Monthly Archives: April 2005

New email update feature

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Last night I added in a new feature for this blog: email updates. Those who prefer to receive email updates rather than subscribing via a news aggregator like Bloglines, or navigating to this site on a regular basis, now have the option to have an email automatically sent to them once a day (sometime between midnight and 6a EST) containing all of the postings from that day. See the input form on the righthand navigation menu under the “Meta” heading if you want to subscribe in this way. It’s quite easy to do.

Lockergnome recently wrote about the need to cater to the email-only crowd and I agree. I’m glad that I found a free solution to this (via Bloglet), because I know that many people who want to keep up-to-date on Michele’s situation, e.g., don’t look at this blog but will read an email.

Not much news about Michele

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Several friends and family have kindly asked for an update on Michele. There isn’t much to report. We are once again waiting for test results and for word from the doctor about next steps. We hope to hear when Michele’s 48 hr. EEG test will be scheduled. I have no idea yet as to how we will be able to arrange for someone to watch the kids for us.

Today was just so so in terms of how Michele felt. She waffled a lot this a.m. about whether to go to MOPS but in the end, decided to go. I’m glad she did even though she wasn’t feeling well, because she has missed several meetings and is feeling very isolated these days, even more than she already felt. She feels stuck at home. She is not supposed to drive anywhere. I stayed home for the day again, after going to work all day yesterday for the first time in a while.

Wireless goes bust

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My library was the first space on campus to go wireless, nearly three years ago. Wireless use increased dramatically over time but the existing 802.11b access points were slow and lacked full building coverage. About a month ago, our campus IT folks upgraded everything with new 802.11g WAPs that covered all floors. This is exciting not only because of better functionality for users, but also because for the first time, I can get detailed usage statistics that tell me how often and at what times the wireless network is used.

So…what’s the downside? Well, unfortunately, we have had to suspend our wireless laptop lending program due to outdated laptop equipment that we can no longer support. Too often the laptops are out of commission due to some problem or another, and we don’t have the funds to upgrade and support new laptops. This is really disappointing because I reported some time ago about the heavy (and growing) demand for this equipment. In other words, this is a high demand service that was obviously beneficial to many, yet it can’t be continued. Each year, more and more incoming students bring their own wireless-enabled devices, but still, I think we should support the many who can’t afford their own equipment.

Upcoming LEEP course on technical services

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Time is flying by and in addition to worrying about regular work duties not getting done, I have been thinking more and more about the upcoming LEEP summer session at the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science. I have signed on to teach Technical Services Functions once more. This’ll be only the second time I’ve taught the course. The first time was in the Fall of 2003 and it nearly killed me (well, that’s an exaggeration, but I did end up in the hospital, twice, during that semester).

Things to do in the next few weeks or sooner, if possible:

  • send in the list of reading assignments to be put on e-reserve
  • update/revise the course syllabus
  • survey the literature to pull in new topics or update existing topics for discussion
  • invite guest speakers
  • take several deep breaths

I’ve already been contacted by two students who’ve registered for the course and have asked about a course packet or textbook. I have yet to find any monographic treatment of technical services that serves as a good textbook so I rely instead on extensive lists of article, chapter, and website sources.

Serials blog?

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Call me obtuse but for some reason I did not realize ’til this evening that the one and only serials-specific blog that I know of, Serials Scene, has been defunct for a year. I wonder if there is anyone else with a serials focus in the library blogsphere? If not, I’d be interested in taking on the task or at least would encourage someone else to do so.

Weird job title

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Chronicle Careers, from The Chronicle of Higher Education

OK, this is definitely a first, at least, for me. I just noticed a job ad in the Chronicle of Higher Education for a job title of “Associate Director for Content Management” for The University of Alabama at Birmingham Lister Hill Library. Huh? This is basically a job that oversees what others would call something like collections services, or information resources management, or collections and technical services. I find this choice of job title a bit odd because “content management” implies, to me, a job that involves web-based content delivery, as in “content management system.”

Adventure to Carmel

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We just got back from our trip to the neurologist in Carmel (a northern suburb of Indianapolis). It was quite an “adventure.” We left the house in plenty of time but with an almost empty tank of gas and no real clue as to the exact location of the doctor’s office. The appointment was scheduled for 10a but we had arranged to meet my mother and Britta, my eldest niece, between 9:30a and 9:45a so that they could take the kids to a park while we were at the doctor’s office.

We got to the general vicinity in plenty of time but for the life of us could not locate the doctor’s office. We spent 40 minutes driving around looking for it and tried several times to reach the office by cell phone. There was a constant busy signal so we couldn’t get through. This whole time, the van was driving on fumes and I was anxious that we would be stuck by the side of the road somewhere. Plus, we were worried about my mother and Britta waiting for us, wondering where we were.

Sigh. Such is our life. We were quite stressed out by the time we were found by Britta, who guided us to the right location. We were told by the attendant that since we were a half hour late for our appointment, the doctor could only see Michele for a short time.

In spite of apprehension about going to all this trouble for nothing, we were pleased with the doctor’s visit. She seems to be genuinely concerned about Michele’s condition and asked lots of questions and did a quick examination.

One mystery that she cleared up for us related to our understanding from Michele’s regular doctor’s receptionist that the MRI showed nothing. Fact is, it confirmed what the CT scan showed, which was described as a dark or obscure area in Michele’s brain. I have no idea why we were told that the MRI showed nothing. The neurologist believes it is a cyst or dead area that Michele may have had since birth or at least, for a long time. She doesn’t feel it is dangerous. She didn’t rule out the possibility that it may be growing and may play a part, but she thinks it’s doubtful. It is located in the basal ganglia on the right side of Michele’s brain. She will monitor it over time.

The neurologist ordered some more blood tests and also scheduled a 48-hour in hospital test that is basically an EEG given over a long period of time, including during her sleep. She also scheduled Michele to be seen by a neuropsychologist since Michele mentioned some memory problems as one of the symptoms she’s experiencing. This person will help determine which area of the brain might be affected.

The upshot is that we do not have any significant answers yet, but we weren’t expecting to have any. The doctor told us that Michele’s symptoms could be caused by a wide variety of things, even something as weird as a particular kind of virus or an undiagnosed strep infection. We just have to wait and see what these further tests will tell us.

After the doctor visit, we met up again with my mother and Britta and went to a nearby park to have a picnic lunch. It was in a beautiful location overlooking a little stream in a wooded area. Britta is getting ready for her upcoming wedding in about a month. It was great to see them.