“That’s it! New Directions!”

Obviously I haven’t been very good about keeping up this blog, and the main reason is the thousand and one life changes I’ve undergone. When I started this blog, I was halfway through grad school, had a good shot at getting a library job, and was preparing for marriage. I had no health problems except a bum ankle that flared up when it felt like it, and I felt good about life.

Since then, I have been diagnosed with a gluten intolerance, I had most of the wedding details fall apart and come back together, I have actually gotten married and moved cross-country, and am now trying to balance graduation, a new (non-library) job,  learning to cook gluten free, and manage a home. I realized as I looked for jobs that libraries are hurting, and that my immediate future had to lie elsewhere for economic reasons. And so, I propose a new direction to this blog. Libraries will still be part of it, as they are part of who I am. However, this blog will also tackle life as a newlywed, newly diagnosed gluten intolerant person. There’s more and more explanation of GF, but so little of it is “every day life.” So that’s where we’re going with this blog. I hope I’ll be able to share culinary triumphs, though don’t be suprised if there are more tribulations. So with that, we’ll take it again from the top!

BotW: Double Fold, with bonus discussion of e-textbooks

This is a book I kept meaning to put up, and just kept forgetting (tragic, I know). This was assigned reading for my preservation class, but despite that, it is definitely NOT a dry, dull textbook. Rather, it’s a fairly critical look at the way the concept of preservation has changed, and how it has a taken on a destructive tone. Double Fold, as a warning, is written by a novelist, so he does have a certain flair that usually isn’t present in non-fiction. Don’t let that fool you. It’s an interesting read, and while some episodes can be taken with a grain of salt, or dismissed as apocryphal,  the general message is still crystal clear: some methods of preservation are, to put it lightly, less preservation and more destruction.

It’s a very real issue that’s being faced currently with the trend toward digitization (which is really something I should write about). Everyone has jumped on the technology bandwagon, and really, who can blame them? The issue is, there are some places, like the school in Massachusetts, that have wholesale abandoned print as a medium. That seems silly to me, especially since you cannot expect grade-schoolers to buy a $300 e-reader just so they can participate in class. Some see it as the wave of the future, I see it as a very real example of punishing people because they’re poor. It won’t be just the poor that are affected if something like this were to become widespread. I wouldn’t described myself as “poor,” nor describe my family as “poverty stricken,” but I can tell you right now that the cost of school supplies was about the extent of our budget– if we had been required to purchase e-readers or laptops to read out textbooks, I quite simply would have gone without. It’s an extravagance at this point, a want, not a need. I worry about the kids who are currently in a place not dissimilar to the one I held growing up. Not poor, but not upper middle class, in a hardworking family that invests in minimal technology because they believe it is a tool with a place, rather than the end all be all of their existence. I had to do without jelly sandels in the mid 90’s, and it was a statement to everyone that I didn’t have enough money to be cool. Imagine the ridicule a child might go through if they can’t afford their digital textbooks.

The other issue with this is, of course, licensing. Who’s to say that the licensing fees won’t become so astronomical that the already shrinking school budgets will be all but obliterated. Of course, they won’t be; taxes, tuition, and fees will simply skyrocket. I don’t mean to be doom and gloom– there’s a lot of good that technology can do, but jumping on it too early won’t do anyone any good. Just ask all those Beta Max and HD-DVD owners.

BotW: The Art and Science of Keeping House

This week’s book is non-fiction, for a change of pace. I received it as a wedding present two weeks ago, and I haven’t really put it down since I unwrapped it! Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House is an amazing resource, whether you had to do chores growing up and know what you’re doing or you’ve never kept house before. It’s not a small book: over 800 pages without the index. Still, it’s not an unmanageable book. Everything is broken down to simple chapters, but the information is so good, and so worth having! I’m trying to read through it as a book, but in the mean time I also go through the index whenever questions come up. Need to know how often certain cleaning tasks should be done? How to get rid of pet smells? How to put together a home? What tools you need for a certain job? Yup, this book has it all!

Books vs. E-Reader

So I’m sure most people have heard by now about Barnes and Noble’s new e-Reader, the Nook. I admit, I’m very intrigued right off the bat. Now, its not a book in the traditional sense, which of course means I’m biased against it. There’s always something to be said for the feel of paper, the weight of a good book, the ability to scribble notes in the margins, and of course the ability to borrow a book without having to loan a $300 piece of electronics in the process. I’ve been looking at the Kindle for a while now, and I haven’t been impressed enough to shell out the $300 plus the cost of the e-books.

Enter the Nook, sort of any way. The Nook hasn’t been released yet, so I haven’t been able to actually see it or meet anyone who’s bought one. However, on paper, the specs are impressive. I like the native PDF support, the color screen, and the lend feature. The price is the same as the Kindle, so its a wash there. B&N also offers a wide variety of free e-books, and while I know they’re there to make you want to buy the Nook over the Kindle or the Sony e-reader, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing (or that it won’t work!). Gotta love the color screen too– I have issues with the black and white only because of the lack of contrast. I sort of wish I could test market it, though obviously tests are over. Oh well– maybe I can find someone who has one and take a look.

Side thought? I don’t think e-readers, even one that’s as cool as the Nook, are practical for libraries. The initial hardware cost would be astronomical, and you wanna talk about the digital divide? That’s one way to make it very clear– the people who are most likely to use the public library are people who need to use the computer and internet access, or who cannot afford to buy all the books they need. How will it help these users to spend years worth of budget on e-book readers?

So you know any good librarians?

I got this info from UA and from ALA, and thought I would pass it on. There is so little wide spread recognition of librarians that it’s great to see the NY Times and the Carnegie Foundation supporting this award! I’m really happy about the fact that it’s open to ALL librarians– sometimes public libraries are more visible than academic or school libraries, but it’s all important work.

Do you know any FANTASTIC librarians?

Nominations open today (August 18) for the 2009 Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award.

http://www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian/home.cfm

The award invites library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians in public, school, college, community college and university libraries for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community. Nominations will run through October 9 and are being accepted online at http://www.ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian

Up to 10 librarians will be selected. Each will receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and a $500 travel stipend to attend an awards ceremony and reception in New York, hosted by The New York Times in December. In addition, a plaque will be given to each award winner?s library.

Each nominee must be a librarian with a master’s degree from a program accredited by the ALA in library and information studies or a master’s degree with a specialty in school library media from an educational unit accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Nominees must be currently working in the United States in a public library, a library at an accredited two- or four-year college or university or at an accredited K-12 school.

Nominees will be judged by a selection committee based on quality of service to library users, demonstrated knowledge of the library and its resources and commitment shown in helping library users.

In 2008, Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded the American Library Association (ALA) $489,000 to support the award, which will continue annually through 2013. The award continues in the tradition of one The New York Times presented from 2001 to 2006.

Last year, more than 3,200 library users nationwide nominated a librarian, and 10 librarians received the award. For more information on last year’s winners, visit http://www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian/home.cfm

The award is administered by ALA’s Public Information Office and Campaign for America’s Libraries, ALA’s public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians.

Carnegie Corp. of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote ‘the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.’ For more than 95 years, the foundation has carried out its founder’s vision of philanthropy by building on his two major concerns: international peace and advancing education and knowledge. Each year, the private grant-making foundation invests more than $100 million in nonprofit organizations to fulfill Mr. Carnegie’s mission, ‘to do real and permanent good in this world.’

The New York Times Company, a leading media company with 2008 revenues of $2.9 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers, WQXR-FM and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.

The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 65,000 members. Its mission is to promote the highest quality library and information services and public access to information.

Libraries meet 80s pop…

I stumbled across this a while ago on a random library blog and thought it was too funny not to pass along. Ok, so maybe it’s only funny to me, but I’ll take my chances!

A Brief Pause…

Summer session ends today, and for 10 blissful days I don’t have to worry about papers or readings or tests. Of course, then fall semester kicks into full swing, with the added bonus of the job hunt. Still, now that I have a brief moment to collect my thoughts I figured I might as well hit the highlights of the summer since it was all very library oriented.

• ALA Annual was of course a major highlight. I’d never been to a professional conference before and this certainly didn’t disapoint! My only regret was that I felt like I didn’t get a chance to take advantage of all the technological support– there were mobile applications and wikis and online archives of presentations and since my trip was put together in a little less than a month’s time, I didn’t get to explore that side of things. Hopefully I can go to Midwinter, which will be a 45 minute drive as opposed to a 3 and a half hour plane flight. Still, I feel like I should be able to say something about Annual, and I can’t because it was so overwhelming! Maybe by October I’ll be able to…
• Archives class– man alive is there a lot of theoretical knowledge out there! The only thing I found reassuring was that all of it struck me as common sense. I find it amazing that these concepts took so long to develop– I suppose it’s like all good things that take time to develop and evolve into full blown concepts. I have to say I didn’t learn quite as much as I would have hoped– all of it was stuff I had had to do within the scope of my internships.
• WACC– the Western Archaeological and Conservation Center. Who knew such a place existed, let alone in Tucson! WACC is run by the National Park Service, and they do all the conservation work for all the national parks in the Intermountain region. We got a tour of the building and the conservation lab, and it was amazing! Sort of the top end as far as conservation and museum type places. A far cry from AHS, I’m afraid. AHS, particularly the Southern Division building right off the UA campus, isn’t very well funded, but they still take care of pretty much all the Arizona state history you could ever hope to find. Anyway, WACC takes care of any artifacts that are found in their constituent national parks. The amount of care they take with these projects is really amazing.
• The Bead Museum– aw, my first internship! I was cut loose in the library in late May, when the contract for our librarian expired. Since then, I’ve been focused on the pamphlet organization and processing a small collection of items that were left out of the initial archive survey. It’s been a lot of fun, despite the fact that I’ve had minimal guidance. I can work with that though, the internet and my archives class have for the most part confirmed my initial ideas. It’s just lovely to be able to look back at the past 6 months and have a very tangible result.

Venice, a ghost story (BotW)

I actually read this book earlier in the summer, but I keep thinking about it. Maybe its because I haven’t read a good ghost story for a while, maybe its because the atmosphere of the book is so pitch perfect. Anyway, this week is a touch darker than my pervious picks, but almost more enjoyable.

The book is The Man in the Picture: A Ghost Story. The story is told much as you would relate a story that you lived through– with run on sentances, with short sentances, with word pictures. The tone is incredibly vivid in this piece: you could be sitting in the study across from the narrator. This is also one of the very few pieces I can’t read before bed; another is Dracula. The reason is the same: the story is so real. The one “fantastic” element is blended with real life so seamlessly as to disappear entirely into the story. I don’t want to really give anything away on this one, so I’ll give the briefest of sketches.

The centerpiece of the novel is a painting of an 18th century Carnivale in Venice. The picture holds the attention of the characters because of the sheer malevolence in it, and the way that the characters are influenced by the painting holds the readers attention. The story of the painting takes on a life of its own, altering the stories of every character that interacts with it.

This one I couldn’t put down, except when I knew that I would have to sleep (the curse of an over active imagination). The narrative is incredibly tight, the characters one and all are strong. Anyone who has been to Venice will, I think, take particular interest in the story because of the descriptions of Venice and Carnivale: they are spot on. One of the qualities of Venice is its long history: all of it continues to live in the streets. I couldn’t walk through the city without feeling as though I was being sucked into the past; so little has changed. And those who haven’t been to Venice? Well, it isn’t all as is described in the book, but its a very real depiction of the sort of murky, sinister side that lurks in every ancient city.

Oh to be a binder of books…

I imagine it’s little surprise to those who know me that I enjoy books. I enjoy readings them, I enjoy looking at them, I enjoy their history, and I love old books. There’s been a movement, particularly in the library world, toward the idea that it is only the intellectual content of an item that is important– that the method of presenting said information is unimportant at best and a nucence at worst. It’s a point of view that puzzles me, probably more than I’d like.

For me, the book is part of the experience. A large ornate book usually means classic literature, a thick glossy book is usually a text book, and a small simple book is usually just a good read (or it should be). Poetry books just look different than novels, which look different from political science works. It’s just the way it is– or was, at any rate. When books cease to be, and all I have are a thousand and one pdfs, how will I know what’s what? I mean, sure, there’s organization on a computer, and I can name things and so on. But at the library, right now? I can look at a cover and get an idea, and take a book or leave it. I can see right away whether it’s thick or thin, whether I have time for that many new pages in my life. It’s a good thing.

I guess I’m a little riled because my preservation class is wrapping up, and we’re a bunch of avowed bibliophiles– not just the information, but the physical object too. Some because they are tactile learners, some because, like me, they know that digital is by its very nature unstable and dynamic, some because books are pretty. Valid reasons one and all. I think the thing that will convince almost anyone that having physical books is a good in and of itself is making one. I always loved books, but when I took a pile of paper and two boards and turned it into a small book, well… there was accomplishment and wonder and excitement. It renews the idea that books are good and fun and objects to be desired. I just don’t understand how we can praise the handbound journals of Florence and in the same breath condemn published books as “useless” “worthless” and “old technology.”

I put together a few links real quick, on hand bookbinding, if anyone is interested. I’ll keep adding as I discover more. It’s worth trying, though kits are definitely good to start with I’ve discovered.

Princeton Special Collection of Books– this is a museum exhibit now made digital. Even in a digital medium, can’t you see how awesome the books are? Makes me want to touch them and set up a massive library a la the Disney Beauty and the Beast…

Book Binding Stages– this is a step by step guide put up by a woman who binds photo albums. Makes you appreciate the amount of effort that goes into hand binding.

And now for something completly different… (BotW)

My poor beleaguered Book of the Week… I keep reading, just forgetting to actually write it down! This week is following in the vein of the first recommendation, ie, perfect for reading on the beach or next to the pool or when your brain has turned to mush from four papers, two classes, and addressing wedding invitations in the space of two weeks! It’s actually a 2-for-1 deal too.

I have a semi-notorious weakness for romance novels– they keep me company on my plane rides, and never overburden me with thoughts like “What is the ontological significance of this?” or “How can this be adapted to emerging technologies while simulatenously remaining friendly for those who don’t like technology?” These two books are actually one and two in a series of four: First Comes Marriage and Then Comes Seduction. When most people think of romance novels, they tend to think of lots of love scenes with a smattering of storyline– whether that’s from experience or hearsay almost doesn’t matter. These two books actually contain characters, and scenery, and settings, and a plot! Now, this isn’t romance like the mid-19th century romance movement– although I dearly love Romanticism (Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, and Tinturn Abbey being my favorite pieces off the top of my head). It’s not entirely different though. There’s definatly a sense of “a simpler time” and mansions and parties and loveliness.

I agree with some of the criticism for First Comes Marriage, namely, that it does feel like a set up for the other novels a little more than you’d hope. That doesn’t make it bad though: the characters are strong and the dialogue is snappy, and not full of cliche. Then Comes Seduction is a little more successful to me, probably because the sister in focus in that novel is a little more light, a little more joyous, and a little more flighty. That sort of personality just seems to gel a little better with the surrounding atmosphere.

So, for light romance novels, I really like this series, though I’m only half way through. That may be because I was raised on really great, classical literature and I don’t look for that level in any contemporary writing– I noticed that some people think the writing isn’t “up to par” with the writer’s pervious series. Still, I think you can do much, much worse for a romance novel. Actually, I know you can.