Core Value: Cooperation [April, 2011]

On April 6, 2011, I attended a meeting of the Technology Services Team (3:15 p.m. in Room 421).

Unfortunately, I didn't get my reflections on this meeting posted in a timely fashion, and I'm writing from memory; so my apologies to TS folks if anything is incorrect.

• The meeting had a relaxed, comfortable, and informal style, both in its structure and in team members' discussion style
• The meeting was brief, but a good many items were discussed, including the checkout system for group study rooms that was in development, and a possibility of increased interaction between the library's electronic classrooms and other labs/tech support on campus.
• As far as enhanced inter-team collaboration as a result of my attending the TS meeting: 

--I came away with a better sense of which colleagues are members of this relatively new team.
--I enjoyed seeing colleagues that I've worked with for many years, in their "regular team meeting" environment. Usually, when I see them, they're helping me puzzle through a software or hardware dilemma, fixing some of my office equipment that has malfunctioned, or simultaneously solving a problem in one of the classrooms and getting me calmed down at the beginning of an instruction session. So, this was a nice change of pace.
--It was also good to see colleagues who came on board more recently, some of whom I didn't realize were part of the TS Team.
--I have been working more closely with Jonathan Priest since this meeting, so I think the meeting helped me begin to get a better sense of his job responsibilities.
--I also had a brief conversation with Paul Orkiszewski after the meeting that, in like manner, helped me better understand the TS Team.