TeamMidwest

TeamMidwest, 1 year ago to random

There is a reason I have been saying for years that the insurance industry will be the primary driver of climate change adaptation in this country. You know who doesn’t fuck around and find out? Actuaries. https://www.wsj.com/articles/state-farm-halts-home-insurance-sales-in-california-5748c771

TeamMidwest, 11 months ago to random

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change working groups usually put out a "Summary for Policy Makers" that is a summarized version of the extensive technical reports. TIL that Working Group I (the physical science group) has put out a "Summary for All" meant to make climate science understandable for a wide audience. Really appreciate the graphics in this one, which are much easier to explain to a lay audience. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/resources/summary-for-all/

TeamMidwest, 7 months ago to random

Have we found a word or phrase yet that means "financially viable" that isn't "sustainable"? This is literally the linguistic thing that causes me the most issues and it's also something I've had clients straight up ask me about. I'm also desperately tired of reading about "sustainable" things in the GLAM world that do not touch on environmental sustainability in any manner.

TeamMidwest, 2 months ago to random

I'm researching the idea of zero growth/steady state libraries (believe it or not, an idea that has existed for decades) as part of my work on net zero archives. Curious if anyone into #libraryhistory can speak to the 1976 Atkinson report, prepared for UK universities. From what I've gathered from 1970s library literature, this report seemed to have a wide impact on the thinking of library leaders around the world on starting to rethink space allocation needs for major research libraries.

TeamMidwest, 10 months ago to random

You enjoy your Friday happy hour beer talking about your weekend plans, I enjoy mine reading about how much of the National Flood Insurance Program is going to be affected by climate change by 2100, we are not the same.

TeamMidwest, 9 months ago to random

I got asked a question recently by someone about where archivist twitter went and I tried to convince them to use Mastodon more. They said they had made an account but never really used it. It made me wonder if for American archives month if it's worth doing a webinar on how we're using Mastodon? Like the hiring discussion going on today is the kind of thing I think a lot of people miss about archivist twitter. Thoughts?

TeamMidwest, 3 months ago to random

please stop using words like "effectuate" in reports that are already likely to lapse into jargon given the topic, thank you!

TeamMidwest, 5 months ago to random

I'm in the market for a standing desk with up/down switches (as opposed to a crank). Willing to spend $500-$1,000. Do you have one that you love and can recommend?

TeamMidwest, 7 months ago to random

Love to see digital archivists encouraging people to delete things because everything digital has material storage costs!!!!! YES!! https://thespinoff.co.nz/internet/04-11-2023/the-true-cost-of-your-digital-memories

TeamMidwest, 10 months ago to random

I am like thisclose to writing a manifesto about how any employer of archivists who does not support their professional development with paid time off and funding is committing professional malpractice. The stories I keep hearing are completely bonkers to me. I understand lots of places don't have $$$ to send their employees to multiple conferences requiring travel, but not even supporting employees to take a day off for a local conference is the height of complete bullshit.

TeamMidwest, 8 months ago to random

I asked this a while ago and got no nibbles but let’s try again: I’m a librarian and archivist who will be visiting Iceland and Ireland in mid-October and I would LOVE to meet some library/archives/museum people/get some GLAM recommendations while I’m traveling. Please boost, thank you 💚💚💚💚

TeamMidwest, 13 days ago to random

Academic librarians arguing that relinquishing librarian faculty status will somehow magically lead to reductions in workplace inequality are really carrying water for neoliberalism and I will die on this hill. I will acknowledge that faculty status can contribute to hierarchies, but the way to deal with workplace inequalities is union contracts, not parroting anti-faculty administrator talking points dressed up in the language of workplace equality.

TeamMidwest, 1 month ago to random

Apparently the Ohio State president is on a bitcoin mining company board and invited an OSU alumna who hawked bitcoin to give the commencement speech. You can’t make this shit up!

TeamMidwest, 6 months ago to random

My 91 year old dad has used cellphones for years but as his cognitive capacity has declined significantly in recent months, the touchscreens of modern cell phones are confounding him, a lot, leading to significant frustration whenever he wants to just place a call to us. Any kind of accessibility settings or mods we try doesn’t help. We’re now looking at Jitterbug type phones - can anyone weigh in with experience?

TeamMidwest, 11 months ago to random

As an archivist I am begging, crying, pleading with everyone to put a date on literally anything you ever create no matter how benign. This brought to you by encountering a “third edition” of a state government authored publication with no date to be found anywhere on it.

TeamMidwest, 1 month ago to random

Man, we gotta talk about stuff like this. The tendency of library leaders to not speak out fearing further retaliation rarely proves to be a winning strategy, and in fact can be demoralizing for staff: "Library directors are seeking opportunities to speak to others at peer institutions about these issues without drawing public attention. They do not want organizations to speak for them or advocate on their behalf, out of fear that it will draw negative attention to their libraries."

TeamMidwest, 9 months ago to random

I ran across this guide while googling what to expect for my Dad's Medicaid intake interview tomorrow, sharing it here in case it's helpful to others https://howtogeton.wordpress.com/2020/03/02/how-to-be-poor-in-america/

TeamMidwest, 1 year ago to random

Has anyone made a jealous girlfriend meme of AI stealing the existential threat spotlight from climate change (not to mention nukes!)

TeamMidwest, 11 months ago to random

Very glad for SAA to be offering basic data workshops, but this also confirms my belief that basic numeracy and spreadsheet skills should be a requirement for any undergraduate education. Even with student workers at my last place of work, I was surprised by how many had zero basic spreadsheet skills.

TeamMidwest, 7 months ago to random

No one believes Cincinnatians when we say we have one of the best arts cities in the country because y’all are still stuck on your anti-Midwest foolishness (seriously, we have free museums galore, tons of community arts organizations supported by a massive workplace giving foundation, cheap theater and orchestra tickets, etc). Glad to see national data showing that we punch way above our weight - 11th in the country for a vibrant arts community! https://culturaldata.org/arts-vibrancy-2023/the-top-40-list/

TeamMidwest, 9 months ago to random

If anyone wants to feel super old my third grade niece told me this weekend how much she loves butterfly clips, and her mom confirmed they are the same kind that we had in middle school

TeamMidwest, 9 months ago to random

It's really, really, really tiresome to be a woman on the internet sometimes.

TeamMidwest, 3 months ago to random

Spotify keeps recommending obscure women folk singers from the 1960s (Barbara Dane, Connie Converse) to me and I'm not mad about it except for the part when I read their wikipedia article and see how the music industry treated them like shit so they stopped recording

TeamMidwest, 10 months ago to random

The way reply guys behave on Al Gore's internet is truly a sight to behold. The second you push back in even the most tepid way they absolutely melt down and/or block you. I thought y'all were constantly crowing about free speech and the importance of debate, lmao.

TeamMidwest, 2 months ago to random

Historians of tech and STS folks, do we have any examples of a technology being developed that clearly had grave ramifications and there was a rapid “no we will stop developing this, it’s too dangerous” response? I am far from a nuclear or AI expert but it seems like there are a lot of rhetoric of inevitability/Cold War parallels between both and this got me wondering if there are counter examples of wholesale squashing technological development in its tracks.