I've either told or mentioned this story to everyone it seems. Thank you for your patience
Back in December, Aces and I were running errands in Scottsdale when we drove past the Trader Vic's. (Warning: there's sound on that link) My mom was very excited to hear about this--she had been at a Trader Vic's back in San Franscisco in the 1960's on a trip that she took (possibly with Aunt Mary Jane?). Since Jesse X's birthday is the day after Christmas, that's where they went to celebrate. I went back to Ohio that day, so I missed out. But the minute Dusie heard that I'd be in AZ her birthday weekend, she said, "I'm calling Trader Vic's for a reservation."
So Sunday night we trundled off to Scottsdale, and as we pulled into the parking lot we notice the sign had been changed to read "Trader Joe's." Puzzling. The valet informed us that the restaurant was closed for a private event. Dusie informed him that we had a confirmed reservation. The valet went to inform the manager.
Now, those of you who think I am assertive have never met my sister. She is a tiny, redheaded, force of nature. Dusie and The Don often butted heads because they were so much alike, and over the years the mental resemblance has gotten stronger. It's totally unfair. I get his temper and distain for the rules of polite society and intellect, and she gets persuasion and charm and the ability to bend you to her will. She got out of the car to go wait by the door for the manager to come out. Aces and I turned around in the backseat to watch her with the big eyes, secretly afraid this might turn into a shouting match (things with The Don sometimes went that way). After a minute, Jesse X got out of the car and went to stand next to her. Jesse X is awesome. During Dusie's negotiation, he said nothing. He simply loaned the gravitas of his penis and his natural male authority to the proceeding while letting her handle the manager.
So there's a little friendly conversation and some apologies and a promise to investigate, and the opening offer is a free dinner at the restaurant at the Tally-Ho. We go over to check it out, and when it's 97 degrees out and you were expecting floofy Polynesian drinks and pan-Asian food, upscale macaroni & cheese and liver & onions is not going to do. So we took the 2nd offer--dinner Tuesday night at 50% off.
She is awesome, is she not?
Did I mention my mom was paying for this meal? Thank you, Mom! She's awesome too!
Do you want to hear about the food too? I'll tell about the food if people are interested.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
This Whole Dating Thing
Once I move I think I will be bailing on the online dating thing for a while and going back to hanging around and trying to chat men up.
It's been interesting. I think I was right in that there's not a lot of good men in Cleveland and Phoenix might be a better place to be single. I also have figured out that I have automatic turnoffs--lack of enthusiasm, lack of reading, anyone who uses the word "princess," psuedo-philosophical bullshit, whining, and guys who watch "The Bachelor."
However, I did see the profile of someone who was good looking, articulate, an engineering student (love me some engineers) and had a big Coca-Cola habit. So maybe there's hope out there.
A few links...
First Date Tips For Women might be helpful if I ever get to that point.
The Eligible Bachelor Paradox. This article describes the lack of men for women over age 30 in terms of game theory. I wanted to slit my wrists, but at least the author makes the point that game theory only explains the winning of a prize, not the winning of the best prize. So let's all just enjoy ambiguity and uncertainty, and take to drink.
But in case you have a date...looking to brighten your face? Love red lipstick but feel just too noticable wearing it? Check outThe London Times Makeup Masterclass on applying red lipstick. It's amazing to see how the reporters face changes as the makeup artist works on her. I love red lips and can't wait to go out and blow money on lipstick supplies, which I need like a freaking hole in the head. I know that men are commonly thought to like long hair, but do they like red lipstick? The idiot ex always thought it looked whorish. Yes, I know.
It's been interesting. I think I was right in that there's not a lot of good men in Cleveland and Phoenix might be a better place to be single. I also have figured out that I have automatic turnoffs--lack of enthusiasm, lack of reading, anyone who uses the word "princess," psuedo-philosophical bullshit, whining, and guys who watch "The Bachelor."
However, I did see the profile of someone who was good looking, articulate, an engineering student (love me some engineers) and had a big Coca-Cola habit. So maybe there's hope out there.
A few links...
First Date Tips For Women might be helpful if I ever get to that point.
The Eligible Bachelor Paradox. This article describes the lack of men for women over age 30 in terms of game theory. I wanted to slit my wrists, but at least the author makes the point that game theory only explains the winning of a prize, not the winning of the best prize. So let's all just enjoy ambiguity and uncertainty, and take to drink.
But in case you have a date...looking to brighten your face? Love red lipstick but feel just too noticable wearing it? Check outThe London Times Makeup Masterclass on applying red lipstick. It's amazing to see how the reporters face changes as the makeup artist works on her. I love red lips and can't wait to go out and blow money on lipstick supplies, which I need like a freaking hole in the head. I know that men are commonly thought to like long hair, but do they like red lipstick? The idiot ex always thought it looked whorish. Yes, I know.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Librarianship: The Husband Problem
Cynthia at Library Garden on Library Jobs: Single People Need Not Apply?
I wanted to write about this because I've been thinking a lot about feminist issues and librarianship lately, and I think her plight has a lot of different angles to it that need to be addressed. Some of it is related to being single in a low-paying profession in a high cost of living area. One of the reasons I have never gone back to NJ to live is that $500 couldn't get the local bookstore owner a room to rent in a house with kitchen privileges near where I grew up in the mid-90's, but $365 got me a crappy 1 bedroom apartment here when I graduated in 1997 and made $10 an hour.
Like Cynthia, I think it's unacceptable that our field thinks that the response to people's concerns about being able to afford health insurance is "can't you get that through your husband's job?" I find it disturbing but sadly symptomatic of the profession. Public service shouldn't expect to be underwritten by private enterprise; private enterprise is really unreliable in that endeavor.
But whyis it that librarianship expects that it can attract people who will work for low pay and no benefits, for years at times, and give 110% to the cause of public service and smile? And that this workforce will be underwritten by someone else? I loved my work last year, but it was something that I was able to do due to an inheritance and comfort in the fact that The Don believed in both sabbaticals and career change. I think it's a certain arrogance on the part of the profession, not necessarily a sense of entitlement on behalf of some of the people trying to work within it, that throws up barriers and attitudes that you will pay dues, you will work for free, you will contribute in ways we deem valuable that are costly both monetarily and in terms of energy and time. And I think it's unsustainable if that's the underpinning of how librarianship functions.
I mean, I don't hear anyone floating ideas like digital designers like Genevieve should be giving away their work or MFA Jane should be writing free poems on demand in the town square. That's their intellectual content and they should be able to license it and derive revenue from it. But I do hear a lot of ideas like "librarians should be involved in validating the content on Wikipedia" that make me roll my eyes because until Wikipedia pays me cash, I feel no need to give away my intellectual property and time. My brain and my time are valuable. I deserve to be paid fairly for my efforts.
The Romance Heroine once observed to me that library school is filled with nerds, and I agreed, but since I've been out in the working world I've had to revise that estimation. The library world is filled with Tracy Flicks--people turned on by power with too much energy to spare. And to tie this back to Cynthia's piece, frankly that's another way the profession is biased against the women who fill it, especially single women. I’m single and I tell you, it’s hard not having anyone else to depend on to do a quick load of laundry, call the insurance company, stay home and wait for the plumber. There’s only so much streamlining of your life you can do until you run out of time, and setting up a profession that expects unpaid contributions in the form of blogging, committee activity, conference organizing, etc. creates an environment where only those who either have this home support to handle the nitty gritty details of life or are willing to run around in crusty underwear consumed by librarianship can participate.
I didn’t become a librarian because I’m motivated by money. I’m primarily motivated by praise, a sense of belonging and helpfulness and a cause. But I expect to be fairly compensated for my activities, and creating an unrealistic expectation that librarians should be happy and able to work for less due to a love of the profession and that they might have someone willing to underwrite their participation is ridiculous and bad for us all.
I wanted to write about this because I've been thinking a lot about feminist issues and librarianship lately, and I think her plight has a lot of different angles to it that need to be addressed. Some of it is related to being single in a low-paying profession in a high cost of living area. One of the reasons I have never gone back to NJ to live is that $500 couldn't get the local bookstore owner a room to rent in a house with kitchen privileges near where I grew up in the mid-90's, but $365 got me a crappy 1 bedroom apartment here when I graduated in 1997 and made $10 an hour.
Like Cynthia, I think it's unacceptable that our field thinks that the response to people's concerns about being able to afford health insurance is "can't you get that through your husband's job?" I find it disturbing but sadly symptomatic of the profession. Public service shouldn't expect to be underwritten by private enterprise; private enterprise is really unreliable in that endeavor.
But whyis it that librarianship expects that it can attract people who will work for low pay and no benefits, for years at times, and give 110% to the cause of public service and smile? And that this workforce will be underwritten by someone else? I loved my work last year, but it was something that I was able to do due to an inheritance and comfort in the fact that The Don believed in both sabbaticals and career change. I think it's a certain arrogance on the part of the profession, not necessarily a sense of entitlement on behalf of some of the people trying to work within it, that throws up barriers and attitudes that you will pay dues, you will work for free, you will contribute in ways we deem valuable that are costly both monetarily and in terms of energy and time. And I think it's unsustainable if that's the underpinning of how librarianship functions.
I mean, I don't hear anyone floating ideas like digital designers like Genevieve should be giving away their work or MFA Jane should be writing free poems on demand in the town square. That's their intellectual content and they should be able to license it and derive revenue from it. But I do hear a lot of ideas like "librarians should be involved in validating the content on Wikipedia" that make me roll my eyes because until Wikipedia pays me cash, I feel no need to give away my intellectual property and time. My brain and my time are valuable. I deserve to be paid fairly for my efforts.
The Romance Heroine once observed to me that library school is filled with nerds, and I agreed, but since I've been out in the working world I've had to revise that estimation. The library world is filled with Tracy Flicks--people turned on by power with too much energy to spare. And to tie this back to Cynthia's piece, frankly that's another way the profession is biased against the women who fill it, especially single women. I’m single and I tell you, it’s hard not having anyone else to depend on to do a quick load of laundry, call the insurance company, stay home and wait for the plumber. There’s only so much streamlining of your life you can do until you run out of time, and setting up a profession that expects unpaid contributions in the form of blogging, committee activity, conference organizing, etc. creates an environment where only those who either have this home support to handle the nitty gritty details of life or are willing to run around in crusty underwear consumed by librarianship can participate.
I didn’t become a librarian because I’m motivated by money. I’m primarily motivated by praise, a sense of belonging and helpfulness and a cause. But I expect to be fairly compensated for my activities, and creating an unrealistic expectation that librarians should be happy and able to work for less due to a love of the profession and that they might have someone willing to underwrite their participation is ridiculous and bad for us all.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
"Law & Order"--How Much Do I Love You?
I was making mental bets on when the case of the guys who wheeled a corpse into the check-cashing place in Hell's Kitchen would show up on "Law & Order" and what was the intro to the case tonight? Two fools find a corpse and try to wheel it into a liquor store for booze. My love of L&O was forged growing up in NJ in the 90's with a dad who had a terrible fondness for the New York Post. Early years involved remembering which headline belonged to the adapted L&O case. Ah, those were the days.
Monday, April 21, 2008
More Scenes From The Trip
Dusie: "Didn't you see Aces and The Adoring Boyfriend last night, the handholding and the kisses? Wasn't it sweet? Don't you want that, Kerry? You should get a boyfriend, Kerry!"
Me: "I had a boyfriend for 10 years! It's not that I don't like having a boyfriend! It's just hard to find one, Married Sister! Sheesh!"
***********
Aces promised to take me to Matt's Big Breakfast next time I'm in town.
************
The morning I left, I went over to Dusie's office to meet her coworkers and got to the farmer's market with her. I had her house key in my possession, but couldn't find it when it came time to leave and go back to her place and put the vegs away.
So for a good 5-10 minutes, I did what I always do: I tore apart my purse and dumped everything out, my other bag too, felt between all the seat cushions, got frantic, and finally found it on the floor in the backseat (I think I put it on the passenger side seat and when Dusie sat on it it got pushed down). Triumphant, I held it up and crowed, "See! Don't you love it when that happens and you finally find it?"
Dusie looked at me. "Kerry, that never happens to me."
Ay yi yi. Just call me Little Miss Chaos Vector.
I also managed to lose my sunglasses in her office and overlook them when I went back to find them.
Me: "I had a boyfriend for 10 years! It's not that I don't like having a boyfriend! It's just hard to find one, Married Sister! Sheesh!"
***********
Aces promised to take me to Matt's Big Breakfast next time I'm in town.
************
The morning I left, I went over to Dusie's office to meet her coworkers and got to the farmer's market with her. I had her house key in my possession, but couldn't find it when it came time to leave and go back to her place and put the vegs away.
So for a good 5-10 minutes, I did what I always do: I tore apart my purse and dumped everything out, my other bag too, felt between all the seat cushions, got frantic, and finally found it on the floor in the backseat (I think I put it on the passenger side seat and when Dusie sat on it it got pushed down). Triumphant, I held it up and crowed, "See! Don't you love it when that happens and you finally find it?"
Dusie looked at me. "Kerry, that never happens to me."
Ay yi yi. Just call me Little Miss Chaos Vector.
I also managed to lose my sunglasses in her office and overlook them when I went back to find them.
Makes Me Feel Creaky
So last weekend I cleaned out the attic. In about 2004 I stopped filing things up there, so there's quite the pile of magazines (if my collections of Bitch, Bust, ReadyMade & Budget Living don't sell on eBay, anyone want them?) and whatnot up there.
The funniest thing I found was my resume from 1997 when I was hoping for some sort of library job to sell myself on the profession, although aside from my 6 month stint in photo services, all I had done was library work. Oh, for the days when I was not between the rock and the hard place of overqualified, yet new to the profession. I was pleased to remember I was on the Dean's List 4/7 semesters. And I was WRUW's Underwriting Director, although I did a crap job. I also found all my job hunting notes and such from 2002 and 2004, useful stuff.
It's good to look at this, because it brings it home a bit that yes, I do have skills. A bit of chutzpah. The ability to get along in the workplace and do a good job, even if sometimes I think I'm such a dope these days.
The funniest thing I found was my resume from 1997 when I was hoping for some sort of library job to sell myself on the profession, although aside from my 6 month stint in photo services, all I had done was library work. Oh, for the days when I was not between the rock and the hard place of overqualified, yet new to the profession. I was pleased to remember I was on the Dean's List 4/7 semesters. And I was WRUW's Underwriting Director, although I did a crap job. I also found all my job hunting notes and such from 2002 and 2004, useful stuff.
It's good to look at this, because it brings it home a bit that yes, I do have skills. A bit of chutzpah. The ability to get along in the workplace and do a good job, even if sometimes I think I'm such a dope these days.
Authors I've Read That You've Never Heard Of
Authors I've Read That You Haven't Heard Of: Edna Ferber
No, seriously. Between the collections of the library system I grew up in and the prep school I attended, I must have read 20-25 of her books. Everything from Showboat to So Big. Even the book set in Alaska.
She won the 1924 Pulitzer, palled around with Dorothy Parker and the rest of the gang, and was considered the best novelist of her generation. And today she's totally Trivial Pursuit.
No, seriously. Between the collections of the library system I grew up in and the prep school I attended, I must have read 20-25 of her books. Everything from Showboat to So Big. Even the book set in Alaska.
She won the 1924 Pulitzer, palled around with Dorothy Parker and the rest of the gang, and was considered the best novelist of her generation. And today she's totally Trivial Pursuit.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
I Could Kill You, Specs!
I came in tonight to find Cain grooming ANOTHER DAMN ABCESS ON HIS TAIL, courtesy of Specs. The fur hasn't even grown over the other scar yet.
I cleaned it up a bit, but we will be heading to the vet tomorrow morning and I will be calling RCAF about her tomorrow night.
The irony? I was feeling soft towards Specs since Debby the Catsitter reported that she was so, so sad locked up in solitary. And she is so, so sweet cuddling me at night. RCAF is lucky I already gove them the donation for her care, because she has cost me an equal amount in vet bills.
Damn it. I do not need this.
I cleaned it up a bit, but we will be heading to the vet tomorrow morning and I will be calling RCAF about her tomorrow night.
The irony? I was feeling soft towards Specs since Debby the Catsitter reported that she was so, so sad locked up in solitary. And she is so, so sweet cuddling me at night. RCAF is lucky I already gove them the donation for her care, because she has cost me an equal amount in vet bills.
Damn it. I do not need this.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
The Interview
I think the interview went well. It was a scripted panel interview, so there was no conversation (which you know is where I totally excel), so it was I paid them lots of compliments (I was very impressed with their library system--I visited all three branches), referenced their strategic plan, the library advisory board minutes, my specific skills and background, paid them compliments, made them laugh, made eye contact, and wore a suit. And sent thank you email. I may have said that I have enough spare enthusiasm to power a small country. And I come from people who don't like to work for others, and I believe in the power of small business in America, which is true. And that the reason for the delay in my move is that I am allowed limited time in my sister's house before Jesse X's patience runs out, and I want to use that time wisely, and I'll be in AZ in 3 weeks. No, I don't know how many they are interviewing or their timetable. I probably also talked too fast. The big thing is that I don't have a lot of programming experience, but I tried to bridge that gap with what I do have and emphasizing my willingness to learn (SuperC--I mentioned our trip to see Nancy Pearl as an example).
Oh, and there was a chicken in the parking lot, so I am totally taking that as a good luck sign.
Oh, and there was a chicken in the parking lot, so I am totally taking that as a good luck sign.
The Family That Diets Together...
The thing is about Cleveland is that it's real easy for me to ignore how fat I am out here. Arizona brought that to the forefront of my mind. That and Googling the symptoms I had on the two nights last week brought up a possibility other than food poisoning: gallbladder attack. Yikes. My mom had trouble with that and had to have surgery when I was in college. (That incident prompted Dusie's running away and getting caught in and subsequently barred from the state of Kansas). I need to start eating vegetables. That's the cornerstone of any weight loss for me.
So I made salad for dinner, and even Cain (aka Plumpy) wants in on the fun. He was stealing romaine (without dressing!) and trying to eat it.
I think he mostly just likes to chew on green things.
Dusie asked if I'd go to 5:30 Boot Camp with her when I move to AZ. Jesse X won't go with her anymore. I told her I'd think on it.
So I made salad for dinner, and even Cain (aka Plumpy) wants in on the fun. He was stealing romaine (without dressing!) and trying to eat it.
I think he mostly just likes to chew on green things.
Dusie asked if I'd go to 5:30 Boot Camp with her when I move to AZ. Jesse X won't go with her anymore. I told her I'd think on it.
Monday, April 14, 2008
My Trip To Arizona (So Far...)
Times I got lost on my reconnaissance mission to the library where I'm interviewing: 1
Times I got lost on the way back to Dusie's house: 5
Times I drove into oncoming traffic by accident: 1
Distance between cars and mine before I realized what I was doing and managed to turn around: 500 yards
Times I had to call Dusie for directions: 1
Cattle seen at the Chandler stockyards: 100 or so
Humiliations endured today: 3 (emergency stop at Walmart for clean underwear, had to ask a woman at Sonic how to order food, the woman at the nail salon offering to wax my whole face)
Amount it costs for an eyebrow wax and manicure: $18
Times a month I'd go get a manicure if it were $10 and super quick: 2
Number of Sonic cherry limeades I drank today: 2
High temperature yesterday and today: 97 degrees
Times I was allowed to drive sisters to a destination: 2
Times I got lost on the way back to Dusie's house: 5
Times I drove into oncoming traffic by accident: 1
Distance between cars and mine before I realized what I was doing and managed to turn around: 500 yards
Times I had to call Dusie for directions: 1
Cattle seen at the Chandler stockyards: 100 or so
Humiliations endured today: 3 (emergency stop at Walmart for clean underwear, had to ask a woman at Sonic how to order food, the woman at the nail salon offering to wax my whole face)
Amount it costs for an eyebrow wax and manicure: $18
Times a month I'd go get a manicure if it were $10 and super quick: 2
Number of Sonic cherry limeades I drank today: 2
High temperature yesterday and today: 97 degrees
Times I was allowed to drive sisters to a destination: 2
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Off To Arizona
I have a job interview on Tuesday afternoon, so I am off to Arizona. Wish me luck!
I am strangely calm and confident, even though I really, really need this job. There's no reason why they shouldn't hire me, and a dozen reasons why they should--you don't get candidates like me every day that are as enthusiastic and patient with a variety of patrons, with crackerjack reader's advisory skills and a history of research excellence, and calm under pressure. I rock.
I am strangely calm and confident, even though I really, really need this job. There's no reason why they shouldn't hire me, and a dozen reasons why they should--you don't get candidates like me every day that are as enthusiastic and patient with a variety of patrons, with crackerjack reader's advisory skills and a history of research excellence, and calm under pressure. I rock.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
If I Have A Degree And I Can't Find Anything, Why Should The Regular Patron Have More Luck?
I went down to Lakewood Public Library tonight.
Even though it's my local library, and I've voted for the levies, I don't use Lakewood Public Library. I use Cleveland Public Library, West Park Branch. LPL's collection doesn't appeal to me, and the old building was awful. Cramped, but made worse by the fact that they seem to be think disorganization is a virtue.
If you wanted a book and you knew the title, it could be in one of many places. If it was a recent fiction title or a title recently acquired (but how would you know?), it could be over in the stacks by genre or by the new books. Or even in one of the standup displays. In addition, I've also looked for books that are listed in the catalog as being on the shelf, but when I enlisted the help of the staff I was told the book was "in storage. Or maybe missing."
You were constantly hunting. Could you ask for help? Maybe, but the reference desk was upstairs, and circulation didn't seem to do more than check out books. I once overheard an elderly woman ask for a list of movies that they had with Bette Davis, and be told that there was no way to get her such a thing.
Well, yes there is. It's called searching the catalog by keyword, and if you don't want to help her, send her to reference.
Compare this with Euclid Public Library, which is the freaking master of layout. There is nothing Euclid does better than putting the books in front of you, and the staff to answer your question, no matter what it is.
But I digress, and I'm biased.
I was over at the lovely new wing, which looks like a freaking temple but has no signs. No, really. A couple of weeks ago I went over to find a copy of Three Bags Full, which is a new book, and wandered through the new and popular materials room downstairs for a full 20 minutes before I realized that the new fiction is apparently housed in the bookshelf in the far left corner. I say apparently, because I don't know, as it's not labeled and that begs the question of what the hell is on the (also unlabeled) half-filled shelves filling the room.
And it's just not me, because of the other patrons I encountered tonight.
One was a couple down by music who were trying to figure out CD system. At one point in their discussion they said they can't find anything and asked me how the CDs are arranged. I told them that I think they're arranged alphabetically, but at some point they get categorized by genre, but you can't tell because there's no clue to what genre you're looking at from the spine of the CD case. Unprompted, they expressed disgust and confusion about the lack of signs and wondered how they were supposed to find what they wanted.
Then I had to try to find something in the paperback ghetto upstairs and as I was striding purposefully through the nonfiction a woman behind me said "Excuse me--can you help me? Do you work here?" I told her that I didn't work there but I certainly could try to help her. She was looking for a travel guide for Portugal and had asked at reference and been told "it's in the 900s."
I restrained myself from punching a wall.
First off, you don't let patrons wander off into the stacks with "it's in the 900s." You tell them a number, you write it down, and it's better if you walk them over, especially when you have no signage.. If you can't walk them over, you especially need to write down the number. And why you'd build a library and not put staff by the books they'd be directing people to is beyond me, but hey, I didn't design the place. And I'm biased on the libraries should have professional staff issue, but I do think that a willingness and ability to interact with people is, you know, mandatory.
So I help her find what she's looking for, and she asks me what I think of the library. And I tell her I'm looking at it with different eyes because I'm a professional, but I think it sucks. Lakewood Public Library is the worst example I've seen of making it pretty but not useful. It's fundamentally disorganized. And if a professional can't easily find her way around the collection, can't find the book return bin because it's hidden, and thinks the upstairs stacks are too tall and ripe for a flashing incident, how can a civilian find her way around?
There's a lot of talk in library world about how we don't connect with our users, why people get disgusted with us, why they won't ask questions, and this is why. The physical plant is alienating. The staff is absent or unhelpful. The patrons aren't necessarily lazy or dumb. Even when we're pretty, we're not perfect.
Even though it's my local library, and I've voted for the levies, I don't use Lakewood Public Library. I use Cleveland Public Library, West Park Branch. LPL's collection doesn't appeal to me, and the old building was awful. Cramped, but made worse by the fact that they seem to be think disorganization is a virtue.
If you wanted a book and you knew the title, it could be in one of many places. If it was a recent fiction title or a title recently acquired (but how would you know?), it could be over in the stacks by genre or by the new books. Or even in one of the standup displays. In addition, I've also looked for books that are listed in the catalog as being on the shelf, but when I enlisted the help of the staff I was told the book was "in storage. Or maybe missing."
You were constantly hunting. Could you ask for help? Maybe, but the reference desk was upstairs, and circulation didn't seem to do more than check out books. I once overheard an elderly woman ask for a list of movies that they had with Bette Davis, and be told that there was no way to get her such a thing.
Well, yes there is. It's called searching the catalog by keyword, and if you don't want to help her, send her to reference.
Compare this with Euclid Public Library, which is the freaking master of layout. There is nothing Euclid does better than putting the books in front of you, and the staff to answer your question, no matter what it is.
But I digress, and I'm biased.
I was over at the lovely new wing, which looks like a freaking temple but has no signs. No, really. A couple of weeks ago I went over to find a copy of Three Bags Full, which is a new book, and wandered through the new and popular materials room downstairs for a full 20 minutes before I realized that the new fiction is apparently housed in the bookshelf in the far left corner. I say apparently, because I don't know, as it's not labeled and that begs the question of what the hell is on the (also unlabeled) half-filled shelves filling the room.
And it's just not me, because of the other patrons I encountered tonight.
One was a couple down by music who were trying to figure out CD system. At one point in their discussion they said they can't find anything and asked me how the CDs are arranged. I told them that I think they're arranged alphabetically, but at some point they get categorized by genre, but you can't tell because there's no clue to what genre you're looking at from the spine of the CD case. Unprompted, they expressed disgust and confusion about the lack of signs and wondered how they were supposed to find what they wanted.
Then I had to try to find something in the paperback ghetto upstairs and as I was striding purposefully through the nonfiction a woman behind me said "Excuse me--can you help me? Do you work here?" I told her that I didn't work there but I certainly could try to help her. She was looking for a travel guide for Portugal and had asked at reference and been told "it's in the 900s."
I restrained myself from punching a wall.
First off, you don't let patrons wander off into the stacks with "it's in the 900s." You tell them a number, you write it down, and it's better if you walk them over, especially when you have no signage.. If you can't walk them over, you especially need to write down the number. And why you'd build a library and not put staff by the books they'd be directing people to is beyond me, but hey, I didn't design the place. And I'm biased on the libraries should have professional staff issue, but I do think that a willingness and ability to interact with people is, you know, mandatory.
So I help her find what she's looking for, and she asks me what I think of the library. And I tell her I'm looking at it with different eyes because I'm a professional, but I think it sucks. Lakewood Public Library is the worst example I've seen of making it pretty but not useful. It's fundamentally disorganized. And if a professional can't easily find her way around the collection, can't find the book return bin because it's hidden, and thinks the upstairs stacks are too tall and ripe for a flashing incident, how can a civilian find her way around?
There's a lot of talk in library world about how we don't connect with our users, why people get disgusted with us, why they won't ask questions, and this is why. The physical plant is alienating. The staff is absent or unhelpful. The patrons aren't necessarily lazy or dumb. Even when we're pretty, we're not perfect.
Note To Self: The Freezer Is Not A Suspended Animation Unit
Self,
Let's take the events of last night as a lesson well learned: the contents of the freezer? Dodgy. Very, very dodgy. Toss, toss, toss.
You're such an excellent and neat puker though.
Let's take the events of last night as a lesson well learned: the contents of the freezer? Dodgy. Very, very dodgy. Toss, toss, toss.
You're such an excellent and neat puker though.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
I Have A New Favorite Quotation
Only remember west of the Mississippi it's a little more look, see, act. A little less rationalize, comment, talk. --F. Scott Fitzgerald
Friday, April 04, 2008
Librarianship: The Tech Problem
Special thanks to MFA Jane, who let me rant about this a few weeks ago and clarify my thoughts.
Meredith Farkas--"Building 21st Century Librarians AND Libraries.
Dorothea Salo--Naturalizing Systems Librarians.
Both Farkas and Salo make excellent points about the lack of skills surrounding information technology among our current population of librarians and library students, and the fact that library schools don't seem to be capable of teaching the skills or getting it into people's heads that these are competencies necessary in our new information age.
I think that they are missing an important point though--who's going to library school? It's now about 50/50 people fresh out of undergrad and career changers these days, but it is still overwhelmingly liberal arts types. Female too.
We're not necessarily people who get exposed to technology, who can see the need to integrate it into daily life for personal or professional reasons, or want to. I mean, I know exactly how I fell into the digital gap 20 odd years ago and the reasons why I haven't been able to climb out. And why I don't need or want to. I like my Google, email and ebooks and I like my notebook and pens. Each fulfills my needs in different ways.
So in my mind you have a choice--you can either do your best to draw more technologically able people into the profession (not likely, but possible) or you can figure out a way to make these skills accessible to the population librarianship draws.
When I ask people who in one breath bitch about librarians' lack of tech skills how they got their tech skills and what they would recommend as a starting place, what books perhaps, classes, whatever, I invariably get a vague answer like "I just did/things." Or "A friend introduced me to it."
Sigh.
It's like if I wanted to learn Spanish and asked someone how he learned Spanish and got the answer, "Oh, I went to Caracas and after a week, boom! I spoke Spanish." In other words, not much help.
Advice like "play around!" "don't be afraid to experiment!" and "find someone to teach you things!" don't work if a) you don't even have the vocabulary to describe what you don't know and b) don't have a firm idea of what it is you are supposed to know and c) where you're even supposed to start in order to learn these things.
So, I think I speak for a lot of people when I say we'd try to be 21st century librarians, if only you could help us in concrete ways to develop the skills you're bemoaning the fact we don't have.
It cuts both ways. And I do think that a lot of this is related to different generations, gender differences, to male/female learning styles and the ways we learn and the informal transfer of information and skills between people (which is what I'd study if I went onto a library/information science doctorate)
Also, can we please stop using "technology" as a broad catchall phrase for these skills and practices? Tell us precisely what it is that we should know that constitutes "technology skills." Should we know how to program? How to run a server? Kent's IAKM Computer Literacy Skills Checklist? I don't think Kent's new Information Technology for Library and Information Professionals sounds like it's enough. The word "technology" is so broad it means nothing--chimps using a stick to poke out ants is an example of "technology."
Meredith Farkas--"Building 21st Century Librarians AND Libraries.
Dorothea Salo--Naturalizing Systems Librarians.
Both Farkas and Salo make excellent points about the lack of skills surrounding information technology among our current population of librarians and library students, and the fact that library schools don't seem to be capable of teaching the skills or getting it into people's heads that these are competencies necessary in our new information age.
I think that they are missing an important point though--who's going to library school? It's now about 50/50 people fresh out of undergrad and career changers these days, but it is still overwhelmingly liberal arts types. Female too.
We're not necessarily people who get exposed to technology, who can see the need to integrate it into daily life for personal or professional reasons, or want to. I mean, I know exactly how I fell into the digital gap 20 odd years ago and the reasons why I haven't been able to climb out. And why I don't need or want to. I like my Google, email and ebooks and I like my notebook and pens. Each fulfills my needs in different ways.
So in my mind you have a choice--you can either do your best to draw more technologically able people into the profession (not likely, but possible) or you can figure out a way to make these skills accessible to the population librarianship draws.
When I ask people who in one breath bitch about librarians' lack of tech skills how they got their tech skills and what they would recommend as a starting place, what books perhaps, classes, whatever, I invariably get a vague answer like "I just did/things." Or "A friend introduced me to it."
Sigh.
It's like if I wanted to learn Spanish and asked someone how he learned Spanish and got the answer, "Oh, I went to Caracas and after a week, boom! I spoke Spanish." In other words, not much help.
Advice like "play around!" "don't be afraid to experiment!" and "find someone to teach you things!" don't work if a) you don't even have the vocabulary to describe what you don't know and b) don't have a firm idea of what it is you are supposed to know and c) where you're even supposed to start in order to learn these things.
So, I think I speak for a lot of people when I say we'd try to be 21st century librarians, if only you could help us in concrete ways to develop the skills you're bemoaning the fact we don't have.
It cuts both ways. And I do think that a lot of this is related to different generations, gender differences, to male/female learning styles and the ways we learn and the informal transfer of information and skills between people (which is what I'd study if I went onto a library/information science doctorate)
Also, can we please stop using "technology" as a broad catchall phrase for these skills and practices? Tell us precisely what it is that we should know that constitutes "technology skills." Should we know how to program? How to run a server? Kent's IAKM Computer Literacy Skills Checklist? I don't think Kent's new Information Technology for Library and Information Professionals sounds like it's enough. The word "technology" is so broad it means nothing--chimps using a stick to poke out ants is an example of "technology."
Librarianship: We Fuck Ourselves In Small Ways, And It Spreads Like The Flu
Special thanks to Genevieve, who let me rant about this to her last weekend, and who was kind enough to reassure me from her position as a working expectant mom that no, I'm not being an unreasonable bitch.
So a few weeks back I was at Borders and ran across this new book Water Cooler Diaries: Women Across America Share Their Day At Work, edited by Joni B. Cole and B.K. Rakhra. I got excited because right there on the cover, there's a post-it saying "Librarian."
I love my profession, but I'm first to admit we suffer from a self-promotion problem. We suck at it, and I have a theory why, but that's another post. We also do a variety of things, and we have a public perception problem. People a) don't know what we do and b) can't believe a Master's degree is required (whether it really is or not is another story). So that someone, namely Tonia N. Sutherland of South Hadley, MA went and wrote up her day at work and it published with other diaries of glamorous, mundane and exciting work days of women, is awesome.
Except Sutherland didn't go to work that day. Her kid got sick and she stayed home with him and worried about her job instead.
And I got pissed.
1) Librarianship's a female dominated profession with a boatload of problems from issues of deprofessionalization,
sex ratio disparities, the assumption that even our best and brightest are just marking time until we stay home with babies. And that's on top of general disrespect and low pay.
So Sutherland had the baton to do us a favor, and she dropped it. That's disappointing. If there were other librarians writing for this project and the editors just picked her piece to include to illustrate a point, I'll publicly apologize for my pissiness and send her flowers, and go toilet paper the editors' lawns.
But...
2) Grrr. Look, this is why you don't talk too much about your personal life and work. Because Sutherland wants pity/understanding for the way she's sabotaging herself at work and I can't give it to her. She's sabotaging herself by confusing her role as a wife and mother with her role of a worker. She had 4 meetings, including one about restructuring her job so that she got to do work she wants to do and a full day of work to do and she blew it off to stay home while her husband went off to his job where he makes half of what she does and gets no benefits. Honey, if "the library will not collapse because my child is sick," neither will the hospital where your husband is a nurse's aide. But your career will stall and collapse if you don't show up to work on your busy days, and I have no sympathy for the "my baby is sick!" argument. She should worry about her job--if I were her boss, I'd have trouble taking her seriously.
Part of feminism is the acceptance that when we took the right to move beyond the role of the angel of the house, we also got a new set of responsibilities. Your responsibility is to work on your career and succeed so you can provide for your child and family because you have a career and not let your husband dick around thinking that his job is as important as yours when it provides none of the benefits or responsibilities that go along with what we term good jobs.
And I get that it's hard to have kids and work. But this is why you try to structure things so that you have the primary breadwinner and a secondary person, and switch off whose career is important when, and not assume that because you're female you're responsible for the sun rising and setting.
Oh, and don't air your dirty laundry in print so bitches like me get mad and take you to task.
So a few weeks back I was at Borders and ran across this new book Water Cooler Diaries: Women Across America Share Their Day At Work, edited by Joni B. Cole and B.K. Rakhra. I got excited because right there on the cover, there's a post-it saying "Librarian."
I love my profession, but I'm first to admit we suffer from a self-promotion problem. We suck at it, and I have a theory why, but that's another post. We also do a variety of things, and we have a public perception problem. People a) don't know what we do and b) can't believe a Master's degree is required (whether it really is or not is another story). So that someone, namely Tonia N. Sutherland of South Hadley, MA went and wrote up her day at work and it published with other diaries of glamorous, mundane and exciting work days of women, is awesome.
Except Sutherland didn't go to work that day. Her kid got sick and she stayed home with him and worried about her job instead.
And I got pissed.
1) Librarianship's a female dominated profession with a boatload of problems from issues of deprofessionalization,
sex ratio disparities, the assumption that even our best and brightest are just marking time until we stay home with babies. And that's on top of general disrespect and low pay.
So Sutherland had the baton to do us a favor, and she dropped it. That's disappointing. If there were other librarians writing for this project and the editors just picked her piece to include to illustrate a point, I'll publicly apologize for my pissiness and send her flowers, and go toilet paper the editors' lawns.
But...
2) Grrr. Look, this is why you don't talk too much about your personal life and work. Because Sutherland wants pity/understanding for the way she's sabotaging herself at work and I can't give it to her. She's sabotaging herself by confusing her role as a wife and mother with her role of a worker. She had 4 meetings, including one about restructuring her job so that she got to do work she wants to do and a full day of work to do and she blew it off to stay home while her husband went off to his job where he makes half of what she does and gets no benefits. Honey, if "the library will not collapse because my child is sick," neither will the hospital where your husband is a nurse's aide. But your career will stall and collapse if you don't show up to work on your busy days, and I have no sympathy for the "my baby is sick!" argument. She should worry about her job--if I were her boss, I'd have trouble taking her seriously.
Part of feminism is the acceptance that when we took the right to move beyond the role of the angel of the house, we also got a new set of responsibilities. Your responsibility is to work on your career and succeed so you can provide for your child and family because you have a career and not let your husband dick around thinking that his job is as important as yours when it provides none of the benefits or responsibilities that go along with what we term good jobs.
And I get that it's hard to have kids and work. But this is why you try to structure things so that you have the primary breadwinner and a secondary person, and switch off whose career is important when, and not assume that because you're female you're responsible for the sun rising and setting.
Oh, and don't air your dirty laundry in print so bitches like me get mad and take you to task.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Bad Birthday Gifts
First off, let me say that I love my parents, and I'm especially grateful to my mom for what she's done throughout the years. My parents raised us girls to be feminists in the very natural, "well, why not?" sort of way.
However, I think that giving me a print of this poem for my 13th birthday fucked my psyche in a way that I'm still processing and I really, really wish she'd just given me a Thighmaster.
After A While
After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open,
With the grace of a woman,
Not the grief of a child
And you learn to build all your roads on today,
Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After awhile you learn that even sunshine
Burns if you get too much
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
In stead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers
And you learn that you really can endure...
That you really are strong
And you really do have worth,
and you learn and learn...
With every good bye you learn.
Veronica Shoffstall 1971
However, I think that giving me a print of this poem for my 13th birthday fucked my psyche in a way that I'm still processing and I really, really wish she'd just given me a Thighmaster.
After A While
After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open,
With the grace of a woman,
Not the grief of a child
And you learn to build all your roads on today,
Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After awhile you learn that even sunshine
Burns if you get too much
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
In stead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers
And you learn that you really can endure...
That you really are strong
And you really do have worth,
and you learn and learn...
With every good bye you learn.
Veronica Shoffstall 1971
Warning: Feminist Ranting Ahead
Just as a head's up--later today there will be at least 2 feminist librarian rants posted. I'm letting you know not because I'm ashamed of my rants or think you wouldn't enjoy them, but because my temper is like Krakatoa and these rants have been building a while.
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