I'm not afraid of no ghosts!

I am an information professional. My job title is librarian. I connect people with information. Not just information but the right information. I think I'm rather good at it.

I think libraries will be around for years, but even if they disappeared tomorrow I'd still have a job. Some librarians wouldn't, because they are too entangled in the buildings and processes we constructed to help people find useful information. They forget that the point is the people. I was reminded today of some of the pessimism that has seeped into many libraries, particularly law libraries. Years of budget and staffing cuts have created a kind of fatalism. Someone asked me recently about innovations in Canadian Law Libraries. There are a handful that stand out. But largely we are not a very innovative bunch. I think we rested on our laurels too long. We are now paying the price.

Am I afraid of the future? Not at all. How can an information professional not be optimistic at the dawn of the information age? I was made for this; bring it on. I don't have time to mourn past glories, nor tend the ghosts of libraries past. I have people who need my help.

Now back to religious information....

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Making sense...

On March 15-16, 2010 I interviewed for the position of Chief Librarian at the Sir James Dunn Law Library. As of May 2, 2009 no announcement has been made. Yes, it is stressful but that's Dalhousie.

On a positive note, the six month interview process gave me lots of opportunity to think about academic libraries and their future role. I'm not at all pessimistic about the future of academic libraries. I thought it might be of value to share what I had worked through thus far. Below is a slightly abbreviated version of the formal presentation I made during my interview process. It runs about 17 min. It is entitled "Making Sense: Rediscovering the Role of the Academic Law Library."

Note: The wallpaper used in this prezi is a Creative Commons work and found at http://steampunkwallpaper.com/?p=265.

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Annual Progress Report...Yes it's true!

Guess what? I'm actually making progress on my research! No Really...at least I think I am.

This week:

1. I submitted my paper for the graduate student competition of the Canadian Association for Information Science . My paper proposal " Seeking God’s will: the experience of information seeking by leaders of a church in transition" already had been accepted for the conference. I was invited to participate in the competition based on my proposal.
   
2. I was also notified that another article "Preaching and the Internet: Dipping into a shallow pool or beginning a deeper conversation?" has been accepted for publication with the Journal of Religious & Theological Information vol. 9 (1).
3. I also found out that my proposal "Little Church on the Internet: a case study of one church's online engagement" has been accepted for the 7th Annual International Conference on Media, Religion and Culture in August. Now I just have to write the paper. :-)
   

I've enjoyed the research I've done this year, and I have learned a lot. It regrettably has taken a backseat to my daytime librarian job and progress has been too slow! Now I just need to get some more teaching experience. Anyone looking for an Instructor of Librarianship or Sociology of Religion?

Now time to start thinking about that dissertation...

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The weight of leadership

At the end of the day you need to make a decision. You've gathered a lot of information. You've weighed it and sifted it. Now what are you going to do.

Churches and church decision-making are not getting much good press these days. Some church leaders have made very bad decisions and the consequences of these decisions needs to be addressed. There are also those who have axes to grind, like atheist Richard Dawkins, who are delighting in these crises. Quick to condemn, much slower to head to the slums and alleyways to care for the sick and the poor.

In my reading and research thus far, I am finding leaders who are very concerned to do what is right and to do no harm. Their office weighs heavily on them. They think, they pray, and they talk to those they serve. They want to follow God's leading and get it right. Most of the time they do. Sometimes they don't. It is the memories of the times they didn't that motivates them to greater care.

They depend of God's leading. They believe he can and will lead them. They believe he speaks through the Bible. They believe God stirs up their hearts. They believe he speaks through the people and circumstances around them. More than coincidence: it is God at work.

On the face of it, it is a decision making process like any other. Sometimes the church's work looks a lot like the work of the Kiwanas or the Shriners. But Church leaders see it slightly differently: it is God's work, and they hope they are doing it God's way.

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