Silverfish

Letters From/To Editor

Letter From the Editor...

Greetings, iSchoolers!

Back in January, the Ôfish staff launched the official Silverfish blog. We received this email a few days later.

Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 12:53:58 -0800
From: Tom Dobrowolsky
Subject: New Silverfish on Feb. 6....

I think the blog idea is a neat trial. My one concern is that you are relying on an outside party, Blogspot. Why not set up a blog within the iSchool domain on iSchool machinery? WordPress, for example, is a fantastic platform and is trivially easy to set up and administer...and it has neat plug-ins should you want them. I believe the iSchool ASIST group is using it as their homepage.

Cheers,

Tom, iAlum and Silverfish alum

Our webmaster responds:

I have no desire to code that page and code the RSS and then train the next person on how to code RSS. They would say, "Why not just use an automated web page like Blogspot?"

It's an eternal Catch-22 and you can't satisfy everyone.

Best, Amy

Thanks for asking Tom. WeÕve been meaning to discuss how we came about using Blogspot. As the ASIS&T secretary, I can tell you that ASIS&T switched from WordPress because it was cantankerous and difficult to operate.

--Joyce Hansen, '06-'07 Silverfish Editor

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We received this open letter recently.

To everyone, but particularly to those working on their portfolios and any staff involved in the portfolio process:

“The fakest fake faker” a paraphrased statement made by one of the least assuming MLIS students that I know, referring to how she feels when she “even thinks about her portfolio.”

With a nod to “continuous improvement,” I thought it might be beneficial to possibly begin a discussion of why the portfolio requirements limit graduates from truly reflecting on their accomplishments as students at the Information School. The quoted above named the areas that she would have chosen for herself had she been able to actually represent what has been significant to her. Her list was impressive and, to my mind, much more representative of this person, her skills and her accomplishments than the current portfolio requirements.

I have been re-writing the first draft of my portfolio. Trying to eliminate the “fakest fake faker” portions and be left with only the essence of what I think is most important and transformative about this experience. But this is too much effort. I just want to graduate. I will turn in a portfolio that will get me out of here; something that does not really represent me, but that satisfices.

I don’t want to be completely negative. I like that the portfolio is a self-reflective experience coming at the end of my time here. I probably wouldn’t have debriefed this much on my own time.

To offer some ideas for betterment: allow students to develop the areas they will cover in their portfolios, increase professional viability of portfolios, consistent advisor participation. I know other people out there have even better ideas about this too (I heard you grumbling...).

Will things change? They could, but whatever happens...

I won’t be here to know about it!

Hopeful Graduation to all and to all a good night.

Sincerely,
Portfolio Student

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