Long Books and Large Cups of Tea

Neal Shusterman Book Signing

2011-05-10T00:40:00.000-07:00

Thursday, May 5, I drove all the way to Ft. Collins to meet Neal Shusterman, "The Storyman." Mr. Shusterman is the author of books such as Unwind and the Skinjacker trilogy: Everlost, Everwild, and his newest addition, Everfound. I reviewed Everlost in a blog post last year. I highly recommend the whole trilogy, and I haven't even read the third installment yet. People have said it's their favorite of the series.

The audience at the Ft. Collins Barnes and Noble was small; about 10 people including myself and a few friends. I was surprised that there wasn't a bigger turnout; but then again, I don't know why the signing wasn't in Denver. Mr. Shusterman talked about the creation of the Everlost world and read some excerpts from the new book. Finally he signed his book, and the coolest thing was that since the book only came out on May 2, our copies were limited signed editions. He had brought a "first edition" seal from the publisher, Simon & Schuster, and stamped each book with the seal. In addition he numbered the copies; I got number 89/150.

Here is a picture for people who are no longer on Facebook (but I'm not naming any names, Abbie!).

Catching up: Literary Highlights of 2011 so far

2011-05-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

As you can tell from my lack of blog posts, I've been in a slump of d0-nothingness lately. I guess my sub hours at the library have been picking up a bit in the past month, but on my days off (which are still many) I have been a slug. I sometimes venture out of the apartment to spend money, a frivolous pastime which in recent months seems to be the only thing motivating me to get out of my apartment at all. But that's another blog post. And even when I spend all day in the dark staring at my computer, I still can't seem to get anything "productive" done. Hence this apologetic and (I hope) fruitful blog post.

You'll notice that it's taken me much longer than 30 days to complete my 30-Day Blog Challenge. I've decided not to continue it at all; some of the topics would be interesting to write about, but some are a bit too challenging and require too much introspection, while some don't seem worth the time (like "What You Wore Today"). Also, the challenge doesn't seem to go along with the theme of this blog, which is books and book reviews and libraries. So, I hope you enjoyed the brief interlude about nerdiness and Luke Skywalker, but now on with the show.

I've read a lot of books since my last review in October, so I'll try to quickly highlight a few, and later in the post I'll talk about a new bit of technology I've acquired (HINT: it's a Nook).

1. The Jack of Fables series by Bill Willingham.
I read through most of this series earlier this year. The series is a spin-off of the popular Fables graphic novels (and comic books) which I love and still read. It follows the adventures of Jack of Tales, who appeared in earlier volumes of Fables. Jack is a roguish, charismatic, selfish, egotistic, and let's face it, not-so-likable fellow who is always scheming for ways to make him filthy rich and get lots of sex. His adventures lead him to the Golden Boughs Retirement Village, run by the mysterious Mr. Revise and the sexy Page sisters, all "librarians." The Golden Boughs is actually a prison for lost and runaway Fables, and Jack and a few friends eventually escape and have many more adventures. Overall this series doesn't draw me in like the original Fables, nor do I like the art as much. Jack is an interesting protagonist and maybe even an anti-hero, but is certainly not anyone you cheer on or feel empathy for. In fact, the main reason I continued to read this series is that there's a Fables and Jack crossover book which wouldn't have made sense otherwise.

2. When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present by Gail Collins.
As the title mentions, amazing. Simply amazing. The title is pretty self-explanatory. The book discusses the sexism and challenges that women have had to face in the 20th and 21st centuries. I still can't believe that only 50 years ago we were practically living in the dark ages of gender equality, and that women weren't allowed to have meaningful jobs (or at least get paid the same for them) or wear pants in a courtroom. I knew all this, of course, but it was still eye-opening to read detailed personal accounts of these women. What shocked me the most was that during the Civil Rights movement, the African American men who were supposedly all about equality still treated women as second-class citizens. Talk about a double standard! This book is a must-read for pretty much every person on the planet. Not just women.

3. The Gates by John Connolly.
I enjoyed Connolly's other fantasy book (The Book of Lost Things) so much that I tore through this one. And I wasn't disappointed. This book perfectly blended fantasy and sci-fi in a very interesting way. The young protagonist Samuel and his dachshund discover that their neighbors are trying to bring forth Satan himself in their basement, and soon various hideous demons are inhabiting the neighbors' bodies. The Large Hadron Collider also plays a part in bringing Satan (or The Great Malevolence, as he's called here) to the world. It's up to Samuel, his dog, and a laughably pathetic and likable demon named Nurd to stop the Gates of Hell from being opened and demons being unleashed upon the earth. This book had too many laugh-out-loud moments to count. Like The Book of Lost Things, it blended humor and whimsy with some very dark moments. But this was much more lighthearted and comical than the former book.

4. Shiver and Linger by Maggie Stiefvater.
Think Twilight, but more intelligent and only for Team Jacob girls. Once upon a time there was a girl who was practically killed by wolves in her backyard. But she showed no resistance or fear, and as she gazed into the eyes of one of the wolves, she felt an instant connection to it. Later, as a teenager, Grace still watches "her" wolf in the woods and longs to be a member of his pack. But who would guess that her wolf was actually the shy boy Sam who worked in the bookstore every summer? As Grace learns the truth about werewolves and grows closer to Sam, their lives become inextricably linked. She discovers that werewolves are creatures more of science than of fantasy, and that they are human in the summer but become wolves when cold weather hits. And she learns the worst truth of all: that her time with Sam is limited, and not only to the summers. This is an amazing love story interspersed with poetry and interesting theories about werewolves. Linger is the second in the series, and while it was predictable and not quite as enjoyable as the first, I nonetheless devoured it. The third book, Forever, is set to come out this summer.

5. Across the Universe by Beth Revis.
Another great YA sci-fi book. Not far in the future, Amy has decided to be cryogenically frozen with her parents on a spaceship set to arrive on a new planet in 300 years. But when she wakes up, she discovers that she still has 50 years to go, she is still on the spaceship, and humanity as she knows it has changed quite a bit. The ship is run by "Eldest," a wise and benevolent leader to most, and his apprentice "Elder." Elder is Amy's age and is not quite ready for the responsibility of running a ship. As Amy tries to get used to life aboard the Godspeed, where people mate in the indoor fields like animals and artistic, creative people are branded insane, she also discovers a mystery: someone has been trying to kill the other frozen people in the cryo chamber! I not only love utopian/dystopian books, I love books like this that bring up moral and ethical debates and ambiguities. This is perhaps the best book I've read so far this year.

6. Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein.
A non-fiction book about the influence of Disney Princesses, social media, and marketing on today's girls. Does the emphasis of girliness and femininity and the color pink empower our daughters or does it make them vapid, feeling that their self-worth is intertwined with their looks? Are toys and the media sexualizing girls too early? This book discusses all that and more. The author presents a surprisingly balanced debate on all things girly, even touchy subjects such as child beauty pageants. All women will enjoy this book, but for mothers of young girls this is a must-read (not that I would know anything about that).

7. Matched by Allie Condie.
This book echoes many utopian/dystopian books from the past, namely The Giver, Uglies, and The Hunger Games. In fact, so many elements were so similar that I was almost annoyed by it. Almost. But otherwise the book was well-written and interesting. In The Society (yes, that's the name) everyone is "matched" on their 18th birthdays to the person they are most likely to be happy and productive with (and most importantly, produce the most perfect offspring with). It's basically an arranged marriage with someone from another town. So when Cassia is matched to her best friend and neighbor Xander (points for a Buffy name!) she is surprised but happy. Until she views the video that's supposed to introduce her to her new Match. For a split second, she sees the face of another boy: Ky, the aberration. Ky is a quiet boy who was adopted by his aunt and uncle. He is labeled an aberration because of crimes his parents committed outside The Society. This, and another surprising discovery concerning her grandfather and a scrap of poetry, lead her to questioning The Society and their ways. So in the end I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and so many of the ideas were original that I could ignore the ideas that weren't.

8. The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner.
A travelogue in which the author travels to some of the happiest (and one of the unhappiest) countries on earth. I enjoyed this more as a travelogue than as a guide to happiness, which is how it's meant to be enjoyed. Nonetheless I took away some philosophies about the nature of happiness as well. Some nuggets of happiness wisdom: Don't think too much. Accept death. Accept failure. Have a strong sense of community. Wealth doesn't equal happiness. Allow yourself to be happy here and now, instead of reserving happiness for some future date or event. Eric Weiner is a self-professed grouch, and I related to his self-deprecating sense of humor. I also enjoyed reading about countries I knew little about, such as Bhutan and Moldova.

Now I'm tired of writing and thinking, so I'm going to write a separate post about my new Nook another time. If anybody cares about the other books I've read this year, check out these links:

Books Read in 2011
Whitney's GoodReads profile

Day 02: Your First Love

2011-02-17T23:18:00.000-08:00

I was 13. He was 20. The age gap was substantial, but I didn't care. In the darkened room, I had eyes for nothing but him: his blondish-brown feathery hair, his dreamy blue eyes, his dusty white tunic. The way he gazed off into the twin suns of Tatooine...

I've lost you, haven't I? I was in a theater, watching the special edition of Star Wars: A New Hope. And I had just fallen hopelessly in love with Luke Skywalker. You probably think I'm being satirical, or exaggerating a junior high crush for comic effect. I'm not. Luke Skywalker was, and always will be, my first true love. This love only deepened as I saw Episodes V and VI and watched Luke mature and grow into a powerful young Jedi. He was so good, so pure. The ideal, really. No living man could possibly be as perfect. Certainly no junior high boy.

So my obsession with Luke, and Star Wars, began. I bought action figures, read all the Star Wars novels, and when the movies came out on VHS, I watched them over and over. I'll never forget how I lusted after a cardboard cutout of Luke that I saw in Suncoast, the movie store in the mall. It was 10th grade, and I had just come home from a football game. Standing in the kitchen was Luke himself, in all his cardboard-y glory. I screamed and thanked my generous but nonplussed mom. This cutout still resides in my room at home, although I think my mom keeps him in the closet now. The area around his mouth is faded from me kissing it too much.

I had never had a boyfriend, and never would until I was 24 years old. Junior high and high school were horrible, awkward times in my life, and I often told myself that if I just had a boyfriend, everything would be better. I'd instantly become more popular and my zits would disappear and I'd lose weight and become prettier and less of a crybaby. Sadly, I went through my youth ugly and boyfriendless (actually, it's not that sad, because pretty much all of the guys I knew at that time were total jerks and losers). But Luke Skywalker gave me something to fantasize about, a way to escape from the trials of adolescence. That's not to say I didn't have crushes on various boys in my classes, but they were nothing compared to Luke. They were just boys; Luke was a man. It's worth noting that I have always had such eclectic taste in my celebrity crushes; while other girls sighed over Matt Damon or Johnny Depp, I have pined over Luke Skywalker, Data from Star Trek, Neil Patrick Harris, and the guy who played Joe on Blue's Clues.

I latched onto Luke Skywalker and told myself that the real man I eventually ended up with would be just as perfect, if not better. If such a man even existed. I waited throughout college for this man, and finally, in grad school, someone came along. Someone who was rated an 11 on the 10-point Luke Skywalker Scale of Perfection™. He was John, and he would become my fiance. And that is a story for another blog post.

Do I still think about Luke Skywalker? Sure, when I watch Star Wars. Occasionally I'll catch a glimpse of his face on a book cover or a website, and I'll smile wistfully and remember what it was like when he was my world, when I desired nothing more than for him to be real, for him to whisk me away to the Jedi Temple on Yavin 4 and teach me the ways of the Force. You can insert suggestive quotation marks there if you want. But he helped me get through some tough years, and there will always be a little piece of my heart that belongs only to Luke Skywalker.

Day 01: Introducing Yourself

2011-02-10T11:30:00.001-08:00

Since most adults seem to identify themselves through their professions , I'll start with that: I'm a librarian. Well, sort of. My current title is "Substitute Reference Librarian," my first professional position. Even though I do work at the reference desk and the patrons and all my co-workers treat me with the same deference as any other librarian, I still sort of feel like I'm not really a librarian. I don't think I'll feel that way until I get a full-time job as a librarian, which may not happen for a long, long time, if ever. Even though I've only had this position for less than a year, I've had my MLIS degree for 3 years. In that time I've been struggling to find a librarian job. At this point in my life I feel like it will never happen. I'm even considering going back to school in the fall, getting another career, maybe starting over. Part of me thinks that would be smart, having a back-up career. Part of me thinks it's a huge betrayal, because I want to be a librarian so badly. To me, "librarian" is more than a career. It's who I am; it's my love of books, it's my nerdiness, it's even my cliched plastic glasses.

I just mentioned my other big personality trait. I'm a nerd. Not just a bit of a nerd. A huge one. The kind of annoying nerd who is proud to be a nerd, and has no hesitation showing it. To prove my point, here are a few pictures of myself:

I suppose I've always been a nerd at heart, but the real transformation began in 8th grade, when my dad took me to see the special edition Star Wars trilogy in the theater. I've never been quite the same since. In addition to Star Wars, I love Buffy, Harry Potter, Firefly, dressing up in costumes, going to Renaissance festivals, reading YA literature, reading any kind of literature, graphic novels, comic books, Disney movies, tabletop RPGs, video games, and other nerds. The other big thing about me is that I tend to define myself through things that I like, mostly movies and tv shows, instead of real-world things like family and friends and whether or not I'm a dog or cat person (I like both, but I do live with one cat). I suppose most people are like that to a point, but with me it's much more transparent. However, like ogres and onions, I do have at least a few more layers.

I'm a vegetarian. Have been for more than 7 years. For ethical reasons, and not really for my health. In fact, I weigh more now than I did right before I stopped eating meat. I'm not saying that being a vegetarian isn't healthy; I firmly believe that eating meat causes many problems, and that a plant-based diet is the best thing for everyone and the planet. I'm just saying that I don't do it right. I snack too much; I eat too many chips and cookies and too much candy, processed food and salt. God, I love salt. I have seriously considered installing a salt-lick in my apartment. I sometimes nibble on vegan "beef" bouillon cubes. Sick, I know.

Speaking of sick, I'm also a hypochondriac. Well, more of a chronic worrier, but I suppose it's all the same thing. I worry constantly that the weird headache is a sure sign of a brain aneurysm, or that the lump in my neck is thyroid cancer. Unfortunately there isn't really a cure for hypochondria, except maybe therapy and drugs, neither of which I can afford right now. So I guess the worry will just slowly eat me up, causing all sorts of real symptoms but imaginary diseases, until one day I die of anxiety or a stress-related heart attack.

I'm also a little morbid.

On a happier note, I'm also engaged to/live with the most perfect person in the world for me. John was once just a fantasy (we knew each other online for a long time before we met in person) and although I admit I was a bit obsessed with the idea of him being my soul mate, he eventually realized the same thing, and we've been together ever since. John is just as nerdy as I am, if not nerdier. He likes most of the same things I do, and he's also a science geek. He's incredibly patient with me when I have anxiety attacks, or hypochondriac episodes, or just start to act generally crazy. I honestly don't know how he puts up with me sometimes, which is what makes him so special. I couldn't be luckier. And, since I KNOW you're asking yourself, "When are they going to get married?" I have no idea. The main feature of our wedding will ideally be a honeymoon to Fiji, but we're just too poor to afford that right now. So when we get our job act together, I'll let you know.

I could let you in on more of the inner workings of me, but I'm afraid that 1. This post has gone on too long already, and 2. I would frighten you away. I'm really a nice person, once you get to know me. You just have to accept all my quirks and weirdness first. See you tomorrow.

30 Day Blog Challenge

2011-02-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

The following posts are going to be uncharacteristic of this blog. This blog has gone through a few transitions: when I first created it, it was an assignment for one of my MLIS classes. I wrote posts about homework and projects and other web-design related things. After that class ended, I ignored it for awhile, but then picked it up again to write about my experiences job-hunting and living in the library world. Lately, talking about job stuff has been too depressing (re: I can't get one), so I turned it into a book review blog. You'll notice I've been lax on that lately as well, although I've read several really good books recently.

But back to my original sentence. I guess there's this thing called the 30 day blog challenge floating around? Each day you blog about yourself with a different topic, and since there's nothing I love more than talking or writing about myself, I'm going to give it a go. Thanks for the idea, CM. Here is the lineup for the next 30 days:

Day 01 Introduce Yourself
Day 02 Your first love
Day 03 Your Parents
Day 04 What you ate today
Day 05 Your definition of love
Day 06 Your Day
Day 07 Your best friend
Day 08 A moment
Day 09 Your beliefs
Day 10 What you wore today
Day 11 Your Siblings
Day 12 What's in your bag
Day 13 This week
Day 14 What you wore today
Day 15 Your dreams
Day 16 Your first kiss
Day 17 Your favorite memory
Day 18 Your favorite birthday
Day 19 Something you regret
Day 20 This month
Day 21 Another moment
Day 22 Something that upsets you
Day 23 Something that makes you feel better
Day 24 Something that makes you cry
Day 25 A first
Day 26 Your fears
Day 27 Your favorite place
Day 28 Something that you miss
Day 29 Your aspirations
Day 30 One last moment

Sometime today I will attempt the first official post. And I promise that I will try to slip in a few book reviews in the next month as well.

Two More Playaways

2010-10-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

After my not-so-satisfying introduction to Playaways awhile back, I decided to give them another chance. The reviews of these audiobooks are belated because I recently ran out of unemployment benefits, and have been frantically looking for jobs. More on that later. Now, the reviews:

1. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly.
Wonderful book, fantastic narration. A perfect combination. Remember how I said Tim Curry was a great narrator? Steven Crossley, the narrator for this book, is a hundred times better. He was ideal for reading a dark fairy tale such as this. And he does dozens of distinct voices. AND he had a well-written book to work with. The Book of Lost Things is about a boy named David, whose mother died and who is now having to adjust to life with his new stepmother and baby stepbrother. He lives in the midst of WWII, and when a German bomber crash-lands into his house, he escapes into another world through a crack in the garden wall, not only driven away by the wreckage, but lured into the crack by a mysterious "twisted man" and the faint cries of his dead mother. In this new world, he encounters many people and elements that seem oddly familiar to him. He comes across a gruff but kindly woodcutter, some communist dwarves, a knight on a quest, and many horrible monsters, the scariest of which may be the Loup, a pack of werewolf-like creatures out for blood. David continues to search for his mother while avoiding the crooked man's traps.

This is definitely a book for adults, as it is extremely dark and gruesome. (Especially the part where David meets a huntress who creates horrid hybrids of animals and children and then hunts them for sport and meat.) But it's deliciously so, and reminds you of what real fairy tales were like before Disney came along. I highly recommend the audiobook version of this, as the narrator truly brings this story to life.

2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon.
This book blends a lot of genres. I'm still not sure which category it fits best in. On the surface it seems like a mystery. But it's really more of a character study, almost like a fictional memoir. Another notable thing about this book is that I've seen it cataloged in different sections of different libraries...sometimes in the YA section, sometimes in the adult section. I personally think it is perfectly suitable for teens, although it works in either section. It's about an autistic British teen (his specialty is math, or as they say in England, "maths") who discovers that his neighbor's dog has been killed with a garden fork. Because he loved the dog, and Sherlock Holmes, Christopher takes it upon himself to discover the killer. He is also writing a book about his life and the murder (the very book we are reading) for a school project. On the way we learn as much about Christopher as we do about the mystery. It is very fascinating to read about autistic people, and even more fascinating to read about it from a first-person perspective. Mark Haddon does this very well, with frankness and without sentimentality. Christopher is not always an easy character to like, but nonetheless, I saw parts of myself in him. Christopher has certain OCD tendencies (he likes to count cars in the morning before school, and if he sees a certain number of cars of a certain color, he knows it will be a good day or a "black" day). He is a misanthrope and hates to be touched or hugged. He doesn't like to make eye contact. But he is a genius, at least when it comes to maths, and plans on attending University someday. And he's good at "detective work," although he lacks the social skills to see the clues that involve his own family.

I really enjoyed this book, and the Playaway version as well. Since it was a short book, it didn't take too long to listen to it (although again, longer than it would've taken to read it). The narrator (Jeff Woodman) is British, and sounded a lot like the narrator of The Book of Lost Things. He voiced the 15-year-old well, and did different voices for the other characters. In this case, listening to the audiobook might have been better than actually reading it; it really felt as though Christopher himself were narrating his story for me.

So, my opinion of audiobooks was raised a slight notch again after listening to these two books. Have I listened to any Playaways since? No. But I will not be so opposed to the idea in the future.

Not-So-Rewarding Award Winners

2010-08-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

So the other day I tried to read Savvy by Ingrid Law. I was prompted to do so by:
1. The recent release of its companion book, Scumble
2. The fact that it was a Newbery Honor book in 2009, and
3. A good review by a co-worker.

I could not finish the book. More than that, I could not read more than a few chapters. I just wasn't that interested. The premise of the book sounded cool enough: there's a huge family, and all the members get a special power when they turn 13. The grandfather can literally move the earth, the mother makes everything perfect, one of the sons can generate electricity, etc. I was thinking this book would be more about a "superhero" family, but it's more boring than that. I don't think anyone in the family does anything particularly heroic (but I didn't get too far, so I'm not sure).

The thing that bugged me about the book was the way the main character Mib (just shy of 13) talks. She talks in a folksy, down-to-earth backwoods kind of way, the kind of voice you only hear in tall tales or very old southern books. Who talks that way anymore? [When I can find a copy again, I'll insert some annoying quotes here.] I know it's sort of a fantasy books, so the characters can speak any way they want, but I can't imagine the average 13-year-old talking that way.

And okay, so maybe I didn't give this book enough of a chance, since I only read 3 chapters. But I figure that I've got too many books piling up on my "to read" list, I don't have to waste time reading ones I don't like. I used to feel morally obligated, as a book lover and future librarian, to finish every book I started, but I'm slowly getting out of that habit.

A year or so ago I made it my goal to read every Newbery and Caldecott winner. I made it through all the Caldecotts, but didn't finish the Newbery list. And that's because well, frankly, not all of them are so great. Especially those written before the 1970s. Here are the books I had trouble finishing and/or didn't like

-The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron (an easy read, but unremarkable)
-A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (too southern)
-Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (too depressing, too southern)
-The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (just couldn't get into it)
-Missing May by Cynthia Rylant (too sad)
-Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (too non-fictiony)
-The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (too long, too wordy)
-A Visit to William Blake's Inn by Nancy Willard (too abstract for young readers)
-And, again, anything that written in the 70s or earlier (just plain too old). With the exception of A Wrinkle in Time.

Of course, there have been plenty of Newbery Award winners I've liked. These likes and dislikes are just personal preferences; I'm sure that all the award winners (the recent ones at least) have some literary merit, or they wouldn't have been chosen. But I also think that it's all subjective anyway. There are criteria (Terms and Criteria) but that doesn't mean that all the books are going to be mind-blowingly good and all kids are going to like them.

I try to read as objectively as I can, for the sake of professional development and my career as a librarian. But there are just some books I can't make myself finish.

Books on Death, Dying, and the Afterlife

2010-07-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

Recently I've read two Young Adult books on death and dying. One is much more fanciful, and deals with a possible afterlife for kids who get lost on their way to eternity. The other book is trippier still, but has a more serious undertone and deals with a teen's "imaginary" journey to save himself from his disease.
The latter book is "Going Bovine" by Libba Bray, and is the 2010 winner of the Printz award. The main character is Cameron, a teen who smokes a lot of pot, listens to weird music and is a perfect foil for his preppy, cheerleader twin sister. Cameron is trying to survive high school when suddenly he starts having hallucinations of angels, feathers, and fire giants. While at first his parents think he is crazy, the doctors eventually diagnose him with "mad cow disease." In the hospital, he hangs out with fellow high-schooler and dwarf Gonzo, and gets to know his new guardian angel, a punk rocker named Dulcie. Dulcie charges him with a crazy mission that, if successful, will not only cure him of mad cow disease but save the earth as well. The rest of the book concerns the roadtrip that Cameron and Gonzo take and the various hijinks they get into, including meeting a talking yard gnome/Norse god, staying in a cult that worships happiness and vanilla smoothies, and possibly losing their virginity. This book is part hilarious, part inevitably sad, and all truthful. Moral: reality is what you make of it.
The second book I read was "Everlost" by Neal Shusterman. If "Going Bovine" was a surreal adventure, "Everlost" is more of a fantasy. Two teens, Nick and Allie, are total strangers until their respective cars crash into each other and they both die. Both are whizzing through a tunnel and see a light at the end, but somehow veer off course and land in Everlost. Everlost is a world where there are more kids like them, kids who didn't quite make it to "wherever they're going." In Everlost, you can sink into the center of the earth unless you find a "dead spot," a place where someone died or something was well-loved. In Everlost, certain memorable buildings or objects live eternally, such as the Twin Towers and the Hindenburg. And even in Everlost, there are monsters, such as The McGill and The Sky Witch. Nick and Allie make their way to Manhattan, where they meet Mary Hightower, a motherly girl who cares for lost children. Nick is ready to stay with Mary forever, but Allie suspects there must be something more to this world, and leaves to learn the forbidden art of haunting. As Allie learns to "skinjack," that is, possessing a living person, she gets involved in a chain of events that lead to the high seas, the McGill, and learning that everyone is not as they seem. This book was simply amazing, had incredible depth of character, and enough cliffhangers to keep you up reading all night. I just started the second in the trilogy, "Everwild," and will be eagerly awaiting the publishing of the third book.

DVD Review: The Hollywood Librarian

2010-06-06T01:26:00.000-07:00

This movie is a documentary about librarianship, and I would've really enjoyed it if not for the misleading title. I was expecting, as the title claimed, loads of clips of movie/TV librarians, perhaps interspersed with commentary about the stereotypes of the characters. Instead, I got an informational look at real librarians (well, it would've been informational for someone not in the field) and the challenges they face, interspersed with often-unrelated clips from movies.

The content was interesting, but the film seemed to have no direction, no organization (how ironic!). I guess the point of the movie was to show what librarians actually do, as opposed to the media view of librarians. It would be good for a potential library school student who wants to know what the field is all about. For me, however, I was disappointed that they didn't focus more on the movies.

Plus, they didn't even mention my two favorite fictional librarians, Giles (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Forney (from Where the Heart Is).

Picture Book: Photographer Mole

2010-06-06T01:04:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing I love in a children's picture book, it's animals wearing Victorian clothing. I saw this in the library and just had to check it out. The story is cute, too. Mole is a wonderful photographer, but something is missing from his pictures - and his life. Find out why Mole is a sad mole! Bonus: Mole wearing a boater hat.

Review: Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu

2010-06-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen that BBC TV show "How Clean is Your House?" Where the two British ladies go around to the filthiest houses imaginable and clean everything up? This YA book reminded me a lot of that show. Only sadly Lucy, the protagonist, doesn't have two charming yet stern TV hosts showing up to help her sort out her messy house and life. There's only her and her mother, who is a "hoarder." A hoarder is someone who never throws anything away, someone who thinks of worthless junk as "treasures" and has trouble parting with anything. Lucy's mother keeps things like quilting supplies, which doesn't seem too bad, until you realize that she also keeps plastic containers and ceiling-high piles of newspapers. There is a lifetime supply of junk in the house that covers the windows, clutters the beds and fills the hallways so you have to squeeze to get through. Worse than cluttered, the house is also disgusting. Mildew and mold covers every surface, and the kitchen smells like food that's been rotten for years.

That's one reason that made this book hard to read, yet fascinating at the same time. Most of us live with clutter at one time or another, but this is another world entirely. You wonder how people can really live like this; yet, they do. (The author researched this book with the help of the Children of Hoarders org.) Another horrible, yet riveting facet to this book was the character of Lucy's mother. She was once a normal, kind person, but Lucy doesn't know that mother. The mother she knows yells if Lucy tries to clean up her room or get rid of her "treasures," but then turns around and yells at Lucy for not helping around the house. As a result, Lucy is detached from her mother, and that's what makes the later conflict a little easier to bear for her. I'm not telling what happens, but it's pretty sick.

I recommend this book if you can stomach reading about disgusting things. It isn't all disgusting, though...it's also touching and sad, as you read about Lucy struggling to have a normal life with a best friend and possible love interest. The ending was a bit too tidy, but the conflict had the happiest possible solution given the circumstances.

On Audiobooks and Playaways

2010-05-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

I have never been a fan of audiobooks. I guess as a kid, they were okay; I did like listening to my Rabbit Ears tapes of Paul Bunyon and Pecos Bill, and I always enjoyed hearing The Polar Express read by William Hurt. But these tapes were short and sweet and I always followed along in the accompanying book.

As an adult, I find audiobooks for the most part tedious. I can read a book much more quickly than I can listen to it (it could take up to 20 hours to finish an audiobook). If I need to go back to earlier in the book and reference something, it's easy to flip through pages but much harder to find a specific section on an audiobook. While I can read a book pretty much anytime or anywhere, I could only listen to an audiobook while I'm driving, and that presents problems too. I'm usually concentrating too much on driving to pay attention to the story, and then I miss huge chunks of it (something that could never happen while reading). Alternately, if I try to concentrate too much on the story, I don't pay enough attention to driving, which could be dangerous or at least inconvenient. (I once tried to listen to an audiobook driving from Springdale to Tulsa and ended up missing my exit.)

Recently I decided to give audiobooks a try again. This decision came about because of my recent acquisition of my job in Douglas County, and the long drives thereunto. My first idea was to download free lectures from iTunes U and record them onto CD. Most of the lectures were interesting enough to keep my attention. I also listened to Leave it to Jeeves by P.D. Wodehouse with much success. (This was due in part to the excellent vocalizations of the narrator, which I will discuss more later, and also to the charming genius of Wodehouse.) It was also short, only an hour long. I decided to go further.

I checked out a Playaway. Although Playaways have been around since 2005, they are a new technology to me. None of my former libraries had carried them. In case you're unfamiliar, Playaways are little self-contained audiobooks containing a single book. They're compact and you can either plug your headphones into them, or use them with a car adapter. I employed the latter method for Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean, narrated by Tim Curry. This is the first "official" sequel to the original.

I have mixed feelings on the novel and the audiobook. Tim Curry was a brilliant narrator, giving nothing less than a heartfelt dramatic performance and doing all the voices of all the characters. I especially loved his Captain Hook. It was his narration that kept me listening to the audiobook, even after I had lost interest in the story. The book started out charmingly enough, with the Lost Boys and Wendy and John all grown up and dreaming of Neverland, and then trying to figure out how to become children again. But after the first few chapters, the story got...well, muddled. A bunch of random things happened and sometimes the author never explained why. Why, for instance, was Tootles (a Lost Boy) suddenly a little girl? A lot of things in the story didn't make sense, were too vague, or took too long to resolve. Of course, part of the reason I lost interest was that my attention was divided between driving and listening (and thinking about other things). But I also think the book itself was confusing and unsatisfying. If you want to read a sequel (or rather a respectful parody) to Peter Pan, read Tigerheart by Peter David.

My second experience with Playaways was with the book Going Bovine, this year's Printz Award winner by Libba Bray. I could tell that I was going to like the book, but I turned it off after the first chapter because of the narrator. Erik Davies read the book in a boring monotone, and was obviously too middle-aged to pull off reading as a 1st person teenager. I firmly believe that if a book is for young adults, and especially if the book's narrator is a young adult, that the audiobook narrator should be a teen as well. It's just too incredulous to hear an older man saying "WTF." This proves that the narrator for an audiobook can make or break its success.

Specific problems with the format of Playaways:
-You can seen how much time is left in a chapter, but you have no idea how many chapters are left, or what the total time left is. For some reason that's important to me.
-When you turn off a Playaway and come back to it later, the volume resets to default. This annoyed me, having to turn up the volume again every time I turned on the Playaway.

I still really like the technology of Playaways, even if I dislike listening to them. And I like the idea of audiobooks, although they're not for me. It would be great to have the attention span to listen to them in the car and get more "reading" done. For now, I'll go back to music...until that gets too boring.

Training

2010-05-07T23:47:00.000-07:00

Today I completed my training at Douglas County Libraries. I've "worked" 5 days so far, although none of those days involved actually doing my job. I had new employee orientation a few weeks ago; then there was the short training session involving all the subs, in which I learned how to check employee e-mail, fill out my time card online and access the staff website. Finally, 3 days this week I had one-on-one training at Highlands Ranch. This mostly involved learning how to use the Horizon circulation system: setting up patron accounts, giving them library cards, checking in and out materials (my trainer informed me I wouldn't be doing much of this, but it's good to know) and most importantly, searching. Everything was pretty much intuitive, but I had to learn how to navigate around Horizon. It's somewhat different than Millennium, which I've used in my last two jobs. Some things were a little frustrating but overall Horizon has some cool features.

I actually had a lot of fun during my training, in a quiet nerdy way. It was interesting to feel my way around a new computer program, and the searching bit of the training was cool. (You probably know that quote that goes "Most people like to find. Only librarians like to search.") And there were little open-book quizzes every day, which I also found fun (yeah, I know I'm a dork). And which I aced, of course.

I really like the training system they've set up at DCL. It's pretty extensive, and the one-on-one time gives you the chance to ask a lot of questions and get feedback. Although I know I'll still be a little nervous when I actually start working, at least I know I won't be facing the public totally blind. So many jobs just throw you into the work immediately and you're left to fend for yourself or rely on your co-workers for training. Which, you know, co-workers are good for guidance, but it's nice to have something more formal. And handouts. Handouts are good.

So Monday I have my 4-hour shadowing at Castle Rock; basically I'll get a library tour and follow another librarian around. Then I can actually pick up some shifts! I already have a few scheduled for this month; hopefully I'll get more soon.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson signing and review

2010-04-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

This is very belated, but I wanted to share my experience of meeting authors John Green and David Levithan earlier this month and having their collaborative book signed. They are both YA authors, and John Green is one of my favorite people (being not only a brilliant, award-winning author but also the co-founder of Brotherhood 2.0/Vlogbrothers and Nerdfighteria).

I had been saying for a long time that either John or Hank (or both!) should visit Colorado on one of their tours. They never did, for some reason, and it wasn't until I found out about John's new book Will Grayson, Will Grayson that I discovered the book tour was taking him to Boulder. I was so excited I almost wet my pants. The sheer awesomeness of the mere thought of meeting John Green blew my mind. I had watched his and Hank's videos on youtube almost since their genesis, and had read all of John's books. This was going to be a book signing unlike any other.

So on the night of April 8th, just a week before my birthday, John (my fiance) and I went to the Boulder Book Store and arrived more than an hour early. Good thing, too, because there was already a line of devoted fans and Nerdfighters forming on the stairs. There were teens and adults alike, many of them sporting nerdy shirts (that night I rocked my Sunnydale High School shirt and John wore a Firefly shirt). Finally we were able to take our seats in the small open area on the 2nd floor. There were only seats for about 30 or so people, so we were lucky. Everyone else had to stand. I love the Boulder Book Store, but they really need a better room for author signings.

We waited awhile, John went to get a snack, and then I heard John Green's unmistakable voice somewhere behind me. I strained to get a glimpse but he was hiding behind the stacks. Eventually, though, he did come out with David Levithan to set up his computer for the live Internet stream. Everyone watched them as if it were the most fascinating activity (I even snapped a few pictures of them messing around with the laptop). And then the talk began.

John and David talked briefly about the writing of the book, which is basically about two teens named Will Grayson who have separate lives until they meet in a crazy random happenstance in the middle of the book. Then, with the help of a volunteer in the audience, they acted out dramatic scenes from two chapters. Finally they took questions, and my John was brave enough to ask them how they managed to collaborate on a book without stepping on each others' toes. Throughout the talk the audience was laughing most of the time; the two authors were hilarious.

And then came the best part! We stood in line according to the numbers we received earlier to have our books signed (again, we were lucky and had numbers 13 and 14). I had no idea what to say to John Green...I always have a hard time coming up with things to say to famous people that don't involve "OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU" or drooling. Finally I came up with a dumb story involving a boy in college who had the same exact name as mine. When it was my turn, after the mandatory praise of their books and their existence, I told the story and they were politely interested. David said it would be cool if their book had involved two different genders with the same name. John had a copy of Looking for Alaska signed, and then we waited. We waited until the line had dissipated so that we could have our picture taken with John and David:

John, John and I are doing the Nerdfighter move, while David pretends he doesn't know what's going on.

And that was it, the best author signing I've ever been to.

I read the book in a few days and thoroughly enjoyed it. As I said earlier, it involves two guys both named Will Grayson who lead very different lives until they intersect in the middle of the book. John and David write alternating chapters, each controlling a different Will. The book is pretty much a giant X, the center of the X being where the characters meet. John's Will is a fairly easy-going guy with a huge, gay best friend named Tiny Cooper. Tiny Cooper is putting on a musical called "Tiny Dancer" at his school, while Will deals with Tiny's ever-changing love life. The conflict here is mostly centered around Will and his confusing relationship with Tiny's ecletic friend Jane.

David's Will is much darker. This Will hates the world and most of the people in it; the only exceptions are his annoying goth friend Maura, who pretends to understand him, and his mother, whom he pities because she tries too hard. Will is also gay, but no one knows (although Maura suspects). He has a beautifully written online relationship with a guy named Isaac, and the IM messages between them are a touching contrast to Will's hardened exterior.

The two plots merge when this Will decides to finally meet his boyfriend Isaac in downtown Chicago. What a surprise, when the place he's supposed to meet ends up being a porn store! The other Will happens to be in the same porn store, for a much crazier reason, and the second half of the book begins. David's Will finds out that Isaac is not who he thought he was, and John's Will goes on to deal with love and friendship, and wonders if he has the strength to deal at all.

It was so interesting to see two different authors' styles side by side in this book; John's more casual, yet intellectual, and David's more angsty, written entirely in lower case. Despite the differences, it didn't seem like I was reading two separate books or stories. They complemented each other very well and the result was was an enjoyable read.

Read this book for Tiny Cooper alone: he is perhaps the most fabulous, flamboyantly lovable character ever.

Breaking News

2010-04-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

We interrupt this 2-part blog post (I know, I know, the second part's been a long time coming) to bring you an important news bulletin:

I got a job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Do you think I used enough exclamation points there? I think I need a few more.) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, before you get more details, I'll go ahead and finish my earlier thoughts on unemployment, because now it doesn't seem important enough to get its own post. Here is a list of all the job interviews I've had since I've become unemployed:

-Library Shelving Aide - Boulder Public Library
-Librarian I - Longmont Public Library
-Reference Librarian - Forbush Memorial Library, Westminster, MA (phone only)
-Temporary Call Center Librarian - Douglas County Libraries
-Hourly Substitute - Poudre River Library District
-Substitute Librarian - Douglas County Libraries

And the last job is the one I got! I received the call today when I was walking, as luck would have it, to the Westminster Library. I'll be called in sometime next week to fill out paperwork, and then begin training. The way I understand it, the substitute job works like this: we'll be e-mailed a month ahead of time and will get to pick out the days we want to work on a first respond, first serve basis. So the hours will vary. This job by itself wouldn't be enough to pay the rent, but fortunately, I'll still be getting unemployment benefits to cover the gap for awhile.

But I don't care about the money. Not really. What I care about is that I am finally going to be a professional! I can finally say that I am a librarian! I've been thinking of myself as a librarian since I started grad school, but now it's official. It's my title. I used to tell people I was a librarian out of simplicity (it's easier than saying I'm a library assistant with an MLS), but now I won't have to feel guilty for doing that. Because it'll be true. I can't believe that I'm finally getting to put my degree, and my love and passion for libraries, to good use!

Unemployment, Part I: Pros and Cons

2010-03-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the absence of blog posts lately. It's not that I haven't had all the free time in the world; it's just that I'm lazy and I've never been able to use free time wisely. But every once in awhile I get the urge to write, and from that urge comes this two-part episode on my adventures in unemployment land. This first part will cover the positive and negative aspects of being unemployed (yes, there are some pros).

UNEMPLOYMENT PROS

1. I get to keep my own schedule (such as it is). I can sleep as late as I want and go to bed when I feel like it. I have almost no obligations, so for awhile at the beginning I adapted to the "John schedule," staying up until 5 or 6 am and sleeping until 3 pm. We've both somehow gotten back to a more diurnal sleeping pattern lately, but I really enjoy not having to set my alarm in the mornings.

2. All the free time. Now, if I were an extremely motivated person, I would put the free time to use and do all sorts of constructive things...volunteer, do art projects, write a novel, become a concert pianist. As it is, I am the opposite of extremely motivated and I mostly sit at my computer all day. I do get to the gym more often now, and I watch more DVDs than I used to. And since John is also unemployed, I get to spend a lot more time with him, although that will end in April because YEY he got a summer job!

3. Not having to go anywhere when it snows. I love snow, but when I was working and we got a snowstorm, I always had a vague sense of dread because I had to brave it in my tiny, lightweight car and drive 45 minutes to work. Now I can enjoy the snow without fear of getting into an accident. Speaking of cars, I also spend a lot less on gas these days. A tank of gas can last me a few weeks.

UNEMPLOYMENT CONS

1. The obvious one, which is not having a job. As I've said before, I am lazy and sometimes I'm okay with being unemployed. Most of you who know me well are aware that I would gladly sell my soul to get paid for doing nothing. But along with unemployment comes the bad: the part where I don't have an income, except for the meager UI benefits from the government; the part where I have an increasing sense of worthlessness because I can't get a job; and the part where I feel like I got a graduate degree for nothing.

2. Sometimes unemployment feels like a job. Apart from the long stretches of time when I do nothing, I also am required by the state of Colorado to apply for 5 jobs a week to keep benefits. This is actually a long process, in which I have to look for a job online, tweak my resume, crank out cover letters, and fill out applications. It's very tedious, especially since I know I'm not qualified for half the jobs. Which brings us to #3...

3. There just aren't that many jobs out there. At least not library jobs. So, if applying for 5 jobs a week sounds easy, consider that www.libraryjobline.com, my main source for employment, posts maybe 1 job every 2 weeks. 1 a week if I'm lucky. So what else am I supposed to apply for? Everything else. I often turn to Craigslist for listings, and every day I try the same keywords: library, librarian, museum, piano/pianist, substitute, English major. Because those are all the things I've had experience doing. (Okay, not working in museums, but I've always wanted to.) Oftentimes the listings are not reputable, as I found out when I sent my resume to a random e-mail address and received a lot of spam in return. I check out all the job opportunities at local museums. I have even resorted to applying for out-of-state jobs, although I really don't want to move. It's a week-long struggle.

There you have it, my unemployment in a nutshell. It sucks. Stay tuned for Unemployment, Part II: Job Interviews, coming whenever I feel like it.

The end of two libraries

2010-01-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

Wow. So I've been officially unemployed for 5 whole days now. Is that even possible? It still seems very surreal to me. Maybe recapping my last two days at work will make it more tangible:

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

It was Iliff Square's last day to be open. Ever. For several weeks, we had been trying to sell as many books as possible and clear the building out, because it was rented and the lease was up. We actually ran quite a little business, with single patrons buying as many as 250 books at a time. All the while they would say how sorry they are the library is closing, yet they would take advantage of the $1 book sale. Hey, it's okay, I would too. So, the last day was one of the craziest ever, with patrons buying books left and right and me struggling to keep up. It didn't help that one of our "special" customers tried to ask me out. In the latter part of the day we started giving away furniture, like the couch in the break room and these huge shelves where the DVDs used to go. I can't believe that people actually took them! Anything that's free, I guess. The day ended at 7 pm with me and my two co-workers ceremoniously throwing objects across the library. I think that one action correctly sums up how I've felt about this whole experience.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Mission Viejo's last day. At least, for the foreseeable future. There's a small chance the library may open again, because of the lawsuit the Homeowner's Association brought up against the city (there was a document that stated that Mission was to remain a library for 50 years, supposedly). But for all intents and purposes, I consider it closed. That day wasn't as busy or hectic, but I was distracted anyway, trying to file for unemployment and cleaning out my cubbyhole. My co-workers presented me with a "schwag bag" with a teddy bear and some other goodies. I left a couple of hours early because 1. staying until closing might've been too much for me to handle, and 2. I don't like to be out much on New Year's Eve with all the drunk people on the roads. After hugging all my co-workers goodbye and walking out the door, my career with Aurora Public Library was at an end.

Am I sad? Not anymore. I cried and panicked for awhile when I first heard the news of the layoffs, but I've adjusted to not having a job. I am, after all, a sloth by nature, and lying in bed until 12 or 1 and then playing video games or Internetting all day is not a bad way to live. That's not to say I won't rejoice when I finally get a job again. Being lazy is nice, but not exactly a lucrative career choice. And I'm eager to explore new libraries, and maybe finally put my MLIS to good use. Until then, though, I'm enjoying the newfound freedom.

Ft. Lupton Interview

2009-11-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

I'd like to post an entire blog entry about my recent interview for Youth Services Librarian at Ft. Lupton Public & School Library, but I can't without sounding like a self-deprecating loser. Short story: I got the interview, I did average to poorly on the interview, I didn't get the position. There was a brief spark of hope in my otherwise bleak, jobless future, and now it's gone. Will I ever get a job as a librarian, much less a job at all?

Library closures

2009-11-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

It is a sad day for libraries everywhere. Or at least, for Aurora Public Libraries. And it's certainly a sad day for me. I'll be brief, because the emotions I feel about this (anger, fear, disgust, anxiety, and yeah, maybe even a little relief) are clouding my thoughts. The deal is this: last night, the citizens of Aurora voted on the General Improvement District issue for the library. This involved money and other stuff I don't quite understand. If it had passed, the GID would've expanded library hours, added more staff, and more materials and services for the libraries. It also would've cost Auroraians a paltry extra $5 a month in taxes, but only that much if you own a $200,000 home. But the good people of Aurora didn't want to pay more taxes, apparently, and thought that the extra money was more important than libraries. So the GID did not pass, and because of that, 4 of 7 branches will close, half of the staff will be laid off (including myself), and Aurora will have to settle for less than quality service from the remaining branches.

The libraries will close on December 31, 2009. I will be without a job. This scares me more than a little. I have been looking for another job anyway, practically since I started here, and with no success. I don't see why I should be able to find a decent job in the next 2 months. My plan is to stay here until I'm laid off, unless I get a better job. If, at the end of the year I still don't have a job, then I'll take desperate measures: filing for unemployment, looking for more humble positions, or even looking out-of-state. I'm trying to think positively, but frankly, the future looks bleak, especially with John being out of a job at the end of the year as well. If anyone's ever been in this position before, advice/words of comfort would be greatly appreciated.

It's all my fault

2009-09-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Our library branch is closed 3 days a week, and most people have the same reaction: disappointment. Which is understandable, but most people are sympathetic to our library's budget crunch and the subsequent consequences. Today, though, a lady got mad about it. The conversation turned in that direction because she had asked why her books have two different due dates, and I explained that they came from two separate branches, and the branches are closed on different days. Then she started complaining about how we're closed most of the time ("three days," I said, and she said "no, more than three days," and then she recited the days we were closed: "Sunday, Monday, Thursday..." "That's three days," I affirmed). And she couldn't get in one of the days we're open because of bowling night. The more she complained, the more patience I lost, and I finally said sarcastically "I'm sorry, the closures are entirely my fault." To which she replied, "Yes, they are." What?! Perhaps she misheard me and thought I said they weren't my fault. If not, I guess I should be flattered that she thinks I have so much power. If only, lady, if only...

More teen programs and jerks

2009-07-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, this is going to sound whiny...but no one showed up to my second teen program :( This time it was "Green Teens." We were going to "learn tips and tricks to becoming environmentally conscious, and eat organic snacks" (that's from the advert). I spent a long time compiling a list of things teens could do to be green, and devising a recycled craft involving used CDs. I waited for about 20 minutes and no one showed up. Only one girl had signed up, our regular, and when she came into the library an hour later I pretended to be mad at her. She had just forgotten; not her fault, but I was disappointed anyway. Maybe the summer is just a bad time to have teen programs; lots of people are away on vacation. Maybe things will pick up once school starts again. I also think our location has something to do with it; we do get quite a few teens normally, but it's hard to drum up enthusiasm for programs at our small branch. I made a bunch of posters advertising my book club today and plastered them all over the library...maybe that'll help. And I've petitioned to have them at another branch in the future.

On another note: I'm tired of how volatile some patrons are. The slightest thing can set some of them off. Yesterday I was filling out a library card for a man, and I was trying to emphasize to him that we need proof of his current address. He thought that if his old address was on his drivers' license, it should be good enough for us. I don't think I was mean about it, but apparently he thought I was being unreasonable, because he snatched his card off the desk, stormed off saying "Jesus f---ing Christ," and slammed the door as he left. Why do people completely freak out over such tiny things? I can't help our library's policy of wanting proof of address. In fact, I usually bend that rule, telling patrons that I'll get them a card if they promise to bring in proof next time. I was GOING to tell jerkwad, but he didn't give me the chance. Incidents like that are really discouraging, and afterwards I hid in the back room for the rest of the day.

Things that make me go "Hmm..."

2009-07-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

A woman came up to the desk asking for books on fire for her son. My reference librarian instincts kicked in, and I asked if he had to write a report for school, or if he wanted information on becoming a firefighter. The answer to both was negative, but the mom said "He saw a program with a firefighter, and now he has an obsession with fire, playing with lighters and burning paper," etc. She kept repeating this. I found a few books on fire for them, but do I really want to encourage the little pyromaniac?

Teen Programs

2009-06-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

My first ever teen program and my first ever teen book club both happened this month. Even though I told practically every teen I saw about my upcoming programs, when the time came, the turnout was...well, less than spectacular.

First was my book club. It's called "Getting Graphic: Beyond Manga." The point was to introduce teens to some of the great graphic novels out there that aren't Japanese Manga. Don't get me wrong, Manga can be okay (although I'm not that into it). But it seems to be all that teens read. The books for the first meeting were Halo and Sprocket by Kerry Callen and Grease Monkey by Tim Eldred. At first only one girl showed up...a regular who loves reading, and who I really like. She had read one of the books and half of the other. When the club was about to start, I roped another teen into joining us, even though she hadn't read either novel. She seemed enthusiastic, though. We ate the junk food I had bought and started discussing...or rather, I lectured and they listened, jumping in occasionally at my prodding. Then, about halfway through, a 9-year-old boy wandered in, wearing a huge shirt that was about 10 sizes too big for him. He immediately started his own conversation with me, telling me how he used to "have class" (storytime) in that room and how much shorter he used to be. I tried to explain to him that this was a teen book club and that he was too young to join, but I felt sorry for him and said that if he were quiet, he could hang out and eat some food. And he was quiet, for awhile, until I asked the girls another question regarding the book art. He chimed in, saying that he thought the books should be in color. The comment was actually relevant, but then he segued into how he and his brother saw Spider-man 2 and he wasn't even scared at all. He kept going on this tangent until I had to ask him to take some food and leave.

Other than that, which was actually pretty funny, and the fact that no one else showed up, I thought the club was minimally successful. The girls seemed to enjoy it, at least. And after the meeting was officially over, we chatted about Buffy and ate more junk food.

The next week was my Teen Trivia Tournament. Again, only one person who signed up showed with his mom and baby brother, but another girl appeared with her mom, and I roped another regular into coming. The big problem was, both moms decided to stay the whole time, and I was too shy to tell them to leave. It was a teen program, after all, and having the moms there made it terribly awkward for me, making me feel like I was performing for the approval of the parents. The teens did pretty well at answering the questions, although next time I'll ask more questions about Miley Cyrus rather than questions about 70s and 80s rock bands. The moms didn't help them, thank goodness, although one kept saying things like "I know this!" or "You should know this!" Then, at one point I decided to have an intermission and go find some music for us to listen to. I have to admit, although I know a lot about teen books, I don't know a lot about teen music. So I picked up Janet Jackson and Norah Jones off the shelf. When I came back with the music, the mom with the baby said "Could you keep the music down really low? If the baby wakes up, he'll cry and we'll have to leave." I was thinking...and the problem would be...? But again I was too shy to say anything, so I put the CD on and turned the sound down low.

The program went on about an hour longer than I had planned, but that was okay. I declared the winner, handed out the prizes (a bubble-wrap keychain for first place, inflatable rafts for second, and a notebook for third, with tiny Rubik's Cubes for everyone) and told everyone to take home bags of chips. I count the program as a success, although I learned my lesson for next time: NO PARENTS!

Golden Interview

2009-05-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

At the end of April I had another interview, this time for a Teen/Youth librarian position in Golden, CO (part of the Jefferson County Library system). It would have been the perfect job, I'm sure. To let you know right off the bat, I didn't get it. So, it's kind of painful to talk about it, but I'll go over the basics of the experience. I went to the library a few weeks ahead of time to scout the place out. It's small, but well-kept and neat. Right in the library's back yard is a river with a nice walking path on either side and lots of statues, and I decided right away that it would be the perfect place to take a lunch break. When we went inside and I observed how quiet the patrons were (a rare thing at my current library), I knew I had to get this job.

So then was the interview. John came with me, for moral support. I felt I was very well prepared. I had "studied" for the interview for a week or so, compiling a list of possible interview questions and my answers. I had prepared the storytime and teen booktalks like they had asked. I even went the extra mile and made up a craft for the storytime, although it wasn't required. I was ready.

There were three people interviewing me. They gave me an overview of the town of Golden, the library community, and the Jeffco system. Then they gave me a few minutes to look over their list of interview questions. There were a lot! They said they might not read every question, but they pretty much did, in order. For the first time, many of the questions I had prepared for were asked. During the course of the interview I also explained my storytime, and performed my booktalk. And, a long hour and a half later, I came out of the interview shaking (and in need of a restroom...I had nervously guzzled down the glass of water they gave me) but confident. A few of my answers hadn't been perfect, but I thought most had been very good. I hadn't made a complete idiot of myself, and that was the important thing. It was the first interview where I didn't come out groaning over how stupid I sounded.

They were supposed to let us know the outcome the first week of May. Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck from that point on. They said they would first notify the people who didn't get the job, then call references, then call the winner. That was why, at the end of the week when I hadn't heard anything, I felt a little reassured. Surely they would have called me by then if I hadn't got the job! But when I didn't hear anything this Monday, I broke down again. Maybe they forgot to contact me! Or they sent out those annoying rejection letters, and I just hadn't received mine yet. So I vowed to call them on Tuesday.

I didn't get the chance. Tuesday morning, just before I was to give storytime, I happened to look at my phone and see a message. Hope sprang once again! But when I called them back, it was a rejection. They told me (very nicely) that I hadn't done anything wrong; all the candidates were good. But they chose someone with more experience. They said I'd have no trouble finding a librarian job...I wanted to laugh (while I was starting to cry): they had no idea that I've been looking for a job since before I graduated, almost two years! with no luck. I cried for the next hour or so, sobbing through storytime and calling John to wake him up and cry on his proverbial shoulder. There was just so much buildup for this one. I had waited so long, it was the perfect position, and I was sure I had it in the bag. Although I usually don't get my hopes up, I was already planning for my new life and career. I suppose it wasn't meant to be?! I don't usually believe that, but it seems the only explanation in this case.

I'm pretty sure Joshua isn't a girl's name...

2009-04-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

Just had an old man come up to the desk and ask for a CD by a female violinist, last name "Bell..." I said, "Do you mean Joshua Bell?"
"Yeah, that's her."
"Um, I'm pretty sure Joshua Bell is a guy."
"No, that's what I thought at first too, with a name like Joshua! But she's a girl."
Repeat above lines a few times.
He felt so adamantly about this that finally I gave up. "Her CDs are over there."

Amusing Romance Titles

2009-02-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

We always get paperback donations at our library, mostly dumb romance books. I came across a few titles today that I thought were hilarious, and I decided to look up the whole Harlequin Romance series and make a list of cheesy titles. No offense to those who actually read these books. For some reason, many of them are Western- or Texas-themed. Many of them also include babies, because hey, after the heroine weds and beds the NASCAR star or the handsome Swedish doctor, the next logical step would be to have lots and lots of his babies.

Courted by a Cowboy
The Inconveniently Engaged Prince
Saved by a Texas-Sized Wedding
Prognosis: A Baby? Maybe
Santa's Texas Lullaby
Shoulda Been a Cowboy
Court Me, Cowboy [not to be confused with Courted by a Cowboy]
Tempted by a Texan
The Secret Agent's Surprises
The Timber Baron's Virgin Bride
Coming Home to the Cattleman
Transformed into the Frenchman's Mistress
Blackmailed into a Fake Engagement
The Nanny and the Sheikh
Her Spanish Boss
Rent-a-Cowboy
The Heart Surgeon's Secret Child
Posh Doc Claims his Bride
Italian Doctor, Sleigh-Bell Bride
Tamed by the Barbarian
Sicilian Husband, Unexpected Baby
The Rake's Unconventional Mistress

Another funny conversation with a patron

2009-01-30T12:20:00.001-08:00

Had a regular come in today, a very old lady who never brings her library card because she expects us to know who she is. Because it was slow and I was tired of hearing her complain about how heavy her book bag would be, I offered to carry it out to her car for her. She was grateful, at least, and asked me what my name was. I told her.
"Vicki?"
"No, Whitney."
"Ricky?"
"No." She asked me to spell it out for her, and I did.
"Wicky?" (What the hell is that? It's not even a name!)
"Nope, WHIT-NEY. Like Whitney Houston." That must have done it.
"Oh, Whitney! Well thank you very much, Whitney."
I was trying very hard not to laugh. But even though she was old, it's not just her. For some reason people have a hard time understanding my name when I say it. Usually, though, the most popular substitute is "Wendy."

Librarian Games

2009-01-30T11:59:00.000-08:00

These librarian or library-themed games are great time-wasters:

Lightning Librarian

Robo Librarian
(I love how you can mow over patrons with your robot body!)

Stack Attack
(I couldn't quite get the hang of this one.)

I'll Get It! and Within Range

No, I'm not Jewish

2009-01-27T16:39:00.000-08:00

Still bored! I just thought of a funny library story (only barely library related, because it took place in one). I was reminded by a lady who just complimented my snowflake necklace.

One day a man walked up to me and said randomly, "You're Jewish?" He acted like it was a bad thing. I was confused and obviously looked confused as well. I told him no, I wasn't Jewish. Why do you ask?
He said, "You're wearing a Jewish thing on your neck." It took me a moment to realize that he meant my necklace, but I still didn't understand.
"It's a snowflake," I replied.
"No, it's a Jewish symbol!" I pondered a moment more. "You mean the Star of David?" He nodded.
"No, it's a snowflake."
"Well, it looks like the Star of David!"
I contemplated my necklace. "Well, maybe if you turn it on its side, but I promise you, it's a snowflake."
This transaction took about 5 minutes, and at the end he still didn't look entirely convinced that I wasn't Jewish.

Totally ripped off from a book

2009-01-27T14:54:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm in a blogging mood lately! Today I started reading Reference Librarianship: Notes from the Trenches by Charles Anderson and Peter Sprenkle. It was recommended to me by a librarian as a funny book. Well, so far it isn't laugh-out-loud funny, but it is witty and amusing. The concept is this: for one year, the reference librarian at a public library kept a log of all her transactions with patrons. The log is interspersed with relevant essays. The log entries range from typical (requests for dictionaries, pencils, and directions) to bizarre ("Do [you] deliver books to inmates?" or "My boyfriend's brother is in jail, and I want to find out why"). Most of the interactions involved computers and/or the Internet. To me, none of it is surprising, but it's fun to read about. Although my current job mostly involves circulation, not just pure reference, I decided to steal the idea from this book and write down all my library transactions for an hour. NB: Normally we aren't this busy during any given hour, but it was lunchtime, and I was alone at the desk.

-A gentleman asked where our tax forms were.

-A woman didn't remember ordering The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, but she checked it out anyway, asking if it was interesting (I haven't read it, but I told her I saw the author at ALA).

-The same gentleman came back and said we didn't have the right tax forms. I said that what we have is all we're getting.

-A woman needing help deleting her Word document.

-An old lady - a regular - left me a long list of about 15 books to put on hold, and then disappeared. The list was very specific about requesting either Large Print or cassette tapes. When I had a question about one of her holds, I couldn't find her.

-Made a new card for someone.

-The security guard came in for the day, almost an hour early (as usual).

-An old man couldn't find his books on the holdshelf (even though I told him they were in alphabetical order by patron's name).

-"Do you guys have self-checkout?"

-"Do you have titles instead of authors?" He meant he couldn't remember the author of a book, and wanted me to look up the title.

-Guy asked where the drinking fountain was.

-Man wanted to check out his wife's holds on his card. Usually we don't do this, but I made an exception because he was nice (I do that a lot here. Nice people are so few and far between, I feel they should be rewarded).

-"Can I use your phone?"

-Guest pass for the computer.

-A girl wanted horse books. I showed her where they were, but we only had 2. Turns out, she was doing a research paper, specifically on horse obesity and diseases with names I can't pronounce. I found a few books outside our system, but she needed them sooner (of course). She also needed a library card.

Again, not a lot of reference questions, but many computer and Internet questions I didn't include. It seems like in any given library that this is more of the trend. Even when I worked at the main branch at the reference desk, most of the questions I got were computer-related (perhaps because the reference desk is in such close proximity to all of the computers).

ALA Midwinter Book Bonanza!

2009-01-27T10:29:00.001-08:00

This year, ALA Midwinter was held in Denver. I have always wanted to attend an ALA conference, but I hadn't planned on going this year. Mostly because my library couldn't send me, and to go on your own costs about $300, which I didn't have to spare. I had even almost forgotten about it until the weekend of, and I told John about it. It was he who sparked my interest in it again, as he said "How many times does ALA come to Denver?" I still didn't have enough money to go to the whole conference (nor the time), but the exhibits were running all weekend, and so I decided I should tow John along on Saturday. The exhibits-only cost was $25 per person, but a librarian friend directed me towards free passes online. And so we left around 11:30 (although we got lost in Denver and didn't get to the Colorado Convention Center until an hour later). And although the exhibits were now free, I ended up having to pay $25 for parking.

I think most librarians can agree that the exhibits are the best part of ALA. Walking around, playing with new technologies, and most importantly, gleaning loads of free stuff from the booths and vendors. It was all a bit overwhelming at first, with aisles upon aisles of booths and a veritable ocean of people. I grabbed a free bookbag at the first available opportunity, and I advised John to do the same, in order to hold all our schwag. And at first, it was actually a bit disappointing. Free pens are great and all, but once you get 20 or 30 you start to get a little bored. Then there were the squishy stress balls, the keychains, the rulers, the candy. The hard part was not getting drawn into the vendor's spiel. More than anyone else, I was simply present for the goodies, and since I have absolutely no decision-making power whatsoever in my library, I could have cared less what the vendors had to say or offer.

It got much better when one booth was giving away huge cookies and slices of cake. And then we hit the comic booths, Marvel and Dark Horse, which were both giving out free issues of comics (and pretty famous ones, like Buffy season 8 and Umbrella Academy!). We stood there drooling for awhile before moving on.

But this was nothing compared to what came next. Starting at 2 pm, the publishers' booths were giving away...free books. Seeing those two words together is enough to make me start to tingle. But at first even I had slightly low expectations. They would probably be unpopular or locally written books, given out by local publishers (no offense to local writers). But these were major publishers' booths, like HarperCollins and Random House. And major books, mostly advanced readers copies, from major authors. We made our first rounds and filled up two bookbags apiece, until they could hold no more. I was giddy with excitement (my librarian friend told me I need to get out more!). They were even giving out free hardcover copies of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle...a book I really have no interest in, but it's a national bestseller, and the author was there signing it! I couldn't resist. It was when I was standing in line that the excitement (and, I suppose, lack of food and water) got to be too much, and I got light-headed and nearly fainted. John brought me a bottle of water and took my place in line while I recovered. I tried to slow down a little after that, but it was hard. We had to run to the car to pile our books in the trunk, and then we rushed back inside for round 2. There were more books to grab, and the booths we'd already visited were putting out new ones. It became clear that we could just hang around the same spots all afternoon and still get different books. Another trip to the car and a final purge of the area later, and we were exhausted. As we looked at the ridiculous pile in the trunk afterwards, John remarked that it looked like we'd robbed a bookstore. I counted them later, and there were 136 books in all, not including the comics. I didn't even have room for all of them. I gave some to John, some to John's mom, I'm going to send some to my mom, and I took some to work for my co-workers. But the books are still double-stacked on my shelves.

I'm in heaven.

The pile of books in the trunk, and the subsequent pile of books on my bed:

Pueblo Interview

2009-01-16T09:39:00.000-08:00

So, I thought I'd share my latest experience with a library interview. A couple of months ago, I received a call from the Pueblo City-County Library, wanting to interview me. I had only applied for the job because I was desperate, as Pueblo is a good 2 hours away from Westminster. I didn't want to move, of course, but I thought the time had come to start looking outside the Denver Metro area.

Shortly after that, I also applied for the full-time library assistant position at my current library. It's the same exact thing I had been doing, only 40 hours instead of 20. More than anything, I desperately needed a full-time job so that John and I could get our own place and I'd have some actual money coming in (and possibly free insurance). After Christmas vacation (or maybe before, I can't honestly remember now) I had my Aurora interview. It was straight-forward and less nervewracking than any previous interview, because I already knew my interviewers and I knew exactly what to expect of the job. I received word that I got the job shortly before my Pueblo interview, but I decided to go ahead and keep that interview because it would be good experience, and they were putting me up at a nice-looking Bed and Breakfast for free. I had no idea what I would have done had I actually got the job.

So, on January 7, John and I drove down to Pueblo, making a few stops on the way to the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center (or its gift shop, anyway) and the Florissant Fossil Beds, both near CO Springs. We got into Pueblo later that evening. It was still light enough to see that Pueblo was probably not my kind of town. First off, the scenery wasn't very pretty to me. It was more desert-y and shrubby than I prefer, and obviously drier and warmer. When we got into the downtown area, it appeared junky and industrial. Smokestacks spouted filthy air off in the distance. Even the Riverwalk and the old historic Union street just seemed, well, worn-out, rather than quaint. At least the Abriendo Inn, where we were staying, was nice. We enjoyed the amenities at the B&B before going out to dinner and checking out the library. The library was new, big, and modern, but as John put it, it just didn't feel cozy. Definitely nice, but not what I picture my ideal library to look like.

We got up early the next morning to enjoy a delicious, multi-course breakfast made by the innkeepers, the highlights of which being the fruit/yogurt/granola parfait and the olive tapenade topping the poached eggs. My interview was at 11 am, so I had a little time to rest, prepare as much as I could, and play Zelda on my DS. Luckily, the library was only a minute away from the Inn. My interview was...less than spectacular in my opinion. There were many questions on which I completely blanked, and when I did speak, it came out as babbling. But the interviewers were very nice, helping me along when I couldn't think of anything to say. The second part of the interview was giving a mock pre-school storytime, a task which the Teen Librarian would have to do occasionally. That went better than I thought it would, although I was again helped along by the interviewers, who acted like real 4-year-olds and responded accordingly to my stories and rhymes. The third part of the interview was watching a video skit made by the Teen Advisory Council and answering their question about a disruptive teen. I came out of the interview still feeling anxious, but relieved to have it over. This was followed by a stroll down the Riverwalk and lunch on Union Street.

In the days after the interview, I didn't know what I wanted the outcome to be. Moving would be difficult within itself, but would also make things harder for John, who is counting on getting a position with Boulder OSMP again this spring or summer. But a full-time professional position, that's what I've been looking for since before I graduated. It would be hard to turn it down. A few days later, I had pretty much decided that, if offered the job, I would indeed turn it down (after more serious consideration). I know it seems an unwise action, but I think we'd be happier in the long run, staying here. As it turns out, it was a decision I didn't have to make. I got a call the day before yesterday saying that, while I'd make a good librarian, they had decided to hire someone else. Once more, my feelings were confusing: I didn't know whether to feel relieved, or disappointed. Of course, I had wanted to turn them down, and I just needed to feel like some library wanted me. It's better this way, though. Now that I officially have a full-time job, I'm more financially free to take my time and look for jobs in the Denver area. Hopefully the economy will turn around soon, and the hiring freeze that's affected many libraries now will be melted and more jobs will open up. Until then I'm just happy to be working full-time, and looking forward to getting an apartment in a few months.

I PWNED NaNo 2008!

2008-11-30T16:59:00.000-08:00

I know this doesn't have anything to do with libraries or librarianship, but I had to share in every possible venue!

My first NaNo, and I won!

It actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. If I had been able to write just the minimum word count every day (around 1666), it would have been smooth sailing. But we went home to Arkansas for about 5 days for Thanksgiving, and it was harder to write at home. John and I still managed (he's doing his second year of NaNo). And today, I wrote my last 2,000 words, all before 6:00 pm! John's still working, but I have no doubt that he'll join me in winnersland soon. I am so proud of myself! Even though my novel is complete drivel (and badly written drivel at that), it doesn't matter. That wasn't the point of this exercise. The point is, I proved to myself that it IS possible to write steadily every day. Maybe next time I'll work on quality! I am a NaNo VIKING!

I'm so moving to Maine

2008-09-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

...I wish. They must be desperate for librarians there; in some libraries you don't even need an MLS to be a librarian. Of course, the downside is that they only pay you $10-$13 an hour, and apparently some small libraries are only open around 20 hours a week. Still, it's Maine! I'm going to apply for one of those jobs just for the heck of it, to see if I have any more luck.

For those of you who don't know, I've been enamoured of Maine ever since I was a kid, thanks largely to books like One Morning in Maine, Fudge-a-Mania, and Miss Rumphius (which doesn't say for sure, but I'm pretty sure it takes place in Maine).

Random Thoughts on Management

2008-09-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

I'm at work right now, and I can tell it's going to be a slow day already (it's 11 am, and only a handful of people have come into the library so far). Technically, I'm in charge today, as my supervisor called in sick and I'm the only library assistant in the building. Like I said, it's probably going to be a slow day, and therefore uneventful, but I'm praying that nothing goes wrong. Yesterday around 4 the computers all went down. While not exactly a crisis (I actually enjoy it when that happens, as it makes the day interesting and a lot of patrons leave), I'd rather that not happen while I'm in charge. I just realized I don't know who to call if that happens. And when I realize things like that, I know that I'm just not suited for management. Even in my current status as library assistant, most of the clerks know more about the minute operations of the library than I do. I just learned today that it's okay to collect fines for patrons even if they don't have their cards or IDs (which normally are required to do anything with their accounts). That was news to me! Of course, only working 2-3 days a week doesn't help. A lot happens when I'm gone, and no one ever thinks to tell me. There was another whole mess with my winter schedule this week which I won't go into; basically, there was a lot of confusion as to which branch I would be moving to, due to the fact that no one bothered to tell me what was happening.

Bottom line, management just isn't my thing. I don't like solving problems; I don't like telling people what to do; I don't want to be the one having to calm down patrons or call the police in an emergency. I just want to do my job, help patrons find the information they're looking for, and not worry about anything (or anyone) else.

[Case in point: I just took a call from a lady in meeting services, and she asked about a DVD player in our meeting room that was supposedly stolen. I had no idea what she was talking about, and had to ask her to call back Monday when one of my supervisors was here. I feel really incompetent now.]

One last note on management: rules and procedures shouldn't come to employees through word-of-mouth. We all have e-mail; if someone decides something, or brings up something that not everyone knows about (like the fines example), management should take the time to let EVERYONE know through e-mail. I'm not complaining about current management, I'm just saying that this seems to be the case in both the libraries I've worked at. It's true, in a library there are millions of tiny details and rules, and it would be impossible

HOLY FREAKING COW. I was in the middle of writing this post when something amazingly scary happened. That was more than an hour ago now, but my heart is still racing. This patron came out of the bathroom and suddenly started holding his chest, clutching something in his hand, and screaming (loudly!) in pain. I couldn't think, my brain had shut down, and it wasn't until someone called "Call 911!" that I finally did so. I was stuttering out the library's address and trying to describe what was going on; meanwhile, the man screamed a few more times. I called to him that help was coming while two clerks kneeled beside him to comfort him. They found out that the man had a pacemaker, and that it was giving him shocks. The man seemed cogent and calmer in between screams, but all I could think was "oh my god, oh my god, someone's going to die in the library while I'm in charge." The firetruck and ambulence arrived within a minute, and I stayed on the phone talking to the operator all the while. By the time help arrived the patron had stopped screaming and seemed better, but they took him away on a stretcher nonetheless. As per tradition, the firemen and police left without a word to us, leaving us effectively in the dark. I called a librarian at another branch to make sure I needed to fill out an incident report. I found the form, did so, and sent it to the appropriate people.

THAT, and it's been incredibly busy ever since. So, my first real test as a person in charge. I've been the person in charge at several occasions in the past, but this was the first time a real emergency happened. Except for me freaking out internally, I think I handled it pretty well...not that I did anything but call 911. Still, no one got hurt, and the library didn't collapse afterwards. So pat on the back for me.

Librarians against Palin!

2008-09-07T00:48:00.000-07:00

Sure, like most of America, I hadn't heard of Sarah Palin before McCain's surprise announcement. Why would we hear anything about a politician with so little experience? But now stories are surfacing everywhere about the "pit-bull" hockey mom, and most of them are so unflattering, it's clear that the old man couldn't have picked a more venomous veep. And as if the moose hunting, aerial wolf gunning, oil drilling, and general anti-environment message weren't bad enough, I read an article tonight that angered me more than all that put together (and believe me, I care deeply for the environment and animal welfare):

Palin asked city whether she'd ban books

I read several more related articles and blogs on the subject, and my outraged tutting grew louder each time. The problem is this: shortly after she became Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Palin asked Wasilla's librarian Mary Emmons whether she [the librarian] would consent to banning books on Palin's command. Of course, like any good librarian, Emmons refused. A few months later, Emmons got a letter stating that Palin was firing her. This may or may not have had anything to do with the banning books comment, but there's a suspicious red flag there.

Now, there are lists popping up all over the Internet of books that Palin supposedly had banned. Apparently the lists are fake, which of course gives another reason for conservatives to defend their new celebrity. But even if Palin didn't ban a single book, the fact that she was even willing to ask such an unconstitutional question proves that she is not only an idiot, but that she was willing to abuse her authority (it wouldn't be the only instance) and bend the rules of the First Amendment to conform a library's collection to her warped ideas of morality. This goes against everything librarians stand for, and I shudder to think what would happen if this woman were given more power. In the future, would her destructive whims become more than a threat? Obviously, her threats have been carried out when it comes to other areas. I fear for our country's intellectual freedom and educational/cultural well-being if such a conservative administration is put into office (again).

The Trouble with Librarianship

2008-09-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

I haven't touched this blog in quite awhile. Because it was mainly a graded assignment for my web design class, I've let it go since I graduated in December. But recent thoughts about my career have inspired me to blog again.

When last I posted on this blog, I was a library assistant in the greater Denver area. I still am, much to my chagrin. It's been approximately 8 months since I graduate with my MLIS, and I've had barely more than nibbles for a professional librarian job, though I've applied for everything that's come along. Around April I had a phone interview for a school librarian position, and more recently I had a face-to-face interview for a part-time public children's librarian position. I was really hoping for the latter one; the library is very nice and is pretty close to my house, which makes a huge difference compared to the 45 minutes I drive to my current job. But neither interviews yielded a job for me; I've attributed it to lack of library experience on my part. This brings me to the library Catch-22: in order to get a professional job, you must have professional experience. But how can you get that experience without a job?

My preference, of course, would be either reference or youth services (mainly YA), but I can't afford to be choosy when applying for jobs. So I've applied for everything from government documents librarian to business librarian, even though I have no experience with either specialty. I'm reminded now of last August, when I was applying for jobs while I finished school so I could move to Colorado. I easily got two interviews in the same week, one for my current job and one for a children's librarian in Castle Rock. Of course, Castle Rock would've been too far a drive every day, and a full-time job would've been a bit stressful on top of school. I ended up canceling that interview anyway because I was offered another job. But how ironic is it that I was able to get a librarian interview without even having graduated? Especially given that, now that I've had my degree for more than half a year, I'm having the worst luck finding a job?

When I first started graduate school - no, even before I started, word on the street was that I would have no problem finding a job. Older librarians were retiring and not many people were entering the field. Librarian positions would abound. Well, either it was a lie, or conditions have changed drastically since then. True, there are a lot of jobs opening up...about 3 or more a week according to Library Jobline. But then how come I'm having so much trouble finding a job? My library experience is increasing every day, and with 2 years experience (albeit not professional), that's becoming a flimsy excuse for not hiring me. In my current job I do pretty much everything that the librarians do, at least concerning reference. I'm willing to learn, to take classes, go to workshops, anything to ensure that I do the best at any potential job. But apparently that's just not good enough. So what am I doing wrong?!?

One problem is DU. At home in Arkansas, I can see why librarian candidates are scarce. Arkansas has no ALA-accredited library school, which is why I went to Oklahoma to get my degree. But with the University of Denver cranking out graduates from their program, the competition is more fierce.

For the meantime, I'll keep working at my current job. Maybe in a few years I'll finally have enough experience to count for something. But there's still the money problem. Only working part-time, I'm often short on money. If I weren't living with my fiance's parents and paying nominal rent I would be destitute. Until I get a full-time job, I'm attempting to get my 3-year substitute teaching licence, which is probably more trouble than it's worth. But if it works out, at least I'll have a little extra income. I used to get annoyed at my church pianist job, but at the moment I certainly wouldn't scoff at an extra $200 a month. A few times since I graduated, out of desperation for money, I've applied for full-time support-staff positions such as L.A. jobs that only require a high school diploma. I never got a definitive answer for why I was turned down, but it's probably because I have too much experience. More irony. My degree is too much for some jobs, but apparently not enough for others. Sometimes this thought makes me cry; right now, though, I just feel incredulous. My fiance currently has a full-time job, which is good for him, but it's only seasonal, so it'll end sometime in October. They may offer him a winter job, which would be great, but if they don't, I'm going to supplicate him to consider moving elsewhere in Colorado. There are a lot of jobs I haven't applied for simply because they're too far away. But I have a feeling it might be easier to find a job in a smaller town, rather than in this huge sprawling urban area.

Lethargy?

2007-12-21T16:28:00.000-08:00

Just got my first "random" reference call...a lady asking for the definition of lethargic. Nothing too hilarious, but it was a first for me. It's interesting when people ask you questions because they're certain you know the answers off the top of your head (I did know, of course).

I, by the way, am feeling quite lethargic myself at the moment. I want to go home and start Christmas break already.

My Exciting News

2007-12-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

I said in the last post I'd have some exciting news...

I'm now engaged!

The End...or Is It?

2007-12-07T10:45:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone got my subtle reference to Lemony Snicket's thirteenth book, The End. (I really need to read that series.) It would be cool if this was my thirteenth post or something.

The truth is, I don't know if I'll be continuing this blog. Any of you who've read my posts realize that I love to blog, so that isn't the issue. But I do have at least three other blogs to maintain (which I've been neglecting to do lately). I technically don't have to write this post, as I've already earned the maximum blogging points for class. Maybe I'll try to do what I've done for this class, and keep this blog strictly for professional purposes. Keep me on your RSS feeds anyway, just in case.

This is also my last semester in grad school, providing I pass this class and barring any craziness. I just know that I'll be all ready to graduate and I'll forget some tiny detail and the powers that be will say..."Oh sorry! We can't let you graduate just yet." That would just be spiteful. The only reason I think that is because I haven't actually done my tech tasks. You know those silly tech tasks you're supposed to do your first semester? The kind of things, like saving a document to a disk, that you wouldn't be able to survive grad school without knowing? At this point, I don't know if it's safer to do them and risk the possible chastisement for not completing them earlier, or to let it slide and hope that no one will notice. (Doc, any ideas?) I'd hate for that to be the reason I don't graduate. I can't help it, I'm a procrastinator. And with no set "deadline" for completing the tech tasks, it was extremely easy for me to put it off for 6 semesters.

And after graduation...then what? I'll be continuing to live in Colorado, probably in the same (Denver) area. It's very likely that I'll get the reference position that's open at my library, so I hope I'll be able to move a bit closer to my job. 45 minutes is a long way to drive each way. I'd like to work part-time a little while longer though; having never worked full-time before in my life, I'm loath to plunge straight into constant work right after school. Because when I do, it'll be for the rest of my life, or until I retire. What a depressing thought. I want to move to Europe and work 30 hours a week. But I'm rambling...

I might post again in a few days with some exciting news...until then, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, or whatever you celebrate!

Next on "The Making of Visual Music..."

2007-12-03T11:55:00.000-08:00

...a young grad student attempts to make beginning piano accessible as she creates a video-based website for her online class. Drama ensues as she worries about having enough space for her videos, tries not to make her text too garrulous, and wonders what everyone will think of her playing piano in her pajamas.

Well, I was just kidding, there wasn't *that* much drama. Those things were minor concerns, but I think on the whole my project went well. Google Pages is really a simple design tool to use, although it certainly has its own kinks to work out. It's mostly a template site, although it does allow you to edit HTML, which is useful when adding videos, suggestion boxes, and other features. I would've liked there to be more varieties of templates and layouts, but the ones provided were adequate for a free service. The main problem was the completely inadequate Help pages. Google Pages itself provides almost no authoritative answers to your problems and questions; you are instead directed to the Help forums, in which users provide their own answers, which are sometimes less than useful. There is no authoritative section on adding videos, and the user directions provided in the forum were unneccessarily complicated. I finally figured it out on my own, more or less. And it was relatively simple; you just copy the HTML file from your video site (I used Google Video) and paste it onto your page. Google Video was easy to use as well; I found it to have faster uploading times than YouTube, and none of the annoying "related videos" after your movie stops. Another problem I had with Google Pages is that if you mis-name one of your pages, there's no way to change the page name. You just have to delete the whole page and start over. For example, I tried to include hyphens in one of the page names, but it wouldn't accept that and I had to scrap that page (the page name in turn becomes part of the URL).

Other than that the creation was a breeze. It was interesting finding a template for the comments/suggestions box; the first tool I used didn't work, so I used MyContactForm. You can specify the font, size, colors, etc. of the contact form box, although it does force you to include a link to the site, which is fair enough. I found out that the 100 MB of space provided for media is practically limitless, at least for my needs; some kind of tool for telling you how much space you have left would be useful (there might be one that I missed). The shooting of the videos was no problem...my boyfriend helped me film them, and luckily they required no editing, although I do have the tools to do so. And really, there's no story behind my wearing pajamas. On days when I don't have to work or go anywhere, I'm loath to leave the warmth and safety of my pajamas at all.

Here's the link to my site: Whitney's Wonderful World of Visual Music

Pindaric Praise of Graphic Novels

2007-11-28T20:22:00.000-08:00

So, I've been really into graphic novels for the past year or so, and a classmate's final project inspired me to write a post on how great they are. Graphic novels are not only excellent forms of entertainment, literature and artwork, they are also a special type of media that every public and school librarian should know about (and, one could argue, academic librarians as well). I have posted about graphic novels in just about every other blog I have, but it's about time I let this blog in on the fun. So here's a list of my favorites, and why they're made of awesome:

Blankets by Craig Thompson. This was one of the first I ever read, and it's still my all-time favorite. This book appeals so perfectly to young adults, and yet as a sort-of-adult, I could relate to it with no problem. It deals with first loves and outgrowing your religious beliefs, without any saccharine overtones; the drawings and language are frank yet poignant. This is SO a definite must to any library's collection.

Clan Apis by Jay Hosler. I just read this last night, and it's so informative! Not only that, it's funny. This could easily be in either a children's or YA collection. It chronicles the life of one bee throughout her trials and adventures, remaining true-to-life and chock full of scientific facts as well as humor. Did you know that several queen bees are actually born to a hive, but the one who emerges from her cocoon first kills the others? Or that the worker bees are strictly female, while the males' life goal is solely to mate? (Bee Movie sure got it wrong.)

Halo and Sprocket by Kerry Callen. Undoubtedly the funniest collection of comics I've ever read, one that made me literally LOL every other page. A typical young woman has, for reasons unknown, a robot and an angel for roommates. The three of them provide very different insights to questions such as "Is the glass half-full or half-empty?" or "What is art?" The artwork would appeal to children but the humor and scenarios might only be funny to YAs or adults.

Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan. The animals in this narrative may talk, but this is definitely not The Lion King. This follows the escape of four lions from the Baghdad Zoo after it has been decimated by the most recent war. As an animal-lover, I admire how this novel takes into account the fates of the animals and how they are affected by the conflict in the Middle East.

Grease Monkey by Tim Eldred. This is just a whole lot of fun, with talking gorillas.

Fables series by Bill Willingham. I've only read three volumes so far, out of...at least nine? But I'm hooked. All of the fairy tales you've ever heard of including Snow White, Big Bad Wolf, and Bluebeard have moved to NYC after being exiled from their fabled homeland by some unknown threat. It's a bit more violent than I care for, but the storyline is fast-paced and involving. NOT for children.

Here are several others I'd recommend, with shorter annotations:

Banana Sunday by Root Nibot. (More talking monkeys.)
The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar. (Religious debates, a talking cat. Sense a theme here?)
The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci. (Four outsiders making the world better through art.)
Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman. (Your favorite superheroes in the Elizabethan/Jacobean era.)
Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi. (Iranian women talking about marriage and sex.)
Dracula by Becky Cloonan. (I've never read the actual novel, but this was creepy enough with the illustrations.)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 by Joss Whedon. (For hardcore Buffy fans. Not in a collection format yet, but it will be.)

There are so many more I could add, but you should explore for yourselves! I know many people have a hard time "getting into" graphic novels, but it's really easy if you try. It does help if you were/are a comic book fan. Check out this helpful resource if you need some help introducing either genre to your collection. If only there were a class on graphic novels; if I ever become a professor I'd teach one! Or, I could invent a new career title, "Graphic Novels Librarian."

42

2007-11-20T15:28:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago in my online class, we had a very interesting discussion surrounding reference transactions. One of the most debated questions was, should reference librarians simply give the answers to patrons' questions, or should the librarians teach the patrons how to find the answer on their own?

I personally had never even entertained the question. I have had brief experience at the reference desk, but in that time I have always only given patrons the answer to their questions. Isn't that what they want? After the class discussion, I'm not sure anymore. On one hand, many patrons who come to the library are elderly, or in a hurry, or simply don't care how they get the answers. As long as they get them, quickly. How do I set up an e-mail account? (this is usually asked by the elderly, and I have to walk them step-by-step through the process). Where can I find books on body language? I need a children's book of collective biographies, including those of George Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Teddy Roosevelt. Of course, most of these questions aren't worded as neatly by the patrons, and it may take some time to decipher what it is they really want. (I'm usually fairly good at this, but at times I wish I'd taken the reference class offered!)

On the other hand, I haven't gotten too many "true" reference questions. Questions like the now-infamous, What are the causes of WWII? (You'll notice that in a previous post I talk about turning to Wikipedia for questions like that.) In that case, it turns out, it really is best not to simply give patrons the answer, but to lead them to self-reference sources they can use. (That, and the WWII question is too complicated to give a quick answer to.) After all, isn't it our job as librarians not to just spout out knowledge like information goddesses, but to teach patrons how to retrieve information themselves? I know some who are, strangely, against the practice of teaching information literacy, falsely thinking this will put our kind out of a job. I believe information literacy can make our job easier. And, there will always be those patrons who don't want to find the answers themselves. They're always free to put me on a pedestal. After all, we always know "the answer."

A digression on feminism

2007-11-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

During the first ever post on this blog, I mentioned doing the occasional book review. I've been delinquent on this matter until now, but as promised, I want to bring up a non-fiction book I picked up today. This book is a children's book, but deserves notice by all ages.

Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought) is one of the best collective biographies by Kathleen Krull, and I've read several. I actually own Lives of the Musicians. I consider myself a feminist, but I've actually read quite little about key women throughout history. Beginning with Cleopatra and progressing chronologically to Rigoberta Menchu, Krull paints a dramatic portrait of these women's struggles and triumphs. The short biographies are full of interesting and surprising tidbits. Most surprising of all was how many women in a position of power were either uninterested in or completely opposed to women's rights. It seems so ironic that Elizabeth I and even Queen Victoria were staunchly against equality for women; yet it is obvious that some powerful females thought of themselves as men. This shocking fact did not deter me from the book, however; reading about these amazing women was a treat, and the biographies of Jeanette Rankin and Eleanor Roosevelt nearly brought me to tears. I want to read more about them; I feel like a little girl in elementary school again, learning about Joan of Arc for the first time. While I'm sure that a more "adult" biography might be more informative, it would probably not be as compelling. This book (along with Krull's whole series of biographies) is a must-read for children and grown-ups alike. (Note to reference librarians!) Kathryn Hewitt's caricatures are also delightful.

Tag, You're It!

2007-10-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

There are some technical terms that, despite how many articles I read about them, I can never quite get a clear definition of. Folksonomy was one of those terms, but now thanks to Golder and Huberman's article Usage Patterns of Collaborative Tagging Systems I understand it. Folksonomy, a combination of folk and taxonomy. A taxonomy created by the common person, the everyday Jane. Ironically, the authors claim the article isn't about folksonomy at all, but I think the term helps me understand the concept of ontologies and tagging much better.

Not that tagging in itself is hard to understand. It's simply another way to search for things. This article points out some of the problems inherent in tagging, such as the fact that there is no authority, so it's more difficult to for Internet users to reach a consensus on a term. If a picture is tagged with "pumpkin" (it is almost Halloween, you know), a user might have difficulty finding it if they search for the plural "pumpkins." As the authors put it, "collective tagging...has the potential to exacerbate the problems associated with the fuzziness of linguistic and cognitive boundaries" (201). But tagging is also a great way to share knowledge, because more than likely someone will know more about a picture/blog/topic than you do.

Despite some of the problems with tagging, that is not what bothers me about it. Tagging is wonderful. But why, oh why, do the Internet gods have to confuse things by coming up with unusual terms for well-known practices? Tagging is nothing more than "labeling" things (actually, I just noticed that blogger calls its tags "labels"). Just as "podcasts" are nothing more than radio on the Internet. Just call things what they are, people! Okay, rant done. I really do love technology.

Oh, and like everyone else in the class, I am now completely addicted to the ESP Game. As someone mentioned, it is sometimes frustrating because you're wondering "how can my partner possibly NOT be coming up with the same words I am?" But it also makes you appreciate how different people's thought processes can be. I especially like the feature after the game that lets you see some of your partner's word choices; at that point, you're frustrated with yourself for not thinking of those obvious words. Another interesting observation: the most common tags (after mutual consensus) are either man, woman, or a color. Shows you how imaginative we all are.

And there was much rejoicing.

2007-10-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I freaking passed Comps! I'm going to graduate!

YEEYYYYYYY!!!

That's all I can say for now.

Post-Comps Week

2007-10-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize it's been several weeks since I've posted here. Since I took Comps last weekend, I think I have a legit excuse...I've been recovering this week, but I shall procrastinate no more. Here's one way I can boost my productivity:

Library Arcade (link sent to me by my branch manager)

See how quickly you can help patrons with reference questions without making them angry!

Go Google yourself

2007-09-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kirsten's latest post about Googling herself, I did the same. Of course, I've googled my full name before, but this time I thought I'd try my various pseudonyms to search specifically for my blogs. Under "whitneyskywalker," I found all of my blogs including this one, MySpace, LiveJournal, and Yahoo 360. I also found one of my blog posts (the WYSIWYG post) listed on a site called Technorati. At first I thought, wow, my blog is listed on another site! I'm famous! But no, Technorati is apparently just a search engine for blogs. It's still pretty cool though, and the reason my blog post popped up on top was thanks to Jennifer listing my site on her blogroll. Apparently when someone else tags your blog you become an "authority" on that site. Back to the Google search, I also found various forums that I have joined. These were all on the first two pages, in fact the only two pages listed under that search. This is why having a unique pseudonym comes in handy (although when I tried to make a username for ebay, whitneyskywalker was, surprisingly, already taken).

Forgive me Doc Martens, for I have sinned.

2007-09-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

It has been more than a week since my last post. There hasn't been much of anything going on...other than putting off studying for comps and working on my website.

Three items I'd like to mention:

1. It has just been suggested by our branch manager that I apply for the reference librarian position that has recently opened up. She said if a lot of people apply, I probably shouldn't get my hopes up, since I don't quite have my MLIS, but she said if only a few people apply I stand a pretty good chance. This is awesome, if intimidating news. Apparently I've been doing a good job so far.

2. While playing around on NoveList this morning, I noticed something inspired by Krug. NoveList has tabs at the top of the screen that list the different categories (Home, For Readers, etc). And when you first click on the tabs, they "act" like physical tabs, in other words you can always tell which category you're in. But when you click on a subcategory on that page (for instance, "Author Read-alikes" under For Readers), the physical tab disappears. And it was a little confusing...I couldn't remember which category I was in. Krug would be proud of the tabs, but there needs to be more consistency. They should act like physical tabs during every step of the search so the reader can always know where they are. This may not make sense unless you've read Krug, and if you have, I hope I've done a good job of explaining this.

3. Just three days left to vote on my latest poll! The topic is a little belated, and it's silly, but vote anyway.

Thank goodness for WYSIWYG

2007-09-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

So, I thought I'd do a little HTML experimenting with my blog, but it turns out I don't have to. Blogger has all sorts of great features...there's an HTML editor that lets you do things the hard way, then there's the "compose" screen that lets you do everything the easy way. To make the above picture visible, all I had to do was save the image to my computer, then click on the "add image" button and upload it to my blog. I did try it the hard way first; I found an HTML tutorial site and filled out the little thing, but I had trouble finding jpg or gif pictures on the web. The above picture for example...I copied and pasted the url address in between the quotation marks, but nothing happened. I'm still having trouble figuring that out.

The above picture, btw, is what I would like to be for Halloween. My boyfriend and I, huge nerds that we are, are going as Zelda and Link. I'm having trouble putting together the costume. I should be worrying more about comps.

Anyway, I was worried about the whole HTML thing for my website project, until my professor suggested using Google Pages. This is a simple WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) website creator which has some fairly attractive options. I think this is what I'm going to go with for my project; I simply don't have the resources to pay for DreamWeaver or another expensive tool, and Google Pages is the first free option I've seen that I like.

The Magic of Wikipedia

2007-09-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

I meant to blog about my first full day at my new job last night, but I was too tired. Everything went well, as I was familiar with many of the practices if not the specific procedures. I did notice one thing after considering one of my previous posts further: although this library has several self checkout stations, by and large most patrons still prefer to come up to the desk to check out their items. I suppose that people, especially the elderly, do crave human interaction and would rather trust their library experience to one of us. I find that comforting.

I also answered my first "official" reference question this morning...it sounded like an elderly lady writing an article, who wanted to know both the order of succession for the presidency and (in brief) the causes of WWI. The first I could tell her off the top of my head, the second I had to look up...and guess where I turned. That's right, the dreaded Wikipedia. I actually love Wikis, because who cares if they're not always accurate, they provide quick results. And this patron obviously did not want to know the facts in detail. I still had trouble giving her a simple summary of the war, as even the Wikipedia article was quite in-depth (and I am certainly no history scholar), so I ended up recommending that she come in the library so I could help her in person. Nonetheless, she sounded impressed that I was able to pull up what little information I did "magically," and I didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. Wikipedia is good for sounding intelligent, if nothing else.

Ch-ch-changes

2007-09-10T21:52:00.000-07:00

Whew! That's all I can say at this point, really. After moving bases to another state, I am mentally and physically exhausted. The move to Colorado went well, except for a few minor hiccups. Mainly, I had trouble getting my wireless network set up, but after a few frustrating nights, I managed. Which is to say, my boyfriend did most of the work setting up the router, and I did the paltry job of securing the network. And my dad said it would be easy. Well, setting up the network was easy, but figuring out how to set up the router and still connect to the Internet was a lot more complicated. Thank goodness for the Linksys website; it helped a lot.

I also started my first day at my new job today. The first half of the day was spent at the city's municipal center in orientation, where someone talked a lot about insurance and retirement funds, and lots of other adult things that really won't apply to me anyway since I'm in a part-time, most likely temporary position. After lunch I went to the library for a few hours. I'm a library assistant, and while I thought I would be doing a lot of different things like reference and children's, it looks like my job will mostly be circulation, as it was before. The main difference in this library and my former one are that this library is much more centralized. There is only one desk, from which circulation, information, and reference transactions take place, whereas before we had three separate and very distinct desks for all three services. There are also some slight procedural differences, but for the most part I think I'll get along fine. It looks like this library will be somewhat less busy than my former, because this one is much smaller. It seems odd to have only one stack devoted to large print books, or only one shelf filled with Spanish materials. But I think I'll appreciate a quieter atmosphere.

I'm glad I only work 2-3 days a week, it'll give me more time to study for Comps, which are...yikes! Only a month from Wednesday! ::groans::

Facebook

2007-09-03T20:49:00.000-07:00

Just got a profile on Facebook. No idea why, except that I saw a mention of it in a Library 2.0 article, and I figured I might as well. I remember when I was so reluctant to join MySpace...mostly because I didn't want people from high school to notice me. Now that I'm over that fear, the decision to join Facebook seemed the next logical step.

So far Facebook is way better than MySpace. The applications you can add to your profile are numerous...you can join causes (groups such as Greenpeace), add photo albums which you can tag and share with friends, and there's even a LibraryThing-esque bookshelf where you can display the covers of your favorite books and add reviews. Another nice feature is that unlike MySpace, your complete profile and pictures are unviewable except by people you add as friends (as far as I can tell). It's also much easier to search for friends.

Anyway, add me as a friend if you want...I'm in the Oklahoma network.

Last Day

2007-09-01T15:59:00.001-07:00

My third to last day in Arkansas...and my last day at my circulation job! Woohoo! I'm not saying I hated this job (if I did, I wouldn't have worked here for a year), but I've been doing my happy dance all afternoon. It was a good job while it lasted, but I'm ready to move on to other things. Besides, I think I was starting to get repetitive stress in my hands from all the tedious circulation tasks. Of course, my new job will include some of that, but I'll get a lot more variety.

Speaking of repetitive stress...that was one of the reasons my now-former library decided to transition to self-check-outs and RFID. It will certainly lesson the workload and strain for the poor circulation staff, but unfortunately, we're also one step closer to phasing out circulation workers altogether. I noticed one disturbing post on the library's webpage today, stating that now circ staff can't even fill out ILL forms for patrons...we should just send those requests over to reference. I know that reference has more resources, but it still seems like they're treating us like idiots who don't know how to write a book title on a piece of paper (if the patron already knows exactly what to request). Again, this is just one more step in transferring all patron interaction to reference so circulation can be eliminated. But this situation begs the question: is that a good thing? Sure, we all want libraries to be as efficient as possible, and I can understand having some self-check-out stations, but I think certain customers would miss the interaction. If a patron doesn't have a reference question, they could spend an entire visit to the library without any human contact. I personally am not all that much of a people person, but it's still always comforting to have someone wait on you with a smile and "have a nice day." So, I don't really know the answer to my question. Does anyone else have any thoughts? Should circulation be phased out?

Newbie to the Adult World

2007-08-31T19:17:00.001-07:00

So, I checked D2L tonight and found at least 8 more new blogs from classmates! I'm going to have to work hard to keep up with everybody's online musings, but I'm excited about it. What's most interesting is reading the blogs of people who have never blogged before. Yey for exploring new territories! I look forward to seeing what everybody has to say about our illustrious profession. I have made one unsettling observation from these blogs, however...I'm probably the most inexperienced person in the class. I'm pretty sure I'm one of the youngest, and it obviously shows. Most people have spent years working in the library or information field, either as actual librarians, or IT professionals with impressive-sounding job titles. I think some people might even be getting their second masters degree...

I'm 24. I went straight to grad school after getting my bachelor's. I've only worked in a library for a year, and just as a circulation clerk, the lowest rung on the ladder. Before that, I only had part-time or summer jobs, mostly working with kids. I'm just now moving away from home, and while my new job in Colorado will encompass more than circulation, I'm still far away from being a librarian. I just feel so...green. And this class makes me realize that there is a lot about technology that I still don't understand. Sure, I know blogging, and how to surf the web, but before this class I hadn't a clue what an RSS was or how to use HTML. And I knew that technology is of growing importance in the library world, but I had no idea how integral it really is. I'm not complaining, just realizing that I have so much to learn...but I know this class will help. And I hope everyone will forgive me if my posts come off as immature. Sometimes I feel like a perpetual teenager, brought to light by the fact that I know more about comic books than I do about open source.

Anyway, moping time over. Tomorrow is my last day of my current job, so I will probably write a post about that later. I also finished Steve Krug's book Don't Make Me Think for class, so I'll include my thoughts on that.

By the way, thank you to the one person who has voted in my poll so far. I think I have an idea who you are...obviously I need to come up with some more interesting polls. Heh.

Second Life Must Die!

2007-08-25T01:39:00.001-07:00

This program is evil. I tried getting on Second Life again tonight, and it froze up twice. After the first time, it booted me off the tutorial area into some unknown land. I had no idea where I was! And I wanted to see if there was anything else I could learn there! Now I can't find my way back. I can go to "Orientation Island," which is where I thought I was, but I can't find the tutorials. The map sucks. Oh, flying is cool, but everything else here sucks. The graphics are terrible and everything takes too long to load.

Google Reader

2007-08-25T00:27:00.000-07:00

So, our professor has also suggested that we try an RSS feed to keep up with our classmates' blogs. I decided to try Google reader because I already have a Google account. Everything seems pretty straightforward; I added everyone's blogs (so far). The only problem I've encountered is that I can't figure out how to see the posts in chronological order. That is, each individual's posts within their blog are in chronological order, but I want to see the actual posts within chronological order, not grouped by author. Kind of like the friends page on my LiveJournal blog. Does anyone know how to do this? If not I'm going to try the Yahoo RSS feed, because I also have an account there.

Another thing...I can see how, for the purposes of this class, it would be easier to use a feed to keep up with everyone's blogs (there will be quite a few). And I can see how feeds are very efficient and save time, if you're into that sort of thing. But for me, one of the most fun parts of getting online is actually going to each individual site to check up on new messages/posts. I have sort of a routine every time I get on the Internet (which is often): check my two most prominent e-mail accounts, check my MySpace account for new messages/friends, check my boyfriends' message board and his blogs for new posts, check all my blogs for new comments. And of course, check into D2L. Then I'll check for updates on less important sites like Cute Overload and MuggleNet. All these things I do almost hourly when I'm at home. Okay, so I might be a little OCD, but it's also a really fun surprise when you come across new stuff. My point (and I do have one!) is that if everything were available through one website, it would take some of the fun of discovery away. And maybe I just like clicking a lot ;)

My professor also asked me to elaborate on Lego Star Wars, which I mentioned in a post in a discussion about educational gaming. It's hilarious. It's worth it just to see the movie parodies in between levels acted out by the lego figures. It's also one of my favorite PS2 games because it's impossible to lose. If you die, you are immediately resurrected. You lose points (or "studs") but you never have to start the level over. Of course, there are advantages to not dying, because if you collect enough studs you can access locked characters and levels, but if you know the cheat codes you can get around even that. I'm really not sure what this has to do with our class, but for all you video game nerdfighters out there you should try it. In the Original Trilogy version I like playing as the Emperor because he can jump the highest, although his evil chuckling every few seconds gets on my nerves.

My Thoughts on Second Life

2007-08-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

I just created an account on Second Life, at the suggestion of our professor. When I first read her suggestion, I thought it was odd, because for some reason I thought Second Life was some kind of hardcore post-apocolyptic video game. No, it turns out that it's similar to the Sims, only not as fun. Basically all I accomplished tonight was going through the motions on Orientation Island and customizing my avatar (girl-next-door style). I wasn't brave enough to go goth but I made my avatar more interesting by giving her purple hair and skin.

By and large I found the whole process frustrating. It was fun playing with the different body shapes and hairstyles, but it's clear that Second Life is not going to live up to my gaming standards. Which is okay; it's free, so you can't expect much for that, and it's technically not a game. More like an elaborate visual-based chatroom. Already two random people have tried to befriend me. I'm usually not one for chatting with complete strangers I just met...

But I probably will not spend much time on Second Life. First, I have too many other online distractions in my life, such as Guild Wars (a fantastic rpg). Secondly, I've already encountered too many problems. The graphics are pretty rudimentary and it takes forever to walk anywhere (plus, the way people walk looks really funny). When I was trying to customize my appearance, I had trouble using the rotating zoom. Right before I logged off, I attempted to walk across a bridge, and suddenly I couldn't stop walking. I walked into a lake backwards and kept going, and I couldn't make myself stop, so I had to quit prematurely. While doing the tutorials, the pop-up boxes started off fuzzy and unreadable, and took longer to load than I was willing to wait. And my computer is not that slow. Finally, I think the tutorial is insufficient to help you use all the tools correctly. For fun I put on a party hat and carried a big sword, but it took me too long to figure out how to take them off. The help screen transfers you to their website, which didn't help me at all. Plus it takes forever to load. Help screens need to be within the game.

As I said, online chatting isn't something I do for fun. Yes, Second Life adds a visual element to the chatscreen, but do people think it's any better than text-based chatting? It's not like people are going to be more truthful when designing their avatars. I know mine doesn't look a thing like me. Maybe that's the point, but if I'm going to create a cyber-femme to be my alter ego, I'd rather be able to fight monsters at the same time.

English Lit and Library Nerdfighter!

2007-08-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my blog title alone should condemn me as being a huge nerd. I don't care; I am a nerd and proud to be so. I devour books, I am a semester away from getting my MLIS, and I secretly play with Star Wars action figures and wish I were one of them. By the way, if you're wondering where the "Nerdfighter" label comes from, it is courtesy of Hank and John Green, the creators of the best video blog EVER:

http://www.brotherhood2.com/

But enough advertising! This blog is primarily for my last MLIS class at the University of Oklahoma: Design and Implementation of Web-Based Information Services. This semi-professional blog has been created solely for this class, but I am not new to blogging: I have two other running blogs through LiveJournal and Yahoo360, as well as a MySpace account. Check them out! (Some content of those blogs is mature, but I hope it's not offensive to anybody.) As I said, this blog will be semi-professional, which means I'll talk a lot about my library job(s) and my experiences as an MLIS student, but also about things that are relevant to the library world in general. I may even stick in a book discussion occasionally! (It's hard to resist.)

Some background information about myself: I graduated in 2005 with a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. I went straight to OU to get my MLIS, and I should be finished in December; it's my 6th semester. People often ask me what I want to do with my degree. I always say, be a librarian! It may sound redundant, but at this point I don't really have a preference as to the direction I take. I could go into reference, children's services, museum work, it all sounds good. I don't think there's any way I could be unhappy with a library job as long as it pays money.

Career information: I have been working for the past year as a circulation clerk at a public library in AR, and that was my first library experience. As a librarian I may not be doing mundane things like checking in books or shelving, but I think they are valuable skills that everyone in the field needs to know. If nothing else, it teaches you to have respect for part-time employees! We work hard. But last week, on a trip to Colorado, I interviewed for a library assistant job. They hired me the next day! I've had cold feet the last few days, as I've lived in AR all my life, but as it happens this very night it is official. I am moving! My living arrangements have finally been sorted out and I will be leaving in 2 weeks. There will definitely be lots of new library-related experiences to share in this blog, as the job covers everything from circulation to reference to children's.

Oh, I also plan to discuss some important current library issues in these posts, partly as a motivation to study for Comps, which I am taking in October. Comps are scary. They have big pointy teeth.

So, think of this blog as a jack-of-all-trades, a random generation of miscellaneous material. Some posts might be silly, some serious. Such is the nature of our field. More to come soon!