Week 9, August 10-16

We have now reached the end of the DFW. There is a sense of wishing the project would have been completed but I am proud of the work that I did. Working alone on this project had advantages and disadvantages. For the disadvantages, other than the fact the project would have been finished, I also lament the fact I didn't have a team member to collaborate with. Being able to work with someone and bounce ideas off of each other is a skill I always appreciate developing. But as with anything, I feel I turned this lack of partnership into an advantage. I was able to work in a self-directed manner and with minimal oversight. I had to hold myself accountable at every turn in the road. So, yes, that feeling of guilt at times was self-imposed, but it kept the fire burning to complete the hours and make as much progress on the project as I could.

As for the project, I shunned the idea of a creative piece in order to plug away at the metadata spreadsheet. It wasn't very glamorous, but that's ok. It was a nuts and bolts project, and nuts and bolts is something I wanted to be able to spend time doing. There was something hypnotically therapeutic about the repetition of the data entry. Yet, it wasn't a mindless endeavor. Many of the resources had specific characteristics, and attention to detail was imperative for the integrity of each resource. By treating each with care was also a good way to break the monotony. Here is a link to my final spreadsheet!

In summation, had I given another 50 hours to the project, it could have been completed. But that wasn't a reality this summer. After such a hectic and busy Year #1, it is important I recharge my batteries. I have other creative projects of a personal nature which are nearing completion, so if I can go into autumn having achieved those goals, I will be satisfied. I know the coming school year will be a challenge and I don't plan on having any time for much of anything other than school. Now some of you may be wondering what will come of this website. I plan on developing it as a repository for some of my other achievements at the iSchool. So, stay tuned for that!