Things that are keeping me busy this spring

1. 4H: 3 meetings a month, and I'm doing most of the planning. We've done Public Presentations, and are working on planting seeds for our gardens. Aeddon and Alden joined John and I on an outing to the Orchid Show at the Buffalo Botanical Gardens. Alden is proud of being able to set the timer on the camera and be part of this photo. Don't you think he did a nice job?
2. School: This semester is Managing New Product Design and Development. 4 components to each module. The obligatory discussion forum, with its first post protocol (you can't see any posts until you've made one); an ongoing group project to design a new product; reading about 150 pages from the book; and homework assignments which consist of answering any 2 questions at the end of the chapters.
3. Finally, work. Digital Commons stuff is going well, with several new collections under way, including: the College of 2025, EOP newsletters and two new journals - Philosophic Exchange and Journal of Literary Onomastics - both in the design stage! I'm hosting 2 conferences, the 2013 Diversity Conference and 2013 Graduate Research Conference. 
4. Grants: Besides the two technology grant applications I just completed (a new scanner for ILL, with Logan, and a 3D scanner to go with the 3D printer we are getting); I am also trying to get a Conversations in the Disciplines grant to host a conference on Using Institutional Repositories to host/promote Open Access Journals (or something like that). It is a very involved grant application, and I am trying to get Josh Beatty, Ben Hockenberry, and Marc Dewey to join me. 
5. Webinar: In early April, I will be co-presenting a bepress Digital Commons webinar on  Institutional Repositories Supporting Community Engagement, Part 2: Regional Research at the College at Brockport (SUNY) and University of of Massachusetts, Amherst.  Institutional repositories can play a key role in a college or university’s mission to serve the greater community. At the College at Brockport (SUNY), Kim Myers views the repository as an ideal venue for supporting and sharing regional, community-oriented scholarship. SUNY Brockport has long been a center for Great Lakes research, but for years this valuable research was housed primarily on one professor’s computer. Working with Professor Joseph Makarewicz, Kim has created an IR collection to archive and disseminate these research articles, government documents, community newsletters, and technical reports. 
6. Article for
   Library Publishing Toolkit
   We are looking for experts and those who have learned on the job to write articles about their experiences with a library publishing program, service or project. These experiences could be a range of activities from working with authors on copy editing and copyright issues to digitization of archival materials or utilizing print on demand services. All of these activities comprise the new role libraries are filling–and we want to hear about it.
   Specific areas of interest include:
   

• What programs and services are offered by libraries to writers?
• Does your library help users develop curated content to publishing in either in print or digital form?
• What strategies are being used to select items for digitization?
• Has your library identified unique print materials to be digitized and potentially sold?
• Has your library developed partnerships with other agencies to support digital publishing?

• The compilation of these articles will become the Library Publishing Toolkit. This open access publication will share a broad range of publishing strategies and projects from both academic and public libraries. It will serve as an essential guide and set of workflows for libraries of various types to get started or improve efficiency with publishing services. 

7. Finally, there is the June 2013 SUNYLA presentation with Josh Beatty to prepare for. Our premise is going to be how two different colleges use a similar tool (Digital Commons) in different ways to accomplish their goals.

Oh, and maybe do an internship this summer with Institutional Research. And try and talk my boss into a promotion.

That's whats been keeping me busy, besides the usual and not so usual family things. What have you been up to?

Brrr!

It's been more than a week of bitter cold weather (during which I only worked 2 days - with MLK Day off and two more with a sinus infection). Spring, hurry up - I'm tired of all this cold. But to be honest, better cold than snow to drive in.

Monday brings the students back to school, and the new semester will be underway. This semester's MBA class is Managing New Product Design and Development, with Naren Peddibhotla again. Hopefully, a more successful class than ENT585 was.

So, no more procrastinating, there are class discussions to post, and homework to do. Laundry is washing, but dishes are dirty. Chicken is in the refrigerator waiting for soup, stew or other use. So, as Alden likes to say - That's all folks!

Where did the time and people go?

I finally got John to set up the spare printer/scanner for me, so I can attempt to make some headway in the hundreds of photos I've accumulated over the years. Here is one from around 1966, with a group of kids from my 4th grade class, and my sister Carol. I recognize Cindy Bloom (Baker), Laurie Fulwell (Carpenter), new Paul (Stanovich) and old Paul (Heiliganthaler), and Kathy Perkins (Colson). I'm not sure about the boy in the plaid jacket (Charles Compton, maybe?) or the girl with the long hair. Of all these people, I only know where a few are these days. Where does the time go?

Another semester put to bed

This semester was Innovation and Entrepreneurship ENT575. I so never wanted to be an entrepreneur. And still don't. It was a tough class, the writing part in particular. The writing is usually the easiest part of a course for me, and I struggle with the class participation part. But in this case, the writing was business case analysis, and I never quite got the hang of it. Well, I did improve in the end, so that my last submission was a 9.0/10, instead of an 8.5/10. In the end, I pulled an A-, 91.67. I lost points on the group project, too. You had to review your team mates, and give them a score out of 10. In the end, I was happy with how the project turned out, and gave everyone a 10, preferring to give them the benefit of the doubt. Apparently, that wasn't the case with everyone. Whatever, the course is over, and I'm glad to put it behind me. Except that at least 2, and maybe 3 of my remaining classes are also this format. Better get cracking and figure out how to do these!

Reposting my Myspace blog

I had a blog for a short time on Myspace, and a while back I was able to get on, and downloaded the postings. I have reposted them here, to keep as a record.

2/28/2008: Grandpa update

Grandpa update

    Grandpa Harris has a MRSA infection. They have him on IV antibiotics, and painkillers. He is out of it most of the time, and not eating well. Aunt Gail and Uncle Lynn are leaving for the Dominican Republic today, unless they decide to cancel at the last minute.

3/8/2008: Grandpa update

Grandpa update

Grandpa's in the nursing home (600 Bates Rd, Rm 219). He was well enough to day to play Crazy 8's for an hour, which is a big step forward. Not getting out of bed anymore than he HAS to, but getting a little stronger and better each day. Almost everyday one or more of his friends from the Radio Club comes in to visit him. Hope everyone who reads this is well, and has sent their tax returns in, so they can get that $600 stimulus check from the gov't.