher, which just opened this week. It's not just about the pork though, check out September's cheeses!

The Swinery Opens from christopher boffoli on Vimeo.

I am so there as soon as I can, possibly later today. West Seattle is nowhere near my neighborhood but the double-listed bacon burgers are calling me.

In the spirit of the Cod of Ethics I particularly appreciate the clear exceptions (at the bottom) to their vow of sustainable local meat products. My favorite is bolded:

EXCEPTIONS: No philosophy is ever perfect and here are our exceptions. Call us hypocrites if you want, but we are striving for greatness and here are the reasons for our decisions:

BACON: Due to the wonderfully high demand for our bacon we are forced to buy local pork bellies by the box. Small Washington farmers can't keep up with our demand, nor can we effectively utilize all of the meat from the hogs that the bellies come from.

FOIE GRAS: We carry it. It isn't local, it is from Hudson Valley, NY. Why? Because we love it and believe in it. And we are giving the finger to those who don't. By focusing hate on foie gras producers and chefs who serve it, protestors have effectively given permission for the cruelty that takes place in the rest of the meat industry. Our products are cruelty free... and we say this with a strait face. Hudson Valley is humane and sane way to raise ducks. We have been there, and seen it with our own eyes. When someone opens a local foie gras farm, we will switch, but we will always carry foie gras. Protestors are welcome to come any time, but we recommend Fridays... nothing sells the foie like some idiot with a bullhorn spouting things they have read on the internet. Anytime there are protestors, we start sampling free foie and sauternes...bring it.

I can't wait! The only thing that would make The Swinery more perfect is if there could be wine to go with the swine without protestors....

Free Webinar: Social Media Communication for H1N1/Flu Outbreaks

2009-09-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

What: FREE webinar from social media, technology, crisis communications and health experts on quick, proven and cost-effective ways to communicate with the public, your emergency response team and government officials for seasonal flu and a potential H1N1 outbreak.

When: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 3-4pm Eastern Time (what time is that for me?)

Who for: Public health officials, healthcare practitioners (physicians, nurses, emergency medical services), public safety responders (fire and police), emergency managers, and government communicators.

Presented by: Dr. Marsha Vanderford, Director of Emergency Communication Systems, CDC; David Stephenson, Principal, Stephenson Strategies; Nigel Snoad, Lead Capabilities Researcher, Microsoft Humanitarian Systems; and Phil Dixon, Business Product Manager, Google.

Register here

Courtesy of In Case of Emergency, Read Blog

Friday Foolery #52: Int J Braz Urol

2009-09-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

With gratitude to my Eastern Washington colleague Jonathan Potter, I can continue my odd things about urology coverage with:

International Braz J Urol.

No, that's not an abbreviation. The appropriate abbreviation is Int Braz J Urol according to PubMed.

Who are the organizations represented behind this international journal that does not call itself a journal?

I'm convinced there has to be a really interesting story behind the collaboration between Brazilian Society of Urology and the Thai Urological Association. They do have similar images for their organizations although Brazil's looks more like a weightlifter while Thailand's is more realistic.

Librarians' H1N1 Resources Wiki and Business Plans

2009-09-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

A long time ago (or at least that's how April 2009 seems) as I saw various listserv emails, tweets on Twitter, Facebook posts, blog entries & other disparate resources flying about, I launched what was then called the Swine Flu April 2009 medlibs wiki page. I want to thank those who have pitched in to help, particularly CJ Bryant.

The wiki has been revived as the Novel H1N1 Influenza page and there's certainly been an uptick of resources flying around again and added in the past few weeks. Do you want to help? Let me know, and please include a way for me to verify your identity as a librarian/information professional (URL to a staff page matching your email, Twitter/LinkedIn ID, etc.) in the message.

I may shout out various resources that I'm not already seeing well-covered in other blogs or listservs here in my blog, and today wanted to highlight Flu.gov's H1N1 Preparedness Guide for Small Businesses which the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Emergency Preparedness (NN/LM EP) blog led me to:

The “Small Business” information, however, can apply very well to libraries, which are anticipating staff shortages and some impact to their day-to-day operations. In the section on “How to Write Your Plan,” there is some excellent guidance to help prepare for personnel issues that may arise when staff are ill or are caring for family members who are ill. The CDC recommends that anyone who has had any type of flu stay home for at least 24 hours after body temperature has returned to normal without the aid of fever-reducing medications, and they are anticipating that most people who become ill will be absent from work or school for 7 to 10 days. Something to think about!

Friday Absolutely No Foolery #51: In Memory of 9/11

2009-09-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

Unexpectedly at the grave of a 9/11 victim, Woods Hole, Massachusetts

I wander around in cemeteries (and public libraries) wherever I travel if I get a chance to. You'd be amazed at what you can learn about a community from them.

On the last day of my MBL/NLM Biomedical Informatics fellowship I walked past a church that was clearly having a wedding inside but saw a cemetery tucked around the back. I realized I would not be a disturbance to anyone at the ceremony or during a departure for the reception so I went to visit.

My heart fell when I read the inscription for Jeffrey Coombs, who was on Flight 11 on September 11, 2001... the first plane to crash into the World Trade Center.

***
Back in those child-free days I used to get up at 5:50 am (Pacific time) and go work out to a Pilates DVD. On that particular day I was getting ready to head off to my second day of jury duty. My husband was just under 2 months unemployed (it would stretch to 15), the dotcom bust gripping Seattle tech jobs hard.

I switched on the TV and saw the coverage of Flight 11 & the World Trade Center, thinking it was a sad but explainable accident of maybe about a Cessna-sized plane... equipment malfunction, navigational error, etc. Obviously it wasn't weather related since there wasn't a cloud in the sky in New York.

Then I and the rest of America awake at the time watched the live TV coverage of Flight 175 hitting the other tower of the World Trade Center at 6:03 am (Pacific time again).

The local news anchors were silent. I was silent. Then my mind, in a voice similar to our seven-year-old son's when a friend has bonked him & he's running to tell me about it, said 'But... but... that was on PURPOSE!!'

***
I bowed my head and paid my respects at the grave then looked closer. See how his family chose his gravestone to match the inscription style of the established family one that has run out of room for additional members and been there since the 1920s?

Who is Jeffrey Coombs? A father of three from Abington, MA whose friends and family chose to take the pain from their quite public loss and work for a better good through the Jeffrey Coombs Foundation. Their accomplishments are many. From their website,

The Jeff Coombs Foundation was formed to assist families who are in financial need because of a death, illness or other situation that challenges the family budget. It also provides emotional support to families by funding special outings and fun events. Committed to education, the foundation helps fund enrichment programs in the Abington Schools, and awards scholarships to graduating college-bound seniors and students in private high schools.

My thoughts are with all who lost loved ones on this day 8 years ago.

H1N1 Comic: Keeping Children & Teens Home With Flu

2009-09-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

I have been a fan of my (King County) Public Health department for a while, but particularly enjoy their public education resources for H1N1 which are always in plain English, often multilingual, and usually include helpful illustration for those with low literacy. Even if you're a medical librarian, don't your eyes glaze over when reading yet another symptoms checklist full of bullet points? Mine do.

Their latest offering, Home With Flu, is a 2-page PDF comic aimed towards parents who are now facing a new school year with the likelihood that flu will be a part of it. It provides practical and helpful advice on planning for backup childcare in a responsible way, when exactly to keep kids home, and calling the doctor. Here's one of the panels:

I hope to see this translated in multiple languages soon although it is (mostly) helpful as is due to the graphic design.

Friday Foolery #50: Here, Kitty Kitty

2009-09-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

How do you catch a cougar that's running around Seattle? Let's see...

Fish and elk liver? Shouldn't they use Cougar Gold®?

I'm a Husky who has not yet been to Cougar territory but I'd probably fall for a trap of that cheese.

My pioneer ancestors ditched Eastern Washington sometime after 1860 since "William D. was not so well pleased with Walla Walla as he expected" according to his son, my great-great grandfather.

It's taken over 145 years and a work assignment to get this branch of the family to Spokane & Pullman later this month but I honestly can't wait!

Social Media & Emergency Preparedness: Can Your Family Text?

2009-09-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a news release at NextGov I learned about an upcoming drill conducted by a national safety foundation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) over the next few months to use texting and social media channels for emergency communication.

"In an emergency traditional phone lines may be down and traditional methods of communication may not be working," said spokeswoman Carla Shaw. "We want people to rehearse what would you do, and what other forms of communication would you have at your disposal."

She said drill participants should pre-load emergency messages onto their cell phones and pre-load useful communication Web sites, making these tools accessible in an emergency. Families should also discuss how they plan to use these tools and let each other know what types of signals to look for during a disaster, she added.

The agency, SafeAmerica Foundation, has a page about emergency texting and references a video podcast that I couldn't find so I looked for them on YouTube.

The texting video there is a bit cheesy but makes a valid point. How many of us have families that include Uncle Joel? Would your family & friends who don't normally text on their cell phones have a clue how to send one in an emergency?

I'm teaching my mom how to text when I next see her. We've had a family communication emergency phone plan with our out-of-state family for years (and put it into action once) but not once have we talked about texting and we need to.

In September 2008 I mentioned texting as a disaster communication method for the Red Cross Safe & Well list (I still don't see it as a viable option) and the use of Flickr to share photos after a disaster, and am looking forward to hearing about how the drills go.

Why libraries rock

2009-08-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

On August 4th, I immediately blogged about the flood that hit the Louisville Free Public Library in Kentucky and encouraged donations to be sent to them at

The Library Foundation
301 York Street
Louisville, KY 40203
http://www.lfplfoundation.org/

Today I am writing to encourage your support again as part of the blogathon, and to donate via the Library Society of the World's (LSW) campaign at Help LFPL. If you already know why the Cod of Ethics is not a typo, then thank you for already donating as I have.

If you know and haven't already, or have no idea what I'm talking about but can appreciate a Cod of Ethics, then please donate at least the cost of a latte to Help LFPL or the Foundation link above both take PayPal. I am also donating a shiny new Cod of Ethics coffee mug to be sent as an LSW award since I reviewed Clinical Reader in the name of the Cod. Steve Lawson was the first to blog in my support when Clinical Reader threatened to sue me, yet I would also be the first to blog if he in any way misappropriates the LFPL funds. There's a bigger chance of Cods raining down from the sky before that happens though.

It is a sad week in my fair city because every single Seattle Public Library branch is currently closed from today until opening on September 8th due to budget cuts. No books, no website resource guides, no online access to databases and journals, no public access to computers and the internet, nada.

I decided to pull some comments from the Seattle Times' article about the closure to illustrate why libraries rock. Some are straightforward, some are essentially the Muggles' perspective of what equates library operations and services, some are a bit incoherent, all (I think) are authentic opinions:

This is such a shame. In my opinion, libraries and parks are key to attract smart, educated and productive citizens to any city, otherwise we might as well be Spokane.

Why not take the library digital? That would same some money...

Why can't the library volunteers keep them open; they do everything anyways...for FREE!

I can afford to see the library buildings doors cllosed, but not the pages of the books.
Let all the books of knowledge as open as widely as you can, for that is where we can glean to drink the sweet water of wisdom by reading the contents of it wisely.
Abe Lincoln said, "My best friend is the one who gives me a book I have not read yet."

"What they would loose if public libraries weere not availble? "
I, for one, would miss the dictionary. Because I would see more people that don't know how to spell "lose."

Libraries are important to our society for many reasons and everyone should be concerned when they are threatened. When societies do not have unfettered free access to books and information that is not controlled by the goverment, you end up with even more backward thinking people that seem to need to voice their ignorant opinions here.

Friday No-Foolery #49: MedlinePlus on Twitter!

2009-08-28T15:58:00.001-07:00

With thanks to Shamsha for the heads up, it is so cool to see MedlinePlus on Twitter as of today at @medlineplus4you!

Check out their new logo and colors, confirmed via a direct message from the Twitter account to me when I promoted the site and asked about it of 'You're right about the logo - it's part of our new branding and future site redesign.'

I can't think of a better time for quality consumer health information to be offered via Twitter directly from MedlinePlus than when North America is going back to school and concerned about the flu. Way to go and welcome!

Work Blog - Distance Learning Series

2009-08-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

DEANZ Panel on the Future of Distance Education by Choconancy1 Apparently it's a tropical amoeba?

I don't like tooting my own horn but realize that not all readers of this blog read our group work blog, where I just finished a series of posts about distance learning for continuing education (CE) classes that you may be interested in.

Distance learning overview - there are other formats like Second Life, although do any organizations offer CE credit for courses there yet?
Tips for distance learning students - there's not much out there written for non-academics!
Tips for distance learning educators - also not much written for non-academics nor in formats other than really pricey books, with the exception of the Distance Education Clearinghouse's right sidebar of resources

These were somewhat hard for me to write because I had to keep a broad general audience in mind, not focus on any particular modality's features or quirks, and check my wacky sense of humor at the door with a few exceptions sprinkled in there.

Everyone should be thankful I left our vacation's campfire distance education epiphany out of the equation entirely. A brief glimpse at that trainwreck: Despite having all essential elements present (kindling, wood, fire & oxygen = well designed curriculum), sometimes the educator has to keep blowing gently in different areas to get a spark going... but not too hard or it'll kill the fire entirely... and sometimes you have to show up with a big stick and rudely poke the curriculum (maybe the students or educator?) around until the spark catches... but then do I really want to compare distance learning to blowing, beating, and a fiery inferno?

Yeah. I blame that on my brain decompressing since my last vacation was Snowpocalypse 2008 and wasn't exactly a stress-free experience.

Do you have a split work/personal blog personality too or am I the only one who struggles with this a bit?

Friday Foolery #48: Unplugged

2009-08-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Scenic Beach State Park, Seabeck, WA. Click to embiggen.

I haven't totally disconnected from the world with my family for quite some time & finally did this week.

I wonder what took me so long.