Diary 12/22

Finally! I received my grade and I am satisfied. There was no explanation as to why I received the score I did for the group project but I am told that kvetching over .67ths of one point is petty.

I just wondered, that's all!

Anyway, I received the grade I fought hard for and deserved. I am glad it is O V E R.

On to the next semester of adventures at U of Pitt...

Diary 12/20

I hate to be the one making waves(again)!

I am trying very hard to be patient and wait for my grade from the O&R class.

I cannot imagine what the $%$#% delay is :-O

Diary 12/17

No grade for Organizing and Retrieving yet...I will keep checking back. There must be a deadline that grades must be in.

BTW - The director of OMET sent me an email today saying that the instructor for 2005 never requested a survey. The instructor I emailed about a survey over four days ago gave the impression that a survey for the class should have been received. These type of shenanigans are part and parcel of why I am not pleased with this program thus far...

I really hope next semester is a vast improvement.

Diary 12/15

The wait now begins for my grade in Organizing and Retrieving. That class has been one long, unorganized wait after another.

I requested a survey from Tomer and the Office of the Measurement of the Evaluation of Teaching (OMET). I pray Tomer/OMET sends me one. I have quite a bit to say. LIS 2005 frustrated me to no end.

Diary 12/13

The final portion of my assignment for my organizing class is complete.

My group will be presenting on Monday.

My grade is still TBD.

My final S&S must be graded as well as the group project.

My fingers are crossed, with perfect scores - or minimal point deductions - on both assignments I will receive an "A".

I worked so hard in this class.

I'm glad all of my "required" classes are behind me.

Next semester, LET THE GAMES BEGIN! (I hope...)

327

Diary 12/12

I wake up this morning relieved that this semester is almost over. I have one final piece to turn in, some surveys to perform and by Tuesday latest I am D O N E. I really need this month off. Though this semester seemed less hectic than the last the stress level was really ratcheted up with quizzes and multiple group projects.

I was reading the DB for my management class and saw that one of my group members was unhappy that our group did a portion of the project individually. I was so surprised. I guess me and the other person thought she would be fine since we preferred to do our own papers. I wish she had emailed one of us to request help. I hope she got a good grade.

I did wonderfully, beyond my expectations in the management class. I am now praying that I do the same for the last two graded items in the organizing class. I have to get perfect scores (no more than 2 points missed anywhere) in order to get the grade I deserve. I am praying for a miracle. That course is diff-i-cult!

Next semester I am taking digital libraries with Tomer and resources for young adults with Biagini.

Diary 12/10

OMG! One of my classes is O V E R!!!! I just submitted my final discussion board for the Managing Libraries class. I can hardly contain my joy.

Conversely, I am still plugging away on two items for my organizing and retrieving class. The s&s assignment is horrible. My letter only got me, a much needed, extension but not the full credit with review that I wanted. I also have to finish formatting the sources for the team project. I cannot focus on formatting until I get questions 10 and 14 figured out. Arg!

The end is in sight but it's taking too long to reach.

Diary 12/06

I wrote an entreaty to the instructors of my LIS 2005 (Organizing and Retrieving) class this morning - see below. I tried to be as diplomatic as possible. I hope it works....

Dear LIS 2005 Instructors/Assistants,

I am writing to request that the search and seize 2 (s&s) assignment be made into a class activity with full points given to all participants.

The current s&s is due 12/07/09. I do not have a complete understanding that will facilitate my successful, timely completion of this assignment. I would love to learn the path used by Professor Mahoney to execute this project.

The grade for the initial s&s assignment, which I turned in 11/06/09, has not been posted to this date (12/06/09). I do not know if the methods that I used to complete the assignment were satisfactory.

Furthermore, all groups have presentations due 12/14/09 that require full attention and much preparation.

Please take into consideration the flexibility in handling course changes that we as students have exhibited throughout this semester.

I appreciate your consideration.

322

Diary 12/03

I am ecstatic. I worked so hard on my white paper and it paid off! I received 100% and the team collaboration portion also 100%.

I now have one final class/group project to complete and I am home free. Well, not so fast ... This class has some of the most irresponsible happenings occurring that I have ever seen.

• Assignments given but never graded (even with multiple promises)
• tests dates changed with little notice and seeming unwillingness to compromise on new dates
• No follow up on multiple requests for PPT study material
• Assignments with no real direction provided
• on and on and on
  

It is the class from heck! I have no idea where I stand grade wise. I am truly frustrated. I expected better from a class with such a large number of instructors (5), the years of experience they collectively possess (probably 50+) and the national rating of the school (top 10).

My group is not making it any better with there sporadic attendance at group meetings to finalize our project. If I were a weaker woman, I'd quite now.

I really hope my instructors next semester are better prepared (or just prepared period would be nice).

As I said before, next semester will be the make or break as to whether I continue with this degree/program...

Diary 11/30

Two weeks to go!

Two weeks to go!

Ya! Ya! Ya!

I cannot wait for this semester to be over. Jeez!

I still have that s&s assignment that is working my nerves but other than that, I am done!

Done!

Done!

I just finished responding to my last DB today (well, last according to the syllabus).

My portion of the group project for the o&r course is complete. My team-mates are in order. One last meeting with them should be enough to submit that project.

Phew! I made it

Diary 11/27

I am currently working on the next S&S assignment. You can imagine my joy....(or maybe not)

It has been a loooong week. I'll start at the beginning:

Monday, I had to work late. People who were unable to take the test on Monday were given the option of Wednesday (WT...?!?!?! The day before Thanksgiving? The busiest travel day of the year? Who thinks of these things?) Long story short I requested extra time past the midnight deadline and opted to take the test. I finished the test around 1 am.

There is no rest for the wicked. That same evening/morning, I also needed to complete my White Paper. Though the assignment was extended to Thanksgiving day(Again, WT...?!?!) I opted to complete it by the initial deadline. I finally completed a draft that I was reasonably satisfied with and submitted it at 2:30am.

I went to sleep and got up 2 (yes two) hours later to get to the airport by6 am to catch my plane to see family in Massachusetts . I was so tired but unable to sleep on the plane. I tried to sleep that evening but my sisters (adorable) dog kept walking over my head. I also tried to sleep on the four hour drive to NYC to meet up with the remainder of the family but I'm obviously the only one able to navigate/understand GPS directions (ARG!!!!!)

Of course I was unable to sleep all of Wednesday into Thursday because family were coming in all times of the day and night so a mini party was going on.

I slept all day Thursday. I did not even eat Thanksgiving dinner with the family. They couldn't wake me up. I was dead to the world.

Today, I got up and ate a piece of fruit for breakfast then went back to sleep. I am finally, this late afternoon, awake and ready to eat. Thankfully, they saved me all of my favorite foods.
Family. You've got to love them :o)

I am so glad I did those assignments prior to this weekend. Hopefully my grades will reflect the dedication, effort and time.

TTYL. I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday!

Diary 11/22

Still here in Cleve Land working hard. The portion of the white paper project where the group combines interviews is complete. I am still slogging away at my white paper. I've gotten it down to 21 pages. The flow is coming together. I'm just not sure that what I have is a "white paper". I've searched the internet for examples and, sigh, there are many variations. The deadline has been extended to Thanksgiving day but I must have my paper complete by Monday. I'll be in the air (flying away from Cleve.) early Tuesday morning and won't return until Sunday evening. While with family celebrating, there will be no time to be working on a paper.

My O&R group is still coming together. I cannot wait to be done. I am finding that I am not fond of group work...

313

Dairy 11/15

Last week I thoroughly researched my white paper (WP). I pat myself on the back :o)

Today, in-between washing clothes, my hair, cooking for the household, getting ready to leave town for the holidays etc., I formatted a rough draft of the WP. I have 25 pages, double spaced! True one of them is the cover page, another the table of contents and four of them references but that is still tons on text (19 pages) that I have to format/finalize before Monday. I hope that this Monday is a slow work day so I can focus exclusively on my paper. I almost feel bad for the neglected patrons that will be wandering the library tomorrow.

It has been a full day that started at 4:30am but it is not nearly over. I still have a Skype meeting at 6:30 with my O&R project group and then a 8pm O&R on-line class chat.

I'm tired. I'd take a nap but I'm afraid I won't wake up...

Diary 11/14

I've signed up for Spring. Have I already mentioned that? If so, I bring it up again because I have almost all 40 plus books for Biaginni's class. This weekend I took the time to break them down by the week the syllabus mentions them. I really hope she does not expect us to thoroughly read all of these books. I ordered them from multiple libraries. I'm missing 4 but I'm sure they'll be here by January when class starts.

I currently have no interest what-so-ever in answering hot topic scenarios on the DB. I have to answer the digitization one this evening or I know I won't do it at all. Only three more DB's to go.

I cannot believe they changed the day of the retrieving test to Monday evening. I work late Mondays and can't take the test on that day. What was wrong with Sunday?!?!?!?! Supposedly some on campus people had scheduling conflicts. I cannot figure out why these tests, which are unnecessary anyway, can't be taken any time during a week. On line students usually work. We need flexibility. I think there is poor planning in many areas of this program...

Class ends in 4 weeks. I am counting the days. I need a break.

310

Diary 11/08

No sign yet.

Diary 11/05

God help me, guide me and give me clarity of thought. I am registered for Spring LIS classes. I am putting it all in your hands (God).

I have already decided that Spring term will be the determining factor as to whether I to stay with this program or go.

Show me a sign...

304

Diary 11/04

Yeah! My hot topics group received 100%. That was a great group!

I hope my final two groups get the same response. Let us P R A Y.

I have finally caught up on my Panapto viewing for both classes. I was unable to view for some reason week 5 (I read the DB and found out that I needed to paste the link) and there is no Panapto for week 6 in retrieving . It turns out that the week six lecture was done while we were at FT weekend. LOL! The week six lecture must have made quite the impression on me...

We have another test in 18 days. Arg! Test.

My two focuses this week are correctly citing the search and seize assignment and finishing my second expert guide. I think I can handle getting those completed by Monday.

Next week I need to really focus on my White paper. By then there will be two weeks until it is due. I hate rushing and stressing myself so I've got to get on the ball.

This semester though less stressful than the last is still taking too long to end. Five weeks to go...

302

Dairy 11/01

I submitted an essay for scholarship money last evening. I just beat the deadline. I could really use the money for a new laptop computer. My current computer is slowly crumbling. I see new screws falling out and cracked areas monthly. I just decided to tape a cracked area of my baby up the other day. I'm saving her screws in a bowl. I know my loyal computer is trying to hold on until I can afford that Vaio or Apple.

I really hope I get that money...

299

Diary 10/29

I am essentially done with my hot topic project. We had our final Skype this evening. Our presentation is Monday. One group down two to go!

BTW, I have not received grades for either my end-user nor expert guide assignments. I have new assignments due in both classes on the 9th. I'd love to know how I scored prior to submitting the next one.

I also have not heard a word from anyone in my other two groups since FT weekend. Hmmmm...

I just sent an email to the database group to remind them of our next deadline.

I have faith in my White Paper group so I shall not bug them just yet ;oD

299

Diary 10/24

Fall is upon us. Like truly falling upon us in the form of rain, wet snow, leaves... We did not have much summer weather but I'm already nostalgic for heat and sun.

It is almost November which means the semester is more than half way over. We have around five weeks to go YEAH! This means that at the end of this semester cohort 9 is 1/3 done with the classes needed to earn our Masters. Time has not flown, yet.

In two weeks I will be registering for Fall classes. I am waitng to see what WISE courses are offered and eyeballing Tomer's Digital Libraries and Biagini's Resources for Young Adults.

I am told Biagini is hard and gives tons of work but I still might take the class...

297

Diary 10/22

I'm feeling overwhelmed again. Sigh... I have to supply reams information for two critical reports at work this week, my work day has started at 7 am for the last week in my effort to keep up, this is ruining my normal morning gym activity. I feel bloated. ARG! I'm still tired from FT weekend.

I have DB's to submit then reply to, I have to start working on my white paper, I'm confused about the retrieval papers citing format and still cannot find two of the answers. I was looking forward to thanksgiving but reviewing the syllabus I don't see much of a break built in which means I'll be working straight through the holiday just to stay current.

I keep telling myself that all of this stress will be worth it in the end. But, will it? Will I get the job I want? Will the economy be good enough by the summer of 2011, when I graduate, to guarantee me the job and salary I require? I wonder and wonder...

295

Diary 10/20

The work continues. All of us in the white paper group decided to do individual papers. We've already done our individual synopsis of the interviews. We now have to edit that down into 1500 words and move on... That is basically one group down and two to go.

My hot topics group, except one person, met during FT weekend. I think we have it all together. I happened to get another good team :o) All that is left is making the PPT and coming up with a DB conversation for the group.

My organizing and retrieving group is another issue. Initially before we met, we seemed to mesh but, once we met during FT weekend I could tell there were some uncomfortable, aggressive vibes. I ignored the two people who I felt were causing the feelings and continued as I started, leading the group. I think we can get a good product out of this team but some of these people are not ones I will work with in the future.

In a nutshell, I would really like this semester to be over and all my pre-requisites to be complete. Hopefully, after this semester time will fly. Graduation seems so far away at this point...

294

Diary 10/17

This morning I do not have any classes until 11:30 but am on campus because I commute with a group. I am getting tons of work done for my paying job that I have, sadly, neglected in my effort to prepare for FT weekend and stay on schedule with assignments. I am very happy about that! At times I feel guilty about neglecting certain areas of my life/work but then I push that aside in my quest for straight A's.

Thus far this FT weekend has been painless. Though I complained about the extra work one teacher sent last minute, I enjoyed the class discussions that resulted due to those assignments. Class flew by.

I was happier than I thought I would be at seeing my fellow cohort 9 students. There was even one person that I was not particularly fond of this summer that is trying to be more pleasant and I am returning the favor.

I found out from a veteran MLIS student that the "all cohort meetings" are not mandatory. Yipee! Due to this, I've been able to go to the gym in my hotel and get the necessary hours of sleep.

The list of positives this time goes on and on...

292

Diary 10/15

We are in Pittsburgh. We checked in to the hotel. I worked out for an hour and then checked my email. What did I find? Another two assignments due by Friday for my Management class. I was/am so outdone! Why would a teacher give more work the day before students are supposed to commute hours, from all over the world, to get to campus? Thankfully we left the evening before and I was able to print the assignments out this evening. I still have not finished annotating my dang blagg bibliographies. I had given myself a deadline of Thursday to finish the annotations but now I've been forced to extend the time to Friday. I hate not meeting self imposed deadlines!

I really hope this weekend flys by. I'm ready to go home already...

290

Diary 10/14

FT weekend is fast approaching. We leave Thursday evening. Thankfully classes do not start until Friday afternoon so we can take some time to see Pittsburgh, sit down to a meal and get a good night of rest before all H E L L ( that's right, I said hell and I mean it!) breaks loose.

Just yesterday as I was congratulating myself on my efficiency then, a teacher sent a last minute assignment that she wants completed for class discussion during FT weekend!!!!!

At the beginning of this week, the only plan I had for the days leading up to FT weekend was working on my portion of the hot topics project. All good plans as they say... With the tight schedule my white paper group cannot find time to meet so I had to work on that project and email it to the group. That took a day away from my HT project. The teachers last minute assignment took another day.

I am now on the wire with only 1/2 of the HT work I promised complete. Which means my job (the one that pays my living) will be neglected Thursday as I cram.

Sometimes I do not know what I was thinking when I signed up for this program...

289

Diary 10/12

Oh my... I did better on my test than I thought. Not an A but nowhere near an F either. Imagine my surprise :oO Even though I received a reasonable grade, I hope the next test is not nearly as hard. I was cross eyed after that test and it left a bad taste in my mouth for that type of class. I want to take more of Tomers classes. I really enjoyed Intro to Information Technology and I learned quite a bit (without tests). I hear that this semester that class has tests. Why at this point of our education do we need to be tested? Is not the work we do enough of a guage? I'm just wondering...

286

Diary 10/07

Last Sunday I took a test for Tomer's class it took me five hours and I'm still not confident that I passed it. That test was so hard I could not believe it. You would think that since this is the first time for tests in this class that they would be more lenient and get harder as they saw students were able to handle to content. But no! They really, I think, went overboard. One answer would have four parts but be worth one point. ONE POINT! I was not pleased. I am not a test taker. The best thing would have been to give the option of taking the test or doing a research paper. I bet many of us would have chosen the latter. I had not taken a test prior to that one in around 20 years. Hopefully the next test I will be better prepared. I really want an A in these classes.

282

Diary 10/03

I could honestly call this post nightmare by the lake!

I have been having a heck of a time. My computer went crazy on Thursday. A new fangled virus grabbed it and was copying files as fast as it could.

Me being no slouch in the computer department went immediately to Google and tried to find the fix. Every link I clicked the virus re-directed me to a vacation web site. I was pissed. I kept persevering until I found sites that the virus hadn't corrupted. when the virus saw that I was not giving up, it took control of my mouse. I manually took control back and downloaded two virus destroyers simultaneously killing it (so I thought). This whole process took at least 3 hours. Wiped out I went to bed.

The next day, Friday, I did not access my computer until that evening. When I tried to go into Gmail I was unable to access the site. I ran my virus software again and found 12 malware on my computer (down from over 300 the evening before so not bad). I tried to destroy them but they blocked all of my software. Frustrated and again wiped out, this time unvictorious, I went to bed.

Today, Saturday, I woke up at 5 am determined to get into Gmail. I copied the error code my virus software gave me into Google and got to work. The virus, re-directed me over and over again from sites that could help. I finally found a back door and was able to destroy the final 12 malware. In the process of looking for the solution I found a microsoft fix-it program that I ran for giggles. The total time it took today to fix the problem 7 hours. And guess what? I now find that the virus somehow disabled my task manager!

More fun for me on Sunday. It's not like I have to study for a test or anything...Sigh.

Dairy 09/29

I'm ahead of the game! Sort of... I've just finished watching both 2005 and 2700 Panapto's and I answered the conflict resolution DB question for Alman's class. I still need to make my second response to the strategic planning DB but I think I can complete that by Friday.

I now must get back to my hot topic research, start writing my portion of the white paper for group review during fast track weekend, start my expert guide and find a book for my end user assignment.

Hmmm, maybe I'm not as far ahead of the game as I thought. Sigh...

Diary 09/28

I had a long weekend trying to catch up with my DB's in 2700. Three down, two to go. I'm not going to feel joyous yet because today a new lecture is being taped for 2005 and 2700 which means hours of viewing pleasure (if one can all it that) and I'm sure another DB to respond to. My goal is to get the final two DB's done today and be "caught up" to the standard I hold for myself.

Diary 09/24

My digby never worked :o( My counters are no longer working :o( So, I've gotten rid of both of them.

Right now I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. Almans class is non-stop work. I feel like I'm falling behind. I still need to make my second response to the Red Carnation DB and also do an initial response to the two strategic planning questions. I am hoping to get to the strategic planning Friday. Red Carnation may never get done...

I just finished watching the Panapto for organizing and retrieving. This quiz has me a bit antsy. I have read and highlighted most of the chapters from the intellectual foundations book but now I am noticing that they want us to read chapters from fundamentals of collection development. WTH! That book is not even a required reading. I have the book but I hadn't planned on reading it just skimming. I am so confused. We have the lectures, PPT's, and two books to worry about for this quiz. Supposedly it will be 20 questions and we get six hours to answer them. Hopefully that will be enough time for me to rattle through all of the papers/books I have and find the answers.

My groups are going okay.

Everyone in the White paper group has completed their interviews. We are now working on doing 500 words a piece discussing the similarities and differences between our institutions.

My hot topics group is plugging away. Annotating these bibliographies is harder than I remember. I don't think our group did it correctly last semester.

The person in my organizing group responsible for criteria is doing an excellent job so things are going smoothly there. God willing they will continue to go smoothly. This is the group that has the dynamic that worries me the most.

All in all, I feel like there is a smidge less work than last semester but still not enough time to read a book, watch a good movie or go for a walk. I'm already looking forward to the December semester end. We still have @ 11 weeks. Arg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diary 09/22

I am watching week three video. It has only been 18 minutes. Arg! I have never been so happy to be off campus. I don't think I would be able to sit through these lectures weekly. The on campus weekend will be challenging enough.

Diary 09/20

Who is Susan Geiss? Her DB postings and what she individually responds to others DB postings lead me to initially believe that she was a TA but when I read her introduction it sounds like she is an on-line student who has a management type position.

I cannot wait to put a face to the name during on campus weekend. I love seeing if my intuition about people is correct. Susan is my LS (initials for someone from summer) for the fall term.

11906

Diary 09/18

I've been watching the taped class sessions. Never have I been more happy to be off campus. Even with the on and off campus divide, I think being in class at my age and at this time in my life might be against the Geneva Conventions torture guidelines.

I think I see the light, finally!

I am starting to gain some understanding of the research paper in Tomer's class. The team is gelling together. I still have one determined, passive agressive, member but I am ignoring her at this point since the rest of the team are working hard.

My hot topics team in Almans class has figured out the angle we are taking for the group project and every single person is doing their part. We seem to be a good mix/fit.

And, my white paper team is meeting soon to go over our project. I have already gotten my interview done and am truly happy to be done with that. I'm not exactly sure where to go from here...We'll figure it out.

11908

Diary 09/15

Recently I had an online conversation with a fellow cohort member about how on-campus students seem to find it difficult to work in an on-line environment. She was very PC. Me, not so much.

I think that on campus students are unwilling to compromise and come together as a team when doing group projects with on-line students. There is a divide. I am currently trying to bridge one such divide and lord it is tie-er-ring.

If you put a batch of completely on-line or campus groups together, I'm sure there is some friction but it can be worked out due to similarity of situation. It is not that I do not understand the frustration. If I were an on-campus student needing to meet/get information from someone in Timbuktu I'd be dismayed too. But, I would also make every effort to work with the person(s).

I notice this lack of willingness to cooperate and snippy behavior with the younger college grads (under 25 years of age). Older folks, like myself, go more with the flow.

I might need to start vetting the groups I join by age... I'm too old for this stress ;oD 11906

Diary 09/13

I am tired. Being "group leader" is not all it is cracked up to be. I have a couple of seemingly rebellious members and one member that I cannot find at all. This organizing and retrieving class is teaching me more about management than the management course. Both classes are making me wonder if I want to manage people. It is so hard trying to say things diplomatically when you just want to call someone a bad word. I can only assume this is making me stronger.
11905

Dairy 09/11

Have I told you about my two new friends Skype and Google Docs (GD) ? With Skype I just might be able to pull all of these groups together.

With Skype and GD's sharing feature my second team is now on a roll. That is two teams working and one to go.

I am starting to feel positive vibes.

11901

Diary 09/10

I am currently attempting to get all of my LIS groups signed up with Skype. I really hope that this forum will make meetings for on and off campus group discussion easier.

I am starting to wonder why I signed up as group leader. Thus far I have been trying to lead the team to water but the watering holes are dry.

11899

Diary 09/09

My assigned LIS 2005 team is giving me the blues! The on-campus and internet components do not seem to be gelling. I really dislike having to depend on a group for my grade. I am really starting to sweat here... I've sent all of them invitations to Skype so we can do a group chat. Hopefully this will work. One member has written back giving the impression that he would rather get together on campus and share what is said with us internet students. I don't care what they do as long as we get those titles in to Mahoney by the Monday deadline. I knew it wouldn't be easy. Maybe the thought became self fulfilling. Well, it is still early in the semester maybe I'm being overly anxious. I sure hope so.

On to the next team, my LIS 2700 hot topics team is not responding to my emails! We haven't even decided the angle we are going to take with this assignment. I'm ready to start annotating some bibliographies. Good lord!

The only team I see any movement with is my white paper team. I have a good feeling about our group. We're all from cohort 9, have met and have a general understanding of each others personalities and strong points. We are going to R O C K this paper!

Hopefully everyone else and everything else will fall in place soon.
11,894

Diary 09/08

I am so excited. I just added instant messenger to my blog. What I'm going to do with it or when I am going to use it, I have no idea but it looks fun and technically advanced!

I am currently working on my LIS 2005, organizing information, assignment. It is a lot more complicated than I first imagined. I guess I thought these 25 points were going to be a snap. Hmph! I finally called one of my professors to get more clarity. Well I'm a bit clearer but lord who knew getting an MLIS would be this time consuming and complicated? I guess after last semester I knew but I was told it would get easier. Was I mislead?

New this semester for this class Q U I Z Z E S! Arg, I hate tests. I prefer hands on assignments where I learn as I work. I chose Pitt because I was told no tests. Sigh...I know I'm going to need positive thinking, prayer, correct positioning of the moon, everything/anything to get me successfully, success to me is an "A" grade, through this semester.

TTYL (maybe by IM if I figure it out)

277

Diary 09/01

Surprise. Surprise. I'm back! I missed blogging. I no longer have to blog for a grade but I still need a place to vent. I am currently enrolled in LIS 2700 and 2005. They both sound daunting looking at their syllabuses. Thankfully each course has only one book. The daunting part is that each course has a number of group projects. Last semester I had one group project that started off VERY rocky. We persevered but I think the group grade could have been higher if we had done a few run throughs prior to speaking in front of the class. It's tough being out of state/away from the rest of your group. Oh well hindsight...

I have just completed watching both Panopto class lectures. I have gained a bit of clarity. I am now going to jump in and PRAY! (251)

Diary 07/30

This is my final blog.

Classes for this semester are over! I couldn't be happier or feel lighter.

Next semester I am registered for and plan to take the final two pre-requisites for this degree. I have the same two teachers leading the courses. I am going to have to see the syllabuses to decide whether I will take both classes together . I cannot go through another semester like this again. I am contemplating an elective with LIS 2005.

I'm really going to have to put a lot of thought into best courses to take in the next 5 semesters.

For all of you that followed my blog, Thanks! I hope to see everyone in the Fall...

Diary 07/28

I'm still feeling the love!

I notice that a majority of the blogs that I am following are saying that they are finished with their course work for the semester. I wish it were me but I'm still slaving away over my 2000 paper trying to make sure that this last effort dazzles. It currently razzles, my mind, as I attempt to perfect it. But, as I said I am still feeling the love thus my mindset is positive.

Today is blocked off to finish the paper with Wednesday being the day I do a re-check and send it in to the Assignment Manager.

Okay, enough with this blog. I have one more blogger post due before the end of the term. Maybe I'll write a semester wrap up...

Diary 07/26

Matthew Berlyant saved my life! I cannot thank him enough. I am now a follower of his in the real sense of the word. MB helped me immeasurably with my quest to start/finish my LIS 2600 final assignment.


MB


I can now focus on LIS 2000's final assignment with a fully focused mind.

Tootles! I'm off to my DimDim session.

5 days and counting...

Diary 07/24

Seven days and counting...

Diary 07/22

For some reason I have lost all will to do 2000 and 2600 work. This semester will be over in 9 days yet I cannot find the energy to start either classes final assignment. H O R R I B L E ! I have somehow got to get it together. I'd hate to have the the finish line in sight just to poop out before breaking the ribbon...

Diary 7/20

I found out from Tim the TA that I did my 2600 assignment wrong. I tried...I'm going to make a correction this evening. Hopefully Dr. Tomer will give me an "A" for effort or I'll get it corrected before he grades it.

Diary 07/19

I am finally back home. The next day after returning from Pittsburgh I had to leave for a work conference. I wasn't home for 12 hours before I had to leave again. I did not even bother unpacking. I was on the freeway again by 7:30am on Thursday on my way to Columbus. I was so tired all of Thursday and drained. I was not worth a quarter to my co-workers. Thankfully I have F*A*B co-workers that took up the slack until my usual vibrancy, if I say so myself, returned. After the conference, my job requested that I go Washington, DC for three days. I would have been home 48 hours and on the road again!! I denied that "priviledge". I hemmed and hawed about needing my rest and having to follow up on neglected work etc. All of that is true but the what I didn't say is, I have too much LIS homework to do!

Now I am home, in my bed and happy as a clam. A clam that has an assignment due in 2600 today that I can't figure out how to make cascading... I have the hyperlinked part complete and I'm unconcerned about the unix portion since I've got that conquered (I think) but cascading is not working for me as far as I can tell. I'm determined to get this done today because it is imperative that I get started on that final 1500 word review for 2000 by Monday. I refuse to stress. I did enough of that last week...At least I was able to get out of going to DC.

Enough blogging, I must get back to cascading style sheets ;oD

Diary 07/15

Today we go home! I really am a home body. Though the hotel was nice, my bed is nicer. As to the class session with cohort 9 their were positives and negatives...

The positive is, I was able to meet some really awesome people.

• I follow the blog of April and was able to meet her. She is as nice and smart as her blog implies.
• I really liked Nicole and felt an affinity with her. I'm glad she will be in my classes next semester.
• I found out that Hunt, a member of my "hot topics" group, was a male. I assumed he was a female because his follow up and work were meticullous (we've already discussed my propensity to assume...). Great guy.
• That is just a few of the awesome people from cohort 9, shout outs to Becky, Jetta, Kristi and Jenny.

The negative is I was just as stressed and more during this session then I am at home.
I assumed (again) that the cohort would meet, learn for a few hours, tour Pittsburgh and go home. The reality is we met, learned for hours and hours and hours. There was no time to tour Pittsburgh. There were only small periods of time to meet with our groups to finalize our presentations. There was no time to relax and breathe. More work and new assignments that I was totally uprepared for were given to us. I have gotten few hours of sleep during these four days.

I have to admit that I cried Tuesday evening because I really do not know what I have gotten myself or my friends into. I'm apologize L and P. You know what for...

I'm getting teary again. The next time I blog I hope to feel more optimistic.

Diary 07/13

I am down at U of P for cohort 9's fast track week. Sigh... Enough said.

Diary 07/12

I'm off to U of P this morning for four days of work and hopefully sight seeing.

I will be meeting the entire chort (9) by this afternoon.

I can't wait to see you all!

Diary 07/09

My brain is locked! I just, and I mean just, finished my portion of the group "hot topic" assignment for 2000. I now can focus on this Thoreau fragment that is giving me the blues and is due Sunday. Well, that won't be tonight because I am drained. I can only pray (and please anyone reading this pray for me too) that I can figure out the Thoreau by Friday night because right after that I have to submit a DB discussion of two books that I have not even begun to read for 2000. And the work continues on... Who lied to me and told me the semester would get easier as we went along?

Diary 07/07

I cannot wait for this semester to be over. We have to do an HTML assignment in 2600 that is due the day we are scheduled to be at U of Pitt for my cohorts first visit to campus. I am also trying to be the anchor for a group project due to be presented while on campus and have to have my portion of the required work in by Saturday. All of this work needs to be done above and beyond my regular full time work and life. I'm feeling overwhelmed and sorry for myself but I'll persevere, I'm a woman and we always do...

Diary 07/06

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July holiday weekend. I know I did. I ate well without lifting a finger. That is what I call a good time!

To capp off the weekend, today is a good day! I received grades from both LIS 2000 and 2600 that were well deserved especially with the hard work I 've been putting into each assignment. I hope to keep up the trend for the next three (3) weeks. Y E S !!!!! Three weeks and we will be done with our first semester. One down five to go. We'll be getting a well deserved two week break and then back to the books.

This Sunday I'll be coming down to Pitt for our first on campus session. I am excited to meet the students and can't wait to meet with the teachers. I have so many questions about what the two classes I signed up for in the fall will entail.

I am registered to take LIS 2005 and 2700. I am told that both 2005 and 2700 have intense group projects. That has given me pause because we are currently doing a group project in 2000 that I am not pleased with because not everyone is pulling their weight. Enough said about that or my mood may deteriorate... Both classes will have the same teachers from this semester so I can almost be assured that I'll be reading myself into a coma with Dr. Almans LIS 2005 class which I am told is a new course compiled from two or three classes and working my brain to it's outer limit with Dr. Tomers LIS 2700 class and his technology projects.

It really depends on what they tell me next week whether I'll be taking these two classes together. I might take one and an elective. I prefer to get all of my pre-reqs out of the way early but I refuse to kill myself in the effort. All suggestions are welcomed...

Diary 07/01

I have absolutely nothing to say today except that I am tired and LIS 2000 is trying to stress me out. I am working on the latest assignment trying to get it completed before the holiday but do not understand what any of the (3) books we were given to read have anything to do with each other let alone the changes in production/distribution of information and the affect on its use. Hmmm. I guess I had more to say than I thought, LOL.

Anyway, I wanted to give those of you interested an update on our library situation here in Ohio.

Thousands of emails and countless phone calls to Ohio legislators were made and our voices have so far been heard by our state legislators and the Governor. The General Assembly has also been deluged with emails and phone calls from library supporters.

What has happened thus far:

Wednesday, July 1: Cleveland City Council has put forth an Emergency Resolution urging the Ohio General Assembly to reject Governor Strickland's proposed budget cuts of state funding to Ohio's public libraries.

Tuesday, June 30: Second Continuing Budget Introduced in House. The House took action on a week-long continuing budget and also set a vote for Thursday on another week extension, through July 14.

Monday, June 29: The Conference Committee on the budget (HB 1) has canceled for Sunday and rescheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Monday in Statehouse Room 313. The Senate is expected to approve a seven-day budget that funds state government operations into the new fiscal year. The interim spending plan - to be adopted as an amendment to the Industrial Commission's budget (HB 16) - will fund programs at 70% of actual fiscal year 2009 spending, the Senate Republican Caucus said.

Happy 4th you guys I wont be posting again until next week ...

Diary 06/30

Thank goodness I chose to participate in DimDim on Sunday. Dr. Tomer happened to mention that there were over 80 ePrints were incompletely done. I got the horrible feeling that I was one of those who may have uploaded the references incompletely. Lo and behold I was right. I knew that all of my articles said "under review" but I assumed (you know what assuming does) that meant Dr. Tomer had to review them. I requested that Dr. Tomer check the repository and he very graciously did (he is really growing on me). He then sent me an email letting me know I had to make all of my references "live" by moving them to the repository. I clicked every link I could find in ePrints until I found the correct link. Phew! I beat the assignment deadline. I then had to contact two people who I called myself helping with ePrints to tell them what to do to get their assignment done correctly. I would have felt horrible if they had gotten a bad grade because of me... I am now a bit nervous about my Koha. I arrogantly assumed on Sunday that I was done but now I'm not so sure. My Koha looks good, to me, but I'm hoping that Dr. Tomer, my favorite professor thus far, will give us feedback prior to the July 5th deadline.

I hope you are reading this Dr. Tomer ;oD

Diary 06/28

In an effort to have the 4th of July free and clear of school work I started on my Koha assignment. Initially I was stumped as I tried to toggle through Koha and figure out how to add bibliographic items of my subject choice. BTW, I chose fashion which I adore. Finally, I had the brilliant idea to go to Blackboard. In the lis2600 folder I found a link to a tutorial for Koha. I could have kissed Dr. Tomer. He spelled out step by step what to do and I AM DONE! I am done with five minutes left to join tonights DimDim discussion if I so choose. I feel as though 1/2 a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Only half because I have the anchor of LIS 2000 holding me down with the latest three books we have to read and review by July 6th. I've already started on The Meaning of Everything which I will hopefully finish tonight prior to bed so I'm hopeful that I can get this review churned out before the holiday too.

Wish me luck! I'm off to DimDim.

Diary 06/25

Here comes ePrints! I try so hard, sigh..., to stay ahead of my assignments. I have been working on ePrints since the 13th (the Sunday prior to the last DimDim meeting). During the DimDim meeting, I asked what I thought were all the pertinent questions necessary to get me off on the right track. I helped another fellow student get her assignment done and all was great. Until yesterday after a long day of job training and social activism, I started my ePrints assignment. only 2 of 10 downloads were original, the rest kept saying they were duplications. After over an hour of this frustration, I stopped and emailed the 2600 DB to see what to do about duplications and emailed Dr. Tomer too. Timothy said not to worry about duplications. Dr. Tomer said he did not want duplications. I am now struggling to find 23 more original pieces of research to download. I've already spent over two more hours this evening and am up to 7. I am whipped. I hope I can find the rest Friday before the rest of the class take all of the articles. I know I won't get anything accomplished Saturday becauseI have to work and have a wedding/reception to attend. If I can't find 25 original articles by Sunday, here come the duplications (which is of course okay, per Timothy)

:oD

Diary 06/24

**** Update ****

The Govenor of Ohio plans to take 227 million dollars from public library funding from the 251 public libraries across the state of Ohio. A budget decision made by the state legislators is due by June 30th.

Today the libraries in Cuyahoga County got together in downtown Cleveland and held an extremely well attended rally supporting libraries and against the proposed budget cuts.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/06/hundreds_of_people_mostly_libr.html

Over 20 Library Directors from across Ohio spoke. The media was out in full force, print and television. It was a beautiful thing to see all of the community support and hear all of the stories citing how the library helped and still helps them during this crazy economy. How can they even think about cutting libraries when attendance and circulation are up?

To help stop the governor of Ohio, log on to http://www.saveohiolibraries.com

Call the governor of Ohio: 614-466-3555 or 614-644-4357.

Fax the governor of Ohio: 614-466-9354.

email the governor of Ohio:

http://www.governor.ohio.gov/Assistance/ContacttheGovernor/tabid/150/Default.aspx

Today our local paper, The Plain Dealer, was chock full of commentaries, Editorials and Letters to the Editor about the proposed cuts and their across the board displeasure with our Govenor. I hope all of our voices are heard.

Stay tuned...

Diary 06/23

* * * U R G E N T * * * M E S S A G E * * *

Late Friday evening, the Ohio's Governor proposed a state budget which would cut the Public Library Fund by 50% from the previous budget. This funding cut would be devastating to libraries around the state.

The Ohio legislature will vote on the budget bill this month (June), we are making a concerted effort with local libraries and libraries across the state of Ohio to convince legislators that reducing library funding is not the answer.

We need your help. If the Governor’s budget is accepted, over 250 public libraries across the state will have to cut hours, reduce staff and, in some cases, close libraries.

Contact Ohio's Governor Strickland at
http://capwiz.com/ala/utr/1/ETNDKSNPWA/HUILKSNPWD/3524622246 and Ohio legislators at
http://capwiz.com/ala/utr/1/ETNDKSNPWA/JGPLKSNPWE/3524622246.

Again, please help us. If this budget passes, the next time it could be you (your state)...

Diary 06/21

I have not had internet since Wednesday evening. I am so stressed! I wanted to add on to my Jing presentation but I can't. I am working on a paper for 2000 that I'm having to do completely at work. Right now I hate AT&T. My wireless modem went down and no one carries them but Best Buy who had sold out. All day today, Sunday, I ran around trying to find the one available modem and I did. I was so happy! I got home hooked it up. Got the green light. My computer said I have limited to no connectivity and I STILL CANNOT GET ON THE INTERNET. My computer claims I have no IP address. I'm too dispirited to cry and too tired to scream. I have so much to do above and beyond U of Pitt work all of it involving use of the internet. I am very unhappy right now. I do not know what to do...

Diary 06/15

I really like DimDim. Sunday (06/14) I had the opportunity to use my microphone and be heard by the other participants. I was giddy :oD Now I want a web cam.

I'm still overwhelmed with work but I really like the challenge of learning new technology (writing papers, not so much). I always thought that I was pretty computer savvy but I now see that I never even scratched the surface. Though I knitch and moan, I am going to take more of Dr. Tomers technology classes.

Speaking of technology, I haven't had television since Friday when the world went digital. I have a box hooked up to one television but have not bothered to program it. I had to throw away two perfectly good televisions because they were too old (1969 and 1988) to have the proper attachments for the box. I tried to give them away but no one wanted them. Such a shame, they were very nice tv's passed down from my great uncle. Oh well...

Final note. I've recently found an interesting area on Blackboard while clicking links. Its called MLIS Distance Learning Support. I definitely need support so I went in... I first went to groups and found my entire cohort and then I went to my major. I was very pleased to find everyone currently enrolled at U of Pitt with my major listed, there are 47 of us, with the ability to email them all simultaneously. I have so many questions for the seasoned students...

I'll let you know if they tell me anything good.

Diary 06/10

By god I've done it! I have made my Jing presentation on how to install and configure the Firefox extension for Zotero fit my blog.

I may be bald with jagged nail beds but I'm victorious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here is how its done.

1. Get your HTML/javascript code from your Jing presentation.

2. Go to your blog.

a. Find layout.

b. Add a gadget.

c. Paste your HTML/Javascript.

d. Title it.

e. Save it.

Now comes the most important part!

1. In your "navbar" grab the gadget with the html and drag it to the bottom of your template.

a. Save your work.

b. View blog.

Your full presentation will be on the bottom of the screen under all of your blogs for everyone to view.

Blessing all around! I'm off to my LIS 2000 reading.

Diary 06/09

To preface this blog, I am feeling very frustrated today and it's not even noon...

I have been working for a week trying to write a coherent answer for the DB question due Thursday in my LIS 2000 class. I am having a hard time understanding the concept of Bradfords Law of Scattering even after reading two comprehensive reviews.

I just looked at my grades in Tomers class and found an 8 out of 10 for the first assignment graded. U N A C C E P T A B L E!!!!! I expected a 10. There was no indication as to why I received the 8 or directions on how to correct the error. I need to know what I did wrong so I can correct it. Am I anal? Yes! Am I unreasonable? No!

To top off this thus far joyous day, I am unable to make my Jing presentation fit onto my blog. I asked Dr. Tomer about this in Sundays Blackboard "chat session" he said that Blogger should resize the video presentation automatically. Sigh... It doesn't and I am not alone in finding this out.

A birdy tells me that I shouldn't be so out spoken on this blog about certain things because it could negatively affect my grade... I thought this is what the blog was for so I'm going for broke.

I'm taking my cranky self off my blog now. I'll be back hopefully with some happy views and news soon...

Diary 06/08

It's Monday and back to the old grind! After a beautiful weekend, the weather in Cleveland is rainy and muggy. Good for my garden but heck on my hair.

Dr. Tomer said that he will be grading our papers and posting grades this week. I was happy to see that in writing! I have no idea if I've been on the right track so far and we are already in week five.

Sunday there was an online chat session using Blackboard. I prefer DimDim. I like the chats though because we get direct access to the instructor. During the chat, we received a bit of information on the Jing assignment, signing in to Koha and downloading anti-virus hardware onto our computer. Tomer suggested we download SpyBot and that we run it weekly. He said in his experience SpyBot can solve some "serious problems". Serious problems ?!?!?!? What type of sites are we being sent to? I hope I'm not downloading any viruses! My computer is barely functioning as it is. I'm trying to get these final two years out of it before it crumbles to dust.

During the chat the class starting talking about the Penguins, hotels, FastTrack weekend ect. We never really got to the part of the Jing assignment that I need help with. Dr. Tomer's dog(s) started barking and that was the beginning to the end of our session. I'll come to the next sessions scheduled for Thursday. I hope the next one is longer. I have plenty of questions.

On another note, I've just sent an email to my assigned advisor to be registered for Fall classes. (Fall you guys! That means that summer is almost over). He emailed me back and did not know anything about me! Imagine my surprise. I always thought your advisor was given information like what program you're in, the classes you are currently enrolled in/have taken, your major in the subject area etc. prior to the student being given their information. My have times changed since I was in college a mere decade ago...

Well enough of my Kavitchin'. I must go back to working on my LIS 2000 DB assignment.

Diary 06/05

Big sigh of relief everyone, S I G H , I finished my book review for LIS 2000 and my WorldCat assignment for LIS 2600 with 48 hours left. I am king of the world!!!!! LOL :o)

I guess I shouldn't be so joyous, but I am, since next week will be another strenuous week of me trying to work my jobs, have a life and complete assignments simultaneously.

I've already begun looking at the Jing/Zotero assignment. Looks like a doozy. A doozy that I am going to need a microphone for since my laptop does not have an internal one. ARG! Oh well, I have this weekend to purchase one in between reading more Discovering Computers 2010.

On another note my garden, that I have never referenced here before, is growing beautifully. My corn, broccoli, lettuce, cucumbers and garlic are thriving. I'm still waiting for my peppers, tomatoes and parsley to sprout. The weather this weekend in Cleveland is calling for sunny and mild so I'll be able to sit in my garden, soak up the sun (necessary vitamin D) and talk to my veggies.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Diary 06/02

So, here I am dutifully working on my book review for LIS 2000. While writing the review I had an epiphany. Since I have a number of references I thought, why don't I use RefWorks like we learned in LIS 2600. I mean the write-n-cite logo is right there in the upper right hand corner of the Word document, so why not? What could be easier and save me the time and aggravation of painstakingly typing out sources? Obviously NOT write-n-cite!  I clicked on the link, typed the first author in the RefWorks search engine and got nothing but information on open source computing. "WTF" I said, out loud (thankfully no students were around), shouldn't I be getting the specific articles I'm requesting? I tried again, this time using the article name and sorting by relevancy. Guess what? Still nothing but open source computing information. Open source information is what I searched for weeks ago! Should it be there in perpetuity? I'm giving up for the moment and going back to perfecting my book review but I'll be back. I will not be defeated by RefWorks of all things!

I'm back... It was a battle that neither I nor RefWorks won. I'll call it a draw. I could not for the life of me get RefWorks to place my references into my book review but I did get it to import my references from various areas and import them into a blank Word document. I then cut and pasted the information into my book review. This was an extra step I should not have had to take but time was a wastin'. I've not given up on getting RefWorks to work as promised but I need time to lick my wounds and prepare for the next battle.

Talk with you soon...

Diary 06/01

I went looking for my grades in LIS 2600 today. I notice that Dr. Tomer does not have our grades by assignment but accumulated numbers. This leads me to assume (I know no one should do that) that we will not know our grades until the very end of the semester. This concerns me because we are not receiving feedback to let us know if we are doing individual assignments correctly. I am , unfortunately, a bit of a perfectionist. I need to know if I'm doing things correctly so I can make the necessary changes to do it right the next time!

We have eight (8) weeks left. I am counting down. I already need a break. Who knew that taking two classes would drain me they way they have.

I'm a glutton for punishment though because I've already registered using U of Pitts Course Agent. I've thus far I've decided not to claim a specialization. I really like the technical part of 2600 so maybe I'll go with Information Technology.

We'll see...

Diary 05/29

I participated in an LIS 2600 DimDim web meeting last evening. I'm usually asleep by 9 pm due to my 4:30 am wake up time but for this I set my alarm and woke up. I'm glad I did. I was able to see Dr. Tomer in real time and got the answers to my questions from my 05/26 diary entry. It was very interesting. I was excited to hear Tegans voice by microphone. Technology is really something...

An hour later when the meeting was over I could not go back to sleep so I worked on LIS 2000 and 2600 assignments until midnight. You can just imagine how I am feeling today. T I R E D !!! Make that E X H A U S T E D.

Two thumbs up to Dr. Alman for getting the pronunciation of my name correct the first try :oD

Diary 05/26

Today as I was reading the LIS 2600's general questions, I saw an excellent one from Lori Sheetz. She asked "Are we going to receive any word at all from Dr. Tomer about if he has received our files in the proper format?"  I have sent two assignments and wondered the same thing. I (we) have no idea if we are on the right track. I think I am but it could be just plain arrogance, not ignorance :o), on my part. 

Another thing, where does it say we are supposed to import everyones blogs into Google Reader? Did I miss it on the syllabus? I just happened to be scrolling through the collaboration folder, saw office hours, chat and read the recordings. Lori Sheetz, once again, asked a great question.

Finally, I don't know about anyone else but, I need transcripts for LIS 2000 and 2600 lectures. I am a tactile/kinesthetic learner. I need to read the transcripts so I can highlight pertinent facts. I'm all about hands on active learning. I cannot sit through hours of lecture. I found this out years ago during my first academic experience. Anyone know about potential transcripts?

Okay truly finally this time. Is anyone able to access 2600's "Virtual Classroom"? I keep trying to upload the Java Plug-in over and over with no success. Do we even need to access this area? I see there are three which leads me to believe there is one a week (?). I don't know if I can stand anymore video lectures!!! 

Lori can you get these questions answered for me? I'm just kidding (LOL!)

Until the next post..

Diary 05/25

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

We are in week three. Can you believe it? I wasn't sure I would successfully make it through weeks one or two but here I am.  So, I am  starting week three out very optimistically. At least the WorldCat assignment seems (not quite done yet) less complicated than the Scopus one.

I am currently posting as I listen to my Pink Funhouse CD. She really keeps me pumped. 

This blog is the only thing I am doing for my U of Pitt grad work today. My entire day off is being used to catch up on work I have fallen behind on at my full time job. The one that is paying for this degree :-\

Diary 05/21

I gave myself the necessary 48 hours, longer than I thought I would need, and now I am ready to tackle WorldCat. I'll be back next week to share my thoughts on that...

I would love to get ahead on some of these assignment but working two jobs (Lord knows I'm not complaining I'm happy to have them both during these times), taking two classes and handling personal affairs are a tough act to juggle. Thus far all of my balls are still in the air.

Pray for me ya'll!

Enjoy your Memorial weekend :o)

Diary 05/19

I had no plans to Blog today but I was impelled.  I just, hallelujah, completed assignment #2 on the 2600 syllabus. I am worn to a smithereen. 

It boggles the mind that there are so many Google applications and ways to import, export, share, cite (ARG!) things on the Internet. I've always felt Internet savvy but this assignment really took a ton of effort from me. 

I am giving myself 24-48 hours before I even try to tackle the next assignment using WorldCat (another site I've never heard of) because I know I'll be once again preoccupied to the point of short temperedness when I become immersed.

I apologize to anyone I snapped at while working on assignment 2.  And, I apologize in advance to anyone who's head I take off as the semester progresses. You won't be reading/have access to this blog but I had to put it out there for the universe to forgive me.

05/18 Diary

We have so much to read and webcasts to listen to (Good Lord!). I try to complete those during the weekend. This homework takes up a majority of my time and mental energy. I finally figured out how to import/export from Scopus and Google Scholar using RefWorks. I refused to ask how to do it under the "general questions" section of the DB. Thankfully Refworks had an option to import references in APA format or I would be in a world of hurt trying to re-format all 100 items. I am now moving on to exporting to a word document using APA format. I'll let everyone know how that goes on Wednesday.

Stay tuned...

Following the pack

Hmph! I thought we just had to set up the blog but not write on it until later. Now that I've reviewed all the posted blogs and have seen content I must be a follower :o)

A little background, I am taking both LIS2000 and LIS2600 this summer. This is my first time taking classes entirely through the internet and this is my first time back to school in ten plus years. I will be using this blog interachangeably for both classes because I am sure I will have plenty to vent about.

My first vent is the number of books I have to read in my LIS2000 course. I could have passed out (yes I'm dramatic) when I saw the book list of like 15 books. I love to read but not that darned much! I'm already slogging through the first book, trying to get SCOPUS and RefWorks to open up for me and just trying to keep my head above water by not getting my assignments/ due dates/syllabuses mixed up between the two courses. Sigh, this is only week one...

That's all for now back to work.