Unlocking the Passion Paradox

Kenneth Eikenberry illustrates the benefits of being passionate about your work, and how one can encourage and develop those passions.

From the post:

When you are passionate about an activity, event or situation, your satisfaction, success and productivity all skyrocket. If you want those benefits more of the time, it isn’t enough to wait for that passionate feeling; you must look for the opportunities, because until you look, you won’t find your passion.

He extols the benefits of having a good attitude, especially looking for the positive aspects of one’s work, as well as seeking out opportunities to apply your strengths through volunteer work or hobbies.  I can certainly vouch for these methods; they can certainly make a difference in your life, as well as providing benefits to others.

found via Library Garden

Internet Use and Job Search (pdf)

In a nutshell, the rate of “discouragement” (giving up hope for finding work) is reduced by 50% when job seekers have high speed internet access, and is reduced by 30% when job seekers have access to dial-up internet.

This provides a justification for providing high speed access to the community, in that it will encourage not only a higher rate of employment, but also less desperation in those still seeking employment.

To take this one step further, I would suggest that providing training and support (perhaps through volunteers among job seekers) might improve a community’s results beyond the scope of the study.

found via LISNews, who found it via NPR

found via Catalogablog



Click here to view the embedded video.

About ten years ago I created about 20 handmade books of about 25 pages each.  I don’t thing this method would have been effective for that particular effort, but it is certainly something to keep in mind when one wants to put something together that looks decent and works well.

found via Librarian in Black

There is a wide range of material available, and it is great to see them open to everyone, with the only requirement being the iTunes software.

Launch the site within your installed iTunes, and see a model for what other states, educational institutions, and libraries can do with their media content.

discovered via the OhioLINK Digital Resources Management Committee (Drmc) list

He is correct.  Any mature software project, whether open-source or proprietary, should have resources available to provide information, specifications, options, and assistance to users.  This doesn’t mean that every piece of software needs a manual and a call desk; there should be options available to provide assistance.

For a smaller, lesser-used product, a brief overview and contact information for further questions may suffice.  As the user base grows, group maintained resources (wiki, lists, forums) can allow those with more experience aid novices.

The ultimate goal with any software is for people to use it, and use it effectively to improve their lives.  Good information on using the software is part of that picture.  When you find an open source project that needs documentation, consider how you might be able to add your knowledge and experience to the project (i.e. when life hands you lemons, make lemonade).

found via What I Learned Today…

Is this the beginning of a slew of cancellations, or will it be limited to areas where funding is being drastically cut?  ALA 2009 apparently did well, but will smaller, regional conferences survive?

Watch for conferences to scale down, or even combine with other events, over the next couple of years in order to provide more “bang for the buck”.  If you are a speaker/presenter, look at how you might be able to benefit conferences in your area… they might need all the help they can get.

found via Save Ohio Libraries and The Limnal Librarian

Talon was created to work with online image editor Aviary, which is also well worth exploring!

Want to grab that web page screenshot without installing Talon?  Simply add Aviary.com/ to the beginning of the URL you wish to copy.  Example:  Aviary.com/http://saveohiolibraries.com/

found via TechCrunch, nearly a month ago

Click here to view the embedded video.

At first the video may seem to be all about buzzwords, but by the end you should have some thought-provoking questions forming within your mind.  I recommend at least two viewings, and quite a bit of time to think about where we might be headed.

This is a great example of asking excellent questions in order to move the conversation forward.

found via The Proverbial Lone Wolf Librarian