Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thanksgiving

Well again it's been too long since my last post. Things have been busy and just ok- dealing with strange things at the library and interesting encounters with patrons, of course. Because it's a holiday week, I'm not going to get into the details but instead I've decided to post my "dewey number" according to a random website that I found on a friend's blog:



Mandy Simon's Dewey Decimal Section:

838 German miscellaneous writings


Class:
800 Literature


Contains:
Literature, criticism, analysis of classic writing and mythology.



What it says about you:
You're a global, worldly person who wants to make a big impact with your actions. You have a lot to tell people and you're good at making unique observations about everyday experiences. You can notice and remember details that other people think aren't important.

Find your Dewey Decimal Section at Spacefem.com

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

embracing the good parts of a day

Wednesday, November 19, 2008
embracing the good parts of a day
Wow I've been forcing myself to do a lot of this lately. Bad days seem to string together for me in the late-fall and early-winter, mostly because I HATE being cold. I hate it with every inch of my being. My toes go numb, my fingers go numb, I have constant goosebumps and all I can think about every day is coming home, sitting near the heating ducts in my house in my warm fuzzy bathrobe.
Last year's winter didn't seem so bad- mostly I think because I was "falling in love" with the boyfriend, which warmed my heart enough to ignore my freezing appendages. This winter, I'm still in love, but being cold is more evident. I also spent the last few days thinking, "What other differences were there between this year and last?"
I was only working part time at a different library.
I was finishing up grad school.
My best friends still lived here.
I mass-sending-out-resumes for jobs.
I was running- working out like a crazy person, because I was only working part time.

Since then, I've
Bought an entire collection of teen books.
Bought a lot of other books (adult, children's, etc.).
Processed them.
Moved them.
Shelved them.
Made a space look pretty.
Opened a library.
Helped run a library.
Went to my first conference.
Learned more stuff than I thought I would in a job, ever.

So all of those things are good. Definitely forward movement. I need to focus on these things. I'm moving in the right direction, and the above lists only a few things that have happened in the last year or so. So I'm going places.

But on days when we're slammed, and I'm the only one on desk, and I wore the wrong shoes and my back hurts and my feet hurt and I leave work when it's dark out- I need funny moments, I need happy moments, I need moments (usually patron interactions) to get me through the day.

And yesterday I had a few of those moments. And two of my regular teens came in, and one of them read to me some of the things she's been writing. And I just want to force her to sit down with a pen and paper and never stop writing. She's so incredibly talented, and I know that she barely thinks her writing is interesting, but needs reassurance that's it's good.

So I listen to her read things to me in brief moments at the desk. And I tell her to keep going. Keep going! It's so good! I want to know what's going to happen next!

And she looks at me like I'm a crazy person.

I hope those kids know how much their arrival at 4:00pm makes my day.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

on communication

So let's see, to share with you what I've been up to in the library-world:
The last few days have been rainy and cold, kids have been off of school so it's usually deathly quiet until around 2, which is when people finally get the nerve to go out into the cold and come to the library. It's been fun, with the exception of harrassing tweens and teens to pick up their wrappers from the candy they bought at the Dollar Store, it's been okay. It gives me time to work on things in the morning, and then slowly work myself into the rush that comes in the afternoon.

And in the Archives:
The building in which the archives is located is currently being remodeled...and leaving me in a bit of a quandry. I ordered 30 file boxes which arrived much sooner than I thought they would...so the "project" of expanding and reorganizing the file boxes could start as soon as, well, NOW...but with moving things around and redecorating everything, I hardly want to begin this massive project and then have to re-re-organize it in order to move boxes around the painters/decorators, etc. So right now, the archives looks a little like a failed garage sale back in my "corner" of the place- I'm hoping I can get started on it maybe in February!? I don't know. But that job is going well too- just crazy how much backlog ends up happening. I'm still getting used to what's already there, and people keep "donating things" which makes it even harder to handle. I really like it though. A lot.

Recently in the news it was mentioned that Barack Obama will have to surrender his blackberry and email address. I understand why- I get it. It doesn't exactly make sense that our president's blackberry go off during a meeting with some important world figure or during a press conference. In order to get a hold of the President, people should have to get through the security sheath around him so it seems only fair that he doesn't get to use them anymore...fair to the american people in that it makes him less susceptible to hackers and whatnot, and if normal citizens don't get to tell him something we think is important via text, than I think no one should be able to either- but that's mainly me being selfish.

I started thinking about it further. A friend of mine recently went to work for the federal government, and during the interview process they mentioned knowing she had a facebook page (DUH- a simple search can reveal all of that ) and then the same people who were interviewing and mentioning this made a comment about "facebook, isn't that mostly for people to get together and find other people to have sex with?" Um....DUDE. No. My Aunt Pam is on there. My mom has a facebook page. My school, my work, everyone has a facebook page. I don't even like facebook and I have a facebook page. It's almost a necessity to connect with people I'd lost touch with- and is the ONLY kind of contact I have with many people. Same thing with Myspace and email. Said friend ended up deleting her account after that, which I understand, because if my employer was so clueless and thought I was soliciting sex online, I would certainly oblige and take down the page in order to get a job that pays 3x as much as the one I previously had. I suppose that's the price one has to pay.

I miss my friend not being on Facebook. I have no idea what her new place looks like in another state, and she doesn't know what's going on back home. That's not to say that she's particularly interested in my daily "status updates" but still- cutting off even one form of communication makes people feel further apart.

Then I started thinking about how many people I only (or mostly) contact via text message. I think my boyfriend and I have talked on the phone a total of 12 times in a year, because we text message. Even my boss text messages me. And email- I mean, email is how everyone (my age) does everything! How else am I going to get my resume, notes to myself from different email addresses, forwards about kitties and babies, etc?! I mean- this is important stuff!

As a public service librarian, when I think about how forward-thinking the library is, in that it realizes that part of BEING a library is becoming a community center for people, being accessible to all people, the more I wonder when or if the government will ever understand or have a handle on that. THe library has a facebook page, a myspace page, a flickr page, a youtube page, a blog, etc. Regarding the government, well --I know that Obama having a blackberry is probably not a possibility, but at some point the government will need to understand the nature of the social web, and how much of the generations coming up rely on them SOLELY as a means for communication. It doesn't surprise me that George W. Bush's email address was an aol account (oh that did make me chuckle though), and he didn't really see it as much of a problem to not use it anymore. But I wonder for the future leaders of the free world- will they survive without electronic means of communication? Particularly if that's the only way they are accustomed to communicating?

All I know is if you made me delete mine, I would be in a world of hurt- and I wouldn't talk to anyone. Ever. That means old college chums, family members, boyfriends, friends, employers, networking associates, anyone.

At the same time, the archvisit part of me is constantly wondering how to archive all of this "digital living and connecting" I'm doing. For the first 17 years of my life i wrote in books and on paper, which I have stored accordingly. But with the digital stuff, it's so massive and how do we keep that for archival purposes? This is the stuff that really got me thinking and pondering in school- and I'm not in school now, but I DID just have my Trip to England blog printed into book format, because that one I want to be SURE to remember. My myspace (aka therapeutic rambling) blog is more than likely gone-for-good when that technology becomes obsolete. I've emailed "Tom" and "Customer Service" more than once to find out about the blog archives and how they're stored (if at all) and if I'd be able to upload that (ever) into a format that's printable-- and that Tom character never emailed me back. Jerk.

Just think of all the communication that occurs digitally that will eventually be GONE- POOF! In an age where laptops are getting smaller and smaller, and programs become increasingly high-tech, better, worse, unable to work with other hardware, etc....it's alarming! I mean, I got an iPod (my SECOND iPod) just over a year ago and already when I walk into the Apple Store for advice on things they look at me like I am carrying a VCR around or a toaster oven- like, "Oh look at that old lady with her old piece of equipment she'd like to have serviced"

Things change people- and they change FAST!

There's a huge disconnect here between what's being archived, and what's not- between generations of people and how they communicate-- and I'm wondering what the next few decades will hold and if anyone has given this a thought. WE'll see I suppose.

Okay I'm off to check all my pages and see what people are up to today.

Friday, November 14, 2008

things are slightly better

In that, I'm not feeling impending doom. I spoke with some people that made me feel better- even if it was just stuff to placate my immediate concerns like "You don't have anything to worry about" or "It's all going to be okay". Sometimes, that's all a person needs to hear.

In other news,

I read a lot of other people's blogs- real ones, not myspace ones really. Mostly I read librarians' blogs- to find out things, keep current, catch up on book reviews, etc. But I came across this posting recently, by the Interactivereader, and I was really struck by the following quote:

"When I boil down freedom, the basis of our government, to its core, its very essence, I believe that a person can do whatever they want to do as long as it does not impinge on another's rights. And here's where some of you and I are bound to disagree: I do not believe that same-sex marriage is harmful to anyone. You can send me as many articles and biased studies as you want, I will never agree with you. Be personally offended all you want about the "homosexual lifestyle", but I will never believe that a gay couple's right to be legally recognized as MARRIED will negatively affect your life. You'll go on living the exact same way you did before. Your 50% chance of marital success will be the same."

And to the Interactivereader, I say: That's exactly right. Precisely. I concur.


I may be personally offended by your body odor, your political views, your ignorance, or a million other things that I may find incredibly apalling and disgusting about you as a human being-- but that doesn't mean the government should do anything about it. Unless you're hurting me, and violating my rights as an Amurhican, do whateverthehellyouwant.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The sky is falling....

for some.

Ok, everyday I wake up and get my coffee- and I get in the shower. I wash my hair. And for the past few weeks, as I'm scrubbing my Loreal-like (CVS) brand shampoo into my skull, I have the following inner dialogue:
"You are NOT going to be a Negative Nancy today. You are going to suck it up, leave it at work, walk out the door and appreciate all the things you have."
You know, the Pollyanna talk. I try to do this to deter myself from heading down into the winter abyss of Seasonal Affectiveness Disorder that typically shows up around October- when at any given moment, (when the temperature is under 60 degrees) one to four of my fingers on either hand will become completely numb. It's too cold, my body's decided- and my circulation is bad enough to make my fingers numb. It's weird. I hate it. I've been wanting to move to the carolinas since, oh, 1998 and every October it gets worse.

The past year or so in my new profession of librarianship (I love that word) I've sucked it up (the SAD) and it's been ok. The past month or so has not. Things are getting icky everywhere. People are crabby at work- patrons and staff. Most of the people I work with are working second part time jobs on top of their full time jobs. And we have Masters' Degrees....which is part of the reason we need the part time jobs...to pay off the Masters' degree.

I feel like someone sold me something that broke or the warranty ran out or something. There are so many things I love about what I chose to do-- after moving from advertising/marketing to this field....I absolutely love what I'm doing in comparison.

But I'm starting to get jaded. And I think it's a combination of weather, being perpetually broke, and not really seeing any light at the end of the tunnel.

The worst part is knowing that negativity is insidious, and I don't want to be that person, spreading evil thoughts into the minds and morales of others. But it's hard when you get one day off a week. And you don't have money for shoes to replace the ones you have holes in.

The economy is completely screwed, and I'm better off than a lot of people (see, look at this pollyanna-ing!) but I still find myself wondering when things will change- or if they will continue to change for the worst..

A library in Ohio has just laid off 8 people and announced how they're limiting services, hours, and additional staff in mid-December. A friend of mine works there and I can't imagine what that has to be like. I don't want to imagine it because it scares the crap out of me.

Additionally I'm bombarded with emails from American Libraries and Library Journal telling me about more closings, layoffs, etc. and it's downright depressing.

Sandwich all of those thoughts around 8 hours of printing instructions and directional questions ("The bathroom is by the yellow wall, sir"). Add in a few hours at an archives where no one has touched anything in 4 years. And by the end of the day I am completely. utterly. fried.

So the moral of the story? I'm alright- I'm getting through with my Pollyanna-ing and attempting to look ahead at the future and hope for all sorts of change (seriously though- even some spare quarters would be cool)...but right now I have a really. Really. REALLY bad feeling.

London video shared by fellow librarian

This video is SO COOL!


London (harder, better, faster, stronger) from David Hubert on Vimeo.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Finding treasures in the archives

So, being the archives, anything that people are reluctant to throw away--- well they just box it up and put it in the archives. They figure, "Oh the archives will want to keep this binder of instructions from 1999".....um.....maybe.

At any rate this week has been a doozy as the office I work in begins moving things around for a renovation (might I add that we just finished renovations in my other job...I thought I was done with the constant moving things around!). People have been instructed to clean things out- and in the process they've been putting all the stuff they can't imagine wanting to "pitch" in the archives.

Boxes of- mostly three ring binders of repetetive information, training manuals, etc. Also fliers, booklets of poems, a box of pictures from the 1970s that are all unmarked or not labeled...imagine getting a box of WELL over 600 photos from 1970 to 2007 that are unmarked! It's insane! I don't know these people!

Also I've come across some interesting things- a box of jewlery and a box of type-setting tools- half of a door-knocker and some lace? Promotional pins and canvas bags from conventions clear through the 1940s...

I've started maniacal quest for organization within the archives closet- which may be a futile effort but at least I'm trying. Among the many many photographs and letters dated from the late 1800s to early 1900s, I found a piece of a calendar from September and October of 1899. It's a promotional piece that was sent out to doctors about a medicine called Antikamnia. It's a strange addition to what is mostly a girl-feminine-centric collection of dance cards and lace. But so far, it's my favorite thing I've found.

Monday, November 3, 2008

NO KIDDING?!

From http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27506234/:

Study: Sex on TV linked to teen pregnancies
Exposure to high levels of sexual content can affect adolescents over time
In the world of television programming, sex sells — perhaps a little too well with young viewers, a new study suggests.
The RAND Corp. study is the first of its kind to identify a link between teenagers' exposure to sexual content on TV and teen pregnancies. The study, released Monday and published in the November edition of the journal Pediatrics, found that teens exposed to high levels of sexual content on television were twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy in the following three years as teens with limited exposure.
The study's authors are quick to point out that the factors leading to teen pregnancies are varied and complex — but they say it's important for parents, teachers and pediatricians to understand that TV can be one of them.

"We were surprised to find this link," said Anita Chandra, the study's lead author and a behavioral scientist at RAND, a non-partisan, non-profit research organization. "But teens spend a good amount of their time watching television — an average of three hours a day — and we don't know a lot about its impact on their health decisions …

"We don't think that (TV) is necessarily more significant than some of the family and neighborhood factors that can lead to teen pregnancies. But even when we removed all the other factors, we still saw a compelling link between a high exposure to sexual content on television and teen pregnancies."

*********************

I quit watching primetime television about a year ago or so. It's astonishing how much less I can participate in conversations that go on at work, with my family and even with some of my friends. Everyone watches Dancing with the Stars or some other such show that doesn't appeal to me whatsoever. Sometimes I feel a pang of "Oh, I can't participate in this conversation, because I have no idea what you're talking about" and sometimes I breathe a sigh of relief because my head isn't filled up with stupid crap that media feeds the masses.

I'm most appreciative of my decision to quit watching tv on a regular basis when I catch a glimpse of the political propaganda...but there are times when I feel like I"m missing out on something. Because I work with teens, who like to watch tv-- and they're talking about popular culture, which is something I feel like I should know about in order to chat with them as we're doing DIY projects at the library or even when they stop in to say hello....sometimes I feel like I'm obligated to swallow some of the crap that is on television, if for no other reason than to be able to feel connected to them in some way and have something to chat about.

Ever since I stopped watching- the feeling of "I'm so glad I don't know that" has occurred much more often than feeling "left out". There are other things I find myself doing in place of watching television. I get on hulu and watch shows I like when I want to watch something. I go to the library and get movies and television series on DVD to watch on my computer before bed if I need to sit and stare at a screen. I particularly enjoy the nonfiction bits by the BBC and other random shows that only nerds watch. I also do crafts, surf the internet, and read books. Yes, I realize this is nerdy....but I think it's a better way to utilize my time. I'm also a firm believer in the fact that doing things other than sitting on my ass watching television burns calories. Whether I'm thinking about something, researching nonsense for my own benefit on the internet, or just can't get comfortable wherever I'm sitting to read a book- those are all calories burned instead of ass-widening tv watching.

(Much of my disdain for television is from living with a person who was highly addicted to television for two years. It disgusted me.)

ANyways, the thought has also occurred to me that television shows that appeal to teenagers and younger people are sexually charged-- and I am conflicted about this bit of info. As I was growing up, I didn't sit and watch television a whole lot- some of the reason stem from tv being monitored by my parents, but mostly I think it was because I was so busy with either sports, or theatre or piano lessons or being boy crazy and pining in my room over some guy who I was crushing on-- I don't know. I also believe that the age I became "sexually active" was young- but not directly a result of anything my parents did wrong, or any television I watched- though I was a big fan of 90210 when it was on. I have just always felt strongly that my decision as an adolescent to start making out with boys was something that wasn't really influence by a whole lot other than friends who were doing it- and talking about it- and pure curiosity.

So I've been thinking- if I have kids someday- how would I convince them that there is so much more out there to pay attention to- to watch, to experience, etc besides television shows that I honestly believe make people dumber? How would I ever convince a kid to pick up a book instead of watch the Hills or the OC or whatever else is super-cool thse days?

I get a lot of parents in the library looking for "good books" for their pre-teens and teens to read. This is when it gets sketchy. The parents obviously want to monitor content, and much of the Teen Pop Lit teeters on the edge of what's deemed "appropriate" by the conservative masses. A good portion of the patron population leans towards the conservative right, requesting Kinsbury and Janet Oke and other such "Inspirational" fiction that should more aptly be called "Christian". Thankfully I can guide thse parents towards the "Inspirational" teen formulaic fiction -- I have a few series to choose from....but even these exchanges have led me to think the following:

If I have kids- and they eventually grow up to be teens- I will do what I can to keep them busy and interested enough in other things besides television. And I will let them read whatever they want to read, book-wise. Whatever. They. Want. At least they're reading. They can imagine all the soft-porn they want while reading sexually charged teen novels littered with cussing. That can be their pop culture. But the television- that's a whole other story. Watching adolescent soft porn on primetime television borders on pedophilia and it makes me sick. If my kids are that interested in sex they can check out Judith Krantz novels at the library, where at least their reading comprehension skills and imagination will benefit.

Oh, and I'll give them birth control.