Here's another photo from my walk around Hackney a few weeks ago. I'm not sure I took a single photo yesterday, which is unusual for me. Last night I took a video of the dog scratching around on our bed to make a "nest," but I'd rather not show you how much we let her get away with, so I don't think I'll post it. We might seem like pushovers.
Yesterday was partly consumed by gathering statistics of various kinds for a report about library usage. My new boss is a data fiend -- she loves spreadsheets and numbers and says (not wrongly) that they're the only way we can objectively know how people are using the library. So she has created multiple spreadsheets for all kinds of things, from how many parents checked out books last month to how many people were in the library yesterday during lunch. I must populate those spreadsheets with data.
The other day I ran into someone formerly from our finance department in the staff lounge. He left the finance job but is back on campus doing something else. He said he will never look at another spreadsheet again. "I'm done with spreadsheets," he said. I know how he feels.
I don't mind data but I tend to value personal experience and judgment more than my boss does. Our opinions are based on observation and analysis, after all -- they're not just whims. There's a coldness to relying on numbers. It removes the human element, for better and worse. It's also erroneous to believe numbers are foolproof -- you know the old saying about lies, damned lies and statistics. I think spreadsheets should be supporting players, not the headliners of the show.
Anyway, that's what I did yesterday, in addition to continuing my campaign to get back summer books, which were all due Sept. 6. I still have pages and pages of kids with those books still checked out. I suspect kids are less responsible now about that sort of thing than they were even ten years ago -- some people blame the pandemic but who knows. Maybe I should create a spreadsheet and compare statistics about summer book returns...ten years ago vs. now.
Aaaaaaargh!
I'm not a fan of spreadsheets, I prefer my data in more manageable sizes.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you should tie your boss up in a big spreadsheet and chuck her in The Thames. That'll teach her! As for you and Dave seeming like "pushovers" with regard to Olga - that has been crystal clear for years so why not share the image?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry but I also love a spread sheet, but not for everything, when I worked it was often given to me to create the required data. Nothing wrong with being a pushover for your pets, they are our children.
ReplyDelete