Homecoming Weekend at Pitt

Last weekend was my first Pitt homecoming and my first visit to Heinz Field. It is a beautiful football field, but it is so big that it didn't feel much like a college game. We couldn't find any of our friends until after the game at a local restaurant. We were lucky that the rain held off and it didn't get cold until the end of the game. Pitt beat USF in a blowout. They are doing so great this season! Much, much better than when I was an undergrad student.

The weather on Sunday was even better - cool but sunny. Natalie and I had lunch at the "O" (we split a turkey sub and small fries and were stuffed!) and walked around campus. The campus now has a Pitt Panther statue that was donated by the class of 1999 (after we graduated), so we got some pictures of it. We also walked around Station Square and took some great pictures of the city from Mt. Washington. We caught the end of the very exciting Steelers game on the radio. What a great weekend for football in Pittsburgh!

Visit to Pitt - Twice in a Month

Fall semester has been challenging. This month in particular as I keep getting colds, probably from the changing temps. Last weekend I was in Pittsburgh for fasttrack weekend and this weekend I'll be there again. My friend Natalie is flying in from Denver for Pitt's homecoming and she is staying with me. We're going to meet up with other friends after the game Saturday (my first visit to Heinz Field) and attend an event on campus Sunday. I'm really looking forward it since I haven't seen anyone since college.

Fasttrack weekend was hectic as usual. I didn't see as many people from cohort 9 as I expected I would. Some of us were communicating through Facebook afterward that it would be fun to plan a get-together for next time (in March). I can't believe it is already time to register for spring classes! I need to figure out what classes I want to take and register next week. I think I'm going to take Health Consumer Resource and Services and Information Visualization.

Well back to cleaning the house to prepare for my guest and then off to the airport.

Internet Public Library Internship

This semester I will be working with the Internet Public Library as a Digital Reference Service Intern! The IPL is a public service organization and learning/teaching environment founded in 1995 by the University of Michigan. It is currently managed by Drexel University and Florida State University. Pitt is a partner university.

I was excited to find out that although my supervisor is employed by Florida State, she works from her home in New York. I will also be working on the site remotely. This experience should be helpful to my career if telecommuting continues to be a trend -- I would love to work from St. Croix part of the year in the future.

As part of the internship, I'll help with the IPL question and answering service. Anyone can submit questions through the website and interns and volunteer librarians research and respond to the questions within 24 hours through email.

Second Semester Begins

It's my second semester in Pitt's MLIS program! I am taking 2 courses and I just love online learning. I can watch the lectures at my leisure in comfort. There's no driving to Pittsburgh or paying for parking (just one weekend each term, which I enjoy). There are a lot more students this semester, which could be challenging. In my summer classes nearly everyone was online and used Blackboard. Now my classes are a mix of on-campus and online students. We need to work together on group projects and I think some of the on-campus students are hesitant to use new technology. Besides Bb, I've used Skype for conference calls and Google Chat and Docs for effective group work.

I really enjoyed my break in August, but I didn't get as much work done around the house as I wanted to. I did volunteer at the public library in the small town I live in. The library received a state grant which was matched by private donations to double its size and renovate the current space. The project is long overdue. There was a lot of excitement when I was there as the construction was just starting. As the library director explained to me, a lot of time in a small public library is spent talking to the patrons. I found this to be true, especially with the older people. Many people stop by every day. Most patrons would ask about the building project so the director had the same conversation over and over. She didn't seem to mind, though. August is a slow month for the library, so there wasn't much for me to do, but I did help update the website content and created a user survey for future use. The website needs a redesign, but I don't have the time or skills to do that right now. Maybe in the future. Rather than volunteer on a regular basis, I'm going to check in with the director from time to time and help out with special projects.

First Semester Completed!

I woke up early this morning and decided to add graphics and additional links to my LIS 2600 portfolio - my last project due this term! It hasn't really hit me yet that this semester is over. It will be so nice to have a month to catch up on chores and pursue other projects. And just maybe the sun will decide to visit western PA for a few weeks in August. Wouldn't that be nice?

I'm also going to start volunteering at my community library soon, which I hope will help me decide if I want to work in a public library setting. I'm going to help out with the web site, which will be fun.

I registered for the next two required courses in the program for fall 2009 (6 credits). They are LIS 2005: Organizing and Retrieving Information and LIS 2700: Managing Libraries and Information Systems and Services in Changing Environments.

I want to give a shout out to my good friend and former University of the Virgin Islands colleague Merritt (pictured on the left), who introduced me to Pitt's MLIS program. I just talked to her yesterday and told her to check out my blog. Merritt was one of the USVI cohort students on St. Croix. I thought she was crazy to pursue a graduate program while working full-time managing the university bookstore, but she completed the program. I wasn't interested in library science at the time, but I did think the courses sounded interesting. It wasn't until this year that I looked into the program for myself. So thanks, Merritt!

Struggle with External CSS

I had a terrible time over the weekend creating an external style sheet and getting it to work. I finally broke down and asked my husband to help me.

When I first started assignment 8 I couldn't figure out how to get Nvu to open up the .html file I created for assignment 7, so I tried with KompoZer. It worked, and I continued using that program.

For the CSS file I couldn't find a text editor in my Mac applications that worked (TextEdit wouldn't let me save the document as .css). I downloaded a program called CSSEdit, which was very helpful because it color coded everything. You can also click on "verify" to see if the code is correct. If there is an error, it will tell you which line is the problem.

To upload the files to the unix server I used a program called Cyberduck my husband suggested since I was having trouble with FileZilla. I guess trying out a bunch of free programs was all part of the learning experience.

Now on to the final assignments for LIS 2000 and 2600...

Cohort 9 Rocks!

Even more enjoyable than seeing my old hang-out spots at Pitt was meeting my fellow MLIS students (cohort 9 is pictured on left), faculty members, and our SIS librarians.

It was helpful to experience face-to-face classes with Dr. Alman and Dr. Tomer. I also enjoyed learning about the history of the University of Pittsburgh, the Cathedral of Learning, and the library science program from Dr. Biagini. She is the new chair of the department and is very enthusiastic and interesting to listen to.

The guest speakers representing the different types of librarians (academic, archivist, public, school, and special) was a highlight for me. I am still undecided between academic, public, or special libraries, so I am glad there is an individualized option. At least I can rule out archives and school librarian.

Spending time with other MLIS students was definitely the best experience. At Sunday's dinner I enjoyed meeting Amiya, Lori, and Pasha, who all work at the public library in Cleveland. When I travel there, I will need to stop by and visit. Lori Sheetz and Becky also sat nearby and we all had a great time.

I also went out to dinner Monday with Jenny P., which was really fun. We have a lot in common. We went to Peter's Pub - mainly because it was close and we needed a drink. I wish we had more time to go somewhere outside of Oakland (like Station Square, South Side, or even Shadyside), but we both still had so much reading to do and were still working on our group project.

I feel bad for those who didn't get to experience Pittsburgh outside of Oakland. There was an afternoon set aside for exploring the city, but many people used that time to meet with their groups, read, and work on assignments.

Our "hot topic" group presentations were held on the last day. My group (pictured, from left: Laura, Jen P., me, Jillian, Becky, and Sam) worked well together. We were scheduled last, though, and our presentation (as well as others) ran over the 30-minute time limit so we had to stop and then finish after the faculty members visited. I wish we had gotten those over with earlier. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again in October!

Cathedral of Learning's Nationality Rooms

I loved spending time on campus at Pitt. It was exciting to visit the historic academic buildings again in Oakland, especially the Cathedral of Learning.

After lunch in the basement food court (worse than I remember, unfortunately), a group of us hoped to check out the nationality rooms, but they were locked and we didn't have time to get a key for the self-guided tour. We did get in the Russian room, which was unlocked. I had a few classes in them as an undergrad and really wanted the group to see more rooms. I later heard from someone that they were closed during the afternoon set aside for exploring Pittsburgh. That's a bummer. Perhaps the faculty could arrange a group tour for another time.

Another option, if you cannot visit the Nationality Rooms in person, is to take a virtual tour online. It's pretty cool, actually.

I also enjoyed seeing sites of personal interest, such as my old dorm and apartment complex, the restaurant where I worked, as well as a visit to Peter's Pub, one of many bars I frequented when I wasn't studying or working.

Awful Library Books

The blog Awful Library Books catalogs the worst books found on library shelves. Yesterday's post was "I Want to be a Librarian" from 1960. The blogger wrote: "Thanks to anonymous submitter for this wonderful relic from the past! Submitter says there is lots of information about the card catalog and finding good books. (I wonder if this counts as a good book?) I quickly breezed through the WorldCat holdings and A LOT of public libraries are hanging on to this title. Please do the profession a favor and get something more current." I found this blog through a Times article article about it. It also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter. Good for a laugh now and then.

Need Motivation? Watch This.

This is a great motivational video.

Schoolwork and Babysitting

I'm going to help babysit my niece and nephew tonight. They are a handful! This photo of Lexi and Zach was taken at a 4th of July picnic.

I'm also working on school work today. I already know HTML so I was going to use a free WYSIWYG editor for the technology assignment to get it done faster and spend more time reading. I created a page using iWeb, which is part of iLife which came with my MacBook, but I can't figure out what to do next. To upload it, it appears you have to subscribe to Apple's MobileMe service. You can get a 2 month free trial, but you have to sign up using a credit card and unless you remember to cancel, you get charged a $99 annual fee. I don't want to take that chance. I couldn't find the HTML code in iWeb (I thought maybe I could copy and paste it), so I guess I'll have to do the assignment again using HTML in NotePad unless I can find something else to use online.

Update: NotePad is not free, so I ended up using Nvu Web Authoring Software, which was free and very easy to use. Uploading the html page to the host using Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) was more challenging. I used FileZilla after reading the comments on the discussion board. Thank goodness for the course discussion board and Tim the TA.

My final webpage is not very exciting but it meets the assignment requirements (to recreate the look and feel of an early edition of the work): http://www.pitt.edu/~afg17/thoreau_fragment_1.html

Now on to more reading...

Jackson Funeral Shown at Baltimore Library

(This is a good example of how public libraries are becoming more focused on community and social events.)

BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― As millions watched the memorial on TV around the world, hundreds of people gathered at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, where the memorial was streamed live on big screens. Gigi Barnett reports what it was like to be with that big crowd.

It was a part of history they couldn't miss, a chance to say goodbye to the King of Pop for dozens of Enoch Pratt Library visitors.

"People really don't have a chance to show their remorse and how sad they are and this is the one chance they get," said Library Spokesman Roswell Encina.

Some brought their children. "It felt weird without him around," said Elizabeth Woods.

Others saw the simulcast as a chance to remember the past and the music. "His whole life span just intrigued me," said Rodney Franklin. "He was more than just what everyone sees him on the screen and the entertainment world. He was a human being."

The library says part of the reason it decided to simulcast the memorial service is the increase in Michael Jackson's popularity since his death. All of his CDs and books are checked out.

"Every time something like this happens, people want to learn more. From books to CDs to movies to everything and we're happy that they're coming to us," Encina said... (full article)

Still Reading . . .

More reading to do, plus a technology project. I hope I can finish everything in time. I'm looking forward to being on the Pitt campus again. I really enjoyed my undergraduate years there. It looks like we will have good weather, too!

Reading . . .

I'm trying to finish the 3 books and assigned articles and write the essay due tonight for LIS 2000. This is the hardest writing assignment yet. Then I need to work on the group project and read another 2 books for the classes at Pitt. This is a challenging week.

Koha is Done - Finally!

The Koha assignment was taking me SOOOO long the last two days. It was very frustrating. I watched the video tutorial a few times to get the hang of it, but it was just taking so long and I had to restart the Firefox browser several times. I kept getting a message saying that a script wasn't working. I think it had to do with the Google toolbar. Today I used a different browser, Safari, and it was much faster.

Now on to the essay assignment...

School on Saturday

It is a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I was able to sit outside in the sun and read for a while, but I was getting pink fast (since I'm so pale these days) so I came in to work on my computer to complete the ePrints assignment. From what I've read on the discussion board, it's going to be time consuming. Back to work.

Zotero Assignment

For this assignment for LIS 2600, we had to use Jing and Screencast to record a video with audio on how to install and configure the Firefox extension Zotero. After several tries, I was able to successfully complete the assignment. I will leave the voice-over acting to my husband in the future, though. The video is embedded below or you can watch the full-size version by clicking here.

Library News from My Second Home

(I used to live on St. Croix.)

New Center for the Book in the Virgin Islands - The Library of Congress and the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands have announced the creation of the Virgin Islands Center for the Book, the first center affiliate in the U.S. territories. Gov. John P. deJongh Jr. and Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole made the announcement during a National Library Week reception. The principal organizer of the new center, which will be located at the main public library in St. Croix, is Ingrid Bough, territorial director of libraries, archives, and museums... (full article)

Wild and Crazy Librarians

(I saw this in the ALA newsletter. There is a team from Pitt. Good luck "Steel City Kings" - sounds fun!)

Librarian Book Cart Drill Championships to be held - The fifth annual Library Book Cart Drill Team championship, showcasing library workers performing inspired dance routines with costumes and creatively decorated book carts, will be held July 12 at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Sponsored by Demco, this year’s event features teams from Oak Park (Ill.) Public Library, the entire state of Delaware (above), Baraboo (Wis.) Public Library, University of Pittsburgh, and Des Plaines (Ill.) Public Library....(full article) Here's a video of the Pitt team from 2005.

Great Weekend

What a great weekend. Friday, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. Saturday was beautiful for my visit to the Three Rivers Arts Festival with friends. That night I watched the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Books 2 (I loved the books and movies). Sunday I spent time with family, including my niece and nephew, and that night saw Legally Blond: The Musical in Pittsburgh with my mom. I had seen the show a couple years ago on Broadway, but I enjoyed it more this time, probably because I could see it better thanks to good seats. I had turned in my discussion assignment earlier in the day, so I felt good about that, but I did miss the chat because of the show. This week I need to finish reading the 3 books and write my essay and do the Zotoro assignment.

The Big Game

Oh, I almost forgot, tonight is the last game in the Stanley Cup finals - go Pens! Detroit has the home advantage and the Pens haven't had much luck winning there, but the Pens have the talent and motivation. I will be cheering them on.

If you haven't seen the local car commercials featuring the guys, check them out for a laugh. Commercial 1 features some guys who are no longer with the team, but Max trying to be a "superstar" is hilarious and poor Geno can't speak English well so he just looks at the keys. Commercial 2 is a follow up featuring Max Talbot, also very funny. Good thing these guys are professional hockey players and NOT actors!

TGIF! Weekend Fun

Tomorrow I'm going to check out the Three Rivers Arts Festival. I haven't been to one since my days as an undergraduate Pitt student.

I guess that leaves the bulk of Sunday to read. Hopefully it will be nice and I can do so outside!

Article on Pitt Library Director

Pitt library director says function will define future as resources go digital By Mike Cronin, TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Today Show: Libraries Lend a Hand in Recession

And yet, library budgets keep getting cut.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Bradford's Law + Penguins = My Evening

Watching the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight and I have some articles on Bradford's Law to read during period breaks. I really hope the Pens win!

Monday Regroup

I am happy to be moving on to a new week. The Penguins game Saturday was a big disappointment and I struggled all weekend to get my assignments done.

For the next essay for LIS 2000, we need to read 3 books. I am going to have to find more time for reading or read faster. I'm not sure how it works, but I've heard of speed-reading techniques.

Sunday's chat session was held via Blackboard, but I wasn't able to connect, so that was frustrating. I did take a nice walk outside Saturday while listening to one of our assigned podcasts on my new iPod. I need to keep that up.

How About those Pens?

Great win the other night. I'm looking forward to Thursday's game. I'm busy making dinner, doing laundry, and doing school work at the same time so I don't have time to write anything else today. Go Penguins!

Week 4 Already?

Time is going by very quickly and I am having trouble keeping up with all the readings, not to mention the assigned videos and podcasts. I haven't even started the technology project. Better get to work.

Let's Go Pens!

I'm really enjoying this beautiful day and looking forward to the Penguins game tonight!

Pittsburgh is an interesting sports town. The fans either fully support the teams when they are winning (Penguins, Steelers) or abandon them when they are not (Pirates). I think this is because we have such a long tradition of winning. All I knew about professional sports when I was growing up here was winning -- super bowl parties, the song "we are family," etc. The bad side of this (I think) is that the fans can be so negative when the teams are not winning. In the 2 years I've been back in this area, I've seen Steelers fans boo their own team when they aren't doing well during a game!

I moved to Baltimore in 1996 shortly after the Cleveland Browns became the Baltimore Ravens. That's where I met my husband, Dave. The city hadn't had a football team in like 20 years and fans (including Dave, whose beloved Baltimore Colts left in the middle of the night for Indianapolis when he was a kid) were so excited to finally get a football team. Baltimore fans were also very supportive of their baseball them, the Orioles, even when they were not doing well (which was a lot). I have to say that I admired their loyalty.

Even so, it is fun to be living again in Pittsburgh and being here for all the fun sporting events. I enjoy hockey except for the fighting. My husband is now a big Pens fan too (Baltimore has no hockey team). We named our cat after Geno!

Career as a Librarian?

One of our discussion questions was how technology has begun to change the role of librarians, and it brought up some thoughtful questions as to the future of the profession. Before I decided to enroll in this program, my research pretty much said the same thing: that the number of jobs would remain about the same in the near future because many librarians will be retiring. I don't remember if technology was a consideration in the outlooks, however.

Holiday Weekend?

Well I spent most of the weekend doing schoolwork. I need to work on my time management skills so that I am not trying to do everything in 2 days.

Crunch Time: Too Soon

I've spent so much time getting everything together and organized for graduate school that I am falling behind already. A lot of it, however, is because of technical issues that others are also having. We have not been able to get access to articles we need to read. Our week 2 assignments are due Sunday evening, so I will need to split my time between picnics and school work over the weekend. Monday I can relax, and then get to work on week 3!

New Computer

My laptop computer died just before the beginning of classes. It was outdated and no longer under warranty, so I took advantage of the educational discount and my student loan to upgrade to a new computer - a 13" MacBook, which I love. As part of a special, I received an iPod touch for free. It is very cool, but I don't have a lot of time to use it yet as I'm already behind on my reading and assignments.

Back to School...Again

My courses have begun. There's so much information; I'm a little overwhelmed, yet excited at the same time. There are 11 books for the 2 online courses I am taking (Understanding Information and Introduction to Technology). During the next 11 weeks, I will be busy reading, writing, participating in discussions and group projects, and working on a variety of computer projects -- along with my fellow students in cohort 9.

Welcome to My Blog!

Hello! My name is Apryl and I am seeking a new career as a librarian. I will be starting the University of Pittsburgh's online FastTrack MLIS program in May.