flea: (Default)
I'm thinking about starting a blog for professional purposes. In one way, this is an incredibly dumb thing to do - since even in the creaky realm of library blogs, which runs a good 2-3 years behind the regular computing public, blogs are starting to be sort of "over".

On the other hand, I have things to say, and saying them in public would help me force myself to bother articulating them and writing them up. And it could potentially be a positive thing in a professional development sense. Especially since there's no money for travel to conferences or anything.

My current thinking is to document my experiences developing into my (still relatively new) role as the library liaison to the classics department. I would review print reference works (as a way to acquaint myself with our collection), collect classics-related web sites and blogs, and comment on what resources work best for which patron groups.

What say y'all? Not worth it? If worth it, preferences for platforms? (Is it worth it to learn Wordpress - again could be a development opportunity?)
flea: (Default)
But in some ways I would love to, and I think I'd be reasonably competitive.

POSITION ADVERTISEMENT, PLEASE POST

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT LIBRARIAN FOR THE BLEGEN LIBRARY IN ATHENS

The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) invites applications for the position of Collection Development Librarian for the Carl W. Blegen Library in Athens. The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) is one of the world's leading research and teaching institutions dedicated to the advanced study of all aspects of Greek culture, from antiquity to the present day. Founded in 1881, the ASCSA provides graduate students and scholars from over 180 affiliated North American colleges and universities a base for research and study in Greece. The ASCSA operates two major research libraries in Athens (the Blegen Library and the Gennadius Library), supports archaeological research and excavations in the Ancient Agora of Athens, in Corinth, and elsewhere in Greece, and disseminates information about its research through an active publications program.

The ASCSA is a primary resource for American and international graduate students and scholars in Hellenic studies, from antiquity to the present day. The Blegen Library is a non-circulating library dedicated to the entire field of classical antiquity, with special emphasis on the language, literature, art, history and archaeology of Greece, with over 93,000 volumes, ca. 700 print periodical subscriptions, and ca. 400 electronic subscriptions. The library primarily serves a constituency of North American students and scholars, and there is a large group of international library users, including many Greek scholars.

Key responsibilities of the Collection Development Librarian of the Blegen Library are as follows:

* Undertakes the selection and acquisition of materials and the development of the collection in all languages and all formats.
* Classifies library resources in accordance with a unique classification scheme.
* Manages the Library's approval plans and publications exchange program.
* Provides research assistance to members of the American School of Classical Studies and visiting researchers who are library users.
* Works closely with colleagues to ensure timely and accurate cataloging and processing of materials.
* Advises the Head Librarian on all matters relating to collection development, maintenance and preservation and participates in the development of relevant policies

Position requirements:

* Advanced degree in classics or classical archaeology (PhD preferred).
* Appropriate experience in an academic research library highly desirable.
* Fluency in English and Modern Greek and knowledge of Ancient Greek and Latin as well as the languages of scholarly research (German, French, Italian, etc.)
* Familiarity with bibliographic tools available for researchers and knowledge of the American and European book trades.
* Demonstrated skills and experience in relevant information technology, including its use and management, and possessing a comprehensive understanding of the technology-driven information environment.
* Understanding of unique needs of a graduate research library and familiarity with current issues in academic librarianship.
* Strong organizational and communication skills and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

The position is full-time. Salary commensurate with experience. Generous benefits package. Successful candidate will be expected to live and work in Athens, Greece.

Send a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference to Karen M. Bohrer, Head Librarian, Blegen Library, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 54 Souidias Street, GR-106-76 Athens, Greece or email application to kbohrer@ascsa.edu.gr. Review of applications will begin on January 20, 2010 and will continue until the position is filled. ASCSA is an EO/AA employer. Website: http://www.ascsa.edu.gr.
flea: (Default)
I am doing office hours in the Classics department - every Friday, 9:30-10:30 - and this coupled with my other outreach efforts to Classics have reawakened my long-dormant academic interests. If there are no students (or faculty) looking for help - today has been the most quiet I've seen it - I spend my time poking around the Classics and archaeology blogs and web resources, trying to update myself on where things have gone in the 8 years since I've been aware of things. I mean, last time I was actively doing archaeology, blogs barely existed, and the main classical archaeology web site was a collection of links maintained starting in about 1994 by Sebastian Heath at Michigan.

Turns out there are some interesting people - some of whom I know or have met, like Sebs and Charles Watkinson, others of whom I am one degree from, like Chuck Jones - who are thinking about the intersections of classical archaeology, publishing, libraries, and technology (Sebs is a technologist, Charles is a publisher, and Chuck is a librarian). It's very interesting, and it makes me say to myself, hey, this is an area I could have something to contribute to! So. Need to keep reading, and get up to date, and then think about a) sticking my nose out there in the conversation and b) connecting with the archaeologists I know here and elsewhere and bringing these ideas to them.
flea: (Default)
John Hope Franklin died today. I'd never heard of him until I came to Duke and helped him at the Reference desk. I looked up a book in our online catalog and directed him to the stacks, and, assuming him to be a community patron (he was then near 90) I asked if he needed help finding the right call number. He gently told me he thought he could handle it. As he walked off my coworker came over ans asked if I knew who that was.

Interestingly, in the tributes to him "gentle" is a recurring word, though he also was forthright in speaking out about his experiences with racism, as in when he was taken for a coat check clerk at a dinner after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1995.

If you've never heard of him until now, take a minute to learn at the web site duke has set up: http://www.duke.edu/johnhopefranklin/index.html
flea: (Default)
My workplace has a little problem with acronyms.

A major department was recently renamed Acquisitions and Serials Services, and everyone does actually refer to it as ASS.

Today we are hearing the State of the Libraries Address, an annual talk by the director. This is commonly referred to as the SOL address - which to me implies Shit Outta Luck.

Which, given the budget situation this year and for the forseeable future, is not wrong...
flea: (Default)
For house people, the Sanborn fire insurance maps are great. Here's Athens in 1918:

http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/sanborn/CityCounty/Athens1918/Sheet9.html

Our house isn't there, which is not a surprise since we were told it was built in either 1920 or 1928. But it's fun to go back (Athens goes back to 1885) and see which houses in our neighborhood appear when.
flea: (Default)
http://notinworldcat.wordpress.com/

This is a fun blog for those who are interested in the arcane and the unusual, subdivision printed material. It comprises books, usually found for sale through abebooks, that do not appear in WorldCat, the closest thing we have to an American (and some international) universal library catalog. (Accessible to the public at Worldcat.org, if you aren't already using it.)

Profile

flea: (Default)
flea

June 2019

S M T W T F S
      1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30      

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Sep. 3rd, 2025 12:20 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios