Category: library

wild librarians

I read an article today in Library Juice about “Wild Librarian” websites; places like Anarchist Librarians and The Modified Librarian. I’m not sure if I would include the Eclectic Librarian in those ranks. I don’t intend to be a “wild librarian”, so perhaps it’s important that I explain why I chose that name for this … Continue reading “wild librarians”

I read an article today in Library Juice about “Wild Librarian” websites; places like Anarchist Librarians and The Modified Librarian. I’m not sure if I would include the Eclectic Librarian in those ranks. I don’t intend to be a “wild librarian”, so perhaps it’s important that I explain why I chose that name for this site. I had been writing this blog under the oh-so-creative title “because everyone else is doing it”, but when I decided to get a real web hosting service (PowWeb) and register my own domain name, I needed something short and snappy that described me, and I didn’t want to use my own name. My chosen profession and paycheck earning love is as a librarian, but I certainly don’t fit the stereotype. I have many diverse interests, which anyone who knows me or reads this blog regularly will have discovered. Thus, the name “Eclectic Librarian” seemed to be the best descriptor of me and my interests. I don’t see it as playing on the supposed incongruity of having eclectic tastes and being a librarian.

“Thus, attempts such as these at busting the stereotype can have the paradoxical effect of reinforcing the stereotype. In highlighting the incongruity of being a wild librarian, they assert that the incongruity is an incongruity after all.”

Well. On with the links:

    Someone is having fun with Flash. Here’s a short (but humorous) clip of Opera Baby. [judy]
    Looking for a new job and want to make use of online resources? Here are a few tips. [free pint]

hiking

I went hiking today at the Pinnacles near Berea. As I drove up to the Indian Fort Theater parking lot, I could see little droplets of rain on my windshield and I wished that I had remembered to bring the rain jacket I bought after a hike in the rain last spring. It’s the kind … Continue reading “hiking”

I went hiking today at the Pinnacles near Berea. As I drove up to the Indian Fort Theater parking lot, I could see little droplets of rain on my windshield and I wished that I had remembered to bring the rain jacket I bought after a hike in the rain last spring. It’s the kind of jacked that rolls up into a stuff sack the size of a hoagie bun. The rain didn’t continue, and by the time I got out of the car, it had stopped completely. None of the rest of my hiking companions had arrived, so I waited and watched the way the clouds draped over the tops of the foothills and attempted to read a book. Soon, Mary arrived and we decided to start hiking, since it didn’t seem that anyone else was coming today. The leaves on the trees had turned shades of red, orange, and yellow, with some greens remaining. When I would take my glasses off (the hike was strenuous enough that my body heat combined with the temperature made the lenses fog over frequently), it almost seemed like the far side of the hills were painted in watercolors that had bled together. I hadn’t hiked that trail in almost two years, and in the interim time I had forgotten that the trail went up and up without many level places until we reached the top. Once we were there, the view was well worth the effort. Mary and I stayed up there for fifteen or twenty minutes, catching our breath and enjoying the God-like feeling of watching the miniature world below. Then, we hiked back down (which was much easier than the hike up) and drove into Berea for a tasty lunch at Wanpen.

Two interesting articles arrived in my email today. One is yet another story about women in rock and how radio stations are starting to play them more. It’s well-written and does at least address the difficulty that women who write and perform original rock songs have in getting airplay on commercial radio stations.

“But not all radio stations are tuned in to the trend. When it comes to rock, testosterone still rules.”

The other story is the first positive article about weeding library collections I have ever read in a non-professional journal. It’s in the New York Times, so as usual, you’ll need to register in order to read it.

“In the lexicon of library science, managing such unwieldy growth is known as weeding. It’s the closest most New Yorkers will ever get to gardening.”

librarian celebrity

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to hear Kee Malesky speak at the Kentucky Library Association fall meeting. For many years now I have been envious of her job as one of the three reference librarians for NPR, but after hearing about the stress and intensity that is a part of her daily routine in … Continue reading “librarian celebrity”

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to hear Kee Malesky speak at the Kentucky Library Association fall meeting. For many years now I have been envious of her job as one of the three reference librarians for NPR, but after hearing about the stress and intensity that is a part of her daily routine in a deadline oriented institution, I am glad I have my quiet cataloging job.

First it was Bert & Ernie, then it was Tinky Winky, and according to an article in the Wall Street Journal, some folks are claiming that SpongeBob SquarePants is gay. I don’t care one way or the other, but what gets me is that some people are afraid of gay characters in children’s television programming. With the backlash against even the hint of the possibility of a character being gay, should the number of hate crimes against gay people committed by youth really surprise us?

“Whether he’s intended to be a gay character or not, that’s the question people are asking,” responded Mr. Kenny. … “It’s never been addressed by us on the show,” he said, adding with a wink that besides, “all the main characters are hiding horrible secrets of their own.”

moving to new technology

Welcome to my new site! Hope you enjoy the change, I know I do. There is an interesting article in the New York Times today about people who work with technology wanting to strip it out of their personal lives. I enjoy all of the tech stuff in my personal life at the moment, but … Continue reading “moving to new technology”

Welcome to my new site! Hope you enjoy the change, I know I do.

There is an interesting article in the New York Times today about people who work with technology wanting to strip it out of their personal lives. I enjoy all of the tech stuff in my personal life at the moment, but there are times when I need a vacation from computers.

“There

moving

I finally moved down to Richmond. I like my new apartment – it is much nicer than the one I had before, and I’m only three blocks from work. This move has taken up most of my free time as well as my energy, thus the reason why it has been over two weeks since … Continue reading “moving”

I finally moved down to Richmond. I like my new apartment – it is much nicer than the one I had before, and I’m only three blocks from work. This move has taken up most of my free time as well as my energy, thus the reason why it has been over two weeks since my last post.

Here are a couple of fun things that have come across my email recently:

  • Are you a librarian? Don’t you wish that your OPAC could have more interesting error messages? The Warrior Librarian has a few suggestions.
  • Shhhh! No – scream! It’s BloodHag, the library band. There has already been some discussion on the NASIG listserv about making a road trip up to Seattle to see this band at some point during next summer’s meeting in Portland.
  • It’s too late to add your name to the list of signatures to this letter from Librarians for Peace, but I was very impressed with the number of folks who did. BTW, I’m #742. I wish I had known about this site earlier.

I saw that Karyn has almost paid off her credit card debt and is now offering to help someone else by directing her visitors to their website. I’m not sure if my site is up to her standards, but I’m thinking about submitting it. What do you think I should do?

Continue reading “moving”

quiet libraries

Jessamyn West had the following quote from a review of a hard drive on her librarian.net blog today: “The librarian in you will love Seagate’s new, ultralow-noise, consumer-friendly, 7,200rpm 80GB Barracuda ATA IV hard drive. Indeed, this drive is as quiet as the reference room on the night before midterms.” Obviously this reviewer has never … Continue reading “quiet libraries”

Jessamyn West had the following quote from a review of a hard drive on her librarian.net blog today:

“The librarian in you will love Seagate’s new, ultralow-noise, consumer-friendly, 7,200rpm 80GB Barracuda ATA IV hard drive. Indeed, this drive is as quiet as the reference room on the night before midterms.”

Obviously this reviewer has never been in a library reference room the night before midterms, or else he might have found some other descriptor for “very, very quiet”. Midterms and finals weeks are two times in a semester when the library has the most number of users. With that many people all in one space, it is rare that one is able to find a quiet place in the building.

Continue reading “quiet libraries”

Beer Node

Jeff sent me some copies of pictures he took of the group of us at NASIG in June, and I finally got some scanned in and uploaded to my website. Here’s another shot of a bunch of us with the “Beer Node” sign. Ahh… good times. I should (or perhaps shouldn’t?) note that the new … Continue reading “Beer Node”

Jeff sent me some copies of pictures he took of the group of us at NASIG in June, and I finally got some scanned in and uploaded to my website. Here’s another shot of a bunch of us with the “Beer Node” sign. Ahh… good times. I should (or perhaps shouldn’t?) note that the new President of NASIG is one of the women in the “Beer Node” line-up…

Continue reading “Beer Node”

folk is lesbian music of choice, over-paid librarians, and other modern myths

My friend Anna sent me a link yesterday to an article about folk music having become the sound of lesbian culture. I have noticed this phenomenon, but I had never really thought about it specifically. You can read the full article yourself, but it will require a free registration with the New York Times. “We’re … Continue reading “folk is lesbian music of choice, over-paid librarians, and other modern myths”

My friend Anna sent me a link yesterday to an article about folk music having become the sound of lesbian culture. I have noticed this phenomenon, but I had never really thought about it specifically. You can read the full article yourself, but it will require a free registration with the New York Times.

“We’re seeing the coming together of a way of life and a form of expression that’s kind of primary,” says Lisa Merrill, a professor of performance history at Hofstra University. “This doesn’t happen often.”

A county in Washington State wants to dissolve the entire county library system, according to this New York Times article. So far, petitioners have managed to collect enough signatures that it might actually make it onto the ballot. Aparently some folks are upset that they pay an average of $38 per year in property taxes to keep the rural libraries up and running. <sarcasm>Gee, that sure is a big chunk to be taking out of some family’s budget.</sarcasm> Seriously, folks, don’t you think that is a small price to pay to have access to free books and computers?

“I home-school my kids, and our four library cards are maxed out at 40 books at all times,” said Linda Arrell, who lives off the electric power grid with her family north of here. “They say everybody is on the Internet, so we don’t need a library. Well, some of us don’t have credit cards, and some of us don’t have power.”

Oh, and that bit about the head librarian’s salary being too high? Let’s put this in perspective here, folks. Ms. Robinson is responsible for nine library branches, which includes all of the staff and budget issues that any large organization spanning a geographic area that size would have. If she were in the corporate world, she would be making three times as much.

beer, bluegrass, and Shaker lemon pie

I have some pictures of myself at the NASIG “beer node”, but I haven’t had the time to scan them in yet. I’m debating over whether it would be a good idea to do that. Yesterday, I went on the new faculty tour. I’m not exactly “new” here at EKU anymore, but they only do … Continue reading “beer, bluegrass, and Shaker lemon pie”

I have some pictures of myself at the NASIG “beer node”, but I haven’t had the time to scan them in yet. I’m debating over whether it would be a good idea to do that.

Yesterday, I went on the new faculty tour. I’m not exactly “new” here at EKU anymore, but they only do new faculty orientation once a year. Anyway, I toured the bluegrass region with a group of 25 new faculty, and it wasn’t as bad as I was afraid it might be.

I have been to Keeneland before, but this time I was able to see the clubhouse and the boxes that the corporations lease. Pretty spiffy, but I still prefer my usual spot along the rail down by the track. After Keeneland, we went to Lexington Community College. I worked in the resource center as a graduate student at the University of Kentucky, so there wasn’t much new-to-me information to be had. The best part of the day came next – a visit to Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, where we had lunch. I have been to Shakertown (as it is commonly known in the region) twice before for dinner, but I had not had the opportunity to tour any of the buildings before. It was very interesting and informative. I think that if I had lived back then, I would have been drawn to the Shaker lifestyle.

After lunch, we hopped back into the bus and drove down to Danville, where we toured the EKU Danville Center. By then, I was on sensory overload and trying to recover from the piece of Shaker Lemon Pie, but that didn’t stop me from having a bowl of homemade peach ice cream. Yum. I was glad to finally see my car when we rolled back into Richmond at 5:15.

This next week I’ll be on vacation in Toronto, and right now my main agenda is to take a nap every day. Ahh…. sleep…..

musicians & librarians

It’s been a while since I wrote here, I know. I’ve been off traveling the country, and I’ve barely had time to breathe, much less write something here. Nevertheless, I shall try to summarize. A few weekends ago, I attended the National Women’s Music Festival for the first time. It was amazing! The music was … Continue reading “musicians & librarians”

It’s been a while since I wrote here, I know. I’ve been off traveling the country, and I’ve barely had time to breathe, much less write something here. Nevertheless, I shall try to summarize.

A few weekends ago, I attended the National Women’s Music Festival for the first time. It was amazing! The music was top notch, and very intimate, since this festival is not as highly attended at some others. I was able to see some performers that I already knew and loved (Wishing Chair, Jamie Anderson, Ember Swift, etc.), as well as others that I came to love after seeing them perform at the festival (Kim Archer, CommonbonD, Jennie DeVoe, etc.). Not only was the music a wonderful collection of soul food, but the festigoers were a diverse group of women who somehow managed to blend together well. It was difficult for me to transition back into the “real world” after those few days of being surrounded by the energy of women together.

I had four days of relative normalcy, and then the conference marathon began. First, I drove down to Atlanta with several of my colleagues to attend the ALA 2002 Annual Conference. This was my first ALA meeting, and I was excited to be able to go. The high light of the conference, for me, was when the Indigo Girls performed at a fundraiser for the ALA Scholarships, and I was in the second row! When I finish the roll of film in my camera & get it developed, I might have some pictures to share. It was kind of bizarre to be in a place with more than 10,000 librarians, but I got used to it. The conference itself was disappointing, since there wasn’t much about serials or cataloging (my job in real life).

The next conference occurred right after ALA, with only a day between for me to travel. Unlike ALA, this one was directly relevant to my job. The North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG) 17th Annual Conference agenda included numerous items related to serials cataloging, as well as other serials issues, and it was also great fun! If you are ever in Williamsburg (VA), I recommend a visit to the Green Leafe Cafe. Although I may have had more beer while I was in Williamsburg for the conference than I had at any one time in my entire life, I did learn a good bit about serials cataloging issues. I also realized how little I know about serials cataloging, despite having been on the job for nearly eight months! Well, it certainly has given me quite a few goals to reach.

css.php