At Last
Posted On Apr 1 2008Well after only twelve weeks with OCLC, I’m proud to say that I received fantastic support for my first business plan presented to the strategic leadership team. I thought this was going to be a hard sell, but its overwhelming support among libraries was what really pushed things over the top. I take seriously OCLC’s commitment to reduce costs for libraries, so I wanted to build a solution that would both shake things up and save more than just a buck. I have proposed that OCLC begin mass production of card-catalog cards, along with due-date cards and pockets. The first …
First Principles
Posted On Mar 24 2008My very first professional writing gig was with Computers in Libraries. A patient and wonderful editor named Kathy Dempsey took a chance on an opinionated upstart who had just barely worked in libraries, having recently come from the dark side (that is from a vendor, not as some might think, from California or D.C., the two domiciles that preceded North Carolina). I told her I had an idea for a new column and that I was calling it “First Principles,” the notion being that there is nothing new under the sun, and that approaching technology from the starting point of …
Reporting from Sheffield
Posted On Mar 20 2008n my previous life, I was infrequently lucky enough to have a speaking gig or work meeting that took me someplace new and exciting. Now, I’ve made my first trip to Sheffield, UK, where OCLC has an office, and it’s been fantastic. Though the scenery and terrain is different (read more interesting), the weather has been a lot like Columbus in March…cold and cloudy, cold and sunny, cold and rainy, cold and snowy, in somewhat quick succession. I’ve also had a fair number of cultural lessons. I know now that one should not suggest “tabling” a topic in a meeting because …