Library day in the Life, Day 2 (but who's counting?)

So this is what finally prompts me to create a blog. Huh.

Anyway, alerted by David Lee King's FaceBook notes that he is participating in this project, and being in the midst of a potential job upheaval, here I am, sharing my own story for the cause.

My work week started today, Tuesday, as yesterday was my son's 4th birthday.

Hour One: Having been off almost all of last week because he was sick and then had tubes put in his ears, my first task this morning was to get through and delete enough email from my inbox to be able to send replies to some of the emails I received last week.

Hour Two: Attended a meeting of the Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services tech folks (our parent department) and the City IS folks who are assigned to help us with network, server, and large corporate apps (our ILS falls in that category, for one). Got updates on various projects, including the one last major issue from our ILS upgrade week before last, in which our phone notifications stopped working. Some hope for a fix by the end of the week. Discussed afterhours support issues, as we become a 24/7 service online, and as the City IS folks and County folks slowly figure out how to be there and be responsive. Some hope there, as well.

Hour Three: finished above meeting, and went back to office to do more catch up on email for half an hour.

Hour Four: went to lunch with my boss, the Director, in lieu of an evaluation, and to talk about what the heck we will do when my peer, the Public Services Manager, leaves for a new job next week. Was disappointed to hear about some issues that occurred last October which no-one had yet brought up to me. An administrative restructuring is likely, partially for budgetary reasons, but also to consider if there is a better division than Technology Manager/Public Services Manager, which isn't quite right. And where the Virtual Branch ends up, as it's recently been under the PS Manager. I am uncomfortable with some of the directions the discussions are taking, but don't have a good solution to offer. We finish lunch with the agreement that more discussion is needed.

Hour Five: meet with my two computer tech direct reports to catch up on what's happened while I've been gone, and what they need from me to move forward. I need to settle some licensing with two of our vendors. We need to discuss with Circ the new self-check interface design, and discuss with the marketing person how to introduce the concept of checking out one item at a time, after 6 years of 12+ at a time (RFID). We feel it will be understandable to patrons who also use grocery self-check, and will also increase accuracy.

Hour Six: meet with the other librarians and managers for the In Charge of Building assignment discussion of the drafts for locking down the building in an emergency, and what to do in an Amber Alert. Sobering stuff.

Hour Seven: stayed in same meeting room, met with the City statistical guru and several other city managers and leaders to learn how to help lead discussions around the city to learn how staff is feeling about this past year's approach to the drastic budget issues. The new City Manager pledged to not lay anyone off, to balance the budget, and to involve us all in coming up with how to do it. Amazingly, for the most part, it worked. Now we're trying to gather feedback for how to move forward from here.

Hour Eight: finished that meeting, then half an hour of more email catchup. Signed a goodbye card for my colleague. Considered a joke gift for her. Learned we are joining the Text a Librarian project (and raised an eyebrow in passing that my boss somehow got the credit for suggesting we do so. Oh well.) Scanned a thread on our starting to use Twitter, and how. Scanned a couple of questions that came into the Library Ask Us email. Answered questions about the pre-programmed RFID tags we are beginning to use. Scanned a (long!) conversation on my RFID_LIB list on whether the book jobbers and printers getting into RFID will be a help or hindrance to libraries, and the possible intellectual freedom implications. Congratulated our new Admin assistant on getting the job, and was genuinely pleased. Noted that I've had several nibbles on my posting for a Tech Services Senior Librarian. Noted the time and ran out the door.

Picked up my son from daycare, roasted in 106 degree weather. Went home to house where even now at 11 pm it is still in the high 80s inside. Ugh. No point trying to go to sleep yet.
Caught up on FB, scanned the librarydayinthelife posts that are out there, looking particularly for other job titles that seem somewhat analogous to my own.

Ate leftover cake and ice cream. Bed.