So it's been a long time since I posted here. Partly because I've been busy, but partly because some things I've been thinking and experiencing are perhaps better not discussed in a completely open forum. However, with that said, I'll update what I can:
Michael and I are, of course, back from ALA. The job fair was once again very small and very disappointing. Many employers that listed their jobs were not there, and the libraries that were there were the same big public systems that always show up. So unless one is interested in working in the Jacksonville, Las Angeles, or Atlanta-Fulton Public Libraries one is at a disadvantage. However, the sessions were much better overall than last year, so it kind of made up for it. I attended sessions on reinventing reference, the future of academic libraries, job searching strategies, and library technology trends like RFID. I also went to a science fiction panel discussion and got some groovy signed editions of the authors' latest works. Unfortunately, what I expected to be the highlight of my conference, Ben Bova's planned interview with Sir Arthur C. Clarke, didn't work out as scheduled due to technical problems with the audio feeds to and from Sri Lanka. The assembled panel of scientists, authors and librarians provided an interesting tribute and discussion, but it was a little disappointing nonetheless :(
One very interesting thing did come out of our conference time, though, because Michael ran into someone from the UAE University in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates. They have five librarian jobs open right now. Naturally, both of us found this prospect interesting, and we applied with them as soon as we got back. We've had informal interviews with the woman who was our initial contact, which seemed to go well, but we won't hear anything further until the Dean and the rest of the search committee get back from their summer vacations. We are both pretty excited about the idea of being able to work in the Middle East, and the UAE in particular is apparently quite open and welcoming to Westerners. I am particularly hoping they will interview me for the Special Collections position they have open. Anyone who knows me knows that special collections work is my dream job, and getting overseas experience with that should certainly add an extra bit of spice to subsequent job applications!
The one hard thing is that moving there would kind of mess up our wedding plans. Such as they are at this point. We had finally set a date of August 7th, 2005, but of course if we moved to an Islamic country that operates under Sharia (Islamic) Law, we would want to get married before we left to prevent any problems or faux pas. Not that we've been able to make any specific plans up to this point...we haven't even been able to find an engagement ring! However, I'm getting a pretty good oneline education in diamonds thanks to sites like pricescope and Good Old Gold.
The other good news job-wise is that I actually got another interview this month, this time with the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology, in Moose Jaw. This job pays well, and after living in Overbuild Broward County Hell, the idea of being in a smaller city in a more seasonal climate appeals. If you're interested in learning more about the library, and the campus I've interviewed at (Palliser), you can check out the campus web site, the libraries web site, last year's Annual Report, and the college's current Business Plan, which has chapters for Palliser and for Libraries. One real drawback is the lack of opportunity there for Michael. He'd likely have to commute to Regina for work or for further education. The other sticky fact is that SIAST is likely going to be offering the job to their preferred candidate before the UAE even does their formal interviews! So we're not sure what we will do in the event that I'm offered the job.
Of course, given the difficulty I've had getting the materials they need to them, SIAST may never even offer. Hence the "I hate DHL" part of this installment's title. This post is already too long for me to detail the saga of my attempts to deal with them, but the short version is that SIAST has a DHL account and wanted me to send a 10-15 minute videotape of me teaching a class to them as part of the interviewing/evaluation process. Between the stunning levels of rudeness and utter incompetence at my local shipping outlet, and the slowness of DHL service, that tape still isn't in their hands after two attempts to ship via DHL, and the only way I could ensure it would actually get there at all, ever, was to take it to a FedEx store today, almost a week after it should have been sent, and pay to have it couriered. Needless to say, I am completely underwhelmed by this new "competitor" in the shipping field, my letter of complaint is in the process of being written, and I advise everyone I know to never, never attempt to do business with them.
That's long enough for now, I think. Signing off....