Thing 23 At The End

The end of the trip. Just like France, where I had to get on a plane and come home to the "real" world. In some of my earlier blogs I've reflected on what I've learned going through the 23 Things. So I won't dwell on those comments but now, having completed the survey, e-mailed my multi-type to tell them I've finished, and with a good night's sleep, here are a few final comments about this experience.

I know, for one, that I'll go back and continue to play around with a lot that I've been exposed to in this course. I want to dive deeper, to find out more about some of the Things, and to use them in my work. Beyond that, I want to read some of the other blogs from others in Minnesota who participated. I've had one fed to me by RSS, so I've been able to keep up with that one, but I want to read more and get a broader sense of what people learned and experienced (thinking, at the same time, that I might pick up another hint of something to do with a tool).

Plane rides, especially the long 8 hour ones from Europe, give you some time to think and reflect on the experience. While I was in France I kept a journal of my experiences. I've gone back to that journal a number of times since the trip. I'll probably come back to some of the entries in this blog again, too, and reflect on what I've learned. At the same time, I'm going to continue this blog. I doubt that there will be many readers. Its mostly for my benefit. But if there is the odd tidbit I find or write about that brings something meaningful to someone else, then that's a good thing too.

I want to thank all the people who made this possible. This took a lot of time and effort to put together, but it was very much worth it. Thank you!

One final thought: I'm wondering if there will be any kind of follow-up or presentations or sessions at MLA or some such venue or conference. I think it would be fun to bring the 23 Things community together, physically, for a time of reflection and interaction. Just a thought. Anyway, thanks, again!

Thing 22 What I Learned Today

One last picture from France, this one again from Montpellier. During another stroll through the city I came upon this building, set in a lovely little park. What caught my eye (and which you probably can't see in the picture, unless you click on the image to get the larger view) is the sign for this building carved in the lintel above the door. It reads, simply, "Archives." A good, strong, solid image for a building that holds such records, but not terribly inviting to the public. One of the many things I learned today, and something that's been a thread through a lot of these Things, is the sense of inviting one into a community and the importance of being a part of a community. And its a two way street. Traffic is moving both in and out. We need to be out and about, on the highways and byways of this brave new world as much as we need to be tending to the things all around us, the things for which we have a responsibility. In my case, its a sense of stewardship, of passing the riches that I'm responsible for to a next generation. Much of what I care for in my work is as old, or older, than this building. Its all still standing, its all important, and these tools that I've been exposed to will help me to care in new ways, not only for the rarities of my realm, but for those who cross the space that is "Archives."

The other thing I learned, or had reinforced, is the need to create a discipline to learn more, to carve out that time to make it happen. Its part of the lifeblood that helps make it easy to get up each morning and look at the possibilities of the new day. Enough for now. Its on to the last Thing and then time for rest.

Registration Done

Well, I've registered my blog (Thing 1) on the 23 Things web site, so in a day or two my blog should show up on the list under the Metronet listings. I talked to Ann WS yesterday (who reminded me to register...thanks Ann!) and it sounded like registration numbers for the program were very high. I'm looking forward to the program and did grab a few extra postcards to remind my colleagues here. Time for some more exploring...

In the beginning...

Greetings,
I've created this blog as a part of the 23 Things on a Stick program. I'm a member of the METRONET governing board and curator of Special Collections & Rare Books at the University of Minnesota. I'm glad the folks extended the deadline for registration a day or two as I wanted to participate in the program and learn more about Web 2.0 stuff. Well, I need to go create an avatar for my blog and finish the registration process, so more later. Cheers!