Hump day updates
Yesterday was staff meeting day - oh, wait, it's now called "Library Team Meeting", not staff meeting. I'm the permanent notetaker for these meetings because I am the fastest typist on staff. I take notes on the laptop, then upload them immediately after the meeting to the staff website so that those who are not in attendance can read them. I try to type what people say verbatim, which is relatively easy until I am the one who has to speak. Yesterday, I had to give a demonstration to the staff on how to setup the LCD projector in the meeting room. We often have groups hold meetings during which they would like to show a Powerpoint presentation or play a DVD. We have an LCD projector we make available to these groups, and I'm the one who always has to set it up for them. The Boss wants more staff members to know how to do that, hence the demonstration. Naturally, I couldn't take notes while doing the demo. Then I was asked a bunch of questions. I can't type and talk at the same time (imagine that), so my answers don't get typed. I usually type the question, then go back later and type in the answer.
Today I have a technology committee meeting, the focus of which is going to be RFID. The 3M rep is in town to give us a presentation on RFID. Some of us have had this presentation already, and are all for moving to RFID ASAP (like those acronyms?) But there are always those who have problems with technology in general, and RFID in particular. They think people will be able to tell what patrons check out by employing an RFID reader and reading the signal emitted from the materials the patron has with them as they leave the library. Get real. The RFID tag will only have a barcode and a status (checked out/not checked out) programmed into it. They'd need our database to find out what title has that barcode. No patron info will be attached to the tag. For as close as someone would have to be with the reader to read the tag, it would be easier to tell what someone was checking out by just LOOKING at the stuff the patron was carrying! Anyway, today's meeting should help dispel some of these concerns.
The technology committee's role is to recommend or not recommend the implementation of RFID technology to the full board of trustees. If we recommend it, the board will vote on it, and we will budget for the implementation - or not - depending upon their vote. RFID tags would allow us to check in and out multiple items at one time, and it makes keeping the shelves in order amazingly easy. I really hope we go for it.
Tomorrow is my birthday. My best friend and I will go out for lunch at the establishment of my choice. I will get a lot of nifty cards from coworkers, and a few gifts. My family will celebrate it this weekend. YS will call from Paris. It will be a great day. The snow is melting, the sun is sort of shining. Spring is just around the corner. Life is good.
