Head Tale

Just finished my 504 research proposal
that's due in, oh, six hours and a bit.  This isn't really a case
of “last-minute-itis” though.  (I've been working pretty hard on
it for the last two weeks.)  Instead, it's another problem I've
discovered here that I never had an undergrad.  Namely, I can't
let things go.  I did the same thing with my 501 paper on User
Fees in Public Libraries in Alberta – I was still finding/reading
articles right up to a few hours before it was due (and receiving
e-mails for a day after it was already handed in.)  All of it was
great information that was potentially useful to my paper and it was
tough when I finally decided to say “okay, print!” 

Now, it's the same thing with my 504 Research Proposal.  The class
is set it up so you start with a 2-page exploratory paper early in the
term, revise it significantly at mid-term and then end the term by
expanding it to what is, in theory, a research project that you could
pursue. 

As with most of my work here, mine is probably a bit simplistic (“Is
Wikipedia A Good Starting Point For Reference Librarians?”) But it's an
interesting topic and there's so much information out there that it
felt impossible to get to it all.  I had people sending me links
and articles and now I feel an obligation to still try to wade through
them, even though the thing will be out of my hands in a few
hours. 

I asked Shea to proof it a couple hours ago and she usually doesn't
like to read my stuff since she's got more of a science
background.  But just having that second set of eyes is always a
help – if not for a full line-edit then just to check for flow and
obvious mistakes and stuff.  Her editing comments also cracked me
up and helped me relax a bit – I was using “we” instead of “I” and she
writes “Who are you – the Queen?”  Then I had a (fictional) budget
outlining how I'd be willing to spend my own money for photocopying and
she writes “Oh, no you don't!  How can I afford new shoes?” 
In another part of the budget where I outline (again, fictional) prizes
I'd offer to encourage students to participate, she writes “You just
want to keep the I-Pod for yourself.”  She also suggests that
“beer and popcorn” would be a cheaper option to encourage student
participation. 

Funny stuff.  Okay, time to go find something else to do.