catch up at work

I haven’t really done this, but I’m adding a different, similar goal instead.

Have found that loose ends - things undone or done incompletely - weigh on my mind and immobilize me.

- write new job description
- create new online literature search form
- boring administrative task
- create custom search tool bar
- create IM widget (MeeboMe + Pidgin)
- wrangle with statistics reports
- start planning instruction workshops & schedule for intersession and next term
- prepare for Google class #2

Well, this isn’t such a bad list. Most of this is fun, except for the statistics part (bleh).

Due to recent restructuring (such a euphemism) at work, my job is morphing into something called a Liaison Assistant or, as I like to call it Librarian Lite. There is no job description yet, so no one really knows what this is, but I will my focus will shift from primarily reference to primarily instruction. It seems remarkably close to being a librarian without actually being a librarian. My job class is not changing, but I am going to argue for more pay. Also, I am going to try to take some control and write my own job description today before I go meet with HR tomorrow.

I have mixed feelings about all of this. The experience will be quite valuable, really, we need another librarian. In the meantime, I shall try to make the most of the situation.

• Prepare to teach revised version of my hit Google class
• Finish writing poster abstract
• Submit poster abstract (due Monday)
• Other big task not exciting enough to mention here
• prepare to teach Medline class on Tuesday

for the first time in at least a year, I feel I have a reasonable amount of control over my work load, and can even see the tops of my filing cabinets and most of my desk. And in the nick of time! I’d hate to be gone 10 days starting out way behind.

I’m marking this as done, though I know it’ll be short-lived (I will be buried when I return!)

I’ve been making good progress on this goal, but am still far from where I want to be before I take off on a week & a half of vacation. Being gone so long is a bit unnerving; I haven’t been away for so long since childhood.

I just completed an Odious Task which has been plaguing me for months. I suddenly feel so much less behind.

does happy dance

this week, but still a long way to go. Not only have I torn through my inbox (the non-virtual kind) but can see the tops of my filing cabinets again! Woo hoo! Maybe by the end of the week I’ll be near to checking this off.

Next week, I am co-facilitating a new class at the library where I work on how to exploit Google to your advantage: advanced searching, Scholar, U. S. Government, Patents, Docs, Maps, iGoogle, etc., etc. We are trying to squish in as much as possible. I’m very excited about this class and, apparently, other people are too, because we have 20 people signed up, which is 3-4 times more than normally attend our classes. So, one of my two big projects for this weekend is to prepare my portion of the material. I don’t mind doing this kind of work on the weekend because it will be great fun.