A Few Thoughts on ALA

ALA in Chicago was a fantastic experience. I really enjoyed presenting at the 15th Annual Reference Research Forum. We had some interesting questions and something tells me that we stirred up some controversy with our online tutorial research. That can be a good thing.

On a side note, I came across an old quote from a Chairman's Letter from Berkshire Hathaway. Pretty neat stuff, eh.

"The line separating investment and speculation, which is never bright and clear, becomes blurred still further when most market participants have recently enjoyed triumphs. Nothing sedates rationality like large doses of effortless money. After a heady experience of that kind, normally sensible people drift into behavior akin to that of Cinderella at the ball. They know that overstaying the festivities -that is, continuing to speculate in companies that have gigantic valuations relative to the cash they are likely to generate in the future -will eventually bring on pumpkins and mice. But they nevertheless hate to miss a single minute of what is one helluva party. Therefore, the giddy participants all plan to leave just seconds before midnight. There’s a problem, though: They are dancing in a room in which the clocks have no hands."

http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/2000ar/2000letter.html

Great Web Site From the State Library on Shaky Economic Times

The State Library of Kansas recently launched a fantastic web site on “Thriving in Tough Times”. This web site is loaded with advice on employment, housing, finances, and how to get help at your local library. The address for this site is: http://kslibinfo.wetpaint.com/

It is full of great resources including some links to Kansas City, Kansas Public Library. The economy will eventually rebound. It’s just that we’re presently in what appears to be the most significant economic downtown since the Great Depression. Banks have also been failing at an alarming rate. Fortunately, this is not the 1930s. We do have more safeguards in place such as FDIC insurance. What is FDIC insurance? It’s coverage guaranteed by the federal government that insures your savings up to $250,000. Basically, if your bank fails, you’re covered as long as you’re under the FDIC maximum. The point is that things have gotten better since the 1930s. That doesn’t mean that things aren’t scary right now.

Unemployment is over nine percent nationwide and is projected by many economists to go even higher. If you’re fortunate enough to be in a position of hiring people, your job is going to be much easier. With so many qualified people searching for work, in the near-term there will be many more good applicants than jobs and competition will be keen for those spots.

The “Thriving in Tough Times” site also has a great listing of online job areas throughout the State of Kansas under “Employment and Training”. It’s a great resource and includes most of the major online job searches for Kansans seeking employment.

Until next time, catch me in the library.