Outsourcing and productivity

Two small parts of my book dealt with outsourcing, but it was primarily addressed as a stressor for library workers and a driver to work smarter.  This article from today's New York Times illustrates that trend.  As some libraries move from a civically-owned model to a private ownership model, this will change how they work and how we are expected to work.  It seems to lead to a deprofessionalization of library services that has many of us concerned.  Check out the article and then check out many of the library blogs today for great discussions.

Working while traveling

In the past few years I've done a lot of travel for work.  For a time I was taking at least one trip a month, which seems like a lot for a librarian!  Aren't we supposed to work in a particular library?  Of course that's not always the case.  We like to confer, meet, and do distributed work.  I also work in distance education support so that's another opportunity to travel.  I've enjoyed it but have suffered from a drop in productivity, especially while actually traveling.  Time Management Ninja offers us Eight ways to get things done on a plane which I will have to adopt.  Unfortunately, flying out of Missoula means no planes with wifi--when will we get that innovation out here??  What a boon!

Starting your week on a high note

Many of us find Mondays challenging--launching back into work from a few days away can be daunting.  Where do you start?  Time Management Ninja has some suggestions on how to start your week ahead of the pack that are helpful.  I usually do a review right before I leave on Friday but I can see how moving it to Monday morning might be even better.  What do you do to prepare/get started on Mondays?

What to do when things aren't working out

It seems like a lot of people I've talked with are a little downheartened lately.  I know I have had some tough times career-wise in the past few months.  US News offers us three things to do when you feel like a failure which are pretty helpful.  Check out the comments on the site for an additional two steps that are quite insightful as well.  And best of luck!