A New Job!!

Moving Along

I have an old announcement to make: I have taken a new position with the Florida International University Libraries. I am the new Web Services Librarian with the Information & Research Services Department.

I say this is an old announcement because if you know me personally, you already know this info. It has also been updated on all my Social Media profiles, so if you're following me then this might be old news. But it is news I am still super excited about.

Here's a picture of my office decor:

A few tchotchkes have been set up in the office. I might be official now... #fiulibraries #librarylife

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on May 16, 2016 at 1:33pm PDT

Here's an interesting little factoid: FIU was recently named the second-best place to work in Florida behind Publix by Forbes Magazine.

A History Lesson

While I am new to the position, I am not new to FIU Libraries.

My first gig was in a computer lab in the Reference department (before its name was changed to I&RS). I also worked in the Juvenile Collection/Curriculum Lab. After a few organizational changes I ended up working full-time for the Division of IT at FIU—that's how I was able to put myself through graduate school (that & my wife who also worked at FIU which brought income and a discount for Family health coverage).

It was at FIU that I decided to become a librarian. I observed the librarians in Reference. I was impressed with their vast knowledge (especially at the age of 19, but still, it's vast). I knew that this was something I wanted to do some day.

All in all, I spent nine (9) working years at FIU before leaving for Fort Myers. And now I am back! And FIU has welcomed me back with wide open arms. (In my two weeks on the job, I've been officially welcomed 3 times in front of various groups and countless times on a personal level.)

Where I Was

By definition, no two places could possibly be exactly the same. There are a lot of differences between the Fort Myers Beach Free Public Library and the Florida International University Libraries. In fact, they are completely different from one another. Just the sheer size of each institution can account for these differences.

Please note that I do not intend to disparage FMBPL. Though I am not happy with how I was treated on the way out, I am grateful for the opportunity they afforded me when nobody else offered me employment. I worked hard for them and feel like my contributions both technically and pedagogically left the place better and more enriched than when I started. I certainly am a better librarian today than I was on day 1.

I suppose the takeaway here is that work environment is a critical part of the job search. You can make more money, but if the environment does not suit your disposition then it may not be a good fit. You may not be happy if going to work is a drag. When I took the position at FMB, I knew the Public library was not my first choice. I respect the public library. I believe it is a critical component of civic health. I also now know that it is not somewhere that I fit in, personally.

Where I Am Headed

I will be taking the year to get acclimated to my new position. It is new on many levels, not the least of which being university faculty as opposed to staff and the different responsibilities related to that position. During this period of time, I will be welcoming my third child into this world.

Sometime in 2017, I plan to begin my Ph.D. That will probably keep me occupied well into 2019/2020. By then, I'll have to figure out my future once again.

Of course, these are my plans and they are always subject to change...

Super Heroes & Wretched Ratchets

What have I been up to these last 5 months? Let me show you!

Super-librarian!!! This was a nice note on a rough day. #librarylife #instagood #happythoughts

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Nov 12, 2015 at 11:54am PST

Went with the Star Wars bow tie for Children's Story Hour & socks b/c of the bow tie. #happyhalloween 👻🎃👻🎃

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Oct 28, 2015 at 10:14am PDT

Tools of the trade. #librarylife #letsgetdirty #wretchedratchet

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Oct 26, 2015 at 8:18am PDT

Just closing the library. #sunset #beachlife #saltlife #librarylife #nofilter #skyblue #fb

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Sep 30, 2015 at 4:01pm PDT

My thanks to the library friends. And it smells amazing! #librarylife #sublime #limegreen

A photo posted by Christopher Jimenez (@cjmnz8) on Sep 29, 2015 at 9:06am PDT

Librarian Problem No. 562: Read the fine print

I have been a librarian for about two and a half months now, and I have solved several problems. From reference questions, to directional assistance to technical aid, I have done quite a lot under the motto, "All in a day's work." However, this one really had me going.

The Case of the Rogue Access Point

So I was asked if we could extend the library's WIFI for inventory purposes. The stacks are a dead zone and our fancy RFID Wand doesn't work too well back there. The only other solution involved moving Access Points (AP's) around and the whole plugging/unplugging thing scared everyone.

So I, the Electronics Librarian (touch me twice), gave my professional advice. I said, "We should be able to buy a couple cheap routers and set them up as AP's. We will place them strategically on the second floor to extend coverage." Piece of cake! I looked it up and everything! Just turn off DHCP and set the AP up with the same SSID/Password and you should be good. I sent the quote off to my Director and he approved the purchase of a couple lovely Linksys E1200s. Woohoo!

So I get these AP's sooner than expected. Awesome! I was busy at the moment and there was no rush, so I scheduled a day to work on them. The day comes and I unbox the first AP. Sweet! This looks just like the AP we have set up already, I'll just mimic the settings and everything will be hunky-dory.

It worked!
Alright!
Score!
Success!
I am a techno-wizard!

I even took it out to the stacks for verification. I connected with no problem. (In retrospect, I probably should have tested more intensively to ensure that the network stayed up. But, in my mind I was done.) This second one will be cake!

The second one would not work.

Oh, I could get it to work in my office. I could see it. My devices would connect to it. It would load web pages. But when I took it upstairs, I got no connectivity. I must have set this thing up 8 different times which felt like 60 times over. What could be wrong? I set this AP up exactly the same. I change the static IP to one in the range. Why won't you work?

I ended that week in frustration. I got one working, but not the other. Ugh! Now let's add some pressure. The Director walks into my office and asks for an ETA on the AP setup. I tell him it should be up by the end of the week. (After all, I am Electronics Librarian and should be able to do these things.) He asks why it would take so long, so we end up with Wednesday as a fair compromise. I have three days before I'm exposed as a fraud.

Monday is all about figuring out what the heck could possibly be the problem. I looked at my network map, I looked at information from Linksys, I looked at my horoscope;mdash&anything that might give me an answer! I was resetting, reconfiguring, testing in my office, running upstairs to test, then repeating the process. Sometimes it would work, once, then stop working. Sometimes it refused to work at all. Always, the AP was frustrating me, mocking me, letting me know how much better it was than me. How I wanted to kick it in the face, but it was busy kicking my butt. Why would it work in my office but not in the stacks? Why, oh why?

Then, two minutes before the end of the day, I found it; I found the last possible solution.

On the aforementioned network map, in the middle of 6 footnotes. MAC locking port security is enabled on the switch that the network ports connect to in the stacks. Only one MAC address is allowed access to the internet from those ports! If I log into the router and change this setting, could it resolve my problem?

Yes! The answer is yes! Oh, thank God, YES! I change the setting and my AP's are allowing all devices to access the internet from all over the library all day and through the rest of the week and into this current week. I finished my project ahead of schedule (technically) and inventory is progressing and everyone is happy.

And all librarians everywhere should know better than to skip over the fine print.

Announcement: Got a Job #librarylife

This is my announcement that I have taken the position of Electronic Systems Librarian at the Fort Myers Beach Public Library. I'll be taking care of the technology at this library and providing reference assistance among other duties as assigned. My family has been moved out to the area and I am ready to work in my profession. I have been here for a week already and everything is pretty awesome.

I'm excited to see where the next chapter in my journey leads me.

A short list of things I have done in the past week:

• Web Design
• Photo Editing
• Video Editing
• Book Return Cleaning
• Malware Removal
• Wireless Troubleshooting
• Hardware Repair
• Media Presentation Setup
• Social Media Management

Book Review - The 4-Hour Workweek

The Book

The 4-Hour Workweek
Timothy Ferriss

I was introduced to this book by my colleagues at Florida International University. They were raving about his other book, The 4-Hour Chef, so I decided to look him up. Of course, I did not buy the book. Instead, I borrowed this book from my local library for free. Go libraries! Yay, free!

Technical Merit

As mentioned, I borrowed this book from the library. What I did not mention was the fact that I borrowed an audio-book. As such, I did not get a good feel for the layout of the book. Nor did I really get a chance to analyze the writer's technical merit. What I can say if that it made for a good audio-book which leads me to say that Timothy writes using a very smooth, colloquial approach. The 4-Hour Workweek was not written for pleasure reading, the author is trying to convey a message in the most efficient way possible.

Since the author is trying to be efficient, he uses a sort of template in his writing. He begins with the goal: working less and playing more. Then he describes a method for doing so, like working more productively from home than you do at the office. Then he will show you how to initiate the process of getting to that goal. Finally, he gives homework—like go to the flea market and haggle three vendors down to half their asking price. Finally, he wraps up his chapter with a list of pertinent materials for further research.

I imagine this book (in written form) could be used as a reference book of sorts. Each chapter can stand alone and be re-read when facing certain challenges. Timothy would seem to endorse this approach. He is not enthusiastic of the gathered information for information's sake approach to life and prefers a gather information pertinent to an immediate decision model instead.

In all, I give this book four stars for technical merit. It seems to achieve the purpose it was designed for extremely well. I was able to finish it in two days (without completing the homework).

The Review

This book seeks to help the entrepreneur to establish themselves in what Timothy Ferriss describes as the "New Rich." The New Rich (NR) is a group of individuals that seek to enjoy the things that are typically reserved for the traditional rich while not necessarily having the capital that goes along with it. He argues that by working efficiently, one can complete the typical 40-hour workweek in a fraction of the time. Therefore, they will earn more on a per-hour basis while still having the free-time to enjoy things like extensive travel and fine dining. The NR will also have the time to open new businesses that add to their revenue streams, increasing their ability to live.

The key is that the NR is not waiting to retire in order to enjoy life. The NR works hard and plays hard now. By working efficiently and cutting out superfluous things that gobble up time and capital, the NR can enjoy their preferred lifestyle while they are still young and spry.

This book goes into detail on several topics which include:

• How to get your boss to agree to let you work from home.
• How to train your colleagues to stop slowing you down.
• How to plan for extensive travel.
• What to look for in a virtual assistant.
• How to become an expert at something.

Personally, I find his ideas on information interesting. Ferriss clearly believes that there is way too much information at our fingertips. In fact, he recommends absolutely no reading except when the information has a clear application in the short-term future. This rule only applies to non-fiction, pleasure reading is always ok. Ferriss even recommends zero news consumption under the premise that if something catastrophic happens that you need to know, someone is going to tell you about it.

Conclusion

This is an interesting read. I doubt that the tactics described in The 4-Hour Workweek are applicable on a widespread level, but some of his points are key to personal development and can be implemented for success within one's organization. For instance, Ferriss makes a lot of the 80-20 principle and applies it to every situation, both professional and personal. This could easily be applied in any situation. He also refers to Tom Rath's Strengthsfinder when noting that we sometimes spend too much energy improving weaknesses when we should be highlighting strengths.

I recommend this book for the ambitious who are able to take the principles and recommendations of this book and find creative ways to apply them in their lives.

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Borrow A Bicycle

Worlds colliding: fitness and nerdiness. You can borrow a bike from the Winter Park, Fl. Public Library (WPPL). This offering follows the long line of practical needs that libraries meet which includes the accessibility of both information and technology to those who may not be able to get these resources on their own. Libraries strive to meet the informational, educational AND recreational needs of their community. How much better than this initiative? 

Check out the proof: http://jmnz.us/1l5lDbX