Changing addresses and emails

One of the biggest frustrations in this move to the Forum (other than trying to shelve 70 photo albums and hang 100 paintings) is trying to make address/email changes for organizations, magazines, etc. I've yet to find a form that includes that information slot. I first have to unsubcribe then resubscribe. However, since my old email is no longer active, I don't have a form to use nor do I have the original mailing material so I can include an account number or even the form of my name. There's a big fail here, and I don't think it's mine. Someone in the career field for subscriptions/memberships form design never thought that a member/subscriber would both move AND change the email/password.  Today I was notified of lunch with retired librarians.  My request (I was notified) can't be processed because the listserv (whose owner is deceased) doesn't recognize my new email.

 
One interesting quirk is I think it was one of my doctors' offices did notify the board of elections, something I didn't do. I'm now properly registered.  If I'm not mistaken (will research) my husband worked in the firm that designed/built the school (Winterset in Columbus) where we'll now be voting.

Even if you can't find it. . .

It never goes away in cyberspace.

Two ions are walking down the road. Suddenly, one ion says: "Damn, I think I lost an electron!" The other ion says: "Are you sure?" The first ion turns to the other ion and replies: "Yeah, I'm positive!"

“A recent study done in England discovered that subjects who cursed while in pain could tolerate the pain longer. Experimental subjects inserted their hands in a bucket of very cold ice water and told to curse repeatedly. Results showed that subjects who repeated "f--- U" kept their hands in the cold water longer than subjects repeating non-curse words. Wow, maybe Canadian doctors can now recommend cursing while their clients wait 9 months for treatment for back pain. Can tipsters think of other practical applications of cursing?”

These are two of the topics I came across on the TIPS archive for July 2009, a discussion list for the teaching of psychology that can be searched by thread or date. I’m not sure why lists that require a subscription by people interested in a particular topic, then put their archive online for anyone to see. Most of the topics are serious, but I know that some of the off hand remarks I made on discussion lists back in the early 1990s as a librarian are still out there. That’s scary. I was always the one who didn’t stay on topic.

Librarians are bossy

The younger, 2.0 librarians are quite proud that they don't "shush," can wear trendy clothes and tattoos, and have Wii and e-books streaming out the wazoo in their libraries. But they are still just as bossy as my generation and the generation who were my supervisors and revisers (in the old days of the 1960s, everything you did was revised or inspected by someone above you in seniority and position). Here are some rules to participate in an electronic list by a group called Web4Lib. Note: each statement could stand alone and be perfectly understood, but in true librarian fashion each has to be expanded and explained, some with parentheses. (Librarians love parentheses.) A version of these rules appear everywhere that people are sharing information on the web, but I'm betting that a librarian is somewhere way back in the family tree of every listserv and Usenet BB. Don't let those IT or OT folks pull your leg. They are really librarian wannabees who had better math grades. In fact, I think Moses was the first librarian--at least he was good at making lists and organizing information.

Guidelines for Appropriate List Behavior
The following guidelines are offered as advice for how to best participate in this discussion in a manner that will both contribute to the experience of all readers and also reflect well on you.

Say something substantial. Simply saying "I agree" (in so many words) or "I disagree" (in so many words) does not meet this guideline. Specific technical questions are, however, quite appropriate, as are brief answers to such questions.

Say something new. Mere redundancy will not convince an opponent of their error. Explaining the same argument differently in an attempt to make them see the light has not been proven to be an effective strategy.

"Getting the last word" is for children. [Yikes--how condescending is that!] We're all beyond the age when we should be concerned with being the one to end the argument. Just because you are the last to speak doesn't mean you won the argument.

Agree to disagree. The likelihood of convincing someone to change a strongly held opinion is nil. State your case, but give up on the idea of converting the heathen.

Take "conversations" off the list. When list interaction becomes two-sided (two individuals trading comments or arguments) it is a sign that you should take the discussion off the list and correspond with that person directly. If the discussion was of interest to the general membership you will see others posting on the topic as well.

Remember that you are being judged by the quality of your contributions. No matter whether you are employed or not, or a certain age, or have a certain education, you can create a good professional reputation by how you contribute to a large electronic discussion like Web4Lib. On the other hand, you can ruin your reputation even faster and easier.

NEVER send email in anger. [Isn't that in the Bible? I know I've heard it at church.] Go ahead and compose a message in anger, since that may help you work through what you're angry about, but don't send it. Sleep on it. You will nearly always decide to not send it or to recompose it. There's a reason for that.

Be civil. Treat others how you wish to be treated. No matter how insulting someone is to you, you will always look better to the bystanders (of which there are many, I hasten to remind you) by responding politely.

Respect the rights of others. An electronic discussion is a commons. Your right to post ends at the right of others to not be insulted, badgered, or to have their time needlessly wasted.