Why?

I have been asked why we are having a staff/faculty development half-day, and I thought I'd take a moment to explain.

Essentially, from my point of view here in the Dean's Office, I see our Libraries' colleagues doing a heck (can I say hell?) of a lot of work. And it occurred to me that we need a half-day to be entertained, and maybe even learn something new--outside our normal experience--as a reward. I proposed the idea to Mara and the Dean's Council and they said, "go for it."

So, next Tuesday, we can all relax, share some food and some food for thought. I've found a few interesting speakers: Karen Hunt who is coming up from Duke (at no charge other than airfare, as a favor to me) to talk about Diversity in Libraries. I served in the Peace Corps in Kenya with her, and I assure you that she is fascinating.

Also, Ron Citorik, who works for Office Environments, will tell us how to make our work stations more comfortable. His tips have helped me improve my posture and keyboarding position. I hope he can have the same effect on you.

Then, Anna Post from the Emily Post Institute (which is right here in Burlington!) will give us a bit of advice for dealing effectively with unwanted patron behavior. She is a UVM alumni and is very excited to return to campus just for us.

And, to be sure we all know what to do when the alarm goes off, Albert Joy and Lesley Boucher will review emergency procedures with us. I was a little iffy on that protocol myself, so I decided to seize this opportunity for that purpose as well. Thanks Albert and Lesley!

Roger Wiberg has kindly agreed to video tape the whole thing for those who are traveling next week. And Marcie is going to help me with tech support.

So, I hope that helps clarify an even that is meant, above all, to be fun. Why? Because you deserve it.