...and, I'm back?

Happy New Years everyone!

Believe it or not, I'm still alive and well.  I will soon be starting my 4th semester at GSLIS -- not my last, but getting there.  I think I will be done Fall 2011.

Here is what you missed: I took Special Collections: Collection Development, Electronic Publishing, and Information Modeling.  The first one is going towards the Special Collections Certificate I want to receive.  The other two go towards my new goal: a specialization in Data Curation.  The two last classes were very interlinked -- so much, that sometimes I forgot what class I was in at the moment  o.o

This semester, I'm taking another three classes: Foundations of Information Processing in LIS, Digital Libraries: Research and Practice, and Foundations of Data Curation.  Of course, these are all for the Data Curation specialization.  I will be posting my homework, as well as projects from last semester, on this blog. 

Hopefully, I will keep blogging this semester and keep up with my newsfeeds.  I am very behind in the library world  :(

Entering the End Game

I am now entering the "end game" of my semester, and what a semester its been!

Last semester I took the easy route and did two classes, with a total of 6 credit hours.  I thought to myself, Wow, that was EASY!  I can probably take more!  With that in mind, I took three classes: Cataloging and Classification I, Digital Preservation, and Instruction and Assistance Systems, for a total of 10 hours.  What a difference.  Even though one class was only for 2 credits, I had to work very hard to earn them.

Cataloging and Classification can only be described as a tornado- the 15 weeks you are in class you feel like a bunch of information is being thrown at you, and afterwards you look around and think WHAT JUST HAPPENED?  What happened was you learned the basic concepts of cataloging without even realizing it.  As I am now finishing my final assignment, a mock MARC record of a fake book, The Easter Eggroll: Chinese Dim Sum Snacks for Spring Occasions, I figured out just what accomplished in the class.  I may not remember every single rule of AACR2 or every MARC field, but I know what to look for and where to find the answers.  Isn't that the best description of what a librarian does?  We might not know all of the answers, but e certainly know where to find them.

I might have not been the number one participator in Digital Preservation, but it certainly made me think a lot about the present (and future) problems digital objects present to librarians, archivists, and preservationists.  I talked about some of these topics with my family, friends, and everyone else in the bar who would listen to me.  They were annoyed, but I was happy to discuss one of the big ideas of the class to anyone- in this digital age, can we really preserve everything?  Maybe the LoC will answer that with its Twitter collection- will all tweets be there, or just a select few?  If a select few, which tweets?  Who gets to pick the tweets?  I could go on forever with these questions.

I took Instruction and Assistance Systems as a 2 credit hour course, but I feel like I learned 8 credit hours worth in that time.  Maybe the most important thing I learned was about myself and how I learn.  Knowing how I learn makes me feel better simply because I now understand that its ok not to be the most vocal person in class.  My brain simply does not function that way.  Instead, I like soaking up the knowledge and thinking about it for a while before I try to discuss it with people.  No wonder my rhetorical questions on topics of digital preservation and the anonymity of the Internet come out in bars, after some time to think and a beer to ponder on (the anonymity of the Internet deserves its own post- I've been reading some books....). 

Now, as I am at the "end game," I know that I did not participate as much as I wanted to.  This past semester, in terms of my personal life, was a roller coaster of emotions and happenings, and while I won't write what they are, believe me when I say that they were indeed life changing.  You know, when you think to yourself I'm going to look back in 5, 10 years and know that my life is this way because I did _______?  Yup, that kind of life changing.  It might have made my student/"professional" life harder, but I still feel a little more at ease with things. 

Now, to get back to my work!  Here are the things I have left to do....

Cataloging Final: Due today (Edit: finished 2:54 pm Sunday)
Learning Response: Due tomorrow (Edit: finished 8:32 pm Monday)

DRAMBORA group project: Due Thursday

Next time I write, it will be "summer"  :D

You know you've been to library school when....part 1

You know when you've been to library school when you're looking at an onstage performance and thinking about the complex digital object it would become, if someone went and tried to digitize it.

Yesterday night I went to see my cousin, Pavi Proczko, play in the new Quest Ensemble play, "Evolution/Creation."  Why this show is different from your normal show takes a few lines to explain.  The play is actually two plays running at the same time on a partitioned stage: one side shows Evolution, from the big bang to the dawn of humans, while the other shows Creation, up to the story of Noah.  during intermission, the audience switches sides to see the part they did not see.  Each side has no dialogue, and run to the same score. 

So, how would I preserve a recording of this play?  I would probably have two videos, one with Evolution and the other for Creation, just so the user can chose themselves which one they want to see first.  Since this play is not supposed to be biased, why would I show any bias and put one part of the play in front of the other?

Otherwise, the play was great and I think anyone in the area should check it out.  My cousin is Adam on the creation side, and the modern Homo sapiens on the other.  The best part- the show is FREE!! 

It's February?

((looks over shoulder))

Wait, it's February?  That's crazy....I feel like I'll have 1-2 posts like this every semester until blogging finally becomes second nature to me.  Anyone can recommend blogging classes, preferably free ones? ; )

Spring Semester, coming up!

For my spring semester, be ready to hear about these three classes"

458, Instruction and Assistance Systems: "Provides an overview to instruction and assistance methods used in a variety of information systems, including libraries, archives, museums, and electronic environments. Includes an overview of theoretical and applied research and discusses relevant issues and concepts. Students will have an opportunity to design and present an instruction or assistance program.

507, Cataloging and Classification I. One of the "classic" courses of library school: "Theory and application of basic principles and concepts of descriptive and subject cataloging; emphasis on interpreting catalog entries and making a catalog responsive to the needs of users; provides beginning-level experience with choice of entries, construction of headings, description of monographs (and, to a lesser extent, of serial publications and nonprint media), filing codes, Dewey and Library of Congress classification systems, and Library of Congress subject headings."

590PDL, Digital Preservation.  It seems that everyone wanted to take this course this semester....AND it counts for the Special Collections certificate:  "This course examines the current problems with and approaches to digital preservation that are fundamental to the long-term accessibility of digital materials. We will examine the range of current research problems, along with emerging methods and tools, and assess a variety of organizational scenarios to plan and implement a preservation plan. Topics will include basic information theory, preservation of complex digital objects; standards and specifications; sustainability and risk assessment; authenticity, integrity, quality control, and certification; and management of preservation activities. [Elective course for Graduate Certificate in Special Collections]"

I was going to take one more class, but then I realized that due to certain things happening, I had no $.  Let's hope I can take these classes and still eat through May!

(looks back again)

Wait, what?  It's already December?  New Year's resolution- work on blogging  >.<

For those of you in GSLIS, you can check out my group project's website on Oral History.  It's not fancy, but I coded it all by hand so it better work (shakes fist at computer)

	https://courseweb.lis.illinois.edu/~kdurba2/501

It is almost the end of the semester

This semester went by too quickly.  I look back at the past few months, and think about all of the missed opportunities for participation on the Moodle.  Remember for next semester: write more on the Moodle.

Hello all who come from the GSLIS community forum!

....if anyone comes in the next few days, hello!  That's of course, if anyone comes hehe

If not, that's ok.  I'll still be writing in here....:D

I'm a Liar Too

What can I say?  It happens to the best of us.  I think I wrote down that I was going to try a weekly/biweekly blog, but its been about a month since my last post.

It's week 8 and depite the online factor I feel almost exactly the same as last fall in undergrad.  I do what I have to do, I read the materials I believe are the most important, and though I am not the biggest participator, I attend and listen. 

The thing is that this semester is different than other semesters.  For once, I am actually pursuing my hobbies.  I am mass producing handmade greeting/holiday cards in order to sell at a couple of craft shows, so that is my nighttime activity.  I am taking a "class" on Ukrainain embroidery, so I try to put a little time into embroidering and designing every day.  And then, of course, I am in a long distance relationship- its hard, but I can't help it!

In short, I'm genuinely busy.

It's the LEEP weekend, and I am having a lot of fun.  The Rare Books and Special Collection day was especially AWESOME.  We were able to looks (and sometimes even touch) some of the objects in the collections.  Here are some of my highlights:

- manuscript with a doodle of a bird on the margin (I guess a Medieval reader got bored?)
- one of the first engineering books ever created
- a book of encyclopedia plates which had directions for everything, including building your own boat
-gloriously old and beautiful maps
-Irish political cartoons that make no sense to me, but must've made sense back in the times of the Land Acts
- a book with beautiful hand painted pictures of homes and cover of inlaid leather.
- "So Long, Hot-Metal Men" by Henry Morris: a book of his own typesettings, from Bird and Bull Press
- letters from Joseph Conrad to H. G. Wells, showing his creative process in writing books
- the manuscript for "The Time Traveler"
- story boards from Citizen Kane

and the motherload of motherloads: the Book of Genesis, from a Gutenburg Bible.  The amount of text lines increase thoughout the book, which makes people assume that this might've been from one of the earlier prints of the Bible....wow

As for today, the 501 presentations in Preservation were so enlightening.  There were four different preservationists/conservators talking about the different materials they deal with: general collection, special collection, a/v equipment, digital files, and musical instruments.  I learned about how they fix 100 year old horns, backup files, freeze/bake cassette tapes, and how they decide to chuck a book into the dumpster.  I had no idea that these librarians had disaster plans, and how they accept their imperfect environments and work with them.  I have a growing interest in digitization, so it was really cool to hear about all of these different problems conservators have trying to fix and/or put these objects on the internet.

This weekend is really turning out great.  My group for the 501 project is filled with wonderful people, its great to see everyone from 14.1, and meet people from 14.2.  It's been fun  :D  I can't go to the dinner, but I am virtually saying "hi" to everyone!

Been Away

This summer has been very buy for me. After bootcamp was real in-the-woods camp for a full week, and then a small trip to Michigan with family and friends. I will only be here for a short while, as I will be going on my Central European "tour" very soon. It's my first time in Europe outside of Eastern Europe, so I am very excited!

For now, click on this link: 100 Best Blogs for Librarians of the Future. This should keep you busy until I am in class in the fall :D

I am done

My head hurts. I need sleep.

I'll blog about CocoMero tomorrow.

It Might Be Dangerous To Post This

On the "social forum" of the class Moodle, I identified myself as a Hufflepuff, saying that I like to work hard and stay loyal to my friends and my beliefs.

On the other hand, I procrastinate. I can face it, I usually fail to motivate myself to proactively write papers . It took so much effort to get my Mill essay before this program started! For those of you reading and are in a position to evaluate my work- do not worry, I am slowly working on my tracking paper. It's not like I left everything for tomorrow (I did not, for once). I just need that slight pressure tomorrow will bring to get it done, and maybe a good night's sleep.

GOOD NIGHT!