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The MIT Libraries provide relevant, high-quality information resources and services in support of the educational and research activities of MIT. The Libraries have fulfilled this mission with distinction for many years, acquiring materials and delivering services essential to MIT's dynamic community. Today, as MIT and its Libraries confront the emerging impact of information technology on higher education, the Libraries' challenge is to devise transitional service strategies, and to be prepared to adapt and evolve their traditional functions. The year 1996/1997 was a time during which the MIT Libraries renewed their focus on the central purposes of the Libraries, and began the critical process of rethinking the research library for MIT.
Major challenges confront academic research libraries, and the MIT Libraries are no exception. Fundamental changes in the ways scholars communicate among themselves present opportunity (for faster, cheaper communication) and risk (for loss of authenticity and permanence). Unremitting double-digit inflation in the serials base continues, even as the volume of growth in published content for the disciplines supported at MIT places relentless pressure on collections and space. The high cost of scholarly electronic publications, the changing nature of the skills required to use and work in libraries, and the expectations of the MIT community are, likewise, important concerns for MIT's Libraries.
Scores of scholarly disciplines and sub-disciplines are supported by the MIT Libraries, each with its own print and electronic publications. Required resources range from the popular to the esoteric, and must address the needs of a community that itself ranges from undergraduate students to tenured faculty. Through it all, the MIT Libraries have an obligation to assure the availability of important works over time; so that in the 21st Century, MIT students and researchers will have the same ability to draw upon a coherent body of knowledge as do the students and researchers of today.
During 1996/1997, the MIT Libraries gave serious attention to testing the operational requirements and viability of the Digital Library. While a relatively small percentage of scholarly publishing has an electronic equivalent at present, the scene is changing steadily. Recognizing the need to more fully explore the Digital Library, Library Council established three specific initiatives that would facilitate access to electronic information resources. Leadership for these strategic initiatives came from within Library Council, with major support from individuals and groups across the Libraries staff.
Networked information resources. The MIT community is at work all hours of the day and night. To "open" the MIT Libraries beyond existing hours and locations, the Libraries launched a program to significantly increase the provision of scholarly information resources over MIT's network. Web-based products were selected, principally because of network requirements and the ubiquity of web browsers. In consultation with faculty, eighteen important electronic databases were selected and acquired; satisfying long-standing needs of both faculty and students. Simultaneously, pre-existing license agreements for the most heavily used commercial database vendors were extended to include additional sites.
Automated authorities control. When the MIT Libraries' catalog of library holdings became available on the network, patrons could search for items from anywhere on campus. To improve the quality and usability of the Barton database for remote users, the Libraries initiated automated authorities control. This initiative creates cross references within the catalog, and increases the accuracy and completeness of search results. Once the initial quality improvement is completed, the Libraries' catalog of holdings will be enhanced on a quarterly basis.
Computer support within the Libraries. Desktop computing, networked information resources, and web-based educational and research tools have become a reality in the MIT Libraries within a very short period of time. All areas of the Libraries now require a level of computer support that cannot be sustained with traditional organizational models. At the same time, the specific skills required to perform ordinary library functions in the contemporary library are evolving. This initiative segments the tasks required within a contemporary library, provides for adaptive training, establishes point positions for key areas of responsibility, and creates a new model for communication and support within the computer-based activities of the MIT Libraries.
Even as the MIT Libraries explored the digital environment, the inexorable demands of traditional print continued. Because print still provides the vast majority of material used by MIT students, researchers, and faculty, activities within the MIT Libraries also focused on the four fundamental aspects of an effective research library: services, staff, information resources, and facilities.
The MIT Libraries undertook several studies and surveys to gather data about the current use of the Libraries collections and services. One survey, which included every public service unit of the MIT Libraries, captured information regarding patron status, the purpose of the visit, and the level of success/satisfaction experienced in the visit. Simultaneously, traffic volume into the Libraries web server was captured to compare in-library volume to network access volume. Other surveys collected data on activities such as reference type and volume, and walk-in traffic.
In a fourth strategic initiative, Library Council addressed the Libraries' emerging need to deliver consolidated fee-based services. Two important service issues are addressed through this initiative. First, as the MIT Libraries renew their focus on the MIT community, they must also acknowledge the importance of the MIT Libraries to the community outside the Institute. MIT's collections are exceptionally strong in many areas, and access is highly valued by scholars and researchers beyond MIT. Second, as the MIT Libraries develop strategies for sustaining service with available resources, tiered or premium services may become appropriate. This Library Council initiative explores the implications of offering tiered services to the MIT community, and provides tools for the Libraries to better manage the demands of non-affiliated patrons.
The Engineering and Science Libraries accepted the challenge of designing a new approach to meeting the information needs of the Physics Department. Subscriptions to 42 electronic physics journals, and a variety of other electronic resources, were made available to the Physics Department through a customized Physics and Astrophysics web site: http://libraries.mit.edu/science/Subjects/physics.html.
Reference librarians from across the MIT Libraries built an online, web-based collection of reference materials for the MIT community. The Virtual Reference Collection can be accessed at http://libraries.mit.edu/services/virtualref.html.
The Humanities Library conducted a test of the feasibility of providing web-accessible scanned images of required reading, as an alternative to the print versions in the Reserve Book Room. In collaboration with faculty, Document Services, and the Library Systems Office, a highly successful image-based network-accessible "reserve reading room" was created.
During 1996/1997, the Libraries began to address the changing nature of library work and the associated training requirements. In a distributed system such as the MIT Libraries, the professional and administrative staff of the Libraries carry significant responsibility for shaping the future of the Libraries' resources and services. The Libraries Steering Committee determined that these staff should receive an improved level of support and attention to reflect the changing nature of Libraries work. Training programs were developed and delivered to enable staff to work effectively in new ways, and to better understand the nature of and responses to change. Recognizing the need for an improved focus on administrative and professional staff, a Director's Office position was restructured to provide targeted administrative support for professional and administrative personnel issues within the Libraries.
Library Council also addressed staff issues through the establishment of a fifth strategic initiative: to market library expertise to the MIT community. The professional expertise resident in the staff of the MIT Libraries represents a unique capability within the Institute. No other MIT department possesses the combined insights and knowledge of published sources, scholarly research behavior, bibliographic instruction, and digital information resources. When this expertise is deployed effectively, particularly when working with faculty, students and faculty alike gain great benefit. This initiative developed strategies and tools for integrating information literacy into courses, and for identifying and reaching out to interested faculty.
The year was also remarkable in the demands it placed on the MIT Libraries staff. No report would be complete without special recognition of the exceptional contributions of so many Libraries staff. Every department faced a major challenge of some kind, and yet the Libraries' accomplishments during 1996/1997 were extraordinary. The enthusiasm and energy of the staff are a tribute to their individual and collective commitment to MIT and the MIT Libraries. Special thanks go to Margaret de Popolo for accepting leadership, mid-year, of the Institute Archives and Special Collections, and to Theresa Tobin, Ruth Seidman, and Margaret de Popolo for energetically advancing the Public Service agenda in the absence of an Associate Director.
In 1996/1997 the MIT Libraries said farewell to two individuals whose keen intellects and years of service profoundly influenced the MIT Libraries. David Ferriero, Associate Director for Public Services, resigned in July to accept leadership of the Duke University Libraries. In April, Helen Samuels, Institute Archivist and Head of Special Collections, accepted a policy position in the Office of the Associate Provost in order to more actively pursue her research interests in the archiving of electronic records. The MIT Libraries will long remember their many contributions.
In 1996/1997 the Libraries also celebrated a new beginning, with the appointments of Virginia Steel as Associate Director for Public Services, and Eric Celeste as Assistant Director for Technology Planning and Administration. Steel and Celeste were named to their positions following extensive national searches. The Libraries are indebted to the Information Systems Department for their advice and participation in the successful conclusion of the Assistant Director position.
Information Resources
During 1996/1997, the Libraries' achieved remarkable improvements in the usability of and access to information resources acquired by the Libraries. In addition to the Digital Library activities described above, Collections Services made great strides in both work process improvement and retrospective conversion rates. Major progress was made toward a viable plan to address the large (and largely invisible) Dewey Decimal Collection.
Institute Archives launched a project to document the history of Building 20. In anticipation of the evacuation and demolition of this venerable edifice, special funding allowed Archives staff to assist departments and individuals located in Building 20 with the disposition of their records. Project Archivists also conducted a photographic documentation project, gathered historical facts about Building 20, and developed a presentation on the history of the building.
The Library Systems Office oversaw the complete redesign of the MIT Libraries' Home Page. Utilizing the talents of a consulting team, both the graphical design and the underlying structure of the Libraries web site were redesigned. The goals of the project were to improve the site's appearance, increase the ease with which new material could be added, and ultimately reduce the overall maintenance effort.
In 1996/1997, considerable progress was made to improve the quality and appearance of a number of Libraries' spaces. With some notable exceptions, the Libraries public spaces have not kept pace with changing service requirements. Adequate, quiet, and comfortable seating; space and infrastructure needs of digital library resources; a contemporary mix of study spaces; and sufficient shelving capacity for print resources are among the service requirements in need of attention. With generous support from the Provost, former and current Associate Provosts for the Arts, Physical Plant, and many friends of the MIT Libraries, the Libraries began to address some deferred facilities needs in 1996/1997.
The new Rosalind Denny Lewis Music Library is a splendid tribute to music scholarship at MIT. This highly successful renovation was made possible through the generosity of friends and alumni of MIT, and was celebrated with a dedication and open house in December. Other, smaller projects included office remodeling in Archives, upgrading the chairs and carpeting in the Humanities Library, and designing and installing a new reference desk and LAN workstation counter and chairs in the Science Library. Planning for a redesigned and consolidated service desk in Dewey Library culminated in a June construction start.
In April 1997 the Libraries' Visiting Committee convened in Cambridge. The theme of the meeting was "Libraries in Transition". The Committee's visit provided an opportunity for the Libraries to review their many accomplishments during the two years since the Committee's last visit, and to garner insights and ideas from the members of the Committee. Presentations by senior staff informed (and entertained) the committee, as did the hands-on demonstrations of new services and resources; made possible by staff from many service departments within the Libraries.
Progress was made toward operating more effectively in the Libraries new local system, Geac Advance. While significant difficulties persist, particularly in Circulation and Reserves functionality, considerable gains were made in online journal check-in, in report writing, and in cataloging efficiencies. The Libraries continued to meet and correspond with Geac, Inc., in a systematic approach to addressing outstanding issues.
The Libraries continued to pursue opportunities to collaborate with other high-quality libraries. Cooperative agreements provided significant discounts for electronic resources and enabled the Libraries to leverage MIT's financial resources. Existing agreements with the Boston Library Consortium, North East Research Libraries, and Harvard University continued, and new arrangements with JSTOR and the Harvard-MIT Data Center were negotiated.
A sixth Library Council strategic initiative, to improve and support Libraries development activities, was launched with support from the Vice President for Resource Development. The MIT Libraries house one of the world's finest collections of scientific and technical materials. Deep strengths exist, additionally, in the collections that support management, architecture, planning, and key areas in the social sciences and humanities. Because these disciplines produce many of the most expensive publications available today, the costs of maintaining such world-class resources, in the many media required, have outstripped the Libraries' ability to pay. New financial resources are urgently needed to stabilize and sustain the Libraries print and electronic collections until larger, external economic issues can be resolved. This initiative is the first step in a journey of many miles, intended to acknowledge the importance of the Libraries' many generous alumni and friends, and to strengthen the Libraries finances through resource development.
The individual reports that follow this overview provide additional detail on the activities of the MIT Libraries during 1996/1997.
Ann J. Wolpert
This year was marked by a major reorientation in the MIT Libraries approach to providing digital resources to the community. During 1996/1997, online databases and full-text database services were selected and installed for direct use by the Libraries' patrons -- both over the campus network and in any MIT Library. While librarians are still available to conduct complex searches for those members of the MIT community who prefer the precision of a skilled searcher, do-it-yourself searching is now widely available on campus. This reorientation was accomplished through three concentrated efforts.
Reorienting digital resources toward a model of network-based self-service created a number of opportunities to enhance other traditional library services. Notable among these efforts were the development of a Virtual Reference Collection, a new approach to Information Instruction, and an experiment which delivered reserve materials to students, electronically.
The Virtual Reference Collection is a web-based service that brings together on one page a wide array of pre-selected sources of frequently used information. Included in the Collection are digital dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, manuals, maps, and a wealth of other useful general and technical electronic information sources. The Collection builds upon the subject-specific web pages that are maintained by the staff of our public service units to support the academic disciplines of MIT. The Collection's links point to free sites as well as resources to which the MIT Libraries subscribe on behalf of the MIT community. The Libraries' reference coordinators developed the Virtual Reference Collection page, which is now maintained by the Associate Head for Information Services of the Dewey and Humanities Libraries.
Information Instruction in the networked digital environment presents new opportunities and challenges. The MIT Libraries response came in the form of (1) increased training and instruction for the MIT community and (2) expanded but structured opportunities for one-on-one research consultation and advanced-level training. Training in the use of the most popular online databases was offered frequently throughout the year. Support for undergraduate education in core information competencies was a high priority in 1996/1997, with an emphasis on working with faculty on course-based training. Libraries-wide support to Course 9 (Introduction to Psychology, 9.00) and Course 2 (Design Project, 2.73) were among the most intensive and successful efforts.
Another foray into electronic resources was lead by the Humanities Library, in conjunction with Document Services and the Library Systems Office. With the enthusiastic support of a Anthropology Section faculty member, an experiment to electronically deliver reserve materials to students was conducted. The experiment was so successful that in 1997/1998, the MIT Libraries will work with MIT's Information Systems Department to develop processes that can scale up to serve the larger MIT community.
In counterpoint to these many digital developments, the newly renovated Rosalind Denny Lewis Music Library opened to rave reviews in October. In an architectural tour de force, the former Music Library was transformed into a two-level jewel for the study and research of music at MIT. Renamed in honor of Rosalind Denny Lewis, the Library was dedicated, and the library's principal donors and many friends sincerely thanked, in a well-attended celebration in early December.
During 1996/1997, the Public Services units of the MIT Libraries undertook a variety of surveys and studies designed to gather information on the Libraries user community. The most significant survey was an exit survey, conducted in every public service unit. The survey identified users by category (undergraduate, graduate, non-MIT, etc.), captured the purpose of their visit, and measured the level of success/satisfaction with library services. The highest users of the Libraries are MIT students (graduate and undergraduate) and MIT researchers. Study and research are the two most prevalent uses. As suspected, other academic communities and the general public place considerable demands on our collections and services. Data from the survey informed ongoing projects to review the outside users policy and expand fee-based services.
An important, but more narrow, survey was conducted to analyze the information needs of the Physics Department. Following faculty and graduate student interviews, and after a benchmark study of library support for Physics Departments in 10 peer institutions, the Engineering and Science Libraries developed a new approach to providing information support to Physics at MIT. The approach has three elements: (1) the development and maintenance of a high quality web page focused exclusively on the information needs of Physics and Astrophysics, (2) subscriptions to over 40 physics journals in electronic form, and (3) collaboration with the Physics Department on a transition strategy for the print-oriented Physics Reading Room.
Institute Archives and Special Collections undertook a special project to assist departments and individuals in Building 20 with the appropriate disposition of their records and files. Anticipating the demolition of this historically significant building, project archivists worked systematically with all administrative offices, individuals, and clubs resident in the building. Excellent progress has been made in this delicate and challenging assignment to gather and process records before occupants were moved from the building. The archivists also conducted a photographic documentation project, funded by Physical Plant, to record the structure in its final years of service. Building 20's history also became a focus of fact-gathering over the year; culminating in a presentation to the MIT System Design and Management Program.
During 1996/1997, Document Services made significant progress toward its goal of financial self-sufficiency. Operating improvements were realized in both cost savings and revenue enhancements. Document Services eliminated nonproductive programs, aligned staff size with demand, and introduced new, useful services. Over the course of the year, interlibrary lending services (including BookPage) were transferred to the department, and plans were developed to transfer privilege card sales to Document Services in 1997/1998.
Staff training, professional development, and support for staff-conducted library and information science research continued to be a high priority for the Libraries Public Service units. Public Service librarians participated in intensive presentation skills training, and in HTML and web design training. Opportunities were provided to attend introductory and specialized library management training. Support (financial and flexible time) was offered for travel to important conferences, and for the conduct of professional research.
The MIT Libraries continued to pursue opportunities to collaborate with peer libraries in New England and across the United States. The Boston Library Consortium, and the North East Research Libraries, provided opportunities to leverage the Libraries purchasing power and to provide a rapid response when needed information resources are not available at MIT. The MIT Libraries cooperative agreements with the libraries of Harvard University provided local access to research material not owned by MIT, and opened the door to additional successful collaborations; such as the Harvard-MIT Data Center agreement, and joint staff development programs with the Harvard College Libraries.
Margaret dePopolo, Ruth Seidman, Theresa Tobin
During 1996/1997, Collection Services made major steps forward in incorporating digital information resources into its services and processes, in improving its major user product -- the online catalog, and in realizing the benefits of automation to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its work.
For several years the Libraries have been slowly adding digital resources to the traditional collection of print resources we acquire for the MIT community. The first major thrust was the acquisition of CD-Rom databases in the late 1980's, which we made available initially on single stations within the libraries, and more recently on local area networks within individual libraries. In the mid-1990's, a few significant networked products were added: Britannica Online, Oxford English Dictionary, and several electronic journals. At the beginning of 1996/97, the growth of the World Wide Web and the availability of effective network navigation software had created a much more fertile environment for distribution of digital resources, and the Libraries' staff decided to utilize a project approach to learn how to manage our traditional business of acquiring information resources in this new environment.
The project became one of the Libraries' strategic initiatives: to significantly increase the provision of scholarly information resources on the MIT network. A small project budget was established and staff began to work through the processes and develop the expertise required to acquire networked access to information resources. While the selection decisions for print products are based almost exclusively on content and price, digital products introduce several other areas for consideration: effectiveness of search interface, competitive offers from various providers, license terms, and technical requirements. In order to manage these more complex decisions, the Libraries created a working group of collections managers and reference coordinators -- Networked Electronic Resources Domain (NERD), defined a role of product sponsor for subject specialists, and created one new position: Assistant Acquisitions Librarian for Digital Resources. An important result of the year's project is that many MIT librarians have moved up a steep learning curve. We are much more able now to assess interfaces, to evaluate pricing proposals, to understand and negotiate license terms, and to understand the relationships between various providers' packages of products. The most obvious and significant result for the Libraries' users is the actual list (see below) of new products now accessible on the MIT network. The products span the disciplines reflected in MIT education and research. Some are significant bibliographic databases; others are full-text. Some are current publications; others are retrospective. Together they represent an impressive transition toward providing core scholarly resources to MIT scholars and researchers in the office, lab, and dorm room. We are planning a publicity program to inform returning students and faculty about these new networked resources this fall.
Anthropological Literature: index to journals in anthropology and related subjects. 1984-present
Bibliography Of The History Of Art: index to journals in art and art history. 1973-present
BIOSIS Previews (combines BIOSIS and "Reports, Reviews, and Meetings"): abstracts of articles, reviews, and books in the life sciences. 1990-present
Business Insite: full-text or summaries of articles from business periodicals. Latest four years
Computer Insite: full text or summaries of articles from computer periodicals. Latest four years
GeoBase: abstracts from journals in physical and human geography, geology, mineralogy, and development studies. 1980-present
GeoRef: abstracts from journals, books, reports and maps in geology and geosciences. 1785-present
Hispanic American Periodicals Index: index for journals on U.S.-Hispanic and Latin American topics. 1970-present
JSTOR: an archive of back volumes, in full-text, for major scholarly journals. New subjects and titles are added continuously. Back volumes cover from Vol.1 of each title to recent years. The latest volume archived depends on each publisher's archiving decision, but is generally within 3 to 5 years of the present year.
Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts: abstracts from journals, books, and dissertations in linguistics and related subjects. 1973-present
Market Insite: full text or summaries from market information publications. Latest four years
Materials Science databases: Engineering Materials Abstracts 1986-present; Materials Business File 1985-present; METADEX 1966-present Abstracts, news, and reports covering industry, regulations, applications and technical information on metals, alloys and non-metallic materials.
Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts: abstracts in the fields of meteorology, climatology, oceanography and related subjects. 1974-present
Project MUSE: full-text of the journals published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. 1997, with earlier years for some titles
Transport: combines three indexes: International Road Research Documentation, TRANSDOC, and Transportation Research Information Service. 1968-present
World News Connection: a foreign news alert service containing summaries from print and broadcast media on socioeconomic, technical, political and environmental topics. Latest two years
There was also significant progress this year in improved management of collection development of print resources. Under the direction of the Collection Management Group, subject specialists produced draft collection development policy statements for over half of our subject areas. This work will be completed in the next year. In addition, the goal of spending the collections budget at a 100 percent level was aggressively and successfully pursued.
Another major focus for Collection Services this year was a second Libraries' strategic initiative: implementation of automated authority control. The results of this initiative will also benefit students, faculty, and researchers this fall. During the spring and summer months, the Libraries had its database of 758,000 online catalog records processed by an outside vendor for the purpose of bringing greater consistency to the name and subject headings and providing cross references from alternate forms of names and subjects to the authorized forms used in the catalog. This project required careful planning on the part of several key staff members to select a vendor, to manage requisite systems upgrades, and to determine the logistics of electronically transferring the database to the vendor and subsequently reloading and re-indexing it without unduly disturbing the use of the database by library patrons or staff. The result will be significant improvement in the ability to successfully search the database for known items, and to bring together all items by or about a given author or on a given subject.
Another noteworthy improvement in the Libraries' online catalog was the addition of records for the Libraries' collection of sound recordings. The catalog now provides complete, integrated access to all cataloged music scores, books, and sound recordings. This enabled the newly renovated Music Library to open its doors without space allocated for card cabinets. In addition, significant progress was made in adding records to the catalog for the Libraries' retrospective collections of serials and theses.
The addition of digital resources to the libraries' offerings raises important issues related to the building and maintenance of the Libraries' catalog. The bibliographic records that make up the catalog are prepared in conformity with national cataloging standards which enable libraries nationwide to cost-effectively cooperate in the creation and use of catalog records. The standards have developed over decades and reflect responses to the broad scope of user needs and publishing practices. Digital publishing has not yet developed the standards that print publishing has, and user needs in relation to these new products are not nearly as well understood. The library profession is in the beginning stages of developing the standards necessary for useful bibliographic records for these items. This year in the Electronic Resources Cataloging Task Force (ERESCat), Collection Services staff defined local practices for cataloging these materials, and, through participation in two national cooperative projects, CONSER and InterCat, contributed to the development of national standards. In the second phase of the work, the Libraries' catalogers are currently initiating a project to catalog digital networked resources. This work will prepare our catalog for another transition expected within the next year: a WWW format for the catalog. When that is implemented, the catalog records we are beginning to create will make it possible to link directly from the catalog record to the digital resource via the URL, a significant advance in information retrieval.
This year several advances in the use of technology came together to considerably improve the efficiency with which we can provide bibliographic and physical access to new materials. In keeping with the Libraries' strategic initiative to reorganize computer support, Collections Services has designated and currently posted an Information Technology Librarian position, and each of the three departments has designated half of an existing position as a Local Technology Expert. The staff in these new positions will provide enhanced technical expertise and skills development within Collection Services.
Already this year, productivity benefited greatly from expanded use of technology. The production of spine labels in Binding and Repair was automated, saving staff time and ensuring accuracy. The installation of OCLC's Passport for Windows software on all catalogers' desktops accelerated the use of staff-created macros to perform automated shelflisting, to automatically review cataloging copy for level of difficulty, and generally to streamline procedures. Macros are now also used in acquisitions to facilitate receipts processes, reports production, searching and fund information displays . The benefits of automated check-in of government documents and serials continue to accrue. Serials check in staff fine-tuned processes in the first full year of automated serials control and began to use the systematic claiming features. Tangible evidence of our progress in automating procedures was the removal of kardex and shelflist card cabinets from our working areas this year!
The most measurable advance this year was the improvement by approximately one-third in cataloging productivity in both serials and monograph cataloging units. This is a level of increase rarely achieved in one year in any technical services work. While the use of technology was essential to this achievement, equally essential was the hard work and continuing commitment of staff. Indeed the technical gains themselves would not have been possible without staff "savvy", with which the MIT Libraries and Collection Services are truly blessed.
Carol Fleishauer
The Systems Office serves the technology support needs of the MIT Libraries. We manage web servers, the Barton library system, desktop workstation networking & support, and the computer-related capital equipment purchasing and installation process. Our staff works with staff around the libraries to accomplish these tasks. Local Technology Experts in each of the departments of the libraries, for example, help us troubleshoot and support desktop workstations. Staff at every level of the libraries help maintain our web sites. Recently we've even encouraged staff in another department of the libraries to help us write reports for Barton. Our job is to facilitate the effective and appropriate use of information technology tools around the MIT Libraries.
This year the staff of the Systems Office endured a great deal of turmoil as virtually the whole staff departed the libraries and the task of rebuilding the Systems Office anew began. The staff of the MIT Libraries generously lowered their expectations during this difficult time; but even so, the Systems Office moved the technology agenda of the MIT Libraries forward.
Our Systems Office has been rededicated to customer service. We are a support organization for the MIT Libraries, facilitating its efficient and appropriate use of information technology. We've put in place a two day response period to emphasize to libraries staff that they should hold us accountable. We have also taken steps to make ourselves more visible to libraries staff.
As one of the libraries' six strategic initiatives for the year, we developed a creative solution to the dilemma of an increased need for desktop workstation support without an increase in Systems Office staff. Each department of the libraries now has a Local Technology Expert who works with our Systems Office to troubleshoot and support desktop workstations. We have also worked with Public Services and Collection Services to define Information Technology Librarians who will work with the Assistant Director of Technology Planning and Administration to develop computing policy for the libraries.
During this fiscal year most of the Systems Office staff left the libraries. In an office that was by all accounts understaffed even when fully staffed, we finished the fiscal year with just two of five positions permanently filled. While the Local Technology Expert structure should help bear the load over time, right now those staff also need training from the Systems Office, making local support at best a break-even proposition this year. Hiring a Workstation & LAN Support Coordinator has been critical to our ability to function during this extremely short-staffed time. In the coming months we must hire staff to fill our three vacant systems positions.
Consultants helped us redesign the libraries public web site. We now have a new design that encourages greater consistency of approach to our web pages and provides tools to maintain lists of resources without writing actual web pages. The new design also provides a more professional polish to the site. In the coming months we will move all public web services to the "libraries.mit.edu" server from the "nimrod.mit.edu" server and define a clear structure for management of web services and content within the MIT Libraries.
We continue to improve our online catalog, Barton. All of our bibliographic records were sent to Blackwell North America for "authorities" processing. This project, another of the libraries' six strategic initiatives for the year, will add "see" and "see also" references to our catalog for the first time since we left our cards behind in the 1980's. The processed records will be loaded back into our database during August 1997 and we will continue to process records on a regular basis from then on.
We also developed and tested a web interface for our Barton catalog. Unfortunately the test showed that the Z39.50 server provided by Geac (our library system vendor) still had some problems, so we couldn't roll the system out for public use. But the effort puts us at the ready to offer this service once we have an upgrade from Geac.
Finally, we tracked down and resolved a problem that was limiting us to fewer than 90 simultaneous users on Barton. Our library system has been much more stable since this resolution.
We developed a pilot electronic reserves (e-reserves) page on the web for course 21A.230J "The Contemporary Family." Materials usually kept on reserve for this course were also scanned by our Document Services department and then mounted as Adobe Acrobat documents on a web server in the libraries. Students in 21A.230J were given a password to access, view, and print these reserve materials from any workstation with a web browser and Acrobat Reader on MITnet. The lessons we learned from this experiment will help us build a scaleable e-reserves project in the coming year. We plan to work closely with MIT Information Systems to provide faculty with a tool to give their classes online access to required reading.
Though virtually all computers within the MIT Libraries are attached to MITnet, we do not have any tools which facilitate staff working together or make available a common suite of software. Putting a libraries-wide "local area network" (LAN) in place has been a long-standing goal. This year we designed, specified, and purchased equipment for a new libraries-wide Windows NT LAN. The servers for this LAN are now in operation. New equipment we roll out this summer will be attached to the LAN. We will upgrade existing equipment to work with the new LAN during the next year.
A number of divisional libraries also have small public LANs, used mostly to distribute CD-ROM applications within each library. This year we migrated the Dewey and Humanities public-access CD-ROM networks to a new and more stable version of Lantastic's local area networking software.
As we provide more common software and services centrally, we will also need to coordinate our computer-related capital equipment planning process with our strategic direction. To this end we plan to work more closely with libraries departments early in the fiscal year to help define their priorities and ensure that equipment we purchase for them moves them toward their goals.
Working with libraries staff. Involve other libraries staff, particularly the Local Technology Experts, in the work of systems. Engage staff in system-wide training efforts and installation rollouts. Make sure they receive the backup and training they require.
Coordination with MIT Information Systems. Work closely with central MIT Information Systems staff whenever possible, particularly with regard to our e-reserves efforts. Determine what our common agendas may be and make sure we are leveraging each other well.
Training for AD and SO staff. Take advantage of MIT and other training for both the new Assistant Director for Technology Planning and Administration and the Systems Office staff. Especially seek training in team building.
Eric Celeste
MIT Reports to the President 1996-97


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Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipe
Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk recipe makes a delicious, made from scratch version of sweetened condensed milk that you can use in coffee, baking, ice cream and more!
This homemade sweetened condensed milk is a recipe that I hope you love as much as I do. It isn't an ingredient that we use a lot in cooking, but when I do, I like to turn to this homemade version.
Made with just a few ingredients that I generally always have on hand – milk, sugar, butter and vanilla, I knew this would be one of those recipes that I would turn to year after year whenever I needed it.
I've tested the recipe time and again to make sure that it yields just the right amount to use for recipes that call for a can of sweetened condensed milk. That way, it removes any guesswork from using this homemade recipe in place of the standard can from the grocery store. It is equal to just a bit over a cup, 1 1/4 cups each time I've made it. Once you make your own, you'll be so surprised at how easy it is, I think!
Once made, store in a clean jar with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months. If frozen, just thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then shake vigorously in an airtight container with lid on or pour into a larger container and whisk until smooth and consistent throughout.
Here's my Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipe
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup sugar granulated or cane, honey, or maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk together milk and sweetener in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisking often, bring to a low simmer. Continue to simmer, whisking often, until milk has reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Once reduced, remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Allow to cool completely and store in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Robyn xo

subset: commoncrawl


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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) announced their 2012 award winners today, and if there is one thing we learned, it's this:
The Artist is the real deal.
The BAFTA Awards serve as one of the final major lead-ins to the Academy Awards, and if you didn't have The Artist as the winner of multiple major awards at the Oscars prior to today, well, then it's time for you to rehash that ballot.
The Artist took home 7 awards at this year's BAFTAs, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Jean Dujardin), Best Director (Michel Hazanavicius), and Best Original Screenplay, categories in which it is also nominated for the Academy Awards. The Artist, this year's awards darling, was nominated for 12 BAFTA Awards in total.
The other big-time nominee at the BAFTAs, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which was nominated for 11 awards, came away with just two wins: Best British Film, which it was a shoo-in to win, and Best Adapted Screenplay, for which it is also nominated at the Oscars.
John Hurt, one of the many stars of Tinker, was also recognized as this year's winner of the Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema award, given out annually to an individual who has made a valued contribution to British film.
Aside from Dujardin's win for Best Actor, where he beat out heavyweights Clooney, Pitt, Fassbender, and Oldman, the other awards in the acting categories went to Meryl Streep (Best Actress, The Iron Lady), Christopher Plummer (Supporting Actor, Beginners), and Octavia Spencer (Supporting Actress, The Help). Streep is the only award winner among those 4 who did not take home the same prize at the SAG Awards two weeks ago. Viola Davis won the SAG Award for Best Actress.
However, with Streep's BAFTA win, the race is still neck-and-neck, as either her or Davis could seemingly win the Oscar in two weeks.
Hugo, which leads all Oscar nominees with 11 nominations, had been nominated for 10 awards at the BAFTA Awards. Scorsese's mega-effects cinematic love letter took home two BAFTAs: Best Production Design and Best Sound. Martin Scorsese also was named an Academy Fellow by the BAFTA, one of the highest honors to bestowed by any film academy. The Fellowship recognizes individuals who have made a lasting, impressive impact on the history and future of cinema.
The Artist's other 3 wins were for Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, and Best Score. Each of those could have big implications for the Academy Awards, where The Artist figures to go head-to-head with Hugo for Score and Costume Design, and The Tree of Life for Cinematography. The Tree of Life was not nominated for any BAFTA Awards.
To see the full list of winners, check the list below.
British Academy Film Awards – Winners
- Best Film: The Artist
- Best Director – Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
- Best Leading Actress – Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
- Best Leading Actor – Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
- Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer (The Help)
- Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan)
- Best Original Screenplay: The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius)
- Best British Film: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- Academy Fellowship: Martin Scorsese
- Best Animated Film: Rango
- Best Documentary: Senna
- Best Film not in the English Language: The Skin I Live In
- Production Design – Hugo (Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo)
- Best Cinematography: The Artist (Guillaume Schiffman)
- Best Editing: Senna (Gregers Sall, Chris King)
- Best Original Music: The Artist (Ludovic Bource)
- Best Costume Design: The Artist (Mark Bridges)
- Best Sound: Hugo (Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley)
- Outstanding Debut: Tyrannosaur
- Best Visual Effects: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt 2
- Best Make Up & Hair – The Iron Lady (Mark Coulier, J. Roy Helland, Marese Langan)
- Best Short Film: Pitch Black Heist
- Best Short Animation: A Morning Stroll
- Outstanding Contribution To British Cinema: John Hurt


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The prospect of free mortgage assistance drew hundreds of people overnight to Jefferson Parish government's Joseph S. Yenni Building in Elmwood. Long lines formed hours in advance of the Community Development Office opening on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
Jefferson has about $3.8 million to give first-time homebuyers for closing costs and down payments. The money is reserved for low-income residents.
Tuesday was the first day to apply, and officials expected to award help to no more than 54 applicants. They let another 10 apply as alternates.
Community Development Director Anatola Thompson said 71 actual applicants showed up, but many more people accompanied them to the Yenni Building. She said she came out Monday about midnight to assign numbers to the first 64 applicants in line, take the names of the rest and let everyone go home.
This is the third and final round of the program, which the parish is administering with the state Office of Community Development. It began in February 2012.
"We've closed 112 people," Thompson said.


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The Save Phace 40VizI2 Series RFP Helmet is the world's first and only helmet with an internally adjustable 4/9-13 2-sensor ADF integrated into a 40 sq. in. 180° lens.
- Shade # 10 welding lens
- Well-protected internal on/off, grind mode, sensitivity & delay control adjustments
- Ultra-sensitive, low amperage ADF triggering
Note: This product may require up to 2 additional days for order processing prior to shipping


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Nick Clegg's leadership of the Lib Dems was in turmoil last night as police began probing the Lord Rennard sex claims.
The Scotland Yard inquiry started as Mr Clegg was rocked by further claims of a cover-up after it emerged that THREE YEARS ago his top aide was presented with specific allegations about the Lib Dem peer.
Chief of staff Jonny Oates was handed a dossier in April 2010 about Lord Rennard allegedly pestering female party candidates and staff.
The biggest crisis of Deputy Prime Minister Mr Clegg's career plunged the party into panic and cast doubts about his future as leader.
Lib Dem president Tim Farron MP, who is seen as the leader in waiting, twisted the knife by admitting that Mr Clegg "had screwed this up".
Mr Farron added: "There are people who we had a duty of care towards and we did not fulfil that duty of care."
In a statement last night the Met appealed for victims and witnesses to come forward.
The force said: "Our Specialist Investigations Command has been approached by officials in the Lib Dem Party following media reporting. We are working with them to ascertain whether or not any criminal activity has taken place."
One of the alleged victims, Oxford University lecturer Alison Smith, last night said the reason she spoke out was because Lord Rennard had started to appear at party events.
Ms Smith rejected suggestions there was a dirty tricks campaign to target the Lib Dems ahead of Thursday's Eastleigh by-election.
Alison Goldsworthy, another woman who has made complaints about the peer, last night waived her right to anonymity.
Ms Goldsworthy worked for the party as a policy adviser in 2004.
Ex-Lib Dem staffer Ellie Cumbo has claimed that key members of staff at Lib Dem HQ were also aware of the allegations.
The bombshell prompted accusations the Lib Dems swept the accusations under the carpet in the run-up to the general election in May 2010.
They also threw into doubt Mr Clegg's statement that he was only aware of "non-specific" allegations involving Lord Rennard, 52, who strenuously denies the claims.
Labour MP Steve McCabe said yesterday: "This is looking more and more like a cover-up.
"It is incumbent on someone in the post of Deputy Prime Minister to come clean about the allegations.
"This is not just a Lib Dem problem, it's going to infect the Government if there's doubt about the Deputy Prime Minister being less than straight with the facts."
It was revealed yesterday a newspaper emailed the dossier to Mr Oates in 2010.
It detailed five claims about Lord Rennard who had been Lib Dem chief executive until he resigned in 2009.
The allegations included a claim the peer "intimately groped" a female Lib Dem candidate as they posed for a group photograph at the 2004 party conference in Bournemouth.
It was also put to the Lib Dems that before the 2005 general election, two women hoping to become Lib Dem MPs were "locked inside Lord Rennard's home following a dinner, and told to go upstairs, and released when one threatened to call the police".
The email also said Equalities Minister Jo Swinson and Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander had been involved in inquiries into the peer's conduct.
Mr Oates, who was then election communications supremo, replied to the newspaper, saying: "It is untrue to state that Mr Clegg was made aware of the incidents you allege.
"Given this fact, it is obviously untrue to state that Mr Clegg asked Jo Swinson or anyone else to carry out an investigation into the incidents that you allege."
It has since emerged Mr Alexander had put the claims to Lord Rennard in 2008 but they were denied by the peer.
The Lib Dems were last night sticking to their story that Mr Clegg was not told of any specific claims.
A Lib Dem spokesman said: "He [Mr Oates] didn't need to go back to check it because we already knew what the answers to the questions were."
A floundering Mr Clegg was yesterday battling to control the crisis.
And a ComRes poll put the Lib Dems on their lowest ever rating – a pathetic 8% which left them behind UKIP on 9%, the Tories on 31 and Labour on 43.
The Lib Dem Party announced it has appointed the former chairman of the Lib Dem Lawyers Association, Alistair Webster QC, to lead the internal investigation into the claims against Lord Rennard.
Chief executive Tim Gordon said that the party had asked Public Concern at Work to set up a whistleblowing hotline for "victims" of Lord Rennard.
Defiant Mr Clegg yesterday said: "I have got nothing to hide, the party has nothing to hide.
"We have now got to listen to the women who feel they weren't properly listened to and get to the truth and that is what we will do."
He added: "The problem, as I explained yesterday, is that until last week no very specific allegations were put to me.
"We acted on general concerns which had been expressed some time ago but, of course, now that those general concerns have evolved into specific allegations, we can act and we will."
Jasper Gerard, a crony of Mr Clegg, sparked fury yesterday by claiming the sex scandal had been "blown out of all proportion".
Ms Smith said she hoped Mr Gerard, who wants to be a Lib Dem MP, would be deselected for his comments.
Lib Dem peer Lord Greaves reportedly dismissed the allegations against Lord Rennard as "mild sexual advances".
Questions Lib Dems need to answer about Lord Rennard
What was Nick Clegg told?
He at first said he knew nothing about the claims that several women had been groped by Lord Rennard – accusations the peer strongly denies.
Then he admitted he had been told of "nonspecific" concerns.
Now he says that no "very specific allegations" were drawn to his attention.
What is the case against?
His chief of staff Jonny Oates was presented with detailed allegations in April 2010 about the alleged conduct.
And in 2008 Danny Alexander, Mr Clegg's then chief of staff, put "concerns" to the peer in "strong terms".
Mr Oates denies he discussed the claims with his party leader but others claim Mr Clegg must have been aware of specific allegations against Lord Rennard.
Why no formal investigation?
Both Jo Swinson MP, the party's equality spokesman, and former chief whip Paul Burstow were contacted by alleged victims of Lord Rennard.
The Lib Dems have not explained why they allowed Lord Rennard to stay as chief executive until 2009 even though the allegations had been around from 2003.
Was Lord Rennard set for a return?
The peer helped at the 2010 general election. Mr Clegg had also nominated him as vice president of an international federation for liberal parties.
According to Channel 4 News, which broke the story, he was also attending events involving female candidates.
Did Lord Rennard retire on health grounds?
When he left in 2009, the party said it was because of his "health". The peer is a diabetic and went on a diet after leaving.
But the Lib Dems have refused to say if the allegations about his conduct may have played a part in his departure.


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Here's your chance to 'friend' Sondermann Park
A friends group for Sondermann Park is in the works.
A meeting/cook-out - open to people who want to help care for the 100-acre city property - is tentatively planned for June, according to Darlene Jensen, director of the Catamount Institute, an environmental nonprofit which is coordinating the recruiting effort.
Located just west of the Mesa Springs neighborhood, Sondermann is a mostly natural park, with some rolling hills, grass and occasional trees, a creek running through it and more than two miles of trails. The access is from Caramillo Street, off Chestnut Street. Caramillo ends at the parking lot outside the Beidleman Center, a renovated former nursery at the east edge of Sondermann that Catamount leases from the city.
Sondermann Park gets occasional attention from City Parks, but the department lacks the staff it had in previous years, and random volunteers can only fill in some of the maintenance and clean-up gaps. The park would benefit from the consistent attention that a friends group could provide, according to Steve Schwartz, who lives next to Sondermann and describes himself now as a "kind of self-appointed trash picker-upper."
Sondermann, he asserted, is "a hidden gem, an urban wildlife preserve. That's hard to find in a big city. A friends group would be able to represent the park to the city, give the park a voice."
It was Schwartz who brought the idea to Catamount. Jensen said the idea is timely because the city's continuing budget woes mean that it is "lacking funds to maintain its parks." As a result, friends groups for parks "are popping up across the city."
At Sondermann, some of the trails are getting rutted, trees need trimming, some signs are down and "it just needs basic overall upkeep," she said.
Schwartz also identified a a need for wildfire mitigation (which would require cutting back some dead vegetation) and a problem with ATVs. Not only do they lead to erosion, but "we occasionally get really bad ATV drivers that chase wildlife," he said.
Several years ago, Schwartz had been a member of a then-large volunteer organization called the Friends of the Beidleman Center. The group had formed to help out after City Parks opened the building as a public nature center in the 1980s. However, Schwartz pointed out that the Friends group never adopted Sondermann as a whole, and a while after the city closed Beidleman as a city nature center in 2002, the membership disbanded.
In recruiting for a friends group, Jensen is getting the word out to the Mesa Springs Community Association, the Trails and Open Space Coalition (a city-wide advocacy group), as well as "the many visitors who come and go through the park who might like to get involved."
Current volunteer efforts at Sondermann are Boy Scout and Girl Scout projects that are restoring the historic Kathleen Marriage Garden near the Beidleman Center.
For more information, call Catamount at 471-0910.
Westside Pioneer article


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The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery~ Mark Van Doren
This past weekend we had the opportunity to see our daughter, Alison's art exhibit in Santa Fe. As proud parents, we are
pleased to announce Alison has 2 pieces displayed! The exhibition consisted of art submitted by SFCC college students, their teachers, and only 16
NMSA high school students were chosen. As you enter the gallery Alison's is on the far right.
Titled "Holes Inside"
Alison Penn NMSA Visual Art Student
Out of the 16 NMSA students, five were invited to participate in a dialog with other students and a panel of teachers. Questions like "What is art? What does art mean to you? What is our role as artists in society?" were asked and the dialog began. The conversation escalated with the last question. The answers varied from being social commentaries, help simplify society, and reflect our perspective of the world. Alison felt honored to engage with the other artists.
The Artist explains her vision to her Dad.
Alison's 2nd submission- Self Portrait
Titled "Das Bin Ich"
Pastel and Charcoal
Cruz Valdez
I love this image: As a mother, my heart swells to witness someone stopping to observe, study, and
meditate on a work of art my daughter created. Yes, there were many tears this night- I am an emotional creature.
The night's festivities are over and we head out to leave. Our four darling creatures head out together- our 3 sons and 1 daughter-
caught in a moment of togetherness.
I love this moment.
Ali & Christy
Santa Fe Splendor by Christy Penn
What is art without music?
Some of Ali's art projects were inspired by Joe's music.


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Purple Reign began at the small but then popular UNLV college club Tom & Jerry's in the summer of 1997. Front man Jason Tenner formed the group with high school band-mates Jason Underwood (bassist) and Brent Wheeler (guitarist) after dressing as Prince for a Halloween party at the Hard Rock Hotel-Casino the previous year. " People's reactions were crazy!" recalls Tenner. "They kept wanting pictures, asking where I was performing and how they could get tickets! It was wild!"
Already a working group with their 70's era funk and disco tribute show "The Mothership Connection", Tenner, Underwood and Wheeler were joined by keyboardist Greg Orr and drummer Micheal Paul. Soon after, the group began to experiment with Prince hits in their set. Those songs quickly became the most popular in the show and it wasn't long before the platforms, afro-wigs and bell bottoms were traded for high heels, eyeliner and spandex.
By 1998, Purple Reign could be seen in much larger venues such as the Railhead in Boulder Station, The Beach night club, Club Rio ( also formerly Prince's club 3121 ) and has sharing billing with acts such as Destiny's Child, Reynaldo Ray of BET's Comic View and The Bar-kays. In 2001 Purple Reign became headliners of the mini showroom at the Boardwalk Casino, and according to a Nov. 2006 article in What's On magazine "almost singlehandedly" kept the property alive for years. While there, they expanded on their vision and theme using the classic film "Purple Rain" as inspiration , and incorporated the celebrity characters Morris Day and Jerome Benton of "The Time". The new show segment added a wildly entertaining and upbeat dimension that rings just as true to the original artists and character details that have made the show a success.
Upon the Boardwalks closing in Jan. of 2006 to make way for the new City Center Project, Purple Reign returned to larger venues at the Monte Carlo Brew Pub, The Chrome Showroom in the Santa Fe Station and The House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. 2006 also saw Purple Reign get a landslide 190 out of 200 votes and receive the award for best Tribute Artist Show by the Black Music Association of Las Vegas adding to their previous 2005 and 2006 honors of being voted in the top 3 visitors choice for best lounge act in the What's On Las Vegas Magazine. The LA Weekly also deemed the show among the "16 Things You Can't Afford To Miss In Vegas".
On November 17, 2008 Purple Reign became the 1st ever tribute/impersonator act to appear as the musical guest on Late Show with David Letterman. That show was chosen by CBS and Late Show to ring in the New Year and re-aired January 1st, 2009 at 12:15am (New Years Eve) less than 45 days later, making it the 1st musical performance of 2009 on Letterman. '09 also saw Purple Reign crowned "Best Tribute Act" by the 28th annual Las Vegas Review Journal Poll, winning 2 awards by both the staff and readers.


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DATE: Sunday, October 3, 2010
LOCATION: Camarillo, CA
RACE BEGAN: 08:00 am
This was my 17th half-marathon, but only the second of 2010.... Like usual, I mailed in my registration for the Camarillo Half-Marathon and went through the trouble of printing and mailing the form to save myself some money. I've been doing that with most races lately, since these "online processing fees" of $5-$10 can really add up! Plus, I generally think think it's ABSURD, because "processing" a paper form includes data entry, while online data goes directly into the system.
This race was a gauge for my upcoming marathon, although my training has gone rather lackluster lately. But hey, the course was flat (see map below), and it landed on a week on my marathon training schedule that called for a 13-miler, anyway.
Prior to this weekend, I had never been to Camarillo, which is a good 70 miles from my home. I did know that it is the home of a Nike outlet, and I needed new workout clothes badly. I had been wearing basically the same workout gear for about four years, and they were starting to smell bad and not fit well.
Above: I was shocked to see the vastness of the outlets, and it took me some time to find Nike, so I felt pretty triumphant when I did like Maria Sharpova in this poster.
Above: I controlled myself and just got these. I mostly came for those shorts, anyway, since they had a much-needed zipper on the behind. The shirt is a dri-fit cotton shirt, which I'm curious to try (60% cotton, 40% polyester).
Interactive Course Map
This race was seemingly low-key, and registration was only $50 (cheap for nowadays!). On the day of the packet pickup, "The Ukrainian" had to teach a Professional Engineer (P.E) review course, so I was left to brave the stormy humid summer weather and head to Camarillo myself. That definitely made the outlet journey less fun, and frankly, I didn't shop much.
Above: Wiped out from my day (and "The Ukrainian," too, from teaching), we got a huge haul from Sharky's. If you've never been here, you should go! I love that they have lots of healthy swaps there such as naked burritos, wheat tortillas, tofu as a "meat" choice, and even organic veggies.
Above: We ate it indoor picnic style. I pretty much went into a coma after 2 tofu tacos and some bites of tostada salad, probably as a result of lunch.
Above: Before... I'll add race pics to this entry if any were taken of me, but I didn't see any except one at the end.
Above: After. I had 1/3 banana, a few pieces of orange, and a few bites of pancakes that they were serving. =)


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The Center of Attention
Identity - Brand Manual
The beginnings of the Fawaz Al Hokair Group date back to 1989. Considered the largest retail developer in Saudi Arabia and one of the largest retail developers in the Middle East, Fawaz Al Hokair Group has expanded its business operations beyond the borders of Saudi Arabia. This multi-category developer has invested in retail and real estate sectors across the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), the USA and Central Asia. We were approached by Fawaz Al Hokair Group to create a powerful corporate umbrella brand that enables them to communicate with their customers through their collective activities, in a way that allows for awareness of their corporate brand.
We were, primarily, faced with the challenge that this brand would have to emerge amidst a highly competitive market, with a consumer base who were not yet familiar with the brand, or of its relevance to its underlying projects, like the already-well-established Mall of Arabia. As such, we worked on an identity that is strong enough to behave like an unapologetically established brand, and clearly communicates what the brand stands for. By already having an Arabic name that means "centers", we were able to incorporate the shared heritage and culture with the nature of our brand by creating an abstraction of urban concentrations in a custom Arabic font.


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Time to End It
Gatwick City of Ideas:
Multiple postings
Get Your Own:
5 Years Too Many
I almost forgot about this but it is too important. This war is wrong. Anyone who hasn't figured that out by now I don't believe can have their mind changed by anything I say. War is NOT the answer. I'm not sure it every is. Imagine how many lives this war has ruined. That should give you something to think about for the at least the entire day.
Godless Liberal Homo:
Action Alert: "Why Are Winter Soldiers Not News?"
When I started the March 19 Blogswarm Against the Iraq War with the blogger who does Ten Percent, it was done in part to counter pro-war bias and censorship in the corporate media. So, it is fitting that my contribution to the Blogswarm be to publicize and add to an action alert from Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting on Winter Soldier.
3/19/08 FAIR Action Alert:
Dozens of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars gathered in Silver Spring, Maryland last weekend for the Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan hearings (3/13/08-3/16/08), where they offered harrowing testimony about atrocities they had witnessed or participated in directly. The BBC predicted that the event, organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War, "could be dominating the headlines around the world this week" (3/7/08). The hearings were covered as far afield as the U.K. (Guardian, 3/17/08), Australia (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 3/14/08), Croatia (Javno, 3/16/08), and Iran (Press TV, 3/14/08). Yet there has been an almost complete media blackout on this historic news event in the U.S. corporate media.
Going Green:
5 Years in Iraq
Today is the five year anniversary of the US Invasion in Iraq. Whether you support this war or not, please take a moment out of your day to give thanks to the brave men and women who have sacrificed for our country.
And then bring them the fuck home.
Gold Star Mom Speaks Out:
5 Damned Long years in Iraq
Here we are again- 5 years of war in Iraq! 5 long years! 3990 dead American soldiers, 60,000 plus wounded American soldiers, millions of Iraqis displaced, and we will never know how many Iraqis have died in this war turned occupation of their country. We are spending $12 Billion dollars a month, $17 million dollars every hour and $275 million dollars a day. We know that 935 lies were told by various members of the administration that instills fear so that the citizens of this country would support this Global War on Terror in Iraq. That's quite a lot of numbers to keep track of; but the best number of all is 307 and that is the number of days left until January 19, 2009, which means, we will be free of the dangerous, fear mongering Bush administration.
Gordian Hense:
Seit fünf Jahren tobt der Krieg im Irak
Wir möchten mit diesem Beitrag darauf aufmerksam machen, dass seit fünf Jahren ein Krieg im Irak tobt und bis jetzt ca. 1,3 Mio. Menschen dort gestorben sind. Das täglich tausende verletzt werden und schreckliches erleben müssen. Unter den Toten und Verletzten befinden sich unschuldige Frauen, Kinder und Männer. Es gibt und gab keinen Grund der einen Krieg gegen unschuldige Menschen rechtfertigt. Er muss so schnell wie möglich beendet werden.
Granny Geek:
Shock and Awe, Five Years Later
Who knew that we Americans would be the ones feeling the shock and awe of the invasion of Iraq?
We're shocked at the number of deaths of American military and Iraqi civilians. At last count, we've lost 4,000 soldiers. Who knows how many Iraqis are dead: some estimates run as high as a million casualties..
Grind Chop Blend:
Happy Birthday Illegal Occupation!!!!
You're 5 years old today. You've done some pretty cool stuff for such a young thing. And your daddy W and granddaddy Dick have done an amazing job of feeding you with the blood of thousands of innocent Iraqis, young American, British and other nameless countries' soldiers, not to mention the trillions of dollars they've spent on you to make sure you can continue to trounce, stumble and cavort around over there, drunk from all the success. And you're not done yet are you? Uncle McCain is gonna keep you in the money for maybe another hundred years.
Gunfighter: A Modern Warrior's Life:
Lies, and More Lies
In the latter part of 2002, and through the first part of March of 2003, President George W. Bush and his claque of war-mongering neo-cons and fellow travelers, aided by craven, weak, lick-spittle members of the House of Representatives and Senate, conspired to send our soldiers to war. I say conspired because that is accurate.
the guy by the door:
Harvard @ Iraq Invasion + 5
This post also has pictures from the Harvard protest against the war.
We on the left should frame our opposition to the war as opposition to empire.
- Adaner Usmani
Some folks at Harvard Law School are doing just that with their event series, Confronting Empire: 5 Years of War in Iraq. The series is over, but the website has a link for each and every speaker, many of whom have freely downloadable articles. I'm told that proceedings from it, will, in time, appear. [And I'll point you to my faves.] The series was sponsored by, Justice for Palestine at Harvard Law and:
Return to the Alpha Index of Posts
View the Full Listing of Blogs


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Sonic Drilling
The sonic drilling technology was first applied over 40 years ago in Canada.
The sonic head is based upon the principle of high frequency vibration. The hydraulic motors on the exterior of the head oscillate off set internal weights at speeds reaching 5000 rpm. As a result of the weights being off set, it creates a vibration in excess of 140 HZ.
One of the numerous advantages of a sonic rig is its ability to make the soil fluidize. While the soil is fluidized a controlled water flow will push the material out of the way. The Sonic advantage to this method is its ability to constantly case the borehole after it advances the sample tooling to the next sample interval. If a sample is not required it will further advance the core barrel and follow it with the casing keeping a constant open and clean hole. This minimizes the risk of lodged tooling below ground surface. If the situation should occur that the override casing begins to get tight, the sonic is capable of drilling a larger over ride casing to reduce the skin friction on the down the hole tooling without removal of the already installed drill steel. This allows the sonic to maximize its depth capability ranging from 250' to 500+', depending on the situation.
Layne Christensen has 2 styles of Sonic drill rigs to choose from. One of the rigs was designed and built by Layne for the purpose of operating in tight conditions and is a rubber track mounted rig. We also provide truck mounted drill rigs that are used to maximize production due to their 26' stroke mast and they are also capable of larger diameter drilling to deeper depths than the small track mounted rig because of an increase in horse power.
Featured Projects
Mineral Services - Diamond Core Drilling
The area that the client (Konnoco, part of Vale) wants to explore and mine is approximately 5 km from an active... More »
Mineral Services - Directional Drilling
Gold Slickline had previously been using shaft boring machines to complete raised bores for ventilation shafts.... More »


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It's now my turn to tell you about all the amazing apps I've found and kept using to this day, after years of reviewing tons of wonderful software for Mac.Appstorm. Some of these won't surprise you; in fact, they might have been repeated several times by other authors that have posted in this series. However, I hope you get some cool ideas as to how you could use some of these apps, or perhaps pick up a few new apps that you hadn't heard of.
I've broken these apps down into categories of what I generally do with them. Hopefully that'll make this easier to read and relate to. Let's do this!
Just Alfred
I have to admit I wasn't really a fan of Alfred until a few weeks ago, when I decided to get into it after I read Pedro Lobo's Alfred articles. Now I have Alfred with the Powerpack and workflows for everything: creating a reminder, rebooting into my Boot Camp partition, creating new notes in Evernote, and a long etc.
The other features of this launcher are of course a huge plus as well, I have a bunch of custom sites setup to be launched with a keyboard shortcut, and the clipboard and snippets integration have completely replaced a bunch of apps I used in the past like CopyLess and SnipEdges. Nowadays, I couldn't use my Mac without it.
Note Taking
I'm a hardcore Evernote user, I've been a fan for years and have notes on everything from long overdue to-do lists, to a huge catalog of audio notes for songwriting. It works for me as an immense archive with neat organization, and the newest Mac update has made it even more of a delight to use.
However, there are times when I'm concentrated on work and I don't have time to open up the app and set up my new note with tags, corresponding notebook, format and more. That's where apps like Scrawl and Noteworthy come in. They're simple little menu bar note apps that let me scribble things quickly without getting too distracted. Neither of them are perfect, but they work as a temporary storage place for my notes so that they can later be moved over and organized in Evernote.
Entertainment and Procrastination
I love Spotify. Not only does it let me stream music from the web, but it has also replaced iTunes as my library music player, since it also gives me access to the music in my hard drive. The in-app plugins make it even better, giving the app integration with services like Last.fm and sites like Pitchfork. Really, I only open iTunes nowadays to download podcasts, transfer new music and sync my iOS devices.
As far as social networks go, Tweetbot is by far the best Twitter app I've used. It's pretty, very easy to navigate, supports Tweet Marker, integrates well with its iPhone counterpart, and it even lets me send articles to Readability right from the app. It's a dream come true and totally worth the money. For interacting with Instagram, I use Carousel, which gives me a very native-like glance at my feed.
Work, Work, Work
For writing, there's nothing else like Byword for me. It's fast and easy to get started working on it, it provides a very clean and pretty writing environment for keeping distractions away. Markdown, exporting, line and paragraph focus, those are all just a few more goodies that make Byword one of my favorite apps.
On those days where I'm dreading work and putting it off with procrastination, I use Eggscellent. It's a task/time-tracking app that makes you productive through time intervals of breaks and hard work, similarly to the Pomodoro Technique.
The Rest
- TicToc: A simple menu bar app that tracks the time you spend on given tasks. It's useful when I'm not working with Eggscellent and would like to just know how much time I'm spending writing or watching my YouTube feed.
- Seashore: A pretty basic image editor based on GIMP. It's very easy and fast to work with, and it fills my ocassional image editing needs.
- Broom: I have an old low-end Macbook, and as a poor college student, I'm always hurting for HDD space. Broom lets me easily see which files or folders are taking up large amounts of space, so that I can delete them or move them over to a DVD (no, not even an external HDD).
- JiTouch: This app extends the functionality of the trackpad by giving you customizable gestures for pretty much anything. I almost exclusively use it in my web browser for switching and closing tabs, but just with those two things, it's something I couldn't live without.
- F.lux: It lowers the intensity of your screen's glow at night so that you don't strain your eyes or get into weird sleep cycles. Some people can't stand it, but I find it quite soothing.
- Chocolat: The perfect text editor. It's a shame I don't have much of a need for it, since I love using this app.
Closing Thoughts
As I've mentioned previously, the best tool is the one that doesn't get in your way. Some of you may find my picks inadequate, but for the moment, all of them are working out great in my workflow. In a few months, who knows? I tend to switch most apps pretty quickly, with only a few being mainstays in my computer (Evernote and Byword, for example). But what about you? What do you think of my picks, and where would you differ? Let me know in the comments!


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Solera Home Improvement will help with your bathroom remodeling, when you live in an around San Jose, CA
Bathroom Remodeling – San Jose – Bathroom Flooring – Carpeting
The lead article (the table of contents if you will) is titled Bathroom Remodeling.
This article is also part of a mini-series of articles about bathroom flooring.
When it comes to carpeting in bathrooms, just say no.
Considering the your bathroom is the wettest room in your house, carpeting is the absolute worst flooring choice available.
Any water that gets spilled, and some will, has the potential to wet both the carpet and the pad which is under the carpet.
The pad has sponge like qualities in as much as it will absorb and hold water.
You then have a sponge sitting directly on the wooden subfloor, covered by a piece of heavy fabric.
If you wanted to intentionally induce wood rot, this is a good to go about it.
I fail to understand why anyone puts carpet in bathrooms.
And speaking of your bathroom remodeling, when your home is in the greater San Jose metro area, we would very much appreciate an opportunity to be of service…..
….. so please let me tell you a little about us.
When you work with us, you get guys who know customer satisfaction is a low bar to aim for and guys who know customers like you want to be delighted, not satisfied.
You get guys who know the best source of new customers are referrals from you. For that reason, we treat you to the level of service we wish everyone treated us.
The set of services available to you includes (but is not be limited to) lighting and electrical, plumbing, trim molding (baseboard molding and crown molding), cabinetry installation and cabinetry alterations, painting, bathroom remodels, kitchen remodels, window replacement, door repairs and door replacement, removal of acoustic ceiling material, heater repairs, garden and yard fountains and garden and yard decorative lighting, toilet rebuilds and installations, furniture assembly (IKEA and others), sports and exercise equipment assembly, deck installations and repairs, wall mounting of flat panel TV hiding the wires, installation of home theater systems.
Our services are available to you in the following cities; Redwood City, Woodside, Portola Valley, Atherton, Menlo Park, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Stanford, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino, Saratoga, San Jose, Milpitas, and Alviso.
While working with us, you get a company that knows about green building practices, green remodeling, and green home repair, for the benefit of you, your family, and your home.
We provide you with remodeling and handyman services for you, your family, your home, and even your place of work.
Please see what our customers say about us, then contact us today.


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WildStar Set to Release in 2013
Carbine Studios has announced that their upcoming sci-fi MMO, WildStar, is set to release some time in 2013. In honor of the news, more information has been revealed about the Exile Faction, the soldier and explorer character paths, and a new zone.
The Exiles are a group of cast-offs and mercenaries forced from their homes. They banded together out of necessity, and were the first to settle Nexus — the world WildStar is set upon.
Players that seek an action style combat system may want to check out the Soldier path, while those more interested in discovering the land and its secrets and trying to complete everything are best served by the Explorer path. Both will have their own set of quests that tie into their unique playstyles.
Deradune is the new zone that has been revealed, full of savage wildlife both native and brought to Nexus. It will also be the starting zone for a new race set to be revealed next week.
Next Article
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- Starting Wednesday, December 16, the world of ARK: Survival Evolved will open to Xbox One players.


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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) -- There's always an increased need for blood in the summer. However, Friday's blood drive at Community Hospital held extra importance for staff there.
More than 100 people donated for Dr. Kennan Vance and his recovery.
Dr. Vance was in a serious bicycle accident in April. After eight days in a coma, four surgeries, and months of physical therapy, he got the okay to walk this week.
With Friday being his birthday, the hospital thought it was the perfect time to have a blood drive.
"I'm certainly overwhelmed by the support; there's been a lot more people than we anticipated. They had to go back and get more bags for blood because they ran out," said Dr. Vance.
Dr. Vance is an orthopedic surgeon so he knows firsthand how important blood donations are. He said he still loves to bike and cycle and he'll be back on his wheels as soon as he can.


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TPM's Meatless Monday Avocado Quinoa Salad
Meatless Monday Avocado Quinoa Salad with Cilantro
I love this Avocado Quinoa salad for Meatless Monday! Quinoa is a great meat substitute. Technically, it's a seed – so if you're going "grain free" quinoa is still allowed. It's also free of gluten, if that's your thing. It's a superb source of protein, so it's a natural for a Meatless Monday. Plus, it's loaded with potassium – most Americans need more potassium. I like to make a good deal of quinoa on Sunday and use it throughout the week. That way, I only have to heat up the kitchen once, and it saves a lot of time later on. The quinoa and chickpeas are great protein, and avocados are loaded with healthy fats. This is a very hearty main course salad – you will not miss the meat! This recipe makes 4 – 5 meal-sized portions.
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half or 1 large chopped tomato
- 3 avocados cut into cubes
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cups red onion finely chopped
- 2 – 3 cloves minced garlic
- juice from 2 large lemons
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard, or 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp raw honey
- ½ tsp cumin
Cook Quinoa
Rinse your quinoa thoroughly, then cover with broth in a large pot with a lid. Let it soak for 10 – 15 minutes. Turn heat to medium/high and bring the broth to a boil. Then, turn it to medium and let it simmer for 20 – 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the liquid is absorbed, remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid. Let it cool to room temperature. (Or, like me, store in the fridge for use later.)
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt & pepper and cumin until well mixed.
Prepare Salad
In a large bowl, place chopped spinach, cilantro, garlic, chickpeas and onions and mix in the cooled quinoa. Toss with the dressing. Carefully stir in avocados and tomatoes last. Garnish with a little cilantro.
Serve & Enjoy your Avocado Quinoa Salad!
Recipe adapted from DoortoDoorOrganics.com
Originally published August 4, 2014.


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Soft Sweets
If you prefer firm to soft sweets you will find this collection to be to your liking. Can't find what you are looking for? Try a site search. If you still can't find what you want please contact us using the details at the foot of this page.


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I met her during a blog tour game hosted by Crescent Moon Press during which I WON this way HUGE COOL scrapbooking gift basket. Yes I won! I know I say I don't win many things, and then I blog like every month about all the things I win, because well, life's just like that sometimes! And well, every time I win sometime I have to balance out my karma and so I'm caught in an endless circle of winning and giving back. Funny, I know. But Kinley gets me, and so it's fine.
Let's see, what can I say about Ruined? Oh my. *Deep sighs of orgasmic passion.* I repeat, oh my. I did want to crawl into this book several times and kick Vale in the shins because for a smart proud man he is a dumbass when it comes to Jessa. Still, he knows how to satisfy his woman. Oh my, I do like men like that, I do. Other than that, wow, this is my kind of book. I am a Kinley Baker fan. Oh my. I love the world she swept me into. It's such an easy fantasy to enjoy and the magic is killer. The romance was fun. Oh my. Her ideas, the characters and the world kept me well entertained. I read this in two easy sittings (and did I mention I was sick? Yeah, I'm looking for pity here.) I do recommend this book for all romance lovers, fantasy or not, you'll be hooked. Ohmmmy.
But, of course, you are here to meet Kinley and not feel sorry for me or listen to me go on about fantasy sex, oh my.
So... Welcome Kinley.
I'm so excited you enjoyed reading Ruined, Tanya!
Enjoyed, oh my, who wouldn't enjoy this book? There are some hot scenes tucked away in this baby, Kinley. What was your fav scene to write?
I must confess, I actually read the bond of shadows scene twice. I read it once, and then I went, "Okay, that was really cool, and I have no idea what it was, and someone grabbed someone's something too many times to count and I want an instant replay of that because I'm sick in more ways than one and I need a little pick me up!" Lol.
Ruined hints at a possible series to me.... Are there new projects we can look forward to?
I am so excited about the second book in this trilogy! I'm just finishing up the story. I hope to submit it to my Editor soon. The story is about Caleb, and I must say, I love this man. I had a soft spot for him in Ruined (his people's history is truly tragic), but his character grows a lot during his book. His heroine is fantastic! I actually just recently decided I needed to rewrite book 2 and went in a whole new direction. Caleb's heroine burst onto the page, and I'm so thrilled. During book 2, you'll also see more of Verity, discover new details about the Gaspar, and observe glimpses of Vale and Jessa's continuing world through other characters' perspectives. Oh! And I'm super excited about some of my new characters. You'll meet some interesting people, and see more of the non-royal side of living in the Shadow Shifter Kingdom.
1.) I live with my husband in the Pacific Northwest. My Sister-In-Law said in her speech at our wedding that she never thought her brother would find someone who shared his sense of humor. Everyone at the wedding laughed because they knew what she was talking about. Lol. That's a little look into our relationship.
2.) My dog, Joker, is a terrier who thinks he's royalty. Since we don't know who his parents are, it could be that he's a lost prince.
3.) I find inspiration in the rain which is why there are quite a few storms in Ruined.
4.) Occasionally my husband does things like ban my Netbook and Kindle when we go to football games like we did last Saturday.
5.) I rarely only do one thing at a time, except for when I'm writing.
6.) I'm a romance fanatic. There's nothing I love more than getting lost in a great love story.
I really enjoyed visiting today, Tanya! Thank you for reading Ruined and spreading the word! I appreciate it. J


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Join The Conversation With Mishpacha's Weekly Newsletter
As an entire country turned to rubble, Rabbi Chezky and Chani Lifshitz of Chabad House Nepal found themselves at the epicenter of the search-and-rescue mission they'd been directing since the massive earthquake leveled the cities and villages at the foot of Mount Everest. On scene in Nepal, watching, waiting, and occasionally joining the Israeli rescue teams that set out to locate trapped Jews, Mishpacha's Aharon Granot experienced his own aftershocks.
Israel's vaunted high-tech prowess earned it the nickname the "Start-Up Nation" but for the 1.5 million Israelis living below the official poverty line, Dragged-Down Nation might be more apropos.
The last thing he remembers is looking the murderer in the eye before the axe came down on his head, and when the medics evacuated him, they assumed he'd be on the casualty list within a few hours at most. But Har Nof massacre victim Rabbi Eitan Mualmi — who's been in our prayers as Eitan ben Sarah — has defied all medical predictions and is standing up again. On his first visit back to the shul where it happened, he finally faced the nightmare head-on.
New Yorkers tend to subscribe to an "If You See Something, Keep Moving" policy, which is why it was startling to notice a crowd of commuters whipping out their cellular phones to record an encounter between a white police officer, his Asian patrol partner, and an African American youth who was refusing a police command to remove his backpack. Teenaged onlookers jeered, a group of young university women hissed, and a hipster with dreadlocks called out to the officers to leave him alone.
The question: Word on the street has it that layoffs are coming to the computer company where I work. There were no raises or bonuses this year, management is in lots of hush-hush meetings, HR is stressed — it feels like it's inevitable. The problem is, I was hired 27 years ago, fresh out of graduate school, as a software developer. My skill set is perfect for my current job, but it's not up to par with the tech jobs out there now.


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EBS Mallorca
The Mallorca bartender school is located in the heart of Mallorca's capital, Palma. It's situated in the city centre; surrounded by cafes, bars, restaurants, parks, and shops. The school features free Wi-Fi, and has air conditioning throughout which is vital when it hits 30 degrees in the summer. The stunning beach of C'an Pere Antoni is only a 20 minute walk away so you go can stroll down and catch some sun every day after class.
- 14 bar stations
- 14 free pour stations
- 14 training stations
- 1 live bar
- Coffee area
- Terrace
- Chill-out area
- Kitchen
- Bartending shop
Mallorca is one of Spain's stunning Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean. Every year, thousands of young internationals head to the island in search of fun and relaxation in the sun. It's the mix of stunning scenery, beautiful beaches, and famous nightlife that make Mallorca one of Europe's best destinations; and the perfect place for you to become a bartender!
Palma is historical, stylish, and bursting with life. The city has undergone considerable redevelopment in recent years which has led to a boom in local culture and the nightlife scene. You'll end up spending a lot of time in the Santa Catalina district which boasts some of the city's best cocktail bars, rooftop terraces, and restaurants.
After graduation, you'll have plenty of opportunities to find seasonal bar work in Palma or in the Magaluf area. Does Mallorca sound like your bartending island?
We've put together a list of the top 10 things you have to do whilst in Mallorca:
- Rent a scooter and explore the island
- Explore the beautiful capital of Palma
- Race against your friends at the go-kart track
- Soak up the sun on one of the beautiful beaches
- Discover the underground Dragon Caves system
- Challenge yourself and go rock climbing
- Check out Bellver Castle
- Have fun and play crazy golf at night
- Hit Olivar Market for the best Spanish food
- Head north to Cap de Formentor for spectacular views
Now you know everything about our Mallorca bartender school and what to do on the island.
Check out the course availability below and secure your spot behind the bar!
EBS Mallorca. Languages available
At EBS Mallorca you can take our International Bartender Course in the following languages:
- English
- French
- Italian
Be sure to select the right language when booking. In order to take the course in a selected language your understanding of that language should be around Professional Working Proficiency – e.g you can discuss a variety of topics with ease and almost completely understand what others are saying.
Got a question? Want more advice?
Just get in touch with EBS Care who will help you.
EBS Mallorca Videos
EBS Mallorca – European Bartender School
Become a bartender in the beautiful city of Palma with EBS Mallorca and discover this awesome island!...
3 years ago
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Our next 3 course dates, or view the complete list of dates.
- 17 Jun 2019 - 12 Jul 2019 Limited spaces
- 22 Jul 2019 - 16 Aug 2019 Limited spaces
- 19 Aug 2019 - 13 Sep 2019 Available
Our next 3 course dates, or view the complete list of dates.
- 14 Jun 2019 - 15 Jun 2019 Available
- 12 Jul 2019 - 13 Jul 2019 Available
- 16 Aug 2019 - 17 Aug 2019 Available
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It's really a hard course but in the end, you'll end up having a bunch of amazing friends and with... Rui Pacheco
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Episode 1
Prince Harry joins four British soldiers in their attempt to make the first unsupported trek to the North Pole by wounded servicemen, on a charity expedition.
Prince Harry joins four British soldiers in their attempt to make the first unsupported trek to the North Pole by wounded servicemen, on a charity expedition that has garnered support from everyone from photographer David Bailey to the Prime Minister.
Narrated by John Hurt, the documentary follows the team in a year of training and planning that ends deep in the Arctic Circle, where Prince Harry joins his fellow servicemen in their final preparations for an expedition that would challenge an able-bodied explorer, let alone those severely wounded on active service in Afghanistan.
Captain Guy Disney lost a leg to a Rocket Propelled Grenade; an IED blast damaged Sergeant Steve Young's back so severely he was told he might never walk again; a bullet through Capt Martin Hewitt's right shoulder left his arm paralysed and useless; and Private Jaco van Gass's arm was amputed after he was hit by a grenade. Now these young men are determined to reach the top of the world to highlight the plight of the seventeen-hundred-plus service personnel injured in Afghanistan since the conflict began.
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|John Hurt
|Lorne Balfe
|Executive Producer
|Alison Kirkham
|Executive Producer
|Bridget Sneyd
|Executive Producer
|Melanie Leach
|Alexis Girardet
|Alexis Girardet
|Assistant Producer
|Greg Goff