It has been more than two years said I've written a blog post, and in that time I began and have nearly completed a Master's program in library and information studies. We had just bought the cabin in Sevierville, which we owned for just over 2.5 years, and sold in early January 2017 for a decent profit. We enjoyed the time we spent there, but we were facing the need to buy some kind of water softening system and having to deal with some dead trees. It looked like retirement was going to be eminent for me, so we decided to sell, rather than invest any more money into the cabin, It sold very quickly, and while we enjoyed every minute we were there, I don't regret doing that at all.
I'm now 40 days from graduation, and for a while I wondered whether I would make it through. I'm taking 3 classes this semester, as I did the previous semester. It has been a very stressful academic year, but I can see the end in sight! I've been all over the map with what I want to do after I graduate. Before I started school, my original plan was to retire in January 2017. Then it changed to hanging on until I completed my degree. Along the way I considered two librarian jobs, one at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN; and the other at the University of Kentucky Law Library in Lexington, KY. But before I could go for an interview at ETSU, John's father died on July 29, 2016. His mother really needed to have John around for a while to settle things, and help her decide what her next step was. When she became very ill early in 2017, she was hospitalized, and sent to the nursing home to do rehabilitation. She has since decided to stay there, so she could be cared for. She is much healthier, and I believe happier as she has other seniors to socialize with. Then, after I had my first interview with KY, I realized that what I was really after was to be able to retire as a librarian. Given that, I would just as soon retire from Brockport as a librarian.
So, I talked to Mary Jo and to Bob. Apparently that was a mistake, because I told MJ that I'd be happy with just a change in my local title to Scholarly Communication Librarian and she was quite agreeable. She sent in a request for this to Bob and HR, but for whatever reason (something to do with APT not allowing professional librarian lines, I think) that couldn't happen. Then Pam was going to put together a committee of Charlie, JJ and I to discuss what a (faculty line) Scholarly Communication Librarian would look like. This was supposed to happen in February, but again, for whatever reason, it went nowhere. Then Bob suggested to me that I apply for the UUP professional promotion program, where we just have to show I have been working out of title, so last weekend I completed that - got two letters of recommendation (Joe Makarewicz and Roger Kurtz), and last week Bob signed off on it, and sent it forward. I believe the timeline to hear is by the end of May. That works out well for me, because if the answer is yes and I get a title change and salary increase, that makes it enticing for me to stay 2 more years. And if this doesn't work, well, it will be the last straw and I will retire without looking back.
So why am I considering staying for 2 years? Last fall I took a Scholarly Communications class with Chris Hollister, and throughout the semester I developed some ideas for an Office of Scholarly Communication on the whiteboard in the SW Conference room. Mary Jo was onboard, as was Bob and Roger Kurtz. Mary Jo put together a proposal for IF2 funding, the only hitch being she made Pam the Project Lead on it. She claimed it was to get Pam onboard, but she then turned around and offered it to Pat Maxwell so I don't know what to think anymore.
Monday and Tuesday there are meetings to discuss some library leadership and team building initiatives - whatever that entails. Whether it portents true change or is just another pipe dream remains to be seen.
That's enough of an update for now, I guess.
