Tired of heading to the library for some research only to find there's no room? Take a gander at this potential solution:
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
This is what we do with state money.
We have fun with it.
Tonight I and four other library staff members participated in a concert at our college. We sang the Java Jive, which we have been snatching small amounts of time from our state overlords to practice over the past several weeks.
There was some struggle to come up with a name; we discussed ones like the Novel Lovers, Circulation in G, and Withdraw and Destroy (which was too metal for us). Eventually we settled on The Librettos (a libretto is the text of an opera and means "little book" in Italian . . . although I have to add that through Google I discovered the actual plural in Italian is "gli libretti." Yes, I'm a geek).
Although a libretto is probably too grandiose of an image for a bunch of librarians singing the jazzy Java Jive, it was all fun and we pulled it off surprisingly well.
The rest of the concert became progressively more and more amazing. It had Monteverdi, it had Brahms, it had us, it had a ginormous jazz band playing swinging songs, including a big band version of The Nutcracker Suite during which an alto saxophonist got up and passed out Jolly Ranchers to the audience from a Santa hat.
Before it all started I was a little resigned to be there since the original two practices had turned into five or six, and I felt like I was done. But, it turned out to be so much fun. There have probably been other singing librarians, but we had that audience snapping their fingers! Everyone did well. The evening put a smile on my face and helped me unwind after a stressful week (high workloads and term project and dentist, oh my!)
To anyone who would have wanted to be informed and/or invited, but wasn't, I do apologize. I thought it wasn't worth it to ask people to come to an hour and a half concert just to hear me sing for five minutes. My co-worker took a recording, so if you're interested in seeing it, let me know and I will see what I can do.
The only really bad news about the week is still pretty good--the library is having a book sale today and tomorrow. Your direct logical conclusion to this should be that I bought some books, and you're absolutely right. And tomorrow they're a dollar a bag . . . ! (Puts hand in mouth to stifle glee and runs away)
Love and peace! One more week gone by.
Tonight I and four other library staff members participated in a concert at our college. We sang the Java Jive, which we have been snatching small amounts of time from our state overlords to practice over the past several weeks.
There was some struggle to come up with a name; we discussed ones like the Novel Lovers, Circulation in G, and Withdraw and Destroy (which was too metal for us). Eventually we settled on The Librettos (a libretto is the text of an opera and means "little book" in Italian . . . although I have to add that through Google I discovered the actual plural in Italian is "gli libretti." Yes, I'm a geek).
Although a libretto is probably too grandiose of an image for a bunch of librarians singing the jazzy Java Jive, it was all fun and we pulled it off surprisingly well.
The rest of the concert became progressively more and more amazing. It had Monteverdi, it had Brahms, it had us, it had a ginormous jazz band playing swinging songs, including a big band version of The Nutcracker Suite during which an alto saxophonist got up and passed out Jolly Ranchers to the audience from a Santa hat.
Before it all started I was a little resigned to be there since the original two practices had turned into five or six, and I felt like I was done. But, it turned out to be so much fun. There have probably been other singing librarians, but we had that audience snapping their fingers! Everyone did well. The evening put a smile on my face and helped me unwind after a stressful week (high workloads and term project and dentist, oh my!)
To anyone who would have wanted to be informed and/or invited, but wasn't, I do apologize. I thought it wasn't worth it to ask people to come to an hour and a half concert just to hear me sing for five minutes. My co-worker took a recording, so if you're interested in seeing it, let me know and I will see what I can do.
The only really bad news about the week is still pretty good--the library is having a book sale today and tomorrow. Your direct logical conclusion to this should be that I bought some books, and you're absolutely right. And tomorrow they're a dollar a bag . . . ! (Puts hand in mouth to stifle glee and runs away)
Love and peace! One more week gone by.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Book-sniffer . . .
. . . is apparently my new nickname.
It all started yesterday. Towards the end of the day I was knee-deep in processing work, which basically means I was putting stickers and tape on books over and over and over, until I build up a healthy thickness to the skin on my fingertips (good for playing the guitar!).
As I whisked the cover off of one new book and tossed it on the pile to be laminated, I noticed that the book released a hint of that fresh new-book-scent. Paper and vinyl.
And I lifted the book to my nose, and sniffed it. "This book smells good!" I exclaimed.
My supervisor and the systems librarian were well within earshot, and that started them on a five-minute laughing spree. "Is that the good stuff, Heather? Are you an addict?"
Fast-forward to today. I am commenting to my supervisor on how great it is to have this job, since after spending about $4,000 per month of other people's money on books, my own desire to buy books is curbed. "And," I add with a wicked grin, "of course I get to sniff all the new books when they come in."
This sets them off laughing again, and the nearby work study assistant is bewildered. While I'm trying to explain the conversation from Thursday, my supervisor chimes in with "Heather has a book fetish!"
Which of course is right when the media guy comes around the corner. He stares at me. My supervisor repeats what she said. Media guy says, "I . . . don't think I'm coming over there," shakes his head, and walks away.
When the joke has finally run its course and I've wiped the tears from my eyes, I walk by the work study on my way to see if there are any donuts left.
". . . book-sniffer!" she whispers.
I smile. Such is life in the library near the end of the week.
It all started yesterday. Towards the end of the day I was knee-deep in processing work, which basically means I was putting stickers and tape on books over and over and over, until I build up a healthy thickness to the skin on my fingertips (good for playing the guitar!).
As I whisked the cover off of one new book and tossed it on the pile to be laminated, I noticed that the book released a hint of that fresh new-book-scent. Paper and vinyl.
And I lifted the book to my nose, and sniffed it. "This book smells good!" I exclaimed.
My supervisor and the systems librarian were well within earshot, and that started them on a five-minute laughing spree. "Is that the good stuff, Heather? Are you an addict?"
Fast-forward to today. I am commenting to my supervisor on how great it is to have this job, since after spending about $4,000 per month of other people's money on books, my own desire to buy books is curbed. "And," I add with a wicked grin, "of course I get to sniff all the new books when they come in."
This sets them off laughing again, and the nearby work study assistant is bewildered. While I'm trying to explain the conversation from Thursday, my supervisor chimes in with "Heather has a book fetish!"
Which of course is right when the media guy comes around the corner. He stares at me. My supervisor repeats what she said. Media guy says, "I . . . don't think I'm coming over there," shakes his head, and walks away.
When the joke has finally run its course and I've wiped the tears from my eyes, I walk by the work study on my way to see if there are any donuts left.
". . . book-sniffer!" she whispers.
I smile. Such is life in the library near the end of the week.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Halloween
Five years ago, I graduated from the community college where I now work.
Today, I am sitting at my desk in my graduation cap and gown, maroon and silver tassle bobbing at the corner of my field of vision. Why? Because today is Halloween.
It is interesting to make a silly, fun costume out of something that was once a symbol of the hard work on which I spent two years of my life. It reminds me that school isn't everything, that when we're all old, we will look back with some amusement on all that which we once took so seriously.
Things that were important will not seem as important when day is done and we stare across the expanses of our lives. There will be pride, joy, and grief; graduations, silly costumes, and things we regret.
But for now, I'm sitting in a library in my old graduation cap and gown, happy that there are good times to look ridiculous. To not worry what other people think: that is freeing.
Happy Halloween, everybody. Eat some candy, read some H. P. Lovecraft, and have fun.
Today, I am sitting at my desk in my graduation cap and gown, maroon and silver tassle bobbing at the corner of my field of vision. Why? Because today is Halloween.
It is interesting to make a silly, fun costume out of something that was once a symbol of the hard work on which I spent two years of my life. It reminds me that school isn't everything, that when we're all old, we will look back with some amusement on all that which we once took so seriously.
Things that were important will not seem as important when day is done and we stare across the expanses of our lives. There will be pride, joy, and grief; graduations, silly costumes, and things we regret.
But for now, I'm sitting in a library in my old graduation cap and gown, happy that there are good times to look ridiculous. To not worry what other people think: that is freeing.
Happy Halloween, everybody. Eat some candy, read some H. P. Lovecraft, and have fun.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Assignments
Some of you are probably wondering how taking an online class works. Well, it involves a lot of reading and a lot of posting to online discussion boards.
And just when you are about to go nuts from doing that, there is the writing. I now have two assignments left for my Intro class, and one for my Young Adults class. One from each of those categories is due mid-December at the end of the semester.
The remaining one is due in a week. 2500 words on an issue selected from a list. Ten sources. I have selected "Information Ethics" as my issue.
I would like to write "if someone is informationally unethical, punch him or her in the face," but I don't think that would fly. And it wouldn't be very informative, anyway, not to mention ethical. Instead, I will write 2500 words about "Libraries, Privacy and the U.S. Government," because that is the issue for which the library where I work has the most books.
And we all know that in the world of college research papers, the one who finds the most books semi-related to a given topic wins.
The other assignment I just completed allowed me to write about a book that I like, then record myself pretending to be an old lady. That was much more fun. But then, I suppose that if everything were fun, we wouldn't know what fun was because we would have nothing to compare it to. Isn't that funny?
And just when you are about to go nuts from doing that, there is the writing. I now have two assignments left for my Intro class, and one for my Young Adults class. One from each of those categories is due mid-December at the end of the semester.
The remaining one is due in a week. 2500 words on an issue selected from a list. Ten sources. I have selected "Information Ethics" as my issue.
I would like to write "if someone is informationally unethical, punch him or her in the face," but I don't think that would fly. And it wouldn't be very informative, anyway, not to mention ethical. Instead, I will write 2500 words about "Libraries, Privacy and the U.S. Government," because that is the issue for which the library where I work has the most books.
And we all know that in the world of college research papers, the one who finds the most books semi-related to a given topic wins.
The other assignment I just completed allowed me to write about a book that I like, then record myself pretending to be an old lady. That was much more fun. But then, I suppose that if everything were fun, we wouldn't know what fun was because we would have nothing to compare it to. Isn't that funny?
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