I have now signed on the dotted line, and starting April 1, I will be an Assistant Professor at Walker Library at Middle Tennessee State University. Y'all are invited to come visit me in beautiful Tennessee.
Go Lady Raiders!
Friday, March 16, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
My Day
I guess you could say I'm settled into the life of a part-time librarian. What, you may ask, does one do as a part-time librarian?
This morning at the Fiction desk, in the first 45 minutes of the day, I spoke at length with Movie Man, one of our regular patrons, whose fondest dream is for a librarian to tell him the long forgotten title of a movie he once saw (opening scene is of an attempted suicide by gas who is subsequently revived by a stranger. If you know this title, PLEASE let me know).
After a lengthy conversation ranging from such topics as AIDS to whether or not the NYPL is open 24 hours a day, Movie Man left to go downstairs and I spoke to a mother on the phone whose high schooler informed her he needs to have a book for school by the end of the week. Said book, about which he has known since September, was published by a university press and is not widely held. We found some options that might work, however, and I sent the caller on her way. Immediately after, I spoke to a caller who could not remember the author of Sarah, Plain and Tall. Although I did not know the answer off the top of my head, the caller was impressed by how quickly I found the answer in my trusty catalog.
I suspect that the rest of the day will pass in much the same way. To keep myself occupied when not answering questions (or blogging), I have several projects on which I can work, including formatting some bibliographies written by other librarians, checking the catalog to see if we own certain books recommended by vendors, and investigating the possibility of using a wiki to disseminate certain information to library staff (incidentally, Starrlett, how did you get your wiki to stop displaying ads at the top? You aren't a paid subscriber yet, are you?)
- I don't shelve or check out books.
- I don't "shush" people.
This morning at the Fiction desk, in the first 45 minutes of the day, I spoke at length with Movie Man, one of our regular patrons, whose fondest dream is for a librarian to tell him the long forgotten title of a movie he once saw (opening scene is of an attempted suicide by gas who is subsequently revived by a stranger. If you know this title, PLEASE let me know).
After a lengthy conversation ranging from such topics as AIDS to whether or not the NYPL is open 24 hours a day, Movie Man left to go downstairs and I spoke to a mother on the phone whose high schooler informed her he needs to have a book for school by the end of the week. Said book, about which he has known since September, was published by a university press and is not widely held. We found some options that might work, however, and I sent the caller on her way. Immediately after, I spoke to a caller who could not remember the author of Sarah, Plain and Tall. Although I did not know the answer off the top of my head, the caller was impressed by how quickly I found the answer in my trusty catalog.
I suspect that the rest of the day will pass in much the same way. To keep myself occupied when not answering questions (or blogging), I have several projects on which I can work, including formatting some bibliographies written by other librarians, checking the catalog to see if we own certain books recommended by vendors, and investigating the possibility of using a wiki to disseminate certain information to library staff (incidentally, Starrlett, how did you get your wiki to stop displaying ads at the top? You aren't a paid subscriber yet, are you?)
Saturday, March 10, 2007
All Dressed Up*
I showed up for work Thursday wearing a new blouse, lipstick, a new hairstyle, and nail varnish. You think at least one person would have commented on how nice I looked.
Here's the history: I stopped at the outlets on the way back from Austin on Monday and splurged on my first pair of Skechers and two blouses from Eddie Bauer**. Then Thursday morning, I went for my last haircut before moving, and finally took a more definitive step toward growing my hair out a bit. Hence, I'm wearing it flipped up all over, and I love it. Or at least, I will love it until the time I have to style it myself***.
As for the nails and lips, Wednesday, I came home from work and watched two episodes of Heroes and three epsiodes of Lost (yes, Starrlett, I am still watching). I felt guilty about watching five hours of TV (minus commercials--(I don't do commercials) without doing anything more than eating pizza, so I decided to varnish my fingernails while I was sitting there. And then, the lipstick seemed a natural match for the nail varnish (I am fond of lipstick, but usually don't wear it to work because it will rub off on the Diet Coke can I'm drinking in the car on the way to work).
*I started this post Thursday, when it had more immediacy and didn't seem so stupid and trivial. It's now Saturday, and I'm finally getting back to it.
**I thought the blouses I bought were current season items, but I can't find them in the catalog or Web site to show you a picture. If you're dying to know, they're both 3/4 sleeve cotton, one a blue plaid and one a sage floral.
***Friday night I had to style my hair myself, and it didn't look nearly as good as it did when Debbie did it Thursday. Imagine that.
Here's the history: I stopped at the outlets on the way back from Austin on Monday and splurged on my first pair of Skechers and two blouses from Eddie Bauer**. Then Thursday morning, I went for my last haircut before moving, and finally took a more definitive step toward growing my hair out a bit. Hence, I'm wearing it flipped up all over, and I love it. Or at least, I will love it until the time I have to style it myself***.
As for the nails and lips, Wednesday, I came home from work and watched two episodes of Heroes and three epsiodes of Lost (yes, Starrlett, I am still watching). I felt guilty about watching five hours of TV (minus commercials--(I don't do commercials) without doing anything more than eating pizza, so I decided to varnish my fingernails while I was sitting there. And then, the lipstick seemed a natural match for the nail varnish (I am fond of lipstick, but usually don't wear it to work because it will rub off on the Diet Coke can I'm drinking in the car on the way to work).
*I started this post Thursday, when it had more immediacy and didn't seem so stupid and trivial. It's now Saturday, and I'm finally getting back to it.
**I thought the blouses I bought were current season items, but I can't find them in the catalog or Web site to show you a picture. If you're dying to know, they're both 3/4 sleeve cotton, one a blue plaid and one a sage floral.
***Friday night I had to style my hair myself, and it didn't look nearly as good as it did when Debbie did it Thursday. Imagine that.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
The Life of a Librarian
I don't have much to report, but figured I ought to say something! Over the weekend I went south for a last visit with Curly and Sweetpea, who are both just as adorable as ever. Alas, I forgot to take my camera, so you'll just have to take my word on the adorable part.
Work progresses well, if quietly. I have a few projects to work on, and I'm working about 25 hours a week, so I'm happy.
Progress on the move is non-existent. Still no contract in my mailbox, and I'm burying my head in the sand about packing and moving. If you know the way I live and the amount of Stuff I have, you understand my reaction.
On a happy note, I happened across a fabulous find last week while browsing for an audiobook at the Plano library. On a whim, I picked up The Pale Blue Eye just because the cover looked good and it was billed as a mystery. Well, it turned out to be top rate. Audiobooks can be tricky, because the performer can ruin or redeem a great or lousy book. In this case, it was a perfect match. I often have difficulty listening to male performers in the car because their voices are so low that they are hard to hear clearly. Not so here. The mystery is set at West Point in 1830, and features Edgar A. Poe as a young cadet enlisted to help a retired New York City constable investigate the suicide and subsequent mutilation of another cadet. Despite the old-fashioned setting, the performer sounds straight out of the 21st century, and it's a nice fit. The story and writing are also top notch, and I recommend it to any mystery lovers in the audience. It's one of those books that has an unforeseen twist at the end, and for once, the twist actually works.
Work progresses well, if quietly. I have a few projects to work on, and I'm working about 25 hours a week, so I'm happy.
Progress on the move is non-existent. Still no contract in my mailbox, and I'm burying my head in the sand about packing and moving. If you know the way I live and the amount of Stuff I have, you understand my reaction.
On a happy note, I happened across a fabulous find last week while browsing for an audiobook at the Plano library. On a whim, I picked up The Pale Blue Eye just because the cover looked good and it was billed as a mystery. Well, it turned out to be top rate. Audiobooks can be tricky, because the performer can ruin or redeem a great or lousy book. In this case, it was a perfect match. I often have difficulty listening to male performers in the car because their voices are so low that they are hard to hear clearly. Not so here. The mystery is set at West Point in 1830, and features Edgar A. Poe as a young cadet enlisted to help a retired New York City constable investigate the suicide and subsequent mutilation of another cadet. Despite the old-fashioned setting, the performer sounds straight out of the 21st century, and it's a nice fit. The story and writing are also top notch, and I recommend it to any mystery lovers in the audience. It's one of those books that has an unforeseen twist at the end, and for once, the twist actually works.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Anti Climax
I think my readers all know that I have an "unofficial" job offer from XYZ University. The offer won't be official until I receive the contract in the mail.
In the meantime, I am about to finish my first week of work at the Nicholson Memorial Library in Garland. They knew when I started work that I was waiting to hear about a previous job interview, but they said to go ahead and start the hiring process anyway.
Despite the still unofficial nature of the offer, my intended start date is April 2. My plan is to drive up there a few days before I start work, with enough in my little station wagon to get me by for a month or two. I'll stay in a hotel for a bit until I find someplace to rent, and then come back and move everything when I have a place into which to move.
In the meantime, I am about to finish my first week of work at the Nicholson Memorial Library in Garland. They knew when I started work that I was waiting to hear about a previous job interview, but they said to go ahead and start the hiring process anyway.
Despite the still unofficial nature of the offer, my intended start date is April 2. My plan is to drive up there a few days before I start work, with enough in my little station wagon to get me by for a month or two. I'll stay in a hotel for a bit until I find someplace to rent, and then come back and move everything when I have a place into which to move.
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