Resolutions
I'm not a strong believer in waiting until January 1st to create a list of tasks whose completion is to be a test of my resolve. Challenge and self-improvement are year-round endeavors.
However, sitting here in an empty office on January 2nd, with nothing but an iPod to keep me company (an old Jackson Browne song is playing, for those keeping score), I can't help but feel reflective. Starting tomorrow, the whirlwind begins again in earnest, and workday reflection won't be available for a long, long time. With that, here are some long-term items that the Research Network strives to accomplish in 2006:
1. Reduce the turnaround time. For a variety of reasons, it's hovering around three weeks right now, which is unacceptable to all of us. Talk about a year-round endeavor - this has been at the top of our list for several years running.
2. Finish the signage Web site that preoccupied all of 2005 (this is near & dear to me especially).
3. Explore what it takes to get a working Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program up and running.
4. Integrate our collection (and collective ability) with other libraries in the area to augment the number of resources to answer client queries.
5. Work with each of you to better streamline the information asking (and receiving) process.
6. Keep on blogging, and to develop a search mechanism to help you find posts from the recent past.
7. Get a version of our circulating collection (i.e., those items that we can lend to you) on the SBDC's Internal Web Site.
8. Cooperate with SUNY at Albany to keep the libary interns coming through our door (they're really a big help).
I'm sure there are more, but this is ambitious enough. I can't promise that each of these will be met in the next 12 months, but they are the reasons we keep coming to work every day.
Best of luck to all of you in whatever resolutions you make, and have a safe, adventurous new year.
However, sitting here in an empty office on January 2nd, with nothing but an iPod to keep me company (an old Jackson Browne song is playing, for those keeping score), I can't help but feel reflective. Starting tomorrow, the whirlwind begins again in earnest, and workday reflection won't be available for a long, long time. With that, here are some long-term items that the Research Network strives to accomplish in 2006:
1. Reduce the turnaround time. For a variety of reasons, it's hovering around three weeks right now, which is unacceptable to all of us. Talk about a year-round endeavor - this has been at the top of our list for several years running.
2. Finish the signage Web site that preoccupied all of 2005 (this is near & dear to me especially).
3. Explore what it takes to get a working Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program up and running.
4. Integrate our collection (and collective ability) with other libraries in the area to augment the number of resources to answer client queries.
5. Work with each of you to better streamline the information asking (and receiving) process.
6. Keep on blogging, and to develop a search mechanism to help you find posts from the recent past.
7. Get a version of our circulating collection (i.e., those items that we can lend to you) on the SBDC's Internal Web Site.
8. Cooperate with SUNY at Albany to keep the libary interns coming through our door (they're really a big help).
I'm sure there are more, but this is ambitious enough. I can't promise that each of these will be met in the next 12 months, but they are the reasons we keep coming to work every day.
Best of luck to all of you in whatever resolutions you make, and have a safe, adventurous new year.
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