Tag Archives: chicago

Well, well, well

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I was surprised to see the announcement, published earlier this afternoon, that Endeavor and Ex Libris would merge under the ownership of Francisco Partners, a private equity fund with a focus on technology. In fact, I am still going through all of the ramifications of this news and haven’t quite figured out what it might mean. For a more cogent and unbiased view, be sure to read Andrew Pace’s writeup about the news at his Hectic Pace blog.

I can’t be unbiased about this news. Not only have I worked with and implemented most of Ex Libris’s product suite, I have worked as an employee of Endeavor, most recently from September 2005 through April 2006 (and for about three years in an earlier stint with the company). I have friends in both organizations.

The news caught me off guard. Upon reflection, though, it shouldn’t have. My personal opinion is that no matter what the language of the press release might use, this is not truly a merger of two separate companies. Instead it is a de facto acknowledgement of defeat by Elsevier, Endeavor’s parent company, in the longstanding battle for the high-end, large academic research libraries market. Ex Libris has certainly won the war, with mostly better products, better technology, and better support. My sense is that Elsevier has not received a satisfactory return on its investment in Endeavor; that its strategy, at least as I could see, to utilize Endeavor’s technology to boost its capability to deliver its content, has not been successful.

Of course there is almost a complete overlap of products between the two companies and so the speculation will center on which products will survive. Andrew Pace makes some predictions and I think he is probably correct. We could both be wrong but I agree with Andrew, that Endeavor’s Meridian and Discovery products will soon be history. What is less certain of course is the fate of Endeavor’s Voyager product vs. Ex Libris’s Aleph 500. Each system has its strengths but overall I believe that the Voyager product has a slight edge in terms of ease of implementation and use. We’ll see what unfolds in the coming months. (I have absolutely no “inside” knowledge about any of this. I am just as much in “guess mode” as anyone else.)

More personally, I wonder what will happen to many friends and acquaintences who work for Endeavor. As one would expect, the press release does not go into detail on this aspect of the deal except to say that Ex Libris’s existing Chicago office will be moved into the office space currently used by Endeavor. That office space is right next to O’Hare airport and is ideally situated for easy access for customers. I seriously doubt that everyone’s jobs will be retained as a result of this merger. I especially doubt that the development staff at Endeavor will remain intact. This is the area where I used to work.

It has been clear to me for some time that something big needed to happen at Endeavor if it was to survive. Now I know what that “something” is!

Capacity for evil

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The capacity for evil in this world continually astounds me. The violence against innocent girls in an Amish country school yesterday haunts me, as does the killing of a girl in a school in Colorado and the murder of a school principal in rural Wisconsin. Another incident that I can’t get out of my mind is the gruesome slaughter of a woman and her unborn child, along with her three older children, in East St. Louis. Early last month several little kids died here in the Chicago area in an apartment fire while neighbors and family watched helplessly. When I read about killings day after day in Iraq and other areas of the Middle East, I am numbed by the sheer volume of violence.

I haven’t felt this way — highly concerned and anxious about the state of affairs around me — since September 11, 2001. I know who is the author and promoter of evil: Satan. I know that his power is great and that his weapons include fear, doubt, and destruction. But I also know that his power is in no way comparable to God’s; that his efforts are ultimately fruitless; that the only sure thing I have in this world is the promise that God will never leave me or forsake me. Jesus said to his followers: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Time passes by

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There are so many balls that I have figuratively dropped these past several weeks, it’s disgusting. I am trying to make up for it or just get over it with not much success.

Here’s to new beginnings, then. My oldest nephew, Nils, married his fiance, Emily, this past Saturday. (Some photos of the wedding are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_oberg/sets/72157594287976715/) We drove down from the Chicago area to attend the outdoor wedding held on the bank of a local river in the town where I grew up. It was late afternoon, the sun was shining, and the temperature was nice and warm. It was a great experience and we are thrilled for this new beginning for Nils and Emily. We were able to see many friends and acquaintences whom we haven’t seen for quite a while, so that was an added bonus. Just as happened at my niece, Britta’s, wedding a year and a half ago, I had this sense while watching the whole event unfold that I was a modern day Rip Van Winkle who had just woken up out of some sort of dream to find that the whole world had drastically changed while he was asleep. I found it hard to come to terms with the fact that this person whom I have known since birth is now a married man, and that means that I am no longer as young as I once was. My older brothers and sisters are approaching middle age, and so am I. My mother may someday soon become a great-grandmother.

This sense of unreality was compounded by a chance encounter this weekend. I met a former elementary/junior high/high school classmate who was working at the local gas station and whom I hadn’t seen since graduation more than twenty years ago. My, how time changes people! It took me a few minutes to realize who she was. And she didn’t recognize me at first, either, so I introduced myself. In our brief conversation I learned that she has a daughter who is now a junior in high school; that she had been married to a military guy and had lived in such faraway places as Fairbanks, Alaska, and Washington State. How or why did she end up coming back to her hometown, I wondered? I didn’t have a chance to ask.

Time passes by so quickly. I blink, and my own children are no longer babies or toddlers or a young adult but instead are young boys, a little lady, and a high shool aged young man. More and more, I think God is reminding me of what really matters most: relationships. This was recently made even more obvious to me by the sudden death of Steve Irwin, the “Crocodile Hunter,” in a freak accident. Like millions of other people around the world, I did not know this man personally at all yet I felt a sense of real connection with him and his young family through watching his shows on TV. I am sure that Steve Irwin was no saint yet to me, he was a wildlife hero. I admired him for many reasons but especially for his neverending enthusiasm and zest for life, and his championing of wildlife conservation. I mourn him and I have shed tears for his wife and his two little kids who clearly meant the world to him. Call me crazy or overly sentimental or apply some other negative epithet but yes, I cried when I heard the unbelievable news.

I ask you to take time to assess your own life. What motivates you? Where do you put your energies, your hopes and dreams? I hope your focus is not on materialistic things, ambitions, careers, and honors, which are like fool’s gold. Instead, seek after what is true, what is real, what is relational. Seek, and you will find the One who created relationships and who made you for relationship: God.

The Abbott Report

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I recently read a final report from the task force on the university library at The University of Chicago, written by Andrew Abbott, a professor of sociology there. It is fascinating reading and I hope it will receive widespread attention because it touches upon many issues that large academic and research libraries are facing. The angle at Chicago may be somewhat different than some other places but I think it is broadly illustrative and informative. It is interesting to note Abbott’s discussion on the theory of library research. For example, he boldy states the following:

“There is a good deal of writing about libraries and library knowledge from an informational science (IS) standpoint, but the theory of knowledge it presupposes is rooted, like IS itself, in engineering-based theories of information that turn out to be largely irrelevant to what it is that humanistic research actually produces. And in any case the information science literature arises basically within the professional debates, which to this writer seem driven more by the familiar dynamics of interprofessional competition than by deep thinking about knowledge.” (emphasis mine)

Another highly interesting point made in this report is that research data on library usage at Chicago points to the fact that the dramatically increased availability of e-resources such as e-journals, e-books, and databases has not replaced reliance by Chicago students on traditional library material. As Abbott puts it:

“There is no evidence whatever of substitution of electronic for print resources at the individual level. The two seem synergistic.”

This is great stuff because it flies in the face of assumptions that we too easily make about e-resources vs. print materials. We often assume, in other words, that print resources are less valuable, less often used with the advent of e-resources. Granted, the mix of students and the culture at Chicago may be somewhat unusual, but even so, this conclusion has significant ramifications.

There is more, much more here to enjoy and to stimulate thinking about the role of libraries.

Fascinated with flying

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I’ve long been fascinated with passenger jets and the whole flying experience, so it was with keen interest that I’ve read as much as possible about the decades-long knock-’em-drag-out fight between Airbus and Boeing over who will truly dominate the skies. I have to admit to being partial to Boeing. Sort of like rooting for the home team, even if, at times, they are sleazy and don’t deserve to win. When I first read about the upcoming so-called “super jumbo” jet, the A350, being built by Airbus, I honestly thought that the war was over and that Airbus had won. It is an amazing machine and I can’t wait to see it and perhaps fly in it some day.

However I have been really intrigued by Boeing’s latest offering, the 787 Dreamliner, and note that it is already unbelievably successful in terms of sales, even though it won’t go into service until 2008 at the earliest. (I think the A350 goes into service in 2007.) They aren’t really competitors in terms of the markets they serve but they represent the two biggest weapons in each camp, and they offer completely different views of how the industry will change in the next 10-20 years. Today’s article in the New York Times (Boeing Bets the House on Its 787 Dreamliner – New York Times) is an excellent article that discusses Boeing’s big gamble on the 787. This and other recent news about the 787 and the very positive reaction it is receiving from airlines has convinced me that the “war” is certainly not over. Like the A350, I can’t wait to see my first 787 fly overhead a couple of years from now, much less have a chance to fly in one. My current favorite jet in which to fly is the 777, which is a great plane, I think.

As an aside, one of the things I like most about where I currently work is that Endeavor’s headquarters are literally next door to O’Hare Airport here in Chicago. Passenger jets of all types and from all over the world fly over the building at close range, offering me the chance to take a look at them and try to identify what kind of jets they are and from which airlines. I know, it sounds a bit childish, but who cares. I think it’s a fun and innocent, if quirky, pasttime.

Fun stuff from The University of Chicago Library

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The other day I ran across a newish blog published and maintained by colleagues at The University of Chicago Library. The blog in question is entitled Maroon Opinions and contains a record of suggestions made by users of the libraries at Chicago. First of all, I think this is a great way to put blogs to use in libraries. Second, though, I found a lot of humor in reading the entries at Maroon Opinions. It’s a bit of a stereotype, but in general, those who work or go to school at Chicago are nothing if not opinionated. It’s one of the things I remember most about working in that environment: the promotion of individual thoughts and opinions and the concomitant need (at times) to be ready to fiercely defend them in debate. Check out this blog; it gives a rare inside view of the relationship between one of the world’s premier academic libraries and the communities it serves.

Warm weather, sunshine, and a date night

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February has been incredibly dull and gloomy here in the Chicago area. It always is. So it is a relief to finally experience warm temperatures and lots of sunshine the last few days. Yesterday we were able to go outside without wearing jackets for the first time in who knows how long.

Friday night, Keegan went home with his Grandma and stayed overnight with his grandparents. Yesterday, Michele and I and the younger kids had a leisurely day. We drove to my in-laws in the late afternoon and dropped off the other kids there. Michele and I then had a date night out to ourselves. Much needed! We ate at The Claddagh restaurant again (we had first eaten there a few months ago and really liked it). I had some wonderful trout and Michele enjoyed her fish and chips. She had a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake for dessert, while I had bread pudding. Afterward we went to the new IKEA and enjoyed the fact that we were able to leisurely stroll through the store, going our own pace, without the hassle of kids running everywhere. We decided to buy a four season down comforter set and we also picked out a nice duvet cover, as well as new pillows and matching lampshades. This was our combined wedding anniversary and Valentine’s Day present to ourselves.

When we got home last night after picking up the little ones from my in-laws (Keegan decided to stay another night with them), we discovered an extremely loud and raucous party going on a few houses down from ours. Everyone was screaming and laughing and generally so drunk it was pitiful. A group of guys stood near their pickup, entertaining their lady friends up on the balcony of the house by pulling down their pants. Talk about juvenile. I finally had had enough when one of them nonchalantly strolled to the side of our building and urinated in full view. I called the police. Once he appeared, things magically settled down.

Today we are having everyone over for a theme dinner tonight. Michele is making a menu of Indian dishes. We are really looking forward to it!

Ross Atkinson dies

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Yesterday I was saddened by the news that Ross Atkinson, Associate University Librarian at Cornell, had died. I never met him but I’ve read many of his writings, so my view of him is definitely second hand at best. My opinion is that Ross was one of the most important thinkers regarding libraries, collections, and acquisitions of the past several decades. I thoroughly enjoyed his writing style, his deep and sometimes provocative thoughts, and his perspectives on important issues. One of his articles (Toward a Redefinition of Library Services” (In Virtually Yours. Chicago, ALA, 1999; p. 3-21)Find in My Library) is a required introductory reading to the course I teach and it invariably sparks a lot of discussion. Other articles or writings of his are also part of the course. If you don’t know much about him or are interested in his writings, I highly recommend that you find a copy of Community, Collaboration, and Collections: the Writings of Ross Atkinson published in 2005 by the American Library Association. Here is the complete citation in Chicago Manual of Style format:

Atkinson, Ross, Robert Alan, and Bonnie MacEwan. Community, Collaboration, and Collections : The Writings of Ross Atkinson. Chicago: Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, 2005.Find in My Library

A wonderful anniversary weekend

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For the first time in our married life — in other words, in six years — Michele and I were able to spend a night away from our children. We had a wonderful weekend celebrating our sixth wedding anniversary by staying at a four star hotel near the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago. In addition to walking around Millennium Park, which we hadn’t seen before, Michele and I spent several hours touring the Art Institute of Chicago. We spent most of our time in the American artists area, an area neither of us had seen before. I was dazzled by two large paintings by Frederic Remington. Remington is of course well known for his bronze sculptures and there were several of them on display, but his paintings had far more of an impact on me. Their luminescent, bright colors were stunning. We also saw famous works of art by Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, John Singleton Copley, and many others. We had a leisurely lunch in the Art Institute’s cafe and went in search of even more areas of the place that we hadn’t seen already. It was a very satisfying and enjoyable visit. After that, we checked into our hotel (the Swissotel – Chicago) and rested for a bit before venturing out for a fabulous dinner at one of my favorite restaurants anywhere in the world: Frontera Grill (owned and operated by world famous chef, Rick Bayless). We had a great dinner there and then walked over to Michigan Avenue where we window shopped for a while before heading back to the hotel. As an interesting side note, our visit to the Swissotel – Chicago was fitting because we spent part of our honeymoon there six years ago.

The next day (Sunday), we drove back to the suburbs, stopping at Oak Brook to have a great lunch at The Cheesecake Factory followed by a leisurely visit to a nearby Borders, where we bought some books for the kids before picking them up at my in-law’s. They had a great time, also, and it sounds like they behaved very well in our absence.

It was a very nice time for all of us and I am really thankful for the generous giving of Michele’s parents that enabled us to do this. Now that we’ve done it once, Michele and I are eager to do it again.

A stressful week

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This has been a stressful week. I have not felt up to writing blog entries for a while. On Wednesday when temperatures plummeted and we had some snow, we discovered that our furnace was broken. We were without heat until Thursday afternoon, when the repair man was able to replace the heat exchanger that had a crack in it. We made it through ok, but this incident helped us to remember to be thankful for things we often take for granted.

Cohen, Brinley, and Tristan have been struggling with chest colds for a couple of weeks now. ‘Course the cold temps didn’t help but they seem to be getting over it. After about 10 days of taking muscle relaxant and an anti-inflammatory (naproxen) to cope with the severe headaches I’ve been having, I was glad to report to my doctor that the medication had helped. This vindicated his diagnosis, that the headaches are caused by muscle tension. He said that many people who think they have migraines actually have headaches caused by muscle tension. The pain profile from muscle tension headaches is apparently indistinguishable from that of migraines. Anyway, my doctor prescribed physical therapy for 4-6 weeks and I had two sessions already. In addition to the therapy sessions I am supposed to do exercises three times a day. I think this treatment is helping.

On Tuesday a.m., Michele discovered that our dog, Maddie, had gotten ahold of an avocado pit and appeared to have eaten half of it. She noticed that Maddie had thrown up and decided to look up information about the situation on the Internet. She discovered that avocado pits are toxic to dogs, so we called a vet and asked for advice. The vet urged us to get her to the clinic as soon as possible. $160 later we thankfully found out that she was ok. It was a pretty stressful day for Michele since she had to go by herself with all three little kids, who were quite sick and crabby to boot.

Last night as I was going to the bus to start my commute home from work, I felt in my coat pocket and realized that I had lost my monthly train and bus pass (an expensive loss). I had to run back to my office to get enough money for the train and bus fares and in the meantime, missed the connecting bus. Unfortunately by the time I got to the Metra station, all trains outbound from Chicago were running up to 45 minutes late due to signal problems. I left work shortly after 5p and didn’t get home ’til after 7p.