The Corp. Librarian’s Blog

Another hundred years pasted since I last wrote a bit of how things are at work.

Lots happened of course! Shortly after I wrote in my last post I got my server. Then I got my remote desktop access. Things seemed to be going my way and I even had a conversation with my IT-guy! A friendly, humoristic conversation about bribing him w chocolate And more great stuff happened! I got my laptop and my VPN connection so I should be able to work from ANYWHERE w my server(doesn’t work though…)!. Then Suddenly work assignements seemed to drop from the sky and land on my desk. So I had to wait with all the fun stuff and concentrate on the “real” work!

3 days ago I stayed late at work and I downloaded and installed Xampp and Joomla with some help from a good online friend… Only to find out that the Apache service seems to stop all the time. So here I am now will all the tools I need. AND I STILL CAN’T GET STARTED!! That is amazing, right?Hehe - But I did not give up! I will find some friendly people to ask and I will find a way to do it.

Although I really like my workplace and the people there, sometimes I dream about being employed in a company with a visionary, up-front, totally smart IT-department whom I could ask ANY question I could think of about ANY wild crazy IT-thing and they would just smile and say: “Wow! Your plans sounds so interesting and we will surely be able to help you out!”. Hmmm … But who knows maybe it would be really, really boring?

Still waiting for that ****server! or more correctly put: I am still waiting for that **** IT-guys!

Its there..ITs installed and ready..but just so out of reach still! I wish I could say that: “My patience is running out really soon!!!” but that happened long time ago..Instead i got a bit apathic..at least about the server. Good thing that I have lots of other things to do and not all is routine I have a lot of good times with my training in Scopus. It is a great product and I love the 2collab bookmark sharing-thing that they have build in! And so did my users after I told them how to use it..

Looks like I am going to get it this week! I counted around 30 mails in my folder with correspondence with our IT-dept.! It reflects all the phases of our stormy relationship!From hope through desperation to ANGER!! HA! I should publish it..if it wasn’t so tragic it would be really funny!

Anyway! No time to bitter! I am getting it and that’s just fabulous!

And BTW I started training people in Scopus and they really, really like it. As a “bonus” I also teach them how to handle and implement RSS in their work (of course a feature in Scopus). And I am amazed how few people who know what it is. So nice to see them “get” it and start thinking “Aha! I can use this!”

Many reasons for that, but not really interesting ones…

Back to work after Xmas and New Year! Just before Xmas I managed to get a news release on our Intranet regarding Scopus and the fact that we will no longer be using Swetswise. People took the part with no more Swetswise very easy! And the Scopus part I got a lot of very interested feedback on. And many requests for training already. People who can’t wait to get started and who don’t want to wait for the more formal training, that will start up really soon. I have scheduled a meeting with our training department to make them help me plan it. So it all seems to be positively received and that’s great!

I am still waiting for my server. But I have not waited passively. I have written mails every day since I came back from holidays and the last one with cc: to my IT-guy’s boss. I am not quite sure that our relationship after this will be wonderful, but I think I did my best to be nice.

Yesterday and today have been very nice days at the Danish Library-school. The subject was Web2.0/Library2.0. Lennart Björneborn is an excellent teacher, who managed to teach for two whole days and still be really interesting to listen to!

Yes! It has been confirmed this afternoon! I am getting my own server next week…The IT-guy has ordered it for me and will make it ready for me as soon as it comes so he tells me!I am pleased with the fact that me and the IT-guy actually have made a good contact and I hope that it will go smoothly when I need some help next time.
I had a meeting with our in-house legal adviser regarding the licenses to Xampp, WordPress and Joomla and its all cleared. Now it is up to me to get everything installed and really to get my hands in! I am a bit worried about the timing.. I have just opened up for IP-access to Scopus and i have to learn everything about it and start teaching the users! I must give this task highest priority. Not that I mind teaching Scopus but I cant wait to get started w my blogging-project!

Today I managed to get a hold at the IT-guy. Just before I was about to install Xampp in my webfolder without permission! The IT guy was in a good mood! He said to me: “You remind me of one of those little stubborn Bulldogs who just doesn’t want to let go, once they get their teeth into something! You are just slightly more friendly…!”
It turns out that he has decided to set up a server especially for me! On the condition that I’ll handle everything. And that I’ll make sure that licenses are cleared. So it looks like I am getting totally free hands to administrate my own library-Xampp-Joomla-WordPress-server!! He is going to clear it with the head of department Monday next week. I asked him if he is REALLY going to do it Monday and he said smiling:”Yes! If I don’t do it I know that I’ll have you on the line first thing Tuesday morning and I find that thought extremely motivating!!” Funny! I like the humorous tone that we are developing between us. Maybe I manage in the end to achieve what the advise in the article from Computer World:Advocates Overcommng IT Resistance to Web 2.0 by Heather Havenstein said: “Make friends with IT”.
It looks as if this is really a breakthrough in my own, private battle for a blog and to introduce a bit of social software for the users at my library! Now I just can wait to get started!

Since I can’t get anything out of my IT ppl, I asked my friend for advice. He helped me to get in contact w 2 Joomla experts. We asked them if they would know what to do with my WordPress/Joomla problem.
They suggested me, to install Xampp in my webfolder on the server. It works as a localhost/server and has included Mysql and PHP, both necessary to run the 2 programs. I installed it at home to test it and it works very well. My only problem is now, if there is any security liabilities connected w it. After all it is a firewalled Intranet-server it has to work on and I would’nt want to jeopardize the company’s security! “So ask IT!” You might say. I could do that and get the exact same answer as I did regarding WordPress: “We do not know this software and therefor u cannot install it!” (YES! You are right! I am turning into a bitter old librarian! Disenchanted!).
So I have to find out without asking IT! I find it amazing how hard it can be to get started w this project!! I can’t believe that our IT dept is so unwilling to help and lacks so much curiosity towards a new exciting area! An area that will most likely be standard on ANY server in a few years … in some form.

Still no news on my wordpress-project! But tomorrow its time to bug them again!
Today I used some time trying to find out how to handle the growing demands from ppl at work to be able to publish and share scientific articles electronically. I already handle a fair amount of licenses for articles that we offer to daughter companies and sales people via e.g. extranet, but I find it very time consuming to make sure that everything is according to the law and rules. I have noticed that Sciencedirect offers to clear the copyright issues for some publishers and it made me wonder if there is ONE place to handle it all.
I went to CCC’s website remembering that a delegate at ILI2007 was mentioning that her company were paying some central fee to them. Looking at the pages I got the impression that it is for US-based companies. But I could be wrong?? I moved to the danish Copydan-site and I have asked for advise there from a legal adviser. It should arrive next week.
Dealing with copyright is NOT one of my favourite issue really, but one of those things that I have to deal with! Actually that is another good reason to find a way to handle permissions in a central place-Then I can spend time on more interesting things!

My fight for a wordpress blog continues! This is how far I got: A telephone call from an extremely stressed out IT-guy asking me to send him wordpress spec’s..I did already once but i thought I´d be friendly and resent it. So he replied back  to me that we run a windows based server with SQL  and WordPress needs MySQL! So…It is probably not gonna work he said. I have now asked him to find out if its possible to run both SQL and MySQL in some sort of way.. No reply for 2 days

I have been trying to look for somebody who had that question/problem but I havent found it.. Anybody have a good ideas??I an running out of time and things to do soon!

I was so full of confidence, spirit and determination when I wrote that post about “Just do it!”, “Dont wait for permission”! All the good stuff I learned at ILI2007 and tried to apply to my work! Hmm. I encountered why it is not always possible to “just do it!”.
Quite a while ago I asked The IT-guys if we have MySQL and PHP on our servers (to run WordPress) … no answer for weeks! So I called them up only to find that they actually did not know what to do with my questions and the poor guy assigned to answer me has been gone for 2 weeks now!!
I tried another advise I remember getting: ” Make friends with IT” ! So I called them up and in my sweetest voice I asked if there is a chance they’d help me soon… Then I got the answer that they “have no clue of what this software is” and that “it would probably conflict with something on our servers” so the answer to my question about installing it would most likely be NO due to time pressure and lack of knowledge!! Besides they have no time to support unauthorized software…WOW! I am beginning to think that my IT guys where hiding in the back of the room when Kara, Rob, Brian were telling us of how to deal with skepticism at ILI2007 AND learned all the typical argumentation against blogging by heart!! I must say the last week has been a week of frustration and I am afraid there is more to come!
BUT..The game is not over yet IT-guys!!
You can read my guest blog at Brain Kellys blog about how full of confidence I was..

“You’re never beaten until you admit it”
(George Patton)