THING 23!

Hooray! I'm at the end of the road that is only the beginning!

This project was interesting, frustrating, useful, discouraging and a whole bunch of other words. Last week I was completely overwhelmed and had decided that I was just not going to complete the program. But that little nag that lives in my head said I couldn't give up, so I redoubled my efforts. I finally had to accept that some things just weren't working for me, but it was all about the process, not the product. So my next goal will be to go back and revisit some of the steps that gave me trouble.

For me, having a guide to show the way would have been appreciated. It was too easy to say "I just can't do this". I liked the collaboration with fellow travelers, but sometimes we were all having the same problems, so we were just spinning our wheels.

I'd like to step up onto my little soapbox now and say that while we as a system enthusiastically embrace the technology, we need to remember that not everyone has the means or desire to do so. We still have customers who come in looking for a card catalog, and if we hit them with a bunch of blogo-wiki-podcast lingo, we run the risk of alienating rather than serving them. I realize that in order to keep with the times, we have to offer these options, but I worry that we will leave someone in the dust.

I am currently reading Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, in which author Richard Louv addresses "the staggering divide between children and the outdoors". A fourth grader in San Diego is quoted "I like to play indoors better 'cause that's where all the electrical outlets are."

So ta-ta-for now. I plan to unplug, get out of town for a few days, and go play outside!