Poetry Break

(From Garbage: A Poem by A.R. Ammons, pt. 7. It reminds me of a certain catalog I know.)

... I punched

out Garbage at the library and four titles
swept the screen, only one, Garbage Feed,

seemed worth going on to; and that was about
feeding swine right: so I punched Garbage Disposal

and the screen came blank--nothing! all those
titles, row on row, of western goodies, mostly

worse than junk, but not a word on Disposal: I
should have looked, I suppose, under Waste Disposal

but, who cares, I already got the point: I
know garbage is being "disposed" of--but what

I wanted I had gotten, a clear space and pure
freedom to dump whatever, and this means most

of the catalog must go, so much that what is
left will need no computer to be kept track of:

har:...

UGLi Field Trip

On Friday the staff of the UGLi piled in maize and blue mini vans and traveled to the new Border's. I'm directionally challenged so I couldn't tell you where it is, but it is in Ann Arbor somewhere. Anyway, the store is a test case for their new "concept stores." Basically, the store is just a really big, really technologically advanced bookstore with lots of flashy stuff.

From the moment I walked in, I felt like I was in a computer store, and got overwhelmed. The store manager who gave us a tour must have read my mind when he said, "this space used to be a CompUSA." The store did have some neat shelving and seating, and some clever organizational ideas. But, the big screen t.v.s on the walls made me feel like I was in Best Buy. The store has a technology area that includes a space where customers can make their own CD mixes and download e-books. The thing that really got me was "the Long Pen," which is this teleconferencing device where you can meet an author and they can sign your book. You can see the author over the screen, they can see you, and then you put your book under the machine and the author signs their name on their thinkpad. The "Long Pen" then signs your book, stroke for stroke. It was weird. I have wonderfully awkward memories of meeting authors and basically tripping over myself (not to brag but I ran into David Sedaris in Paris and it was visibly shocking for me). It's refreshingly human to not be able to just turn off a camera and hide sometimes. Plus, if robots start signing our books for us, where will it end? It's so sci-fi.

In the discussion that followed the tour, many of the librarians declared they were uncomfortable with the store. I whole heartedly agreed.

You can see more photos on the UGLi flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uglib/

Highlights of March 19, 2008

Read closely resume tip #2 from Career Services:

2. Use the spell checker feature on your computer and ask SI Career Services staff and at least on friend to review your resume for typos or grammatical errors.

Oh, the hilarity of an ironic typo.

One reason why I'm sticking to public services

DIFFERENCES between, CHANGES within:

Guidelines on When to Create a New Record

["The document helps guide the cataloger in determining whether the item in hand can be cataloged with existing copy or requires a new bibliographic record. General guidelines are followed by specific guidelines for manifestation-level records for single-part monographs, multipart monographs, integrating resources, and serials. The text describes what constitutes a major difference between manifestations, requiring the creation of an original record, as well as detailing major changes within a serial manifestation that would lead to the creation of a new record. In addition, guidance is also provided to identify minor changes that would not require a new bibliographic record, but might necessitate updating an existing record."
from http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=collectiondevb]

Eyes glazing over? Me too. I applaud the work of catalogers everywhere, but I think I'll officially add this to the list of professions I could never do (I actually wrote it down once... doctor, horticulturist, flight attendant, sex worker, and now... cataloger). I think catalogers do really important work, but if I had to use this 38-page PDF on a regular basis... I think I might go over to the dark side (where the future's so dark, I gotta wear night-vision goggles).

Incidentally, when I got curious to see how exactly one does decide whether to make a new bibliographic record for an item and I tried to download the advertised PDF, I got instead a word document entitled "STARTING A LIBRARY SUPPORT STAFF ORGANIZATION." Amazing. Even the ALA concedes that anyone who tries to read "Differences within, Changes between" is going to need some professional help.

A Review of "10 Funny Flirting Facts," in honor of Valentine's Day

Today on MSN.com there was an article I found amusing:
10 Funny Flirting Facts (I don't know how long this link will work, but I'll try to include enough of its content here so that you don't have to use the link to understand the awesomeness of the list).

First, the health benefits of flirting -- apparently, people who flirt more often have higher white blood cell counts and better immune systems. According to "studies." I couldn't find any of these studies, but I'm sure it's true.

Second, the hair flip is the most common flirting signal, "according to scientists."

This one is impossible to paraphrase:
"3. In some places, flirting is illegal. In Little Rock, AR, an antiquated law is still on the books warning that engaging in playful banter may result in a 30-day jail term. In New York City, another outdated law mandates that men may be fined $25 for gazing lasciviously at a female; a second conviction stipulates the offender wear a pair of blinders whenever he goes out for a walk."

The list of flirting tips goes on to talk about how people are taking flirting to the next level -- flirting the tech-savvy way includes email and text messaging. People have also taken flirting to the streets -- between cars on a morning commute, or via mass transit.

I found this article pretty entertaining, but I have a nit to pick: like many popular articles, this one mentioned scientific research about its subject, but didn't directly cite the scholarly sources it used. I found this frustrating because I think the idea of being a professional flirting scholar is really, really hilarious, and I wanted a less efforful way of finding all that flirting literature out there. Flirting scholars, please hit me up with some reliable citations. Soon.

I enjoyed this article so much, I decided to ILL a book by the article's author: Man with Farm Seeks Woman with Tractor: The Best and Worst Personal Ads of All Time. I'll let you know if it's awesome.

Sharks Part 2: Told You So...

Internet connectivity has been sporadic for our friends in Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, India, and Bangladesh this week due to three broken internet cables in the ocean. Though repairs are being made, the progress may be slow. Sources don't seem to know what caused the break in the cables, and it is suspected that at least two be the cables were possibly cut by a ship anchor. But, the third broken cable, off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, has not been explained. The cable was a mere 35 miles from shore. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History most sharks congregate and attack not far from shore and are drawn towards metallic objects, thus leaving my prediction as shark attack. This has been one of the largest outages since an earthquake in Taiwan in 2006. Remember dear readers that we can create things such as the internet, but we pesky humans will never outsmart nature.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Internet-Outages.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=internet&st=nyt&oref=slogin">http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Internet-Outages.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=internet&st=nyt&oref=slogin
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/01/31/dubai.outage/index.html?iref=newssearch
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/attacks/howwhen.htm">http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/attacks/howwhen.htm

Shark Attacks and Internet Connections

Katie and I are in a course on digital libraries this semester. As you know, I have issues with the tangibility of the digital world. We recently read an article for class that attempts to make tangible the intangible nature of networks such as the internet. So, in the article this guy just travels around the world following broadband wires. This "hacker tourist" reveals to his readers all sorts of mind boggling things about broadband wires, the most mind boggling being that the broadband wires in the ocean have a "steel anitshark jacket" around them. I never had given any thought to the fact that a shark attack might tamper with my internet connection. Now I do. I was having trouble signing into facebook earlier today so I could play Scrabulous. I instantly thought "shark attack." (How many times have you thought about a shark attack threatening your Scrabble game?) Printers are slow today at the UGLi-- it's probably just another shark messing with the connection.

One down, three to go

I got a concussion once and the doctor told me to rest my brain: "don't overstimulate yourself," he said. For him, this meant I should sit in an empty room and do nothing. For me, this seemed completely impractical -- didn't he realize I use my brain for pretty much everything? I was on spring break with the softball team, and staying understimulated is nigh onto impossible in Myrtle Beach. But I did my best.

By claiming overstimulation and "doctor's orders" I could get out of any activity, and I took advantage. Suddenly, I had an excuse to avoid the remotest possibility of stress. I opted out of strenuous activities like having conversations, watching movies and eating ice cream. "Sorry guys," I would say, "I don't think I can do that. I'm trying not to overstimulate myself."

As absurd and impractical as the doctor's advice really was, even the minimal sensory deprivation I was able to achieve was pretty nice. Letting go of the need to be engaged in anything at all was surprisingly freeing. That Myrtle Beach doctor gave me a language for stress-reduction that I've been using ever since.

I decided to become a librarian partially because I really appreciate having control over the pace of my life, I've learned that I value stimulation in moderation, and I think this career will allow me the freedom to determine just how stressed out I'm willing to be. Dumbly, I've chosen to pursue this path at SI, which feels like the most intense library school in existence. It makes my brain hurt just to think about it.

I told you about my concussion and my quest for understimulation because I realized today that SI is pretty much the most overstimulating experience of my life. Done with the first of four semesters, I feel shell-shocked. Completely addled. Kind of like I have a concussion. All I want to do is vegetate, in fact it seems right now that that's pretty much all I'm capable of. So if anyone asks me to go anywhere or do anything, I think I'll just say no.

After all, my brain is healing. It deserves a rest.

What a darling suggestion!

One of our lovely co-workers was recently reading through the UGLi suggestion box, and found this recommendation; "KDT should wear more revealing clothing. HOTTT." This nearly killed me. Thank you patron for your comments and honesty. I can assure you that the UGLi has taken your comments respectfully, but this is outside the scope of the library's services. However, Katie has graciously taken the time out of her hectic life to respond to the patron's suggestion. Thank you for your response Katie!

As a side note, please remember that the UGLi suggestion box is not a joke.

Because President Bush Said So

November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month because President Bush said so. Well, President Regan said so first in 1983, but that sort of fizzled out.

But, we can’t look at this as just some political good deed, but as a time for awareness about the disease as it becomes more prevalent in our world. As this number of people with Alzheimer’s begins to rise, so does the cost of living and healthcare for many. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that nearly 4.9 million Americans over the age of 65 are currently suffering with the disease. Many of us are among the 4.9 million families that have been affected by Alzheimer’s.

As the disease becomes more common, the simplest action for us to take is to gain a knowledge and understanding of the disease so that we can know the warning signs and symptoms, as well as know how to support our friends and family as they deal with Alzheimer’s.

The Alzheimer’s Association has a wonderful website that gives basic information about the disease, as well as resources for people suffering with the disease, their caregivers, and their support networks.

http://alz.org/index.asp

My favorite book dealing with the subject is The Wind Garden by Angela McAllister. It’s a lovely children’s book about a young girl named Ellie who looks out for her Grandpa. Her Grandpa reminds me of my own Grandma as he spends his days sitting on this porch remembering. The book itself is aimed at children 10 and under, but shoot, I read it all the time. It’s a really beautiful book.

SAFETY FIRST!

Wedgie-proof is the new black. Just in time for the holiday season.

The Internet is Magic, or “But the problem is, how am I supposed to believe in miracles anymore now that I know how the internet works?”

Today, Emily and I had an exam on the Internet. And by that I mean, we took an exam on concepts related to the internet for SI 502. The exam made us kind of crazy, and we sat in the office recovering, talking in the sort of manic, stressed-out haze that characterizes a lot of our conversations about the work we do at SI.

Emily said the things we've learned in this class have reduced her sense of wonder about the internet, that learning its basic workings has made the whole thing somehow less awe-inspiring. She compared this to the plight of young children (I'm paraphrasing here): "It's like when you hear rumors at recess that Santa Claus isn't real, and even though you know that Christmas is really about Jesus, some the magic of the holiday is lost."

Many of us on this side of the digital divide use the internet every day, without feeling the need to understand how it works. Some of us might even feel that trying to learn how the internet works is a little like asking to have Santa spoiled for you. The internet is pretty freaking complicated. It's hard to sum up, and it requires time to understand. Some day we beleaguered 502-ers might get there.

Although, we are already miles ahead of some. Consider:


Part I

and


Part II

As Jon Stewart suggests, the internet is not just a series of tubes. Ted Steven's tube analogy (while it sounds half-cocked) is thought-provoking because it reminds us that the internet has physicality – cables, computer hardware, servers, and routers that can "talk" to each other. But the higher-level result of all that underlying architecture – the fact that in less than a second you are able to get a webpage that is stored on a server thousands of miles away to display on the screen in front of you in a format you can comprehend – is mind-blowing when you really think about it. And the layers in between the physical and the conceptual -- they might as well be a series of tubes, for all most internet users care.

My 502 GSI has told us that the core question in this course is "Who's talking to whom?" We perceive with our senses, and communicate in human terms. We've created machines that perceive and communicate in numbers, in bits and code, in simple electronic signals. How do we talk to computers in a language they understand, how do different computers talk to each other, and how do layers of hardware and software work together? The fact that computer systems work, that networks work, is a miracle of communication and coordination.

So as much as I sympathize with Emily and all those little kids (including wee young Katie, circa 1993) who discover their parents lie to them to make life seem cooler, learning some basics about the internet has only increased my wonderment. For me, it's more like discovering Santa isn't real, realizing your parents pulled off a massive, long-term hoax in collaboration with parents all across the Western world, and then settling into an appreciation for the system that could enable the conspiracy to continue from year to year and generation to generation. Well, something like that.

I guess what I'm trying to say is the more I learn about the internet, the more I think that the fact that it works at all is truly, fantastically, completely magical. The more I learn about the internet, the more I feel like doing new-agey pagan rituals in its honor.

Not really.

Well, maybe a little.

Better OFF

I recently finished reading Better OFF: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende. Brende was a graduate student in Science, Technology, and Society at M.I.T. when he began to feel overwhelmed by the dependency of society on technology. Brende frames technology in terms of machines, motors, and natural resource guzzlers. Determined to find “how much was too much” technology Brende and his wife move to an Amish community and live without electricity for a year. Brende, describing this lifestyle overly utopian and very unhumble terms at times, does give insight to finding a balance between what machines should and shouldn’t help us to do in our daily lives. A graduate student at the time himself he writes, “In the modern university, with its rapid turnover of assignments and fast-paced technology, the human brain is treated as just another processing device and is expected to keep pace with electronic blips…In the absence of fast-paced gizmos…we can simply take our time…by speeding through life with technology, you reduce what any given moment can hold. By slowing down, you expand it.” He concludes that he does need some technology to get by, and that conveniences like running water aren’t just luxuries. But, he prefers living a slower dearer life without “fast paced gizmos”. Though Brende is a bit condesending at times, his book is worth reading.

Soliciting IPL questions

Emily and I share a class called Information Resources and Services (SI 647). In this course, we learn a variety of practical skills associated with reference librarianship.

One of the main ways we are gaining reference experience in 647 is by answering questions through the Internet Public Library (IPL). People from all over the world take advantage of the reference services provided by IPL's volunteer librarians (like us). Users ask questions for schoolwork, to satisfy their curiosity on a subject, or to settle bets. It's a really cool resource to those with internet access.

Sometimes, there is a dearth of questions available to us when we look to complete an IPL assignment for class. Therefore, I am asking for anyone reading this to consider asking questions on the IPL, which is used to train librarians in classes across the country (and maybe... the world!). It's a win-win -- we get to learn by answering questions, and you get the answer (or pointed to free internet resources which will help you learn more about your question).

Here is a link to the IPL:

http://ipl.org/

And the "Ask a Question" Form:

http://ipl.org/div/askus/

Feel free to ask any questions about the IPL in the comments on this post, and ask away!

Orange Almond Cookies
These decadent treasures are a must for all homework, class, or meeting breaks. We like to keep them in a drawer labeled "event supplies".

1/2 cup granulated sugar
7 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1/3 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plain yogurt
Cooking spray
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
orange rind to sprinkle on top of cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350'

2. Beat first three ingredients with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add honey, almond extract, and egg; beat until well blended. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cups, level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt. Drop by level teaspoons 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350' for 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.

3. Combine powdered sugar and juice in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Brush powdered sugar mixture evenly over warm cookies. Sprinkle rind on top of the cookies before the powdered sugar mixture dries. Remove cookies from pan and cool.

(This recipe was adapted from the Lemon-Honey Drop Cookies in The All-New Complete Cooking Light. To make the cookies lemon, substitute orange rind and juice for lemon rind and juice, and the almond extract for either lemon or vanilla extract.)

Introduction

Emily and Katie share a job, an office and an event supplies drawer.

Together, they are learning to become librarians.

These are their stories.