Row, row, row your boat

Actually make it to the gym at lunchtime, hence the sporty post title. Presumably you all know the intellectual version of the song?

Propel, propel, propel your craft / Placidly down the liquid solution / Ecstatically, ecstatically, ecstatically declaiming / Existence is but an illusion

Or there’s always my goddaughter’s favourite: ‘If you see a crocodile, don’t forget to scream’.

Anyway the Concept 2 Rowing machine is quite an apt metaphor for the work of a librarian during the summer. You feel as though you’re pulling very hard and working up a sweat but not actually getting very far…

I lie actually – today I got round to some long neglected tasks such as writing up a staff development event from early June. Also starting to get information literacy classes booked in. Attended the ORG meeting, which is a lot less fun than it sounds. Usual state of flux for most details of our service, even though registraton and induction are starting to loom dangerously large.

Sent feedback to a Revalidation candidate on their draft submission. Potentially a strong submission, just needing a bit of a tidy up and a pare down. We definitely tend to the verbose in this profession – our horror of leaving out any useful information? Or our determination to record all our activity since we went through so much blood, sweat and tears to fit it all in?

Lots to be done in advance of the CDG Officers’ meeting in September. Much discussion of agendas, which of course presuppose reports… need to schedule an evening soon to get my head together and start compiling my own report and the porposed revisions to the Draft Strategy.

On Topic

Just made a trip to the vending machine for Topic and Bounty bars for two of us. My excuse is that I have just drafted the longest email ever in response to an academic colleague’s 5 very searching questions on a paper I had drafted on information literacy within his School. You know these documents that cause major headaches at the time, come back to bit you after a month or two, and then still have to be redrafted before The Big Meeting where a wider group of people get to tear said document to shreds or else overlook it entirely? It’s that kind.

Just about to resume contacting staff re information literacy sessions for next semester. I would normally have done this by at least the end of June, which confirms my susipicion that I am running at least a month behind myself. Considering sporting a false moustache and trilby so as to pass through hostile crowds of neglected colleagues unseen… why do I always bump into the very person whose thing I’ve been studiously ignoring?

Get very excited when a Revalidation candidate contacts me and asks whether I can look through a draft submission. My first one so it will all be a bit experimental. Fortunately I know the Revalidee (Revalidant? Revalidator?) in question so we can hopefully engage in helpful conversation about the work.

I can see a few square inches of desk so things must be on the up slightly. Also made it to the gym at lunchtime and felt a lot better. Endorphins ahoy!

Back at Chateau Quick, we are regular visitors to the vet, mainly with one kit but tonight with the other one after a disturbed night of cat hoiking. Suspect her of munching small FBCs (Furry Bone Crunchers) in the farmland at the weekend. Recreational viewing is on the cards for tonight: video of last night’s Olympic dreams, which I am loving from the comfort of the sofa; Private Practice, as the RT put it – ‘for those who didn’t think Grey’s Anatomy was sexist enough’; and this week’s DVD of choice, the 1980s TV version of Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Considering going into counselling after seeing Douglas Adams’s bare bottom in episode 2. Mind you, a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster would just slip down round about now…

Till next time, keeeeep surfing…

Incomings and outgoings

Yesterday saw our first official Revalidation course up at Causewayside in Edinburgh. I joined with Margarets Forrest and Chapman to hopefully cover all points of view – CILIP as award provider; the assessor; and the candidate. We hope we created a welcoming and positive atmosphere, and indeed the afternoon did seem upbeat (even though we left a glorious summer day outside for an overly air conditioned windowless seminar room). It was a small group, and most people seemed comfortable asking questions. Ventured slightly into Fellowship territory at the end of the day. I think I will go for it. Well, maybe. Next year. Or the year after. When I’ve had both arms broken by my activist colleagues, no doubt.

Have you noticed how some names are more hallowed than others in the profession? I don’t mean specific individuals; I mean literally certain names. ‘Margaret’ is one such name. Chapman, Forrest, Watson and more. ‘Sheila’ does well too: think Corrall and Webber. ‘Keith’ gets about – Trickey, Nockels, Wilson. In my first library post, I worked with 3 Janes, 5 Annes and 7 Sues. It did get rather muddly. I’ve met a couple of Amandas on my professional travels, so that bodes reasonably well. (Did you know it means ‘charcoal’ in Lusoga?) I wonder whether there are any inauspicious names for information professionals? ‘Louis’ would give rise to some bad poetry, I imagine…

Back to Chateau Inbox today and hard at it all day with documents to finish, critical meetings and discussions, plus a host of new electronic resources each with their own peculiarities and demands. I’ve had to resort to using flags on my emails and it’s starting to look like an Olympic opening ceremony.

Tomorrow a musical interlude – off to Glasgow for the Scottish Recorder Festival, an annual jamboree with guest stick-waver and a nice lunch in between playing sessions.  Looking forward to being uplifted and achieving something with my fellow players – the ultimate in quick wins – see a piece for the first time, play it, rehearse, improve, perform. Also get to dip into some more short stories on the train.

Don’t forget – this week’s Doctor Who promises an ultra scary story set in a Library…

Honey, I’m home

Back at work today after a flying visit to relatives in Lagartera, a village in Castilla La Mancha. (That’s Spain, for the geographically challenged.) The dusty dry bit in the middle, about 2 hours drive from Madrid. I say dry, but I seem to have a knack for coinciding with unprecedented torrential downpours. Lucky I packed the mac; should have thrown in the gloves as well. Did lots of eating and drinking and reading (all good things).

Visited the family’s flock of sheep (9 at the last count) and was quite impressed. Kirsty is the ringleader, then there are Morag and Shona (who according to the locals should be made into rissoles and according to my anthropologist stepmother provide social stability for the group), also Angus, who has to date sired Douglas, Davina, Lorna, Aileen and one whose name escapes me. Go Angus! Sheep are not intended for meat or milk or even wool, but will primarily be used as heavy duty lawnmowers.

Was present for the annual Corpus Christi fiesta, the first time I’ve seen the place actually come to life and show a bit of colour. Normally it’s rather drab and slow. At Corpus they strew fennel and wild thyme branches on the ground, and people set up altars outside their homes with the family’s lace and embrodieries all displayed, flowers and little Jesus figures (let’s not even get into the theology, let’s enjoy the cultural experience!) It’s a result if you can get some small children dressed up in the local costume to sit and look rustic in front of your altar. (They don’t sacrifice them or anything…) Anyhow, a unique event to witness and I look forward to uploading my photos on Flickr and Facebook at the weekend.

On my travels read Clare Morrall’s latest, The Language of Others – great story, rather sad but compelling as is all her stuff. And a good Brummie lass into the bargain! Also threw in some Marquez, Allende, Hello and Gardener’s World. Marvellous.

So, work today, meeting with the Head of School to twist his arm into taking out a shiny new multimedia subscription. Also trying to write a paper for another senior academic, struggling to fit it into the agreed sides even after reducing to point two font. Doing everything in fits and starts between my travels, but actually find this does help the focus at my desk.

Tomorrow is our Revalidation course in Edinburgh, a small but hopefully happy band of travellers coming together to think about taking the next step in their careers and CPD. Just read Margaret Watson’s excellent book on Portfolios, was inspired but a little awed by some of my colleagues’ case studies! (Ayub, I thought Fellowship was achievable by mere mortals but after reading your itemised submission list I’m beginning to doubt it!)

All aboard

Well, in the spirit of the age, I thought when I became President I should keep a blog. The eagle eyed of you will realise that I am not in fact President yet. Behold the usurper! Here I come a-usurping, among the blogs so green…

I’m reminded of my good friend Mary who once decided she would like to read the Bible in a year. But knowing her own fallibility and the busyness of modern life, she started in September of the preceding year, to give herself a few months’ head start. Since I’m on holiday for the first week of my Presidency, I thought I’d do the same.

If you want this blog to be full of sound advice and profound thoughts, you may be out of luck. It’s a little bit of what’s inside my head at any one time, and as they frequently say here in snowy Scotland, ma heid is mince.

Why the TARDIS? Well I’ve started the whole Doctor Who thing in my ‘Meet the Pres’ article; I thought you would expect it. This evening in fact I was watching an episode of ‘Warriors of the Deep’, which pits Peter Davison’s Doctor, Tegan (fashion victim) and Turlough (fashionably sullen) against the Silurians, Sea Devils and the Myrka. It also features a great pseudo-librarian moment – how not to do student induction – monotonous chant of “There-will-now-be-a-short-orientation”. I once witnessed a librarian presenting in excatly the same style. I won’t tell you where and it certainly wasn’t any of my employers.

I have a weakness for ranting. So much so that at work I have been limited to one rant a day, to be over by 09.10. Today was Tesco day, and I have to ask… dental floss harps: why…? What next? Beard trimming bassoons? Cuticle removing cellos? Where’s Eddie Izzard when you need him?

I have actually done some CDG work today, in between day job, church and shopping. I’m organising a Revalidation event for Scotland – the first one under CDG auspices at least. Had some expressions of interest already. Exciting. And I’ve been printing labels to send out my Presidential reception invites. So many great people I know, and so many I look forward to meeting.

At the joint churches’ Good Friday service tonight I was struck again by the good relationships and sense of fellowship between members of our five very different local churches. It reminds me a bit of the CDG vibe, meeting folk from different sectors, senior managers, students, frontline staff, backroom staff… none of the distionctions matter, we’re all people, we’re part of a single community and we connect.

But it’s high time I gave the fingerbones a wee rest and poured myself a drink.