The Training Alphabet

Check out this post on the T is for Training Blog.

All about the Training Alphabet.

Missing J, K, M, N, Q U X and Z.

The Pilot Episode of T is for Training is here…

Read all about the pilot T is for Training podcast.

It is a show about Training. And Libraries. And Training in Libraries.

Subscribe to the feed and get each episode in your feed reader.   Yummy.

Some of my web buds rang in on this call.

Thank you Beth, Bobbi and Jennifer.  See you all next time.

How I Found My Way to Libraries? Glad you asked.

Caveat: This post is in response to all three tags I have received from this meme on “How I found My way to libraries” By the Strange Librarian (who is not very strange,) by The Not A Tech (even though she is techie as hell,) and  Jill, who writes at Digitization 101 and who is wonderfully both digital and analog + grounded also tagged me.  So they are all three now dubbed the “sisters of irony. ™” T-shirts will be created in my CafePress store when I get the time.

So, how did I end up working in libraryland?

Well sit right down, grab a cup o’ you beverage of choice and let me tell you a story.  I hope I don’t bore you.  If you are short of time, just jump down to the Almost Bald Years.

My Short Afro Years

I started a long term love affair with books at an early age.  I had plowed through Childcraft, Worldbook and later on read the Encyclopedia Britannica annuals when they came in the mail.  My first Brooklyn Public LIbrary library still stands in East Flatbush.  This branch with its very hip and then brand new 70’s Eastern Block Concrete look had some of the materials I wanted as a child, but for the motherlode, I would hop on two buses to get to the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Branch.

Engraved on the front wall of this four floor library amusement park are the words “The Brooklyn Public Library through the joining of municipal enterprise and private generosity offers to all the people perpetual and free access to the knowledge and the thought of all of the ages.” Damn.  I sent many entire Sundays inside the different rooms in the library, running through the six foot high card catalog drawers, and looking at the 2 story high call board where  your reserve number would light up when your book was brought down from the stacks.

Fast forward a couple of years (mid 80’s) to my high school library where the library types, video/photo types and computer types all hung out in the same space.   At my high school, the minicomptuers, mainframe esque computers, darkroom and video editing room were all within the 5 feet of the library.  In fact,  the book that started me down the path to who I am (The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut) was borrowed from this library.

My Dreadlocked Years

Fast forward to the early/mid 1990’s where I am working for a NYC nonprofit, providing adminsitrative support and technical assistance to community groups.   A training program is formed and they needs “co-trainers” or training assistants.  I started by bringing the food, producing packets, writing down answers on the flipcharts, and handling registration.  Soon, I started to do small bits of trainings, then presenting trainings, developing and delivering specialized trainings (NYC 197-a Plans, Community Planning, Internet for Community Activists,) and running grant programs.  On the side I was a technology and training consultant.

This all lead to a position with another nonprofit were I was the director of a citywide training and technical assistance program directed to NYC nonprofit groups. Best thing about the job was the location of the main offices.  My desk had a great view of the Brooklyn Bridge.  Sweet.  During this time, the only things I seemed to buy were kitchenware and books.  Many books.

My Almost Bald Years

You may or may not have noticed that most of the action of the previous paragraphs took place in Brooklyn/New York City.   I got to my Maryland library thanks to the internet, specifically one small outpost called AOL.  It was there that I met my then girlfriend, now wife, dated long distance.  I was spending so much time down here that I got a library card for the library that was really close to the house.

After over a year of long distance dating, I took the plunge and moved here after 9-11 dried up many of the consultant gigs in New York City.  I filed for unemployment because job prospects as a geek were not falliing into place down here as much as I would have liked.

One day I was talking to one of the circulation staff at a branch and she told me that the library was hiring.  I figured that I liked books, had great benefits and I really needed to get a job since my unemployment was running out in a couple of weeks.  So,  I applied and was hired as the Sunday Circualtion Supervisor.  That lead to a promotion to Circulation Supervisor.  Then the person who held my position retired and I got the job.

So…how did I end up working for libraries?

I needed a job.  And I got lucky.

There it is.

Now as is my style with these things..

I TAG YOU ALL.

I want to hear all about it.

t(a)btt

Menage a Bald or the double tagged almost bald guy..

I have been double tagged on this meme on “How I found My way to libraries” By both the Strange Librarian (who is not very strange)  and by The Not A Tech (even though she is techie as hell.)  Lets call them the “sisters of irony.”

So, If any of my library friends are thinking about tagging me

Go ahead and join the party.

I will post about how I made my way to library world on Monday when I get back from my vacation or before if I have some time.

If you missed the WebJunction Webminar yesterday..

You can catch the archive here:  http://tinyurl.com/hcplpettingzoo

I had a great time and I hope people learned a few new things.

Introducing T is for Training podcast

So, I went and created a blog for the show now named “T is for Training“ , a delicious tag (tisfortraining)  and friendfeed room for my previously mentioned training podcast idea that I want to get off the ground and doing very soon.

Like later this month/beginning of September.

Here is the blog url http://tisfortraining.wordpress.com/ which outlines how you can help if you want to.

In fact, I need your help. So, please help with ideas…best times to do the show…possible guests. Heck anything you can think of that relates to training, libraries, and staff development works for me.

Thanks in advance.

baldgeekinmd

71 hours until seminar….

In 72 or so hours, I will be presenting a workshop with my local training training buddy (@nbookworm on twitter) called Creating a Technology Petting “Zoo” for WebJunction.  That is August 14th for those that need dates and such.  As of earier today there are 111 folks signed up for the workshop.  Thanks to Lori Reed for the shoutout in her training last week.

If you want to sign up to learn or just to heckle us,  here is the registration link. It starts at 2 pm Eastern, 1pm Central, Noon Mountain and 11 Pacific.  It lasts one hour.

Hope to see you virtually there!

Library Training Roundtable? – Some Market Research

I had a thought today and I need your [the wonderful plugged in library hive mind community's] help.

Is there a need/place for show similar to the sublime *one of my favorite words* Uncontrolled Vocabluary that focuses on training/staff development issues in libraries?

Are there podcasts that already cover issues of training and staff development?

If so, do they have a library bend?

If not, is there a need for a program that does?

If not, who would be interested in working together to see what develops?

Just some things I have been thinking about.  Let me know.

Email me from my sidebar or at baldgeekinmd at gmail dot com.

Thanks for your time.

Extreme Bathroom Makeover Mrs.baldgeekinmd style

Now that I am back for a full week of work and my staycation project is pretty much over, I wanted to give you a glimpse (really brag like a mofo) about what the mrs. and I did on our staycation.

The Before shots: (these were from before we bought the house, the black accents are NOT ours.)

To this blank 20 year old carpeted and linoleumed surface we did the following ourselves:

Gutted the down to the subfloor;
Installed new subfloor and marble tile;
Used a candlelight paint technique on walls, which called for taping off the entire room;
installed baseboard and crown molding; and
a new sink, mirror, toilet and light fixture.   And though we came close, we didn’t kill each other.

Here is the resulting bathroom:

Just thought you would want to know what I did during my staycation. Way more pictures on my flickr account.