Posted by Fi on April 24, 2002, at 15:52:16
In reply to Hi Fi! » Fi, posted by medlib on April 23, 2002, at 18:49:49
Hiya! I would be happy to answer all your questions, but am a bit cautious in this particular setting as if I did it would be patently obvious to anyone who knows me who might come across PB who I was. Which is a bit of a thought!
> Okay, which is it, "Fi" or "fi"? Or does it depend on your mood?
I hadnt actually noticed I vary on this- its a nickname so doesnt somehow matter the same..> How did you find PB?
I was at a telemedicine conference where Dr Bob did a talk.>(As sharp as med librarians are, you probably discerned that already from my rather literal "handle.")
I hadnt actually! Peoples names here do vary such a lot- and unpredictable. Someone asked me if mine was chosen as I lived in Finland (I dont)!>And, if you don't mind, what is "sort of"
I dont work in a traditional main stream setting. And I'm uneasy with the job title 'librarian' and happier with 'information professional'.
> Until my latest depressive downturn made employment impossible, I worked in an academic med library,
ah- you were a 'proper' librarian! Sorry to hear that you've not been able to work. I have been lucky that the one episode I had in this job they let me work short hours for a while, and not do public enquiry work.> specializing in electronic reference.
Do a load of that, particularly with PubMed but also with lots of other sources.>I did a bit of everything, though--from writing "cheat sheet how-tos" to web pages, from teaching searching and web site evaluation to running comprehensive searches for faculty (and then trying to dissuade said faculty from ordering all 300 references through ILL).
I actually do all of that too, apart from the last bit!> Now I volunteer when I can, teaching Internet classes at public libraries; most of my students are seniors, many of whom are sharper and more grateful than my former patrons.
That sounds great that you are sharing your skills. I am not in the least surprised they are more appreciative- I did a teaching session yesterday with some medics and its definitely a tough job!
>(I think that the fact that I'm such an abysmal typist reassures them, somehow.)
I expect it does- shows you are a real human being and not such a huge gulf as they may fear. I find there are only a few things people need to know to use the internet in general (unlike some e resources), but its getting past the initial lack of confidence people have. Have you heard of 'hunt and peck' typing? Its a very good description of that non-expert level of typing- having to scan the keyboard to look for the right key, then typing it before another hunt..> You're not from the US, are you?
Nope, tho *very* appreciative of the resources that you and your fellow taxpayers provide on the internet which the rest of us can use. We're not up to the same level, tho there are some research resources our taxes pay for which you *might* find handy (eg OMNI, a quality checked subject gateway, including patient and professional sites at http://omni.ac.uk ) Let me know if you are interested in other ones- I'll have a look at work.> What type of educational preparation did you need?
I have an MSc, having done an initial degree in something else. Sorry- not sure how that translates; its a masters degree?>Here in the US, "librarian" has the distinction of being the occupation which requires the most education for the least amount of money (and respect).
Sounds familiar!! Much the same here. Pitiful wages in some settings. People who get more into the IT aspect of things sometimes then get IT type salaries, and bullish assertiveness that goes with that!Nice to have an echat with a fellow LIS prof!
Have *you* found the urge to rush off and find sites/references for fellow PBabblers? I havent really, but have occassionally! Its an occupational hazard to be helpful..
Fi
poster:Fi
thread:4286
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020420/msgs/4536.html