ASSOCIATES (2007, March, v. 13, no. 3) - associates.ucr.edu


Welcome ASSOCIATES subscribers and readers!

ASSOCIATES has reached 1,500 subscribers! Some of you may be aware that in February 2005, my campus IT department inadvertently destroyed the subscribers' lists and we started over with Subscriber Number One and are continuing to work our way back. ASSOCIATES attained 1,000 subscribers May 31, 2005 and now has reached 1,500 subscribers on February 16, 2007. And the honor of being the 1,500th subscriber is FRANCES DAVIDSON-ARNOTT. When I wrote to Frances, her first words were: "Isn't it terrific!" Here's what Frances said in her email:

"I am a retired professor, having taught in and coordinated the Library and Information Technician Diploma program at Seneca College in Toronto from 1986 until I retired in 2003. Since then I have been doing a bit of consulting and have become very active in Ex Libris Association (a Canadian association mainly for people who are retired and who have made their careers in libraries and related information areas). One of my goals as President of Ex Libris was to increase the number of para-professional members of Ex Libris as it is heavily weighted to librarians. We made some headway and continue to encourage more retired library technicians and other retired library workers to join. I was President in 2006 and am now Past-President. I am also involved in various other professional association activities.

"I first became a librarian in 1970 with a BLS, which was then the accepted professional degree, and an MLS in 1974 (both from the University of Toronto). I completed a PhD at the University of Sheffield, England, in 1993. Prior to working at Seneca College, I was Director of Library Resource Centres at Centennial College, also in Toronto, from 1974-1986.

"Library Technician education has been an interest, perhaps a passion, for many years and I was involved in the Canadian Library Association's activities on para-professional education at various times. I don't really know why I subscribed to the ASSOCIATES at this moment but I think I must have been on the list before and came across the note about the lost records. I want to keep up and know what is going on in the field.

"As for Seneca, it is the largest community college in Canada. The Library and Information Technician Program is also one of, if not the largest, library technician program in Canada. I am still in contact with faculty there and with the new co-ordinator, Deborah Kay, who has been a professor for many years. She is really terrific and very involved with computers and information technology. The program has kept up with new developments and has hired two very good new faculty to replace me and Karen Olcen who died less than two years ago at the age of 52, much to everyone's sorrow."

My thanks to Frances for sharing her story and subscribing to ASSOCIATES.

ASSOCIATES is conducting a survey. As editor, I wish to provide a publication of interest to library staff. Please do complete the survey--it takes about 5 minutes (or more if you wish to add detailed comments). http://associates.ucr.edu/Survey2/. The results of the survey will be posted in the July 2007 issue. All replies are confidential--only group categories of responses will be published.

ASSOCIATES has an excellent variety of articles for this issue. Leslie Charles, a Michigan-based professional speaker, helps people lead happier, healthier lives at work and home through her presentations and books on stress management, customer service, and motivation. Her article is titled "It's About Time: It's About You!" Biddy Fisher, Sheffield Hallam University, outlines research methods--explaining that when you have to seek the answer to a solution and you are investigating beyond your current knowledge and expanding it, then in essence, this is research. Jim Jackson, University of Exeter, gives his observations about providing the services for disabled students and how these same services can prove advantageous to all students in his article titled "Disability Issues, Marketing, and Service Provision--Some Personal Thoughts." Tinker Massey, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, has contributed two articles. In the article, "Is the Print Journal Dying?" Tinker offers insight into the new world of online journals. The article "Our World in Shell Shock" tells how the library at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University dealt with the devastating tornado damage that hit Daytona Beach, Florida, in December 2006. Sheryl Pustay and Ann M. Watson, William Howard Doane Library, Denison University, write about a major shifting project that ultimately resulted in the complete rearrangement of the stacks and describe the methods used.

Carol Borzyskowksi, "My View From the Back Room," expresses her experience with maintaining her library's website. Frank Exner, Little Bear, in "Bear Thoughts #5" provides a definition for the characteristics of information which he describes as "seamless malleability." Katie Buller Kintner, "Library Life: A Column of Eclectic Rantings," tells an amusing story of winning a free trip to Hollywood, California, to see the Grammy Award presentations. Michael D. Brooks, in his Review column, takes a look at the website "Space Facts" and describes the information offered there.

I hope you enjoy this great issue (and please take the Associates Survey). Happy Reading!

Wendee Eyler
Editor, Associates: The Electronic Library Support Staff Journal
University of California, Riverside
rivwe@ucr.edu



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