Lot of stuff and Good News

Yup it's been awhile, but I've been quite busy.

This past week has perhaps the most productive one I've had so far.

1.  I've almost got my ILS.  I've got a guarantee that we're getting the system I want.  Yes!
2.  We've got the Secondary School Libraries on board to share it with us.
3.  My request for processing supplies will be approved, I'm submitting it on Monday and just have to wait on the paperwork.
4.  I was able to get a opensource MARC software to convert all the excel files and all the Secondary School Libraries excel files converted and compiled into MARC files for quick upload into the ILS.  There were a lot of excel files.  Thank goodness that Geoff Brown, head of tech services at Dalhousie, introduced me to MARCEdit and I'm very thankful for youtube tutorials!  Days of work converted to under an hour!
5.  Got some Classifying done, not a lot, but some.
6.  We're getting some synergy done with the local libraries to help them get furniture, shelving, processing supplies and for one library, BOOKS!  I know!  I know!  It's a collection without items!  The library infrastructure here is so overloaded with the amount of work it has to do and what is expected of it.  The fact that they've been able to achieve as much as they have has been due in no small part to the extreme work ethic and energy they have piled into their libraries.  It is extremely inspiring.

It was a good week.  A busy week.  Now we need to sustain this level of activity and keep on going and getting these partnerships formalized and worked out.  I also need to stay on task and remember that my collection is the priority which my contract states I need to finish.  That could be a tough one seeing as how I'm one of the few library professionals here and I'm sure they'll all want a piece of my time.

Never thought I'd spend this much time writing policy and cataloguing.

Things to do this week:  Go visit all the partnering libraries on Tuesday and see what they need that we can provide.  Continue to Classify!  Get my processing supplies ordered and hopefully a copy of Dewey Decimal Classification.  Get the ILS integrated.  This last point is most vital.

See you later pals.