It's spring break at our University and I fully expected it to be dead in the library. Monday was not dead. In fact, it was shockingly busy. We go "on call" for reference during weeks like this and I was called out of my office to help no less than half a dozen times. It was a surprise. Normally, you can see tumbleweeds roll through the library during this week.

Here's what I've been working on:

1. Faculty Portfolio: Every year, we have to submit a faculty portfolio for our annual review. It recounts everything we did in the last year. It's an annoying lesson in tedious paperwork and attention to detail BUT you get a massive document of how awesome you are. I've got 13 pages of information with over 75 pieces of supporting evidence. And this is really just a sampling! I'm putting the finishing touches on mine and submitting it later today. I'll be glad that it's done, but I'm proud of everything I've accomplished.
2. AI Tasting Menu: In April, we're hosting an event to let our community get some hands on experience with AI. We're going to focus on three AI platforms. To prepare, I'm doing all my usual logistics and marketing, but I'm also diving deep into the platforms so that I can answer questions and provide directions.
3. Family Meeting Follow-Up: We (finally) held our annual family meeting this last weekend. Now I've got a to do list of items. For most, I'm just sticking deadlines on my calendar but I'm also doing a touch of research for projects. We are well aware that a lot of our goals this year could change - particularly if Congress passes this budget, blows a hole in DC's budget, and I lose my job. (Things are a bit stressful right now.)
   

Our kiddo asks a lot of "Why?" questions. Somewhere I read that, when kids ask this, what they are really saying is, "Tell me more!" So, I do.

A why always leads to me sharing a new bit of information which leads to more whys which leads to more information. On our walks to and from school we've covered everything from the weather to space, physics to dinosaurs, history to social justice issues, and plate tectonics. And this is all from a kindergartener!

But, sometimes, my generalist knowledge is strained. At some point, I simply have no more information to share. Or, in some instances, I simply don't know. (Looking at you physics.) In those instances, I've gotten comfortable saying, "I don't know, but we can look it up." Kiddo seems satisfied with that and we've often picked up books from the library to learn more together.

This is the part of parenting I was looking forward to most. I love seeing her curiosity come to life. You never what's going to catch a child's interest. 

We opened a bag of hazelnut coffee this week. While the flavor is not strong, the aroma is delightful. I love waking up to the warming scent of spice hinting our home. 

Here's what else was good this week:

• Got a decent weekend sleep in
• Snacking on yummy leftover pizza
• Kiddo putting her dolls and herself down for a nap in her play tent
• Stretching out some tightness
• Managed to miss the rain during my commuting walks
• Quick doctor's visit to reup my MMR vaccine
• Kiddo brushing crumbs on the floor "So Hermie [our robot vacuum] can eat."
• The clicky feel of a new keyboard at work
• Getting to pop the windows open for a few hours

I read a lot of books with my kiddo. Kid Reads is a biweekly look at what we've enjoyed recently. ​

 Kiddo is still adoring these books about a group of mouselets that go on adventures. They are a mix of mystery, education, and friendship. They're not bad. Even as an adult, I've been enjoying them. The two we've read recently are Thea Stilton and the Cherry Blossom Adventure and Thea Stilton the Magic of the Mirror. The kiddo comes home with one of these novels from school about once a week. Each night we read several chapters before bed. It's been a wonderful way to introduce her to stories beyond picture books.

I know I've had a good library instruction session when my FitBit records 2,000+ steps. Between walking around to talk to students and my enthusiastic gesticulations, a higher step count means more engagement. Yesterday, I clocked 2,300 steps in a 1.5 hour class. Good times!

Here's what I've been working on:

1. Exhibit Prep: We're collaborating with the art department on an upcoming exhibit. While the art department is doing the heavy lift on the content, I'm managing the logistics. I shared with them case dimensions and a display inventory list. I'm also recommending a few library materials they may want to include. We're also chatting with facilities to see about hanging some art on the walls outside of the cases. At this point, it's just scheduling a date for installation. We want it up and ready by the time of our accreditation visit in late March.
2. Vendor Chats: Talking with our database vendors always seems to happen in waves. We've had a series of meetings, demos, and email conversations. It seems like everyone is grappling with how AI is impacting how we work. Luckily, we all want to support each other. One of vendors is prepping a webinar for the fall talking about how their collections differ from what AI recommends and what that means for how we work.
3. Summer Planning: It's nuts that we have to plan for summer so far in advance. But at least our kiddo will be occupied. We did our initial camp intake meeting and some paperwork. We also booked travel for the week's she's not in camp. We're not done, but at least the major items are out of the way. I'm also putting my leave list together to submit to work. 

This was a treading water kind of week.

Since we were beset with illness, my usual standards for daily life management did not apply. We delayed laundry and recycling runs. Our robot vacuum did not run. I let the piles accumulate. Straightening up was not a thing that happened.

Instead, we focused on the essentials. Did our required work things get done? Was everyone fed?  Did we occasionally bathe? Did we get decent amounts of sleep? Those are the things that mattered. Everything else could wait.

And, you know what? It was all fine. We healed while our home was a little messier.

​I have a tendency to think I'm not good enough when my life management standards slip. I need to stop doing that. The world will continue turning, our kiddo will be healthy and happy, and getting to things later is a perfectly acceptable course of action.

I went outside! Granted it was just to take my kiddo to school but still... After 4 days cooped up indoors with the flu, it felt wonderful to have the breeze on my face. I plan on sneaking out after lunch for a quick trip to the public library too.

Here's what else made me happy this week:

• Our flu vaccines keeping us from getting much sicker
• Toasted bagels with cream cheese
• Catching up on some newsletters
• The ER was empty when we arrived
• Successfully pivoting to make a different video than planned for work
• The grandparents sending get well soon packages
• The luxurious feel and scent of the face lotion I'm demoing
• Rewatching Firefly
• Kiddo playing that she was taking her stuffies on a field trip to the movies
• Reading a wonderful kid's book about being brave

Onyx Storm
Rebecca Yarros

I am 75% of the way through this book and all I want to do is rush to the end. I simply HAVE to know where this one is going. Yarros has managed to keep heightened tension and mystery through the entire book. My main issue is that the story has felt a bit forced with the pacing. It's this and then this and then this and then this. It's like she's checking things off a plot list. That doesn't hurt the story per se, but it makes for a weird reading experience.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

I have been stuck inside since Sunday. A plague (i.e. influenza A) has been visited upon our household. Instead of enjoying DC's Fool's Spring of 60 degrees, we're inside recovering. Pity to my husband who is not ill but is having to listen to his kiddo and wife cough in stereo. 

Here's what I've managed to work on:

1. ACRL Roundtable Prep: Two colleagues and I are hosting a roundtable at the upcoming ACRL 2025 conference. Our open discussion is focused on disrupting white hegemony at MSI's and what that looks like for white dominated profession. We want to show up with a strong basis in literature so I shared a public Zotero list and started reading the articles we found. We're also drafting a list of possible questions to help keep us on track.
2. LibGuide Revisions: We have a student worker for the first time ever. One of her projects is doing website review for us and tracking the errors she finds. Once a week, I've been going down the list and fixing the problems she has uncovered. Sadly, it's mostly dead links for government websites that have been removed. I made the executive decision to leave the links up but add the following text: *Note - this resource was pulled down in response to a Presidential Executive Order. We are leaving the link in case the material returns.
3. Recombobulation: Our place is a bit of a disaster. Between being away and being sick, things have just been left in piles. As my energy allows, I've been slowing putting our home back together. *ignores large stack of cardboard boxes in the foyer that need to be broken down and taken to the dumpster for another day*

My library has a chat tool embedded on our website to make it easier for people to get help. It's staffed by our team of real life, reference librarians. But, oftentimes, we are mistaken for bots.

I get that. It seems that AI is in everything. Usually these moments provide a bit of levity in my day. I'm thinking of that time someone signed off with, "Thank you helpful library bot."

On Friday, we got a series of chats from high school students in Halifax. Despite my conversational tone, tailored answers, and reassurances that I was indeed a human being, one student refused to believe I was a real person. Apparently, I type too fast? I was also accused of giving canned responses.

In order to prove my humanity, this student asked me share my LinkedIn page. Honestly, that was a brilliant thing to ask for. It's a public page and my chat avatar image happens to be the same image as my LinkedIn profile.

I'm going to steal that idea as an example when I teach about AI and evaluating sources.