Of Beasties and Librarians...

I love creative librarians, especially when they embrace silliness and music. While I am not a fan of Lady Gaga, the music video spoofing one of her songs is hilarious.

Add this one to that lovely bag. Librarians and the Beastie Boys seem to make a good fit.

There are also public service announcements to promote the value and essential service of libraries...and zombies.

And also Captain Kirk....

What other library related videos have you seen that make you sit up and take notice? Feel free to post a link in the comments section below. I would love to see them!

Cutest Library Book Ever

Working in a library, you can find some pretty cool things. There was a day I was reshelving books at the Albertsons Library and found a book simply called On Bullshit. Another day, I found a very old and worn copy of the Masonic Dogma and Morals complete with signatures of past masters who had owned the book. I think the item that I revisited many times was the case book on Roswell.

In Special Collections at Wichita State, I have laid hands on a late 10th century copy of Enchiridion ad Laurentium penned by several different scribes on sheepskin. I perused a sixteenth century copy of The Defense of the Aunswere to the Admonition, Against the Replie of T. C (Thomas Cartwright) penned by John Whitgift. There is a rather large tome from the same century which holds delicate leaves and flowers tucked between the pages. 

I own a tiny book. It's a red leather bound copy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and measures
3 1/4" by 4 1/8" inches.

I never found anything like this, though. Well, that I know of anyway. Such a tiny book!

Libertarian Science Fiction?

I had no idea this sub-genre even existed...I mean, is there fiction devoted to other political ideologies?...I don't think I have ever seen Republican or conservative science fiction...unless that is Fox News...then it makes sense.....what would moderate sci fi be I wonder?....I would probably read that. 

The Libertarian Futurist Society recently announced their 2013 award winners. Frankly I probably would not have even looked at it if it hadn't been for Cory Doctorow's name as this year's recipient of one of the Prometheus awards. Looking further at the previous winners list gave me a better grasp on what is meant by libertarian science fiction, although I certainly never called it that before. Probably wouldn't now either come to think of it. Despite that, it does look like an interesting group. I'll stick with the Mythopoeic Society, though.  

Regardless, here is the link to the awards section of their website:  http://www.lfs.org/awards.shtml

How many of the award winners have you read or are on your list of books to read later?

Pet Sematary and the Library

Things are happening. My love of horror may be put to good use. I can't confirm anything yet. I will add updates as they come. For now, here is a little present. I have also had this song in my head all day....

Bram Stoker Horror Award Winners!

Pardon the short post. I am re-re-editing one of Art's books. We discovered yesterday that the edits it took me a few weeks to do were lost due to some kind of issue with the recent edition of Word. So I will be hustling to get those done. The deadline is this weekend, and damn it, I'm going to be done this weekend.  *enter lots of curse words here

For those interested, the Horror Writers Association recently announced the 2012 Bram Stoker Awards. Weeee! Take a look!

Touring the Corbin Education Center

In celebration of Frank Lloyd Wright's birthday (officially June 8th), the Corbin Education Center at Wichita State University gave tours through their wonderful building designed by the architectural master himself. My friend Gemma and I took the first tour of the day. Our tour guides, Jane and Zach, were incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the building and of Wright as well.

The first thing I noticed when we arrived at the building was how low the ceiling was at the entrance to the courtyard. Seriously low. Art would have had to duck to get through here. Gemma wondered if Wright had been a short man in his lifetime. Turns out that was indeed the case, and he designed things for himself.

After leaving the oppressive entrance, we were welcomed with the sun and a great view of the fountain. I think if we could have gotten away with it, Gemma and I would have dipped our toes in it. It looked quite inviting!

This is one of the classrooms. The windows are almost floor to ceiling and the ones that join in the corner are actually calked together. Jane mentioned that Wright did not want to mar the view to the natural landscape beyond the window with walls and such base things.

I don't know about you, but I don't think I would have been able to concentrate on lectures with the view.

A clock. A simple thing, but unique in its design.

Here  is a shot of the computer lab. Again, another place where  I wouldn't be able to get much done!

The Corbin building was dedicated in 1964. Here is a shot from above of the dedication plaque. There is my little shadow up there. Helloooo!

From the walkway in between the two sections of the building (photos further down) I was able to get a great shot of the fountain. I want this in our backyard....it would take up most of it, but whatever!

Another view from the computer lab. Those fences are placed where the elementary education facility was supposed to be built. Sadly the building was never started.

A long view of the courtyard.

This is a lecturn in the Dean's office, also designed by Wright. Much of the furniture used in the building has the onyx and oak design. This photo doesn't do it justice. These pieces are great.

Here is the walkway from one part of the building to the next. I am so glad we had fantastic weather today!

One of the tour guides is super lucky to have this view from his office...

Another example of the low ceilings Wright employed in his designs.

This is an example of Wright's use of low to high ceilings.

From part of the courtyard.

Another simple thing, bookshelves. It's the way that those bookshelves are mounted on the wall that I wanted to capture.

Look! It's WuShock!!

Again, I was so grateful for the nice weather!

I think I will be spending some lunch breaks here...there is actually seating in between the two sections of the facility where faculty and students venture. Allegedly some awesome professors will use it as a teaching space.

If you are ever in Wichita, come to Wichita State University and see the Corbin Education Building. You will love it!

If it hadn't been for this guy, I don't think I would have the appreciation for Wright's work that I do today. Thanks, Grandpa.

Frank Lloyd Wright Day is June 7th

I will definitely be attending some of this event on Friday. http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/news/?nid=2138

My grandfather was a Wright enthusiast, and it showed in the plans that he drew up for the 1964 addition to the house on Logan St. The angles and materials Grandpa Brown selected were indicative of Wright's style and is still a very unique design.

As much as I liked the old part of the house, the newer part was always my favourite area. There was just something about the design of the second living room, dining room, and kitchen. It was quite some time before I heard anything about Wright and his architectural work. When I saw some of Wright's work and Grandpa's architectural plans next to each other, it became clear to me who Grandpa looked up to as an artist.

There were of course other reasons why I liked this section of the house. The family spent more time in here for holiday gatherings, nibbling on the simple dinners (which eventually turned into four course meals because Grandpa would always add on to the menu much to Grandma's amusement), watching television, and general "chit-chats." This section of the house is where I destroyed my first birthday cake, had my first sip of gin and tonic from Grandma's glass, and said my first curse word (I was three). Good times.

I will post photos of the Frank Lloyd Wright tour later on Friday. For now, here is the link to some of the architecture details courtesy of the College of Education website.

Same Old Argument...

I have a confession. I HATE it when people claim that a library "in the day and age of the internet" is useless. Pointless. Outdated. Dead.

This especially bothers me when an article is written touting that libraries are useless, pointless, outdated, and dead when the writer of that article admits to never having set foot in one.... 

Really?

I came across this amazing blog post by Ingrid Henny Abrams. She addresses this article with such fervor that I wanted to jump up and yell "Amen!" Must we scream our message from the tops of buildings to get the point across? We can't do it by ourselves. Ingrid brings up a valuable point that this type of article gets out there, yet where are our patrons? We need you! We need you to advocate just as loudly for libraries as those who are against libraries. Better yet, we can do this together.

As a side note, this woman's wardrobe is awesome! I wonder if I could get away with pink hair at  the library....that would be keen....

Overdue! Blog post, that is....

Pardon the library humour. I intended to keep up with this blog daily when I started out. Sadly, this has not been the case....nor will it be in the future. I have been, to quote Maurice Moss, a "busy Miss Lizzy". I will endeavor to post as often as I can however.

Cataloguing has been the bulk of my work at Wichita State University's Ablah Library. Manipulating records to increase findability is fascinating work. This is really the first time I have had the chance to perform subject analysis, albeit very little since most of it is copy cataloguing, but I have been able to add fields, other than subject headings at this point, to give patrons more access points for their searches. I have split my time between books for the regular collection and rare books in Special Collections. The latter has been my favourite focus. When I met with the curator of Special Collections, I knew we would get along well, and I can't wait to start working with her. From my CV, she knows that I have an appreciation and love for medieval and Renaissance topics, so she pulled out a copy of Fragmenta Regalia from 1641 for me to see. I actually got to, very carefully, peruse the pages. It's a beautiful book.

From working on the rare books collection last week, I have come across a number of treasures. One of the perks of the job was that I discovered the artist, Rockwell Kent. I have undoubtedly come across his work at some point in my life, as his style is very recognizable, but now I can put a name to the pieces. There is a donor who has gifted the Library with books containing illustrations by Rockwell Kent. Here is the link from the Archives of American Art for more information.

As a side note, there are pieces of equipment behind the scenes in Special Collections that each have pictures of the Marx brothers attached to them. I have no idea what they do, they are all identical, but apparently the "bad one" is in the back. That, of course, is Groucho.

I. Love. My. Job.

Today is day 2 as the Metadata and Digital Initiatives Librarian at Wichita State's Ablah Library. I've got a better grasp of what is expected of me, and I can't wait to get my hands dirty.

I didn't expect too much as far as cataloguing, but I will get to do quite a bit. When I started on my masters degree, I never thought that I would want to get into the cataloguing part of the job. I focused a lot on more I(nstitutional) R(epository) type of stuff. At first I was terrified at the thought of being let loose in the realm of the Catalogue. However, I have a lot of support to help me along the way, so I feel less apprehensive and much more ready for the new skill set that I will be taking on in the morning.

For now, I leave you with BlöödHag's 'Ray Bradbury'. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4ul-AWTCkM

Finally Settling In...

Just a quick update: Art and I made it to Wichita, KS last Friday with the help of his father, Clair, and brother, Andrew, and the Gas Money Faery (a big thanks to all of you!!!!). Getting through the maze that is Ikea in three hours was nothing to what we ran into in Rawlins, WY. Snowstorm Yogi...what a name. It was a harrowing trip through that state, but as soon as we hit Nebraska, it was absolutely gorgeous: lush, green farmland and rolling hills. It was the same entering Kansas. We passed Lindsborg, otherwise known as Little Sweden. We are definitely going back there at some point. 

The townhouse and the management office thereof are amazing. I will post photos when we have the place set up the way we like it.

I'll post again very soon. For now, I leave you with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OGWrHkzpXc

This is a nice hotel....

 

...but the Internet's kinda slow.

Traveling Adventures

Hello, dear readers. I'm writing this in the banquet room of the hotel Andrew, Clair, Art, and I will be staying in this evening...and possibly tomorrow...only time will tell.

The roads from Sinclair, WY all the way to Cheyenne were closed yesterday due to winter storm Yogi. What a name....if we'd only brought our pic-a-nic basket maybe we could have appeased it. We turned around and head back to Rawlins. I'm pretty sure we ended up getting the last two hotel rooms in the town, and I cannot recommend the place. Unless you want to spend a sleepless night in a dingy, stinky room...then go for it. I had to keep telling myself we would make it. I know I have lived in worse environments. At that time, however, I was a smoker and had no sense of smell!

Despite my complaints, it has been a good trip overall. I'm just impatient to get to our new home. We have new Ikea furniture that needs assembling!

Hopefully we will be on our way to Wichita very soon. For the time being, we are safe, warm, and mostly happy. ;)

Some mood music....

Art and I will be heading for Wichita in a few days. We've both been listening to this song quite a bit lately:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LEKU7cBOak

"Now that the search goes on

For another time to live

I might as well be gone, but I

Tend to always come back in the end... In the end"

(The old dude rocking out reminds me of my dad, only with less white in his hair and beard.)

My awesome friend Amy mentioned this one the last time we hung out with each other. Seems appropriate as well. Thank you, Amy. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9ANOzmSKQg

"I'm goin' to Wichita,

Far from this opera forever more

I'm gonna work the straw

Make the sweat drip out of every pore

And I'm bleeding and I'm bleeding and I'm bleeding

Right before the Lord.

All the words are gonna bleed from me

And I will think no more.

And the stains coming from my blood

Tell me 'Go back home.'"

Occupy Wall Street and the People's Library

An update from the case from New York City and the damage caused to lending materials from the People's Library:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/nyregion/occupy-wall-street-wins-suit-over-seizure-of-library.html?_r=0

I'm glad that the Occupy Wall Street group in New York City proceeded with this case. I'm even happier that they won.

As my last day at the Albertsons Library came to a close yesterday, I thought about the people I have had the pleasure of working with, as well as the building itself. I have helped with the stewardship of various materials under that roof, and will miss every single book and database. As a student employee, I spent countless hours taking trucks up to the stacks and put them way, as well as shelf-reading call numbers to ensure the materials were in their proper place.

When I earned my undergraduate and my work study job terminated, I missed the stacks and overseeing the student employees. It wasn't just the job itself; it was that I was helping patrons, perhaps in a small way, to ensure that they find the materials they needed. It was also helping students become better employees through guidance and assistance at the circulation desk. The folks I worked with in the department helped influence my decision to become a librarian.

My next job when I returned to the library was with the institutional repository. I will miss ScholarWorks very, very much. I would not be nearly as tech savvy as I am today if I had not worked on this project, nor would I have chosen the specific path that I did in regard to my masters program. The department is a small one, only three of us, but I feel that we made an impact with our work on campus. I had the privilege to be there to celebrate half a million full text downloads, and will look forward to them hitting one million.

My work with acquisitions and interlibrary loan has also helped me with various skills, and again I worked with amazing people. I also became more familiar with ebooks and, as a result, I'm more apt to purchase them for myself, as well as check them out from a library. Using a patron-based acquisitions model also falls more into my way of thinking about customer/patron service. Get them what they want, especially in a timely manner, and they are more willing to come back and use the institution again.

I will miss you, Albertsons Library. Thank you for everything.

Librarians versus Google: An Ongoing Drama

Here is an interesting blog post which states what librarians are for versus what Google is for:

http://philbradley.typepad.com/phil_bradleys_weblog/2011/06/what-librarians-google-are-for.html

That's not to say that we librarians don't use Google. Far from it actually. I use it frequently...for quick facts and similar. I also use it for a jumping off point for research projects. Notice I don't say that I necessarily use the items I locate. I'll take the references, if provided, and look them up in the library's O(nline) P(ublic) A(ccess) C(atalog) and I(ntegrated) (Library) S(ystem), which most of the time yields the information I need, rather than slogging through pages of irrelevant information that Google provides. Sure, you can probably find something on the first page, but does it pass the CRAAP test?

Regardless of the above information, there is still one major problem with OPAC's: users quickly get frustrated with them. Unless they are familiar with search terms and even how to search, they switch to search engines to fill their information need, and risk being the victim of information overload, even potentially wandering away from what it is you started out researching. Don't lie, you know this happened more than once ;)

Like I said, I'm not opposed to Google, and I have even made peace with Wikipedia...mostly. When I need to dig into some serious research, though, there is nothing like what the library creates.

Take a Librarian with You...

A Truly Amazing Profesor

I decided to poke around the University of North Texas College of Information website to see what I could write about today. I came across my metadata professor's homepage. Dr. Oksana Zavalina is a fantastic professor. She really knows her stuff. I was able to get a better grasp on metadata theory and practice thanks to her. If anyone attending UNT and wants to explore metadata in depth, I can't recommend Dr. Z's class enough. Her articles and presentations are very well done, too.

Check out her page. Under the Presentations section, she has posted two recordings from different conferences.

http://www.courses.unt.edu/ozavalina/

Henry Rollins on Librarians

A great quote I found today from Henry Rollins

"I know that collector types can be a pain in the neck and seem perpetually frozen in time—or at least in their parents' basement—but someone has to look out for the past, lest it slip away forever. It was amazing to be around people who are dedicated to making sure there is a trail, who work with painstaking care to maintain the integrity of what came before."

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/content/henry-rollins

Stephen and Tabitha King Love Libraries

Most people who know me know my love of the horror genre in pretty much every media type. They also know my passion for libraries of course. When they merge, it's even better. Horror author Stephen King and his author wife Tabitha have offered the Bangor Library a substantial amount of moolah to help the renovation project, provided they meet their goal of $9 million. I hope they can reach that goal. http://bangordailynews.com/2013/03/19/news/bangor/stephen-and-tabitha-king-offer-to-cover-one-third-of-9-million-bangor-library-renovation-if-library-finds-ways-to-foot-the-rest-of-the-bill/ It's interesting to note that Stephen wrote a novella called "The Library Policeman". It's worth a read if you have a chance to pick up 'Four Past Midnight'.

A New Adventure

Art and I are sitting in our favourite coffee shop in downtown Boise. It's hard to believe that in less than a month, we will be on our way to a new town, a new life, and a new adventure. I'm starting a new blog, too. Weeee! I'm not very good at keeping up with these, as can be witnessed with my Gallery of Cute blog. I'm going to endeavor to write in this once a day, no matter how short or long it gets. It might be an interesting library link, how I managed to make it through grad school in one piece, or how the day is going at the library. Speaking of libraries....

Have you registered for SWILA? If not, you should! It's going to be fantastic! Arthur created the lovely logo for us this year! ^_^

http://www.idaholibraries.org/node/509