Categories
Legal Issues Library Issues Personal

Blogs and Jobs

An interesting article came across the wire today from the Chronicle of Higher Education, entitled Bloggers Need Not Apply. A few snippets from the article, with commentary:

What is it with job seekers who also write blogs? Our recent faculty search at Quaint Old College resulted in a number of bloggers among our semifinalists. Those candidates looked good enough on paper to merit a phone interview, after which they were still being seriously considered for an on-campus interview.

That’s when the committee took a look at their online activity.

In some cases, a Google search of the candidate’s name turned up his or her blog. Other candidates told us about their Web site, even making sure we had the URL so we wouldn’t fail to find it. In one case, a candidate had mentioned it in the cover letter. We felt compelled to follow up in each of those instances, and it turned out to be every bit as eye-opening as a train wreck.

I can certainly understand following up on the provided URL (since the candidate clearly wanted it followed, or he/she wouldn’t have provided it), but how much detective work is too much? Yes, a Google search takes 2 minutes, and can provide you with a lot of publically accessible info on the person. But LOTS of public information isn’t allowed to be asked in an interview (for instance, whether the candidate is married is public information, in the form of a marriage license, but it is off limits for a job interview). What would the legal ramifications be if Job Applicant A was denied a position, discovered that it was partially due to a Google search (which happened to reveal his/her marital status) and sued the university on that grounds? I don’t know the answer, but I’m willing to bet that it’s possible there’s a case there.

Worst of all, for professional academics, it’s a publishing medium with no vetting process, no review board, and no editor. The author is the sole judge of what constitutes publishable material, and the medium allows for instantaneous distribution. After wrapping up a juicy rant at 3 a.m., it only takes a few clicks to put it into global circulation

“Worst of all…”????? That’s the best aspect of the publication medium in question. The harkens back to the academic bias I talked about in the past, as well as the wonderful piece by Jeff Pomerantz that I’ve pointed to before. Unfiltered writing is powerful writing.

The most worrisome part of the article by far is this jewel of a paragraph:

The content of the blog may be less worrisome than the fact of the blog itself. Several committee members expressed concern that a blogger who joined our staff might air departmental dirty laundry (real or imagined) on the cyber clothesline for the world to see. Past good behavior is no guarantee against future lapses of professional decorum.

Sure…and a clean record of sanity and lack of criminal record is no guarantee that the applicant won’t come into work and bludgeon everyone to death with his copy of the OED either. If you don’t trust your potential employee because he/she writes things that others might read…well…let’s just say that’s a bit on the paranoid side. Ok, I’ll be a little more blunt: it’s fucking stupid (see, that’s exactly the sort of thing they were worried about…).

I’d love to hear others thoughts on this topic….esp. the legality of the searches/disqualifications due to online information. The “to blog or not to blog” question is one that came up repeatedly during both Betsy and my job interviews these past couple of years, and I’m not sure there’s an easy, across-the-board answer. I made a choice that if a committee decided they didn’t want me because of my blogging, then I certainly didn’t want to work there, and that was fine.

EDIT: Thanks to Justin, here’s a couple of other people discussing this article: Tygar-blog and Planned Obsolescence.

EDIT (2): Another note on the article over at PomeRantz.

Categories
Library Issues Personal

My vision for UTC

I’ve struggled with how much to discuss my new job (Reference/Instruction Librarian at UT-Chattanooga), and I think that I’ve decided to just say what I want. I never censored myself before, and I see no real reason to do so now.

That said: here’s my first impressions. I love the place, and I love the people. I’m going to really enjoy getting my fingers into the place…because honestly, they need it. Short list of things that I see myself doing:

  • Organizing and instituting a virtual reference setup
  • Set up a true information commons in the reference area
  • Creating new classes that are student-need centered rather than class-or-professor centered
  • Move the reference staff into leadership roles on campus (or at the very least into communication roles for campus)

Yeah, I’m dreaming, but I might as well dream big.

Categories
Gaming Personal

Still here!

Yep, I’m still kicking around. Major training going on at the new job…still going well, and I’m starting to feel more and more like a part of the library.

Update on Origins (much fun, and I’m on my own card now!) and more job updates to come.

Categories
Gaming Personal

Off to Origins

I’ll be at the Origins game Fair for the next couple of days…possible posts from there, but it may be a day or so before I get back on.

See ya all soon!

Categories
Digital Culture Media

MORE MONKEY!

Ok…I lied. Not more monkey.

More ape.

I give you: KONG.

Kong 1
Kong 2
Kong 3

Categories
Digital Culture Personal

Monkey!

This one is for all you undergrad buddies who might still read this…from BoingBoing:

EDIT: from Justin’s comment…sorry, for those who didn’t know: I went to undergrad in Morehead. It’s the home of Morehead State University, my alma mater. My mother still runs the bookstore on campus.

Morehead Monkey

A monkey named Boo-Boo apparently bit a drive-through worker at the Viking BP Mart in Morehead, Kentucky. It seems that Ashley Rodgers was handing a customer a beverage when the monkey tried to grab the drink. (See image.) Rodgers says that Boo-Boo then bit her. According to WKYT 27 Newsfirst, Boo-Boo’s human companion, Jamie Dehart, is paying Rodger’s medical bill. The animal will eventually go to live at the Nicholasville primate center, a move Dehart says was planned before the monkey business occurred. Link to WKYT article, Link to WPVI article with security images

The monkey in the above image is hard to make out at first…the white splotch at the bottom is the monkey’s diaper.

I don’t believe that I just typed “monkey’s diaper.”

Categories
Library Issues

LITA Rocks

In case anyone has missed this, the so-new-it-still-sparkles LITA blog is full of some amazing ALA conference coverage. KGS covers the Obama keynote and makes me wish I were there.

If the blog keeps up this level of use/writing, it’s going to be around for a long time.

Categories
Library Issues

More info on lists I’m looking for

As Anna pointed out in a comment to my previous post, perhaps I wasn’t as informative as I could have been in what sorts of lists I’m looking for. Here’s a short summary of my interests/responsibilities:

  • Instruction/Reference
  • Technology, esp. as it relates to the above
  • Digital Reference (the combination of the above)
  • Academic Libraries
  • Intellectual Property issues in libraries
  • Censorship/challenge issues in libraries

There’s a short list of things I feel like a want to keep up with. I’m sure there’s more, but that’s a sample. Thanks for any suggestions!

Categories
Library Issues

Looking for Listservs

Ok all you guys out there in Library Land: what listservs do you consider to be A) the best and B) must subscribes? I’m going through my lists, and there seems to be more and more and more out there, so I know I’m missing a few that I could be either entertained by or helpful on.

Leave me comments on your favs (with subscription info if possible).

Thanks!

Categories
Library Issues

I’m a librarian!

First day at UT – Chattanooga! (thanks Yeri!)

Just thought everyone should know. 🙂

More thoughts on the library, the job, etc…later. For now, I’m off to a class.