One Step Closer, not really

Nancy Pearl has not hooked me up yet.  I may have to do this action figure thing on my own.

http://www.be-a-doll.com/ may be a resource I utilize in accomplishing my goal of having my own librarian action figure.

Little Brother, you better not be Quiet, Please.

I just finished reading two really great books: Little Brother by Cory Docotrow and Quiet Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian by Scott Douglas.  I have been very pleased with my reading selections this summer. 

I just decided today that I don’t really like writing book reviews.  However, if someone wants to pay me, I could probably change my mind about this.  And maybe next week I will feel different about without anyone offering to pay me.  I don’t like writing reviews because I don’t want to persuade or dissuade someone from reading something.  I also realize that a review is not only an opinion but a synopsis of the material.  Therefore, I have linked another resource who can be responsible for making or ruining your day.  When someone asks me how I liked a book, I tend to ask them first if they have read it.  If they have not, I really don’t want to talk about it besides a brief statement of if I liked it or not.  Sometimes I don’t even want to give that much information.  I don’t want to put some preconcieved notion in the reader’s head that they or the author has not.  On the other hand, if ther person has read the book I would love to discuss it with them, hear how they read the book; what they took away from the experience.  I love reading because it is a different experience for each of us.  I really love that.

Why don’t you just go cut a rug?

So I was about to call it a day and then I found this video on The Shifted Librarian. (PS.  The Shifted Librarian is pretty rad, check out what she has to say or stay in the pre wii era.)  The lyrics are by a young man in Minneapolis.  Apparently the video is blowing up, at least that is what the New York Times writes.  The Yanni like arrangement and rug cutting that takes place can’t not make you happy.  I dare you to not turn that frown upside down.  YouTube, you gonna save the world.

 

 

I think Matt Harding may have gotten his dance steps from Clear Your Eyes.

from LIS7600 to IFLA in less than 33 days, omg that is totally soon

Tonight was the inaugural class of LIS7600 International Librarianship taught by Prof. Mary Wagner and Prof. Marilyn Cathcart!  A requirement of the class is to attend the IFLA Annual Conference, which is being held in Quebec City.  The month of July is going to be rather intense; however, knowing that in August I will celebrate this journey by going to Montreal and Quebec City, makes the journey a bit less difficult.  This journey I speak of is also known as Masters of Library and Information Science.

 

We started class with an around the room introduction of each student.  However, instead of introducing ourselves, we interviewed a student we did not know well. Lets just say, practically every student in the class of 22 has traveled abroad, multiple times and places, except for me.  Everything I know about the world abroad is from CNN.  Vietnam, Mongolia, Madagascar, France, England, the whole wide world; these people have seen it.  I take that back, along with CNN, I have picked some info up from WWW (world wide web).

 

We discussed the group project topics, and met with our groups depending on the topic we were interested in.  I have a stellar group and topic that I am very excited about: The role of sustainable technology in providing access to information in developing countries.  How totally rad!

 

The library Code of Ethics was our first real discussion as a large group.  We first looked at the American Library Association’s Code of Ethics and then moved on to Codes of Ethics outside of the US such as Singapore, Ukraine and Mexico.

To make a long story short, the Code of Ethics around the world seem to be comparable. Is it possible for countries to define their library, information and access value’s similarly? Hmm.  Still letting that one marinate.

 

Then we moved on to discuss a couple of articles we were assigned earlier; Shakespeare in the Bush by Bohannon and Body Ritual Among the Nacirema by Miner.  The discussion raised points such as:

How do we interpret reality v fantasy?

How do we interpret literal v non-literal

People construct reality based on what they already know

People come with lenses

People interpret against the definitions they already know without asking questions.

Obviously there was more to the discussion, but I am paying a lot of money to sit in that classroom and you are not, so I am not just going to give it all to you.  If you are interested, apply to the program, tell them Wanda sent you and suggest I receive a little reimbursement for my referral.

 

An excellent first class.  I left feeling excited, overwhelmed, and ready for the revolution.

 

 

Ok, so an international conference.  International conference about librarianship.  People from all over the world coming together because they love love love everything library.  What could be better?  Nothing, absolutely nothing.

There are over 200 levels in Pac Man, who knew? I thought there were maybe 10.

I have found myself reading more lately.  More like what I prefer to call, reading for fun.  I tend to feel gulity when I read and it is not school related.  But it is summer, and how can someone that is training to be a librarian not read?  And, it is so very painful to see all those books get checked in not take them home with me.  So, I am treating myself.  I am trying to only check materials out that have just been returned and that I have checked in, this narrows my selection a bit, but you would be suprised how diverse the interests are in this suburban community near I94.  This month I have read Everything Bad for You is Good:  How Today’s Popular Culture is Making Us Smarter by Steven Johnson and Does My Head Look Big in This?  by Randa Abdel-Fattah.

Everything Bad is Good for You finally made me feel like I am not alone.  Johnson argues that TV programs, movies and video games are in fact raising IQs.  Pop culture is enevitably challenging those who engage themselves.  The Sopronos make you think a little, there deffinetly isn’t time to feed the viewer all the details, they leave it up to you fill in the blanks.  Many of these programs we watch are based on facts.  Mario Galaxy challanges you, makes you come back for more to get the next clue to get to the next level, and gives you confidence that maybe you will take advantage of outside of gaming.  Gaming allows us to push ourselves, something we may not do ”in real life,” makes us think.  

Does My Head Look Big in This is a modern coming of age story with a bit of a religous twist.  You know, parents are awful, everyone thinks they are fat, and your crush doesn’t know you exist.  And then you throw in a little bit of to wear the hijab or not wear the hijab;  what will everyone think?  What would Allah think?  Abdel-Fattah kept my attention, I really enjoyed her wrting style.  There was an occasional reference to Justin Timberlake, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and Survivor.  I happened to be really into the book, so much that while I was at the Winona Steamboat Days Parade, I decided to finish the book rather than watch as the clowns, Zor members, and marching bands passed by.  This may have seemed rude, but I made sure to stand everytime an American flag went by so the citizens of Winona would not think there was a terroist reading a book with a woman wearing a hijab on the cover in their community.

There probably really is a monster under the bed

On Friday at the suburban library near I94, I checked in a documentary called The Weather Undergound.  It was another one of those materials that was meant for me to check out.  Why else would it have come thorugh on the conveyor belt at the same time I was checking in materail at that particular location?   If you are not familiar with the Weatherman organization, I think you should get your self to the library and find out about them.  The Weathermen was a violent revoultionary group attempting to over throw a capitalist U.S. government.  I appreciate the passion of the individuals; however, I do not agree with the means.  As one may notice, the violence brought attention; however, solved nothing.  Solidarity is powerful, but bombing is only distructive.

I find it very coincidental that this organization was brought to my attention only now, the summer before the 2008 RNC.  Is it possible that some of the tactics  used by the Weathermen will be seen in September in St. Paul? 

Something major is going on.  Fertalizer is up from $5 a bag to $19 a bag.  Soybean and corn prices are sky rocketing.  The cost of fuel has practically doubled in the last year.  Ed McMahon is losing his house.  George Carlin and Tim Russert had heart attacks this month.  Arrested Development was discontinued.  There is a Sonic in St. Paul.  The Twins are winning.  Gays are getting married in California (again).  The rain will not stop in Iowa.  Pepsi products are disappearing all over the place.

Really the only thing that can be trusted right now is the library.  If you get your materials back on time, it is totally free.  The library has the information you want and need that everyone else is hiding from you.  The library is the last place you can spend time at, not spend any money and not get in trouble for loittering (if you behave yourself).

Books…what are they good for…absolutely everything

Today at the suburban library near I94, there was a little bit of experimenting going on with some new software.  Marty and I were volunteers for testing some new software the library had recently acquired.  I know you are all familiar with the Read posters produced by ALA.  Well as part of the summer reading program a library I know is going to be making a few posters of participants in the reading program as prizes.  So Marty and I had our major photo shoot today.  Please, please get some popcorn ready and check out the beauty below:

Marty’s Shinning Moment.  Stone Fox, its the name of a book.

Marty, really took control of the situation.  Quite the pro!  Everyday should start this way.  Obv.

 

Another one’s Moment:

 

Well, I hope you didn’t check your watch too much.  And I hope you noticed how professional the photographer was.  I guess he does this type of stuff all the time.  This is pretty exciting, I am so excited how the library is getting involved with the patrons. A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  I also heard today that some of the librarians at the suburban library near I94 are participating in 23 Things on a Stick.  I am so so proud of them!  I thought could feel the revolution approaching.

So this is what the intense photo shoot yielded:

[Nancy Pearl, I hope you notice I am advertising for you, and this is not the first time, hook a sister up]

Sonic, so last week

Tonight on KARE 11 Jana Shortal had some stellar journalistic hubub xiuxiu on Sonic, the drive-in that has been advertising in the Twin Cities for the last 6 years and not until last week was there an actual eatery for us northerners to visit. Last Thursday Karly and I made the trek to Sonic to check it out.  We had heard that there were crazy lines and even a staging area, so we decided to go at an off time, around 3pm.   I think we ended up waiting only 15 minutes in the parking lot a block away before we were allowed to go to the actual stall to order.  We ordered some stuff, something like $15.17 in expectant goodness.  The food came and the roller dude gave us over $5 dollars in change and called it a deal.  Of my 5 mozzarella sticks, only 3 had cheese.  My blended rootbeer float, however, was worth the trip.  I bit in every bite!  I don’t know, I didn’t love it, but I am not saying I won’t go back.  They have a happy hour from 2-4pm I may take advantage of sometime.

This makes me so so happy

Come on Minnesota, get with it.

Reference Desk 2.0?

I am not sure if it is completely inviting, but I think patrons would totally approach a reference desk that looked like the image below if nothing else to see what the heck was going on in the super cool librarian work station.  Not to mention, how productive would this be; we could so help more people more efficiently.  Alright, I guess I am willing to help out with the beta trial.