123D Printing

3D Printing: To Academic Libraries and Beyond

POSTER LINK

 “The world around us has advanced so much 
that science fiction is no more a fiction.” – S. Banerjee

            In 1986, Charles Hull patented the stereolithography apparatus (SLA) machine which earned him the title father of the 3D printer.  Now, almost 30 years later, he is the co-founder, Executive Vice President, and Chief Technology Officer of 3D Systems and has a net worth of more than $20 million (History of 3D).  For those who are not familiar with the product, 3D printing, otherwise known as additive manufacturing (AM), is the process of printing a three-dimensional object from a digital computer file.  Most 3D printers operate by printing one layer of material, usually a type of plastic, on top of the other until the virtual object is a physical object.  A digital model can be created using design software programs, scanned using a 3D printer, or downloaded from online repositories like Tinkercad or Thingiverse (Introduction, 2014). 

            The concept of 3D printing has been making its way into household conversations for several decades now.  It has even been referred to as the innovation that will change nearly everything from entrepreneurship to manufacturing.  In recent years, low-cost 3D printers have become commercially available to everyone from small business owners to the average Joe.  A small 3D printer can be purchased from vendors like Amazon and Home Depot for less than $1000 dollars.  The movement toward affordable commercial availability has opened up many opportunities for expanding research and education in libraries around the world.

            As for the future, 3D printing does not appear to be slowing down in popularity any time soon.  According to the Wohlers Report 2014, the 3D printing industry is expected to grow from $3.07 billion in revenue in 2013 to more than $21 billion by 2020.  Similarly, Siemens predicts that in the next five years 3D printing technology will become 50% cheaper and 400% faster (Columbus,2015).  At the Rapid Prototyping Lab at Ball State University, Jim Flowers and Kyle Samuels are instructing a course called Inquiries into 3D Prototyping in order to test the boundaries of 3D printing (Absolutely Fab-ulous, 2015).

  

Literature Review

Makerspaces, also known as hackerspaces or fablabs, are community environments where people can gather to create, invent, and share ideas with one another.  They generally contain open source software such as 3D printers, as well as tools and supplies for users to develop their ideas.  Many public libraries and a few academic libraries have added makerspaces to their offerings in order to encourage patrons to view the library in a new light.  The space creates an atmosphere of creativity, learning, and new opportunities (Moorefield-Lang, 2015).

The University of Nevada, Reno is the first academic library in the United States to offer 3D printing and scanning services to students and community members.  While 3D printing is not a new concept on college campuses, they are generally reserved for departmental use.  Lisa Kurt, Engineering and Emerging Technologies Librarian at the DeLaMare Library comments that offering 3D printing capabilities to students could “totally change their academic career” as well as bring together campus departments.  She explains that the library has always been supportive of books, writing, and critical thinking; of course, part of critical thinking includes using your imagination and making things (Chin, 2012).

Dalhousie University Libraries in Halifax, Canada began offering 3D printing and scanning services as part of a pilot program in January 2012.  The main goal of the project was bring the knowledge-sharing, innovation-driven ideals of hackerspaces into the academic library.  The Killiam Library is the largest and most centrally located library on campus, so naturally this is where they decided to house their hackerspace.  The library purchased a NextEngine 3D Scanner and a MakerBot Replicator to be kept at the help desk on the main floor of the library.  This location was chosen because of the availability of knowledgeable staff to maintain and monitor the service as well as the high frequency of student body traffic.  A booking system was also added to the Killiam Library website so that students could reserve the use of the 3D scanner similar to the way they reserve study rooms; however, due to the varying print times, only staff members are allowed to book the 3D printer (Groenendyk & Gallant, 2013).

3D Printing in the Library

Once a library has obtained a 3D printer, by grant or by purchase, the printing possibilities are restricted only by the imagination of the user and the limitations of the device.  The University of Nevada Library has an interesting perspective on 3D printers. They asked the question, “can you afford [to] pay $1,000 dollars for a printer if you have to buy a position to support it? Or, would you rather buy a $20,000 printer that doesn’t require the care?” (Chin, 2012).  With the availability of online repositories for storing and downloading designs, students can print models without needing the design skills that previously acted as a gatekeeper.

Additionally, the purchase of a 3D scanner will only increase the number of printing services available.  The Dalhousie University Libraries took this into consideration with their hackerspace.  It was part of their original plan to allow the various museums, archives, and the art gallery on campus to have access to the 3D scanner in order to digitalize various physical items from their collections (Groenendyk & Gallant, 2013).  They essentially hedged their bet that the materials would be used for one purpose or another.  It is usage ideas such as this that help bring together campus departments and form positive lasting relationships.

In order to get a better idea of what objects are being printed by academic library users, library research guides were consulted.  Kent State University Libraries offer 3D printing to their students and most of their printed files are from MakerBot or Thingiverse.  Some of their printed samples include a coral bracelet, a human hand, a squirrel, and a custom designed model of the university library (3D Printing at the SMS).  Rutgers University Libraries installed the Fordham FabLab on the ground floor of the Douglass Library.  The lab offers use of two MakerBot Replicator 2 printers as well as a MakerBot Digitalizer 3D scanner.  The work samples they provide include chain links, a bunny rabbit, a transparent giraffe, a building, and airplane models (FabLab/Makerspace).

3D Printer Challenges

There are always a few challenges that occur with any new project.  The Dalhousie University Libraries ran into problems such as determining device settings, staff training and user inexperience.  The challenge of determining device settings differs with each device and can be eliminated by purchasing a higher-end model.  In order to handle staff training, the library held a one hour demonstration session assisted by the college information technology department.  After this session librarians realized that the printing process is not difficult to learn, and anyone with a little computer experience will not have any problems learning the ropes.  As for the user inexperience issue, the library is offering classes and instruction sessions to teach tips and tricks (Groenendyk & Gallant, 2013).

Other challenges to overcome include funding and device upkeep.  While the price of printers has deceased in the last few years, an effective printer still cost over $1,000 dollars.  After the initial investment, users still have to purchase filament.  It is for this reason that continuous funding needs to be considered during the initial purchase decision.  External revenue and grants are excellent alternative funding options to be explored.  As for device maintenance, most training occurs from a trial and error effort.  There is also an online community with forums that can be consulted as well as MakerBot support.  Another popular helpful destination is YouTube which provides videos about procedural questions dealing with changing filaments or cleaning the extruders (Moorefield-Lang, 2015).

Conclusion

Even though 3D printers have become common place in public libraries and are now making their way into academia, there are still several critics of the new technology.  Joseph Sanchez, Library Director at Red Rocks Community College, is one of them.  He is concerned that affordable 3D printers are not capable of rendering objects that are large enough to fit the needs of his community.  He currently views 3D printing as an “expensive distraction” for general libraries and believes they are better suited for specialized medical or engineering libraries (Chin, 2012).  There is also the issue of when laws will catch up with the copyright legality of 3D printing.  It is concerns like these that instill a cautious mindset about the inclusion of 3D printing into any academic library.  If the forecasts are correct, the use and popularity of 3D printers will increase drastically in the next several years; however, at some point the novelty will wear off.  When that happens, the question is will libraries have convinced their users that these machines are a valuable investment?

References

3D printing at the SMS (Kent State LibGuide): http://libguides.library.kent.edu/content.php?pid=489897&sid=4095847

Absolutely Fab-ulous. (2012). Library Technology Reports, 48(3), 21-24.

Banerjee, S.  (2015).  3D Printing: Are you ready for the new decentralized industrial revolution?.  Wired.  Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/2015/02/3d-printing-decentralized-industrial-revolution/

Chin, Y. M.  (2012).  U. Nevada Library offers 3D printing across the board.  Library Journal.  Retrieved from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/08/academic-libraries/u-nevada-library-offers-3d-printing-across-the-board/#_

Columbus, L. (2015).  2015 Roundup of 3D printing marked forecasts and estimates.  Forbes.com.  Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2015 /03/31/2015-roundup-of-3d-printing-market-forecasts-and-estimates/

FabLab/Makerspace (Rutgers University Libraries LibGuide): http://libguides.rutgers.edu/FabLab

Groenendyk, M., & Gallant, R. (2013). 3D printing and scanning at the Dalhousie University Libraries: a pilot project. Library Hi Tech, 31(1), 34-41

History of 3D Printing.  (2014).  3D Printing Industry.  Retrieved from http://3dprintingindustry.com/3d-printing-basics-free-beginners-guide/history/

Introduction. (2014). Library Technology Reports, 50(5), 5-7.

Moorefield-Lang, H. (2015). Change in the making: Makerspaces and the ever-changing landscape of libraries. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning, 59(3), 107-112.

PREZI Time

PREZI time!

Is it Chrismas Already??

I recently created a Prezi for a presentation that I have to present tomorrow (Thursday) at work.  As part of a staff development initiative, each staff member was given a database to research and discuss.  My first database is ProQuest Learning: Literature.

Prezi is a little different from other presentation programs in that it does not use slides.  Instead it uses a “zoom canvas” in which all of your frames are placed.  The frames can be placed in any order on the canvas and you control the order they are presented in.   You can also add arrows, lines, and other symbols to connect your slides on the canvas in order to create a “big picture.” You can create a Prezi account for free or you can purchase a subscription based on your needs.  If you have a free account then be warned that any presentation you create is open and reusable to the public.  I used a prior presentation on the topic as my template and altered the images, information, and text to fit my requirements.

A link to the full presentation is in the picture below and this link.

"The Big Picture"

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

On Display

Display This!

I have created some awesome displays during my time at EGSC.  I decided that while I have such a captive audience I am going to share some of my more recent beauties.  The most difficult part about creating a display, other than deciding on a concept, is to make sure the collection has the materials to support it.  I have had several great display ideas, or rather Pinterest has, but the academic library does not have the content to support it.  I cannot image the money that my coworkers and I have spent out of our own pockets to buy books for a specific display. Now that is dedication.

Enjoy!

Beach Books for Summer
(Fun summer reads and movies)

Box Office Books
(You get the idea)

April Showers Bring May Flowers.
(Flower book titles)

I See It

The End Is In Sight

We have covered quite a few topics this past week.  We have discussed 3D printers, QR codes, and even the novel idea of gamifying library services among other topics.  I must say that I enjoyed moderating a discussion post more than I thought I would.

We are about to start our last week of Maymester in which another round of discussions will begin, another paper is to be written, and even a poster is to be created.  The next 5 days is sure to be as busy as the prior 17.  The only words of wisdom I have for my fellow classmates are to knuckle down and run for the finish line.  I’ll meet you there with a MLIS7505 badge and pillow.

CMS: Constantly Moving Stuff

CMS For STRL

Cameron Asbell is the Information Technology Librarian for the Statesboro Regional Library System (STRL) and has been the acting webmaster for the last six months.  Cameron considers herself a bit of a techie and reports that Content Management System (CMS) is well known in her circles.  She prefers the support and features of a CMS to HTML/CSS of years past.  A CMS is easier to use and more appealing for both the users and content creators.  I recently had the pleasure to catch up with her and ask several questions about her CMS.  She was more than happy to share.

The current Statesboro Regional Public Libraries website is designed to provide information about all the branch libraries and their programs, classes, job openings, events, and other “how to” content patrons need to know to access GALILEO and GADD, among other resources.  The STRL system is using WordPress as their CMS with content hosted on Filezilla and a domain hosted by GoDaddy.  The benefits of using WordPress are the support, tutorials, and updates they provide.  Cameron said it was easy for her to become familiar with the system because of the tutorials, help features, and forums which came in handy since she received no training from the prior webmaster.  Another great asset in her arsenal is YouTube; which is used when she runs into something she has never seen before.  The problems she has with the current CMS are not due to the host platform, but rather the prior webmaster.  The current website has dozens of plugins, extensions, widgets, and gadgets that were used in the past and never deleted from the system.  Cameron is hesitant to delete them herself because she is not sure if they control something or are featured on a page she is unfamiliar with.  There are several articles and categories that she does not use, but obviously someone did at some point in time.  In her own words, “I inherited a lot of clutter and would like to start fresh with a very clean minimal website.”

The library has three people with the power and authorization to alter the site: Cameron, the library director, and the Bulloch County IT Coordinator.  As you can probably guess, Cameron is the only one who manages the site.  STRL does not have a system in place to train other employees on the CMS features, nor is it something that is likely to develop in the future.  Cameron designates three hours every Wednesdays for website maintenance and another one or two for social media management.  Overall, she spends about 30 minutes to update content for the following week and the rest of the time involves going through old pages and discovering what was done, if it is still relevant, and if it can be done easier or differently.  During this process she often stumbles across straight HTML pages which have to be downloaded, edited, and re-uploaded to the site in order to be useful.  She often finds pages that have been created in a “bizarre way” which look like an “insane waste of time” to her.  To this day Cameron has yet to understand the thought process of the prior webmaster.

Cameron inherited the CMS from her predecessor and was not involved in the decision making process.  If given the choice she would actually recreate the site using Joomla!.  She likes the support they provide as well as the ease of use provided by the WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) functionality.  She has used Joomla! and Drupal in the past and believes Joomla! will be a great fit for STRL.  When asked to describe the perfect website Cameron said, “The simpler the site the better.  Less clutter and fewer moving parts mean less to break.”  One key to a simple site is consistent naming.  In theory, this idea is obvious, but that has not been her experience.  In one story she describes the search for a particular HTML report stored on Filezilla.  A search through twelve pages labeled HTML report revealed nothing of use.  This process turned into a “search every page” task in order to locate the right page which was discovered under the label “monthly maintenance.”  A few rules that Cameron follows in her website maintenance are to name files accurately, discard unused files, and be consistent so anyone following your footsteps does not become lost.  She also wishes to move from GoDaddy to the GPLS hosting service in the near future and maybe around that time she can implement her global domination, I mean STRL website overhaul.

Google Doc

From Joomla! to Interview-la

Happy Kitty

A paper, yay!

My first thoughts for this assignment centered on the tension lessening in my shoulders and the idea that this will be a much smoother process.  I thought to myself, “I’ll interview my co-worker and the information will be at my fingertips.”  So I approached my co-worker and explained the assignment to them … and they recommended I use a public library in order to “get the most” from my efforts.  They did volunteer to be my last minute plan B, thanks for that.

Sad Kitty

Who can say no to this face?

A bit deterred, but not willing to have negative thoughts I pondered who at the public libraries in the area would control their CMS.  Then it hit me, I know the perfect person for the job.  I called the location and found out she is on vacation for the entire week.

Grumpy Kitty

Are you fur real?

So I Facebook messaged her.  I will not take No for an answer.

R2 - QR - D2

A QR or quick response code is a great way to send someone directly to your website.  A typical QR code looks like a bunch of random black and white squares, or like a checkerboard fell on its head.  I added a little custom color to my code in order to make it similar to my page logo.

In order to give you a better idea of QR functionality I’m going to send you to my fun, side business Facebook page.  I wish I had thought of QR codes when I had my business cards printed, but I missed out on that train.

I created this QR code with Beqrious using three easy steps. 

1) Select the type (enter your URL) 

2) Customize QR code (pick a color) 

3) Download File.

Quick and easy.  The next step is to market it everywhere.

STRESS

Today feels like an odd day for me.  As Ashley mentioned in a tweet this morning, it feels like we have something due today or worse that we have forgotten what it is.  It almost feels wrong to have a moment to break and rest.  Today is almost worse that when Joomla was being non-cooperative.  One part of this class that I dislike the most is not receiving grades or much feedback during these 22 days.  My personality likes confirmation and approval.  I only hope I am doing everything right and have not missed some important grading rubric that says you must post continuously to receive full credit.  This is all very stressful and I have really noticed it negatively affecting my mood and attitude toward others.  My desk calendar says nine more days. We’ll make it.

P.S 

I almost did not post this blog but figured I can't be the only one and wanted to share how I feel.  We are in this together and will make it through together.

The Happiness Advantage

I’m currently half way through The Happiness Advantage:  The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor.  This book has really made me think about what makes me happy and how to continue to be happy personally and professionally.  I think we could all use some happiness after the Joomla stress.  

Some tips that I want to share with everyone include…

• It takes 3 positive comments, experiences, or expressions in order to overcome one negative.

• Change your mind set about how you mentally define tasks in order to change your performance on those tasks.  View things as an opportunity instead of a waste of your time.

• Doubt undercuts your performance before it even begins.

• The more you believe in yourself and in your abilities the more likely you will succeed.

• The more you believe in others and their potential the more likely they will succeed.

• Our brains follow patterns so train your brain to think positively and find the silver lining in every scenario.  Instead of thing it is hot outside, think how pretty the blue sky is.

Tia vs. Moderator Power

Moderate This

Tomorrow is the first day that I get to explore the power and responsibility that is moderating a class discussion.  I have my article in hand and have communicated with my teammate.  What else can I do to prepare?

Nervous

I admit I am nervous yet excited at the idea.  What comments and useful gems will appear in my thread?  Will I be able to keep up with the comments that roll in while also commenting on other threads?  What will I say?  What assignment do I need to finish while juggling discussions?  Oh my, the pressure builds.

Wait

Well, before Tuesday appears on my calendar I shall enjoy Memorial Day for the holiday that it is and take a few deep breaths and enjoy some good food.

Another module down means we are about half way through this course.  Carry on my friends and Good Luck.

Hello Trello

My academic library has recently experimented with using Trello as a project management site.  We were looking for a way to organize summer projects in a way that combines the staff, student workers, resources, and other necessities required in one place.  Another feature is that everyone can see what you are working on which reduces that “I do everything around here” feeling.

What is Trello?

http://help.trello.com/article/708-what-is-trello

“Trello is a collaboration tool that organizes your projects into boards.  In one glance, Trello tells you what’s being worked on, who’s working on what, and where something is in a process.” --- Trello Help

My experience

Trello, so far is easy to use and free to sign up for.  You essentially create a board, and place a list of cards (ideas) on the board.  You can then add comments to a card.  It has some design features that I have issues with, but I am working around that.  I have a Book Display board with active displays as well as display ideas.  One feature I like is that I can link Pinterest pins directly to a card on a Trello board.  So if I like this display idea pin I can directly link it to the Trello board so when I want to create it I don’t have to search very far.  My boss likes it because if we ever need something else to work on she has a board waiting.

Do you Trello?

Joomla runs from Tia's House of ....

Victory Is Mine

If you have been following this epic battle then you know the score was tied.  Today, last night rather, I emerged victorious against the CMS that is Joomla.  That being said I am happy to welcome you to ….

http://morris7505.demojoomla.com/

Pictures and a Gallery

Picking up where I left off, the first task today was to add content and pictures to my article pages.  My boyfriend was able to provide most of the images I used; however, they were all different sizes.  As such, Picresize.com became my best friend as I constantly went back and forth, upload and download, to ensure standardization between the pictures on my site (in width if not height at least).  I had more than enough pictures so I decided that they needed to be showcased as well. At first I was going to add a slideshow, but then changed my mind and went with the Gallery menu instead.  I used the Ozio Gallery extension that ties to my Google picture album. -- I also installed JEvents; however, I decided not to use it with my final product.

Banner

One item that eluded me for the longest was how to change the default banner image provided by Joomla, but a Google search later revealed the secret location for this guy.  Once again, I thought about a slideshow to replace the banner, but I have the gallery and did not want to be too redundant or overbearing with the images. I might scare some of you away.  That is why I decided for a stagnant collection of pretty people and beautiful snakes.  Most of these images are from educational shows that my boyfriend and I have performed at the college we work out.

Template

The final step for me was changing the template colors, logo, fonts, etc.  I did not spend as much time with this as I did the other topics because the tutorial is very straight forward for this.  With some of the other items I had to figure it out on my own rather than following the tutorial for one reason or another.

Overall, this process was aggravating and required one very yummy blizzard in order to get through it, but I am happy with the end result.

P.S.

I am so happy to have a weekend in which to work on this site because I have been adding and changing content for several hours straight.  Something that could not have been accomplished during the week.  

Joomla One - Tia One

Ding. Ding. Goes the Bell

I conducted another battle skirmish with Joomla today.  

Friday afternoon seemed like a great time to continue the battle since I have since cooled down.  My progress so far has been to create an idea for where I want the website to go and create menus and articles.  I have not yet added content to these pages, but that will come when I know everything is going where I want it to.  One feature I am happy for is the button that takes us to our live site.  I have refreshed that page so many times today.

My next step will be to add content and pictures.  I think everyone will get a scream out of my topic choice.  The battle was in my favor today as I emerged victorious over the site.  I’m not sure if Joomla likes me more today, or if I’m just getting good at what I’m doing.

The final battle will occur tomorrow after work and I plan to knock Joomla out of this world and finish up my site in order to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend.  I wish everyone else the best of luck with their battle and hopefully we will all be able to breathe a sigh of relief after this is over.  

Cheers everyone.

Joomla One - Tia Zip

Round One

Last night there was an epic battle between good and evil.... I mean Tia and Joomla.  This battle waged for many hours ending shortly after midnight with small victories and defeats on both sides.

This back-and-forth, head-turning, match occurred with no end in sight.  Then, Tia waved the white flag of surrender.

The next round will kick off later today.  Will Joomla prevail victorious again, or will Tia even the score and claim victory over all?

Stay tuned to this blog to find out...

What Happened?

Many of you may be wondering why I was not successful with Joomla on my first day.  I watched the videos for the first 3 or 4 modules; then ventured out on my own.  

What could go wrong right?  

The first problem I ran into was during the set-up stage. This was a minor skirmish and that was quickly passed over between the two installation wizard modules.  The next encounter occurred with installing the two extensions, JCE and Akeeba backup.  This aggravation lasted about an hour and I finally accepted the fact that the Joomla server dislikes my laptop.  I ended up using my tablet to login to Joomla and download the extensions from there.  By this time I was very tired and was feeling defeated but I was not going to stop when I was ready to add content.  This went much smoother, but I ultimately decided I needed to approach this with a fresh brain.  My homepage looks really good tho.

Wiki Wiki Wiki

I have never thought or heard about a library having a wiki page, but I guess that is what this class is all about.  Learning new Web 2.0 technologies and how we can apply them to libraries.  That being said, I am going to use my college library as my field site for this wiki assignment.

East Georgia State College is an access institution with strong ties to the community.  We are a four-year state college, although most of our programs are two-year degrees.  The library serves a student population of approximately 2,800 students, traditional and non-traditional, as well as community members.  Our budget for the year is under $80,000 for everything from database subscriptions to supplies, so there is no such thing as money to spare.  The library is also staffed by four full time employees and a few student workers during the semester so job duties are generally shared among employees.  All of this means that the goal of the library wiki will be to make the jobs of the employees easier and not more difficult.  The wiki page will be a one-stop shop for information that is commonly requested by students and college employees.  There are many pieces of information that are spread over the college website that can benefit from being in one central location.  The wiki can also host information about little known about library services that are available on campus; like course reserves or GILFind.

I selected the following requirements for my library wiki using the Wiki Choice Wizard. 

1) A page history so that older versions are saved and a record of editors is kept.

2) What you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) because it is easier for non-tech savvy users, so everyone has a fair chance at creating and updating content.

3)  Software that is hosted by another party because we do not have the server space for it, as well as unlimited bandwidth and storage space.

4) Our own unique domain name and the ability to incorporate college branding into the page so that 

it looks similar to other college pages.

5) Options to include a calendar, image gallery, forum, and blogs as deemed necessary.

… All of these factors lead me to choose PBwiki.

Background Check - Line one

Salutations to my loyal followers!

As you may have figured out my now my name is Tia and I am a graduate student in the Master of Library and Information Sciences program at Valdosta State University.  I began this program in fall of 2013 and will graduate this fall after I complete 3 more courses.  I began my library-land journey in 2005 with a part time after school job at a local public library and upgraded to a full time academic position in 2012.  I have loved working in different libraries and hope to turn this work into a career.

I am excited yet cautious as we jump into the deep end of the social media and Web 2.0 technologies pool.  I actually Googles a list of Web 2.0 technologies and discovered that I am familiar with more items than I thought; maybe not individual apps or programs, but the idea or larger picture behind each.  I have personally worked with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, StumbleUpon, and very recently Periscope and Twitter.  I do not consider myself an expert at any of the above programs, but I dabble quite a bit.

I expect this course to go very quickly and include many long nights reading the computer screen and posting updates.  I hope to learn more about Web 2.0 technologies that exist and how to use them to my advantage.  This is happening already with our first set of assigned readings.  I believe we will all learn things that we can apply to our personal life as well as our professional one.  Are you with me fellow MLIS7505 students as we venture into the exciting yet packed next 3 weeks of our lives?

CHARGE (your laptops and cell phones)  J

My First Post

Hello my fellow MLIS aspirants,

This is indeed my first blog post ever and I feel as if I am so behind in this class already.  I am determined to catch up so don't worry.  Due to unforeseen circumstances I managed to spend my entire weekend driving between Georgia and Ohio.  There is absolutely no internet signal in the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia.  I returned home around 3AM Tuesday morning and managed to get 4 hours of sleep before returning to work; then proceeded to type like a crazy person in order to complete the discussion posts last night.  I’m ready to catch up on sleep and I still haven’t unpacked anything yet.

I am determined to complete Assignment 1 by tonight so if there are any night owls out there feel free to keep watch and comment as you can.  I just want everyone to think about the level of horror I felt when I logged into Blazeview from a Starbucks on the road and saw 250+ unread discussion posts.  Panic mode set in, but the coffee helped (I think).  I felt that our first discussion session went great and I am looking forward to being a moderator for a future thread.  I wish everyone the best and thank you for reading my first blog post ever. – More to come!  -- At least for the next three weeks anyway.  J