Walt at Random

Note the category on this post–probably the last time that category will be used, and probably the last post I’ll make while employed by RLG. (Unless I do the next “megapack” disc mini-review before midnight tonight…and yes, one’s coming, but probably not today.)

“27 and change”? That’s how long I have been/was at RLG. My vita turns out to include a small portion of what I’ve actually worked on during those 27+ years, and offers little sense of the changes during that time. Nor will I bore you with that long list of successes, “failures” (projects that didn’t result in ongoing services, and “negative successes” (cases where I helped make the case not to proceed with a project that appeared certain to do more harm than good).

“and change” also looks to the future. I’m still not sure what I’ll be doing for OCLC–but I’m pretty sure it won’t be what I’ve been doing (except for transitional work), and that’s almost certainly a good thing. (My final job at RLG, designing and implementing internal activity reports and salvaging/refining/completing customer reports, was not one I would have chosen, but it was another change that turned out to be interesting and worthwhile in its own right.)

A few weeks ago (May 31) we had the final RLG picnic/BBQ, with a commemorative T-shirt and chance to take leftover conference tchotchkes (we did a great “www.rlg.org” refrigerator magnet/clip once, along with all the pencils, magnifying rulers, RCM puzzle, and various other stuff). A bunch of “alums” (people who’d already retired or left under other circumstances) showed up.

Wednesday, we had the final RLG pot luck. I’ve never been much for the noontime potlucks, particularly after I was cut to 75% time and took off early most afternoons. This time, I went.

Today, there’s a final something-or-other going on that began at 4 p.m. at a beer-and-burger place up in the hills. I didn’t go, for a variety of reasons. (I’m not much for that kind of farewell, and I’m even less for either driving home after even one drink or hanging around there without drinking. And this being my last “part-time Friday,” I left work at 11 a.m.; it would seem odd to go back at 4 p.m., even if “work” is at a hangout.)

Monday, some portion of the remaining/ongoing staff will be there starting the long transition–probably not all that many, given that Tuesday’s July 4 and lots of people will take their first personal day under new employment to make a 4-day weekend. I’ll return to full time at that point.

Some time this weekend, or maybe later, I’ll reorganize my personal website to make appropriate affiliation changes. That process will continue, to be sure, as we get OCLC.ORG email addresses, as things firm up and change, as life goes on.

It’s been one heck of a run. I’d hoped for 30 years at RLG, but I don’t believe anyone made that landmark. Maybe a new milestone should be “six decades in library automation”–which means working more-or-less full time until 2011. That doesn’t seem implausible. (“Six decades” does not mean 60 years in this case; it means I’ll have been doing this stuff continuously and within six different decades.)

With any luck at all, you’ll see me as excited about my future at OCLC as I’ve been at times about events at RLG. With a little more luck, you’ll see me more excited about the future.

Meanwhile, it’s the weekend.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 30th, 2006 at 7:13 pm and is filed under Passé. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.