Pyramids of stone

The last few weeks I have been hit squarely by the world of technology. I can’t say I had no idea it was coming, but I still have been left a bit shell shocked from the force of the blow. As we stand today, I know I have a lot of work ahead of me in order to get to a place where I feel I am up to speed with the technologies needed to be effective at work and school. I am putting some serious weight on the classes I have this semester to help me become more aware of the technologies available for library use and also would like to be able to use what I have learned in class at work. If I had to make a correlation as to how I feel regarding the world of technology this moment, I believe the best one I can make is how I felt a few years ago when I first began working in a medical library setting. At that time, I had a degree in psychology and limited experience in medicine outside of some basic neuroscience. The prospect of trying to get a general grasp of good information seeking skills in the broad realm of medicine seemed a daunting task. So, at this point I feel a bit like getting a good grasp on the world of technology is going to be a daunting task, but I think my experience in medicine gives me more confidence that with consistency and hard work, I can become proficient enough to use the proper technologies available in order to benefit the users in my library. When thinking about the challenge ahead, a favorite poem by H. W. Longfellow called the Ladder of St. Augustine inspires me.

These two stanzas definitely speak to how I feel:

“The mighty pyramids of stone
That wedge-like cleave the desert airs,
When nearer seen, and better known,
Are but gigantic flights of stairs.

The distant mountains, that uprear
Their solid bastions to the skies,
Are crossed by pathways, that appear
As we to higher levels rise”