I am still listening to Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles. Here are two more interesting library innovations that Battles reports.
In the thirteenth century, librarians at the University of Sorbonne in Paris use the alphabet to organize the book collection. It seems to be the first instance of anyone using the alphabet to organize information.
Around the same time, librarians use Arabic numerals in the library catalog at Oxford University. What is cool about this is that the mathematicians of Europe are still resisting Arabic numerals, using Roman numerals for calculations. Librarians lead the way!
Battle also reports many terrible things librarian did through the centuries, especially resisting new scholarship because it was not classical. Some resisted the profusion of materials created after the invention of moveable type because there would be more books than any one man could ever read.
I'm still listening.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Affordable Art by Steve Goodman
I have been wanting to review the album Affordable Art by Steve Goodman ever since our Friday at the Ford concert by Mark Dvorak in early November. Dvorak's voice reminded me of Goodman at moments, though they really are very different overall. It also occurred to me that many of my younger friends probably have never heard of Goodman.
Steve Goodman died of leukemia in 1984, just before his beloved Chicago Cubs won their first pennant since 1945. He was only 36 years old. He had spent fifteen years as a professional musician, getting more national recognition as a songwriter than as a performer. He is most known for penning "The City of New Orleans" for Arlo Guthrie. In the year or so before his death he completed two albums, one of which was Affordable Art.
The album begins with "If Jethro Were Here," a lively instrumental with Goodman playing mandola. It is a tribute to the legendary mandolin player Jethro Burns, who appears later on the album
The second cut is "Vegematic," a comic song about man who fell asleep watching late night television. Goodman's best albums included several comic songs, and this is one of the most memorable. It was recorded live at a club. Goodman's line about eating eggs off commemorative presidential plates gets the biggest laugh.
"Old Smoothies" is a sweet story-song about an older couple of ice skaters.
"Talk Backwards" is a piece of vocal gymnastics that few performers could ever match. It is an exercise in "reverse elocution," and Goodman is accompanied by three finger snappers. The horns remind me of the cantina band in the original Star Wars movie.
"How Much Tequila (Did I Drink Last Night?)" sounds very C&W. Careful, the chorus may stick in your brain past the point you want it in there.
"When My Rowboat Comes In" is a gentle bluegrass song about hope and death.
At this point I have to turn the album over.
If you think "Souvenirs" sounds like a John Prine song, you are correct. Prine wrote it and joined Goodman for this recording.
Goodman was able to find a new way to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Jethro Burns accompanies him. It is a little jazzier than most renditions of the old song.
The centerpiece of the album is "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request." Goodman had had leukemia for a long time when he wrote this song, which lovingly ridicules the Cubs and their fans. There is much laughing and cheering from the audience.
"California Promises" is a total change of mood. It has a lonely sound.
"Watchin' Joey Glow" is a Tom Paxton-like song about radioactivity and modern life. (Tom Paxton writes great satirical folk songs.)
The album ends with "Grand Canyon Song," a soulful, acoustic song in praise of our natural treasure in Arizona.
If your library still has a copy of Affordable Art, check it out. It is now available on CD from many sources.
Goodman, Steve. Affordable Art. Seal Beach, CA: Red Pajamas Records, 1983.
Steve Goodman died of leukemia in 1984, just before his beloved Chicago Cubs won their first pennant since 1945. He was only 36 years old. He had spent fifteen years as a professional musician, getting more national recognition as a songwriter than as a performer. He is most known for penning "The City of New Orleans" for Arlo Guthrie. In the year or so before his death he completed two albums, one of which was Affordable Art.
The album begins with "If Jethro Were Here," a lively instrumental with Goodman playing mandola. It is a tribute to the legendary mandolin player Jethro Burns, who appears later on the album
The second cut is "Vegematic," a comic song about man who fell asleep watching late night television. Goodman's best albums included several comic songs, and this is one of the most memorable. It was recorded live at a club. Goodman's line about eating eggs off commemorative presidential plates gets the biggest laugh.
"Old Smoothies" is a sweet story-song about an older couple of ice skaters.
"Talk Backwards" is a piece of vocal gymnastics that few performers could ever match. It is an exercise in "reverse elocution," and Goodman is accompanied by three finger snappers. The horns remind me of the cantina band in the original Star Wars movie.
"How Much Tequila (Did I Drink Last Night?)" sounds very C&W. Careful, the chorus may stick in your brain past the point you want it in there.
"When My Rowboat Comes In" is a gentle bluegrass song about hope and death.
At this point I have to turn the album over.
If you think "Souvenirs" sounds like a John Prine song, you are correct. Prine wrote it and joined Goodman for this recording.
Goodman was able to find a new way to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Jethro Burns accompanies him. It is a little jazzier than most renditions of the old song.
The centerpiece of the album is "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request." Goodman had had leukemia for a long time when he wrote this song, which lovingly ridicules the Cubs and their fans. There is much laughing and cheering from the audience.
"California Promises" is a total change of mood. It has a lonely sound.
"Watchin' Joey Glow" is a Tom Paxton-like song about radioactivity and modern life. (Tom Paxton writes great satirical folk songs.)
The album ends with "Grand Canyon Song," a soulful, acoustic song in praise of our natural treasure in Arizona.
If your library still has a copy of Affordable Art, check it out. It is now available on CD from many sources.
Goodman, Steve. Affordable Art. Seal Beach, CA: Red Pajamas Records, 1983.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
New Idea for Open WorldCat
In a conversation via comments on Karen Schneider's blog , she said that it feels so futile adding reviews to Open WorldCat. Like "droplets in an ocean," she wrote. I agree that we are starting with next to nothing, which is somewhat of an opportunity as well as a challenge. Perhaps an infusion of reviews would help. I notice that Open WorldCat already has a relationship with Amazon; many of the records have links to purchasing titles from Amazon (if you decide not to seek the copy at the nearest library). Perhaps a group of Amazon reviews could be harvested and added to the Open WorldCat records. I see Amazon does have some method of selecting some of the submitted reviews to highlight. Perhaps those "better" reviews could be shared with Open WorldCat as a starter collection.
I also think Open WorldCat has to make the writing of reviews pleasant and satisfying. Writers should get some positive reinforcement, such as being sent thank you emails or having selected reviews posted in a weekly review. Definitely there should be some way of finding reviews by reviewer. There have to be some rewards to market to the prospective review writers.
For more on the idea of reviews and book sales and library marketing, see this post by Rambling Librarian.
I also think Open WorldCat has to make the writing of reviews pleasant and satisfying. Writers should get some positive reinforcement, such as being sent thank you emails or having selected reviews posted in a weekly review. Definitely there should be some way of finding reviews by reviewer. There have to be some rewards to market to the prospective review writers.
For more on the idea of reviews and book sales and library marketing, see this post by Rambling Librarian.
The Form of the Book Has Changed Before
I have started listening to Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles on compact disc. It is too early to write a review, but a couple of things on disc one jumped out at me.
In telling about his experiences in the Widener Library at Harvard, Battles mentions in his introduction how books were produced in the early sixteenth century. After printing the signatures, books were sold uncut and unbound. The buyer would then do what he (mostly men) wanted. A student might just read the sheets and divide them among his collegues. Some might bind the works simply. The wealthy might bind the book in expensive leathers with gold leafing and precious stones adorning the cover. The works might even be bound with other works. I wonder whether with electronic books in the twenty-first century we have created a similar situation. Buyers can purchase books or parts of books, load them onto a variety of reading devices, mark them up with notes, merge works electronically, print them if necessary, and bind them if desired.
In the first chapter, which is about the ancient libraries in Alexandria, Battle says that some scholars came to libraries to make their own copies of books. There were no photocopiers or scanners. No one posted copyright notices. Of course, there was no commercial book markets either. Can you imagine copying books by hand? Did anyone ever check that the copies had proper citations?
I think I will enjoy this book. More later.
Battles: Matthew. Library: An Unquiet History. New York: W. W. Norton, 2003.
In telling about his experiences in the Widener Library at Harvard, Battles mentions in his introduction how books were produced in the early sixteenth century. After printing the signatures, books were sold uncut and unbound. The buyer would then do what he (mostly men) wanted. A student might just read the sheets and divide them among his collegues. Some might bind the works simply. The wealthy might bind the book in expensive leathers with gold leafing and precious stones adorning the cover. The works might even be bound with other works. I wonder whether with electronic books in the twenty-first century we have created a similar situation. Buyers can purchase books or parts of books, load them onto a variety of reading devices, mark them up with notes, merge works electronically, print them if necessary, and bind them if desired.
In the first chapter, which is about the ancient libraries in Alexandria, Battle says that some scholars came to libraries to make their own copies of books. There were no photocopiers or scanners. No one posted copyright notices. Of course, there was no commercial book markets either. Can you imagine copying books by hand? Did anyone ever check that the copies had proper citations?
I think I will enjoy this book. More later.
Battles: Matthew. Library: An Unquiet History. New York: W. W. Norton, 2003.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Scarecrow World
I'm just having fun with the fd's Flickr Toys. You can do all kinds of things with your photos. I have made calendars and trading cards so far. Click on the magazine cover to get a larger image.
The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan
For the past week, I have been listening to Amy Tan read her nonfiction pieces collected in the volume The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings. I had heard her reading on an audio book The Bonesetter’s Daughter and on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terri Gross. She reads as though she is speaking with you intimately. In the past week I feel I have gotten to know her well. She is willing to tell much about herself and her family.
The title The Opposite of Fate refers to Tan’s belief that a person benefits from taking charge of her life, not accepting “the hand she is dealt” or “the way it has to be.” When her doctors could not find why she felt depressed and suffered hallucinations, suggesting that she was physically well and would probably improve, referring her to a psychiatrist, she sought new doctors. It took many tests and much time to discover that she had Lyme disease. If she had not insisted on more investigation, her condition would not have been properly treated.
The book starts with stories about her father and her mother, both of whom immigrated to the United States from China. Tan used their Chinese and immigration stories as inspiration for her fiction, but she insists that she is an American writer, not an ethnic writer or "author of color." She was raised in America and lives an American life. Her themes are American concerns.
In one essay, Tan bemoans the preponderance of misinformation about her on the Internet. Contrary to what you might read at some websites, she has never been divorced and never had children. She claims many of the sites also have very old photos of her, another form of misinformation. The Cliff Notes for The Joy Luck Club are also full of errors.
I enjoyed listening to her story of joining the band Rock Bottom Remainders, which also includes Stephen King, Dave Barry, and other authors. Learning to have fun, wearing wigs and outlandish outfits, singing lead for “These Boots Are Made for Walking,” has not always been easy for her.
Tan has many stories: surviving an automobile accident and a pizza parlor robbery, making movies, going on book tours, dealing with her mother’s death, giving commencement speeches, and more. The Opposite of Fate is very entertaining.
Tan, Amy. The Opposite of Fate. New York: Putnam, 2003. ISBN 0399150749.
8 CDs. Grand Haven, MI: Brilliance Audio, 2003. ISBN 1593550782
The title The Opposite of Fate refers to Tan’s belief that a person benefits from taking charge of her life, not accepting “the hand she is dealt” or “the way it has to be.” When her doctors could not find why she felt depressed and suffered hallucinations, suggesting that she was physically well and would probably improve, referring her to a psychiatrist, she sought new doctors. It took many tests and much time to discover that she had Lyme disease. If she had not insisted on more investigation, her condition would not have been properly treated.
The book starts with stories about her father and her mother, both of whom immigrated to the United States from China. Tan used their Chinese and immigration stories as inspiration for her fiction, but she insists that she is an American writer, not an ethnic writer or "author of color." She was raised in America and lives an American life. Her themes are American concerns.
In one essay, Tan bemoans the preponderance of misinformation about her on the Internet. Contrary to what you might read at some websites, she has never been divorced and never had children. She claims many of the sites also have very old photos of her, another form of misinformation. The Cliff Notes for The Joy Luck Club are also full of errors.
I enjoyed listening to her story of joining the band Rock Bottom Remainders, which also includes Stephen King, Dave Barry, and other authors. Learning to have fun, wearing wigs and outlandish outfits, singing lead for “These Boots Are Made for Walking,” has not always been easy for her.
Tan has many stories: surviving an automobile accident and a pizza parlor robbery, making movies, going on book tours, dealing with her mother’s death, giving commencement speeches, and more. The Opposite of Fate is very entertaining.
Tan, Amy. The Opposite of Fate. New York: Putnam, 2003. ISBN 0399150749.
8 CDs. Grand Haven, MI: Brilliance Audio, 2003. ISBN 1593550782
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Trading Cards Dispel Notion That Librarians Are Boring
You can not continue to think that librarians are a dull lot when you look at the collection of trading cards that is amassing at Flickr. Librarians from many types of libraries and with many interests have posted their cards.
The anonymous Feel-Good Librarian could not resist and has given us a masked photo. Will she be sending out other clues? Does anyone recognize her?
See the many photos in the Librarians Trading Card Pool.
The anonymous Feel-Good Librarian could not resist and has given us a masked photo. Will she be sending out other clues? Does anyone recognize her?
See the many photos in the Librarians Trading Card Pool.
He's the Reference Guy and He's Okay
With all the visits to this blog in the past 10 days to see IM Shorthand for the Monty Python Fan, I thought of something from long ago. When I left the Dolton Public Library to work for the Suburban Library System, I was given a going away party. The staff of the Dolton Public Library were very good at throwing parties and I knew that I'd have fun, even though I was leaving them to work somewhere else. Just before I opened presents (it was a surprise wedding shower, too!), the staff sang a very funny song for me. Ruth Ann (a big Monty Python fan) and cohorts wrote new lyrics to a familiar tune. I found a typed copy in my files.
CHORUS:
He's the reference guy and he's okay
He works all week and Saturday.
REPEAT
He bakes his bread,
He hooks his rug,
He goes to the library (Li-Brar-ee).
On weekends he goes driving,
Takes Bonnie out for tea.
REPEAT CHORUS
He rides his bike,
He takes a hike,
He eats dried fruit for lunch,
And when he's gone to Oak Lawn,
We'll sure miss him a bunch.
REPEAT CHORUS
He laughs at jokes,
He's kind to folks
Who bug him every day.
The patrons will all miss him
When we no longer say:
CHORUS
He's the reference guy and he's okay
He works all week and Saturday.
I had forgotten my giantic hooked rug project. Like my sewing a Halloween costume by hand, it took forever. It is amazing the projects I started when I was young and did not know better.
It is great working in libraries where people care so much and throw great parties. (Consider this librarianship promotional material and totally appropriate for this blog.)
Can you thank people again years later for their friendship? I only know where a few of them are now. They were the library staff and they were okay, too.
CHORUS:
He's the reference guy and he's okay
He works all week and Saturday.
REPEAT
He bakes his bread,
He hooks his rug,
He goes to the library (Li-Brar-ee).
On weekends he goes driving,
Takes Bonnie out for tea.
REPEAT CHORUS
He rides his bike,
He takes a hike,
He eats dried fruit for lunch,
And when he's gone to Oak Lawn,
We'll sure miss him a bunch.
REPEAT CHORUS
He laughs at jokes,
He's kind to folks
Who bug him every day.
The patrons will all miss him
When we no longer say:
CHORUS
He's the reference guy and he's okay
He works all week and Saturday.
I had forgotten my giantic hooked rug project. Like my sewing a Halloween costume by hand, it took forever. It is amazing the projects I started when I was young and did not know better.
It is great working in libraries where people care so much and throw great parties. (Consider this librarianship promotional material and totally appropriate for this blog.)
Can you thank people again years later for their friendship? I only know where a few of them are now. They were the library staff and they were okay, too.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Death and Taxes by Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker wrote what she thought.
Death and Taxes many people bought.
A public face, a private heart -
She could tell the two apart.
She was bitter, she was weary,
But she would not let herself be teary.
She followed this rule to the letter -
The shorter the better.
Parker, Dorothy. Death and Taxes. New York: Viking Press, 1931.
Death and Taxes many people bought.
A public face, a private heart -
She could tell the two apart.
She was bitter, she was weary,
But she would not let herself be teary.
She followed this rule to the letter -
The shorter the better.
Parker, Dorothy. Death and Taxes. New York: Viking Press, 1931.
A Companion for Owls by Maurice Manning
Could Daniel Boone have ever written poetry? According to the American National Biography, his education is much debated. He claimed to have never had any formal schooling, but there persist stories of his mischief at school. He must have had little schooling if any, the biographer guesses, because his letters are full of misspellings and bad grammar.
Maurice Manning has taken a very unconventional approach in writing A Companion for Owls: Being the Commonplace Book of D. Boone, Long Hunter, Back Woodsman, &c. He has taken on the persona of the frontiersman to write verse about his daily life and adventures. Most of the poems are less than a page in length and convey some part of Boone's story. "Without Vision," which begins "Don't ever name a son Israel," tells about the death of his son in the Battle of Blue Licks, the final battle of the American Revolution. "The Sum Result of Speculation" describes his work as a land speculator. In "Jemima's Idyll" the poet tells of Boone's rescuing his daughter from the Shawnee. "A Recipe for Chink" instructs the readers how to build a log cabin.
The poetry is full of attitude and opinions. I liked the opening of "Opposition to Bridges":
If a man cannot cross a river on its own terms,
Then he doesn't deserve the other side.
The strength of A Companion for Owls is the communication of Boone's experience. Soaked with the rain, his teeth hurting, angry at the educated men who have cheated him out of property, ready to try something new, ready to leave eveything but Rebecca and head for Missouri, Boone contemplates his life. Of course, being poetry, it is self-conscious and philosophical. It is a fantasy, but one I enjoyed.
Manning, Maurice. A Companion for Owls: Being the Commonplace Book of D. Boone, Long Hunter, Back Woodsman, &c. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc., 2004. ISBN 0151010498
Maurice Manning has taken a very unconventional approach in writing A Companion for Owls: Being the Commonplace Book of D. Boone, Long Hunter, Back Woodsman, &c. He has taken on the persona of the frontiersman to write verse about his daily life and adventures. Most of the poems are less than a page in length and convey some part of Boone's story. "Without Vision," which begins "Don't ever name a son Israel," tells about the death of his son in the Battle of Blue Licks, the final battle of the American Revolution. "The Sum Result of Speculation" describes his work as a land speculator. In "Jemima's Idyll" the poet tells of Boone's rescuing his daughter from the Shawnee. "A Recipe for Chink" instructs the readers how to build a log cabin.
The poetry is full of attitude and opinions. I liked the opening of "Opposition to Bridges":
If a man cannot cross a river on its own terms,
Then he doesn't deserve the other side.
The strength of A Companion for Owls is the communication of Boone's experience. Soaked with the rain, his teeth hurting, angry at the educated men who have cheated him out of property, ready to try something new, ready to leave eveything but Rebecca and head for Missouri, Boone contemplates his life. Of course, being poetry, it is self-conscious and philosophical. It is a fantasy, but one I enjoyed.
Manning, Maurice. A Companion for Owls: Being the Commonplace Book of D. Boone, Long Hunter, Back Woodsman, &c. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc., 2004. ISBN 0151010498
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
13 Seconds: A Look Back at the Kent State Shootings by Philip Caputo
It has been thirty-five years since the Ohio National Guard fired their guns at the students of Kent State University, killing four, all of whom were well beyond rocking throwing distance of the Guard. Nine others were injured on May 4, 1970 in the volley of fire that the President’s Commission of Campus Unrest later ruled was “unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable.” Philip Caputo reported the story for the Chicago Tribune. In 13 Seconds: A Look Back at the Kent State Shootings, he returns to the topic. He describes the days leading up to the tragedy, details the shootings, and debates whether the shootings changed our country.
Caputo tries very hard to be fair in his reporting. He presents the positions of all the parties involved in the conflict, noting that none tried to lessen the tensions leading up to the event. Still, he seems to agree with the President’s Commission that the guardsmen had no valid justification for the shootings. He also predicts that no one will ever solve the mystery of whether an officer ever gave the command to fire on the students. Those who really know will take their secret to the grave.
With the book is a DVD of the documentary Kent State: The Day the War Came Home, which includes interviews of both former students and former members of the National Guard. There are many regrets expressed but no apologies. The most sickening part of the film is the series of clips of interviews with "average Americans" wishing that more students had been killed.
With anti-war sentiments growing in our country today, it is a good time to refresh our memories of what happened at Kent State.
Caputo, Philip. 13 Seconds: A Look Back at the Kent State Shootings. New York: Chamberlain Bros., 2005. 1596090804
Caputo tries very hard to be fair in his reporting. He presents the positions of all the parties involved in the conflict, noting that none tried to lessen the tensions leading up to the event. Still, he seems to agree with the President’s Commission that the guardsmen had no valid justification for the shootings. He also predicts that no one will ever solve the mystery of whether an officer ever gave the command to fire on the students. Those who really know will take their secret to the grave.
With the book is a DVD of the documentary Kent State: The Day the War Came Home, which includes interviews of both former students and former members of the National Guard. There are many regrets expressed but no apologies. The most sickening part of the film is the series of clips of interviews with "average Americans" wishing that more students had been killed.
With anti-war sentiments growing in our country today, it is a good time to refresh our memories of what happened at Kent State.
Caputo, Philip. 13 Seconds: A Look Back at the Kent State Shootings. New York: Chamberlain Bros., 2005. 1596090804
Monday, November 21, 2005
Amazon as a Model for Open WorldCat
Numerous library bloggers rightly hold up Flickr and del.icio.us as models of social webware. They have created large communities of users already and are growing steadily. It seems less noticed in recent blogging what the commercial giant Amazon has done. I only noticed because I am studying the user-contribution features being tested by Open WorldCat. The idea apparently comes from Amazon.
I have used Amazon for years, of course, to identify books and media. Its search function seems more forgiving of mispelled names and keywords than most library catalogs and book jobbers databases. When readers come to the reference desk with the skimpiest clues to finding the books they seek, I often use Amazon and identify the books. Long ago I noticed that Amazon let readers voice their opinions, but the reviews seemed rather off-the-cuff and insubstantial. Most submissions seemed little more than a few sentences saying "I love" or "I hate" the books. I would turn to them only when helping book club hosts who were finding few substantial reviews of their assigned books.
Amazon reviews have matured. Through the years the company has enticed its customers to write by improving the service and offering them recognition. Each reviewer gets a profile, a home for her reviews, and a ranking in the community of readers. I suspect many readers who find too few opportunities to discuss their reading in their physical worlds have turned to Amazon and found new friends. Reviewers get to add links to the other reviewers they admire in their profiles. They can also create lists of their favorite books and media. Some people have embraced the service and have freely given hundreds of reviews to the company, not because they love the corporation, but because they feel they are connecting with other readers. Harriet Klauser is the current number one reviewer with 10,207 reviews and over 64,000 positive votes from readers.
The quality of some Amazon reviews is far better than five years ago. There are still some quick reader opinions, but there are also lengthy, well composed reviews. To get a mix of both extremes and to see debates that take place among the reviews, look at the reviews for My Detachment by Tracy Kidder.
In the past two weeks I have put six of my reviews that I had written for this blog and had posted to Open WorldCat onto Amazon to see how the service works. (Eric Lease Morgan said on the LITA Blog to send content out to many venues.) Three of my reviews have already been read and rated. As of this morning I rank 514,861th as a reviewer. (By afternoon I had risen to 219,711th.) That means there are over half a million people who have submitted reviews. That's impressive. I doubt any library has ever gotten one tenth of that response to its efforts to inspire readers to share their thoughts about books with other readers.
Not everything works well at Amazon. I completed the profile form twice and lost portions of it both times. After two weeks you can not find my reviews through the People Search either. Finding the People Search is not easy; it does not appear on any page that I can see until I click to see someone's reviews or profile. When you do find it, you can search a name to find reviews, profiles, and wishlists.
Amazon's review service may in some cases be too successful. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood has over 1100 customer submitted reviews. What hope would you have that anyone would ever see what you wrote again? You would be much better writing about less popular items or submitting to Open World Cat.
Open WorldCat has a long way to go to match Amazon and will need the help of a lot of librarians. OCLC obviously does have hope. Look at the webpage about user-contributed content. The mock record has seventeen reviews. Dream no small dreams!
I have used Amazon for years, of course, to identify books and media. Its search function seems more forgiving of mispelled names and keywords than most library catalogs and book jobbers databases. When readers come to the reference desk with the skimpiest clues to finding the books they seek, I often use Amazon and identify the books. Long ago I noticed that Amazon let readers voice their opinions, but the reviews seemed rather off-the-cuff and insubstantial. Most submissions seemed little more than a few sentences saying "I love" or "I hate" the books. I would turn to them only when helping book club hosts who were finding few substantial reviews of their assigned books.
Amazon reviews have matured. Through the years the company has enticed its customers to write by improving the service and offering them recognition. Each reviewer gets a profile, a home for her reviews, and a ranking in the community of readers. I suspect many readers who find too few opportunities to discuss their reading in their physical worlds have turned to Amazon and found new friends. Reviewers get to add links to the other reviewers they admire in their profiles. They can also create lists of their favorite books and media. Some people have embraced the service and have freely given hundreds of reviews to the company, not because they love the corporation, but because they feel they are connecting with other readers. Harriet Klauser is the current number one reviewer with 10,207 reviews and over 64,000 positive votes from readers.
The quality of some Amazon reviews is far better than five years ago. There are still some quick reader opinions, but there are also lengthy, well composed reviews. To get a mix of both extremes and to see debates that take place among the reviews, look at the reviews for My Detachment by Tracy Kidder.
In the past two weeks I have put six of my reviews that I had written for this blog and had posted to Open WorldCat onto Amazon to see how the service works. (Eric Lease Morgan said on the LITA Blog to send content out to many venues.) Three of my reviews have already been read and rated. As of this morning I rank 514,861th as a reviewer. (By afternoon I had risen to 219,711th.) That means there are over half a million people who have submitted reviews. That's impressive. I doubt any library has ever gotten one tenth of that response to its efforts to inspire readers to share their thoughts about books with other readers.
Not everything works well at Amazon. I completed the profile form twice and lost portions of it both times. After two weeks you can not find my reviews through the People Search either. Finding the People Search is not easy; it does not appear on any page that I can see until I click to see someone's reviews or profile. When you do find it, you can search a name to find reviews, profiles, and wishlists.
Amazon's review service may in some cases be too successful. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood has over 1100 customer submitted reviews. What hope would you have that anyone would ever see what you wrote again? You would be much better writing about less popular items or submitting to Open World Cat.
Open WorldCat has a long way to go to match Amazon and will need the help of a lot of librarians. OCLC obviously does have hope. Look at the webpage about user-contributed content. The mock record has seventeen reviews. Dream no small dreams!
Sunday, November 20, 2005
My trading card
Everyone needs their own trading card. You can make your own by going to http://flagrantdisregard.com/flickr/deck.php.
It was fairly easy. If you do decide to edit, you have to fill in the photo location again.
I'll trade you two of these for an Aaron Schmidt rookie card.
It was fairly easy. If you do decide to edit, you have to fill in the photo location again.
I'll trade you two of these for an Aaron Schmidt rookie card.
The Lady and the Panda by Vicki Constantine Croke
The West first learned of the existence of the panda when the French missionary Pere Armand David saw a panda skin while visiting remote western regions of China in 1869. For nearly fifty years after his report, European and American explorers sought the rare animal without success, only buying second-hand hides. As late as the 1920s the scientific community questioned whether pandas were extinct or mythical, according to Vicki Constantine Croke in her book The Lady and the Panda: The True Adventures of the First American Explorer to Bring Back China’s Most Exotic Animal.
By the time Ruth Harkness arrived in China to attend to the remains of her late husband’s expedition in 1936, several big game hunters had sent panda skins to museums, but no one had succeeded in bringing a live panda out of the country. Her husband had gone to China to try, but died of cancer in a Shanghai hospital without ever seeing one. No one thought a former dress maker and New York socialite could succeed where seasoned hunters had failed. They did not know Ruth’s idea. They never even thought of packing a baby bottle and formula.
In The Lady and the Panda, Croke tells the story of Harkness, her three expeditions, and the international acclaim that she received for bringing two pandas to the Brookfield Zoo. The journeys were difficult. When available, Harkness and her team traveled by boat, train, plane, auto, or rickshaw; often they hiked up steep paths to reach mountainous forest reserves. With supporters and rivals in the field, she dodged Chinese authorities and the invading Japanese army. In time she came to the conclusion that the expeditions were endangering the pandas and dishonored the land that she had come to love.
Readers who enjoy natural and political history and those who enjoy adventure stories will enjoy this book.
Croke, Vicki Constantine. The Lady and the Panda: The True Adventures of the First American Explorer to Bring Back China’s Most Exotic Animal. New York: Random House, 2005. ISBN 0375507833
By the time Ruth Harkness arrived in China to attend to the remains of her late husband’s expedition in 1936, several big game hunters had sent panda skins to museums, but no one had succeeded in bringing a live panda out of the country. Her husband had gone to China to try, but died of cancer in a Shanghai hospital without ever seeing one. No one thought a former dress maker and New York socialite could succeed where seasoned hunters had failed. They did not know Ruth’s idea. They never even thought of packing a baby bottle and formula.
In The Lady and the Panda, Croke tells the story of Harkness, her three expeditions, and the international acclaim that she received for bringing two pandas to the Brookfield Zoo. The journeys were difficult. When available, Harkness and her team traveled by boat, train, plane, auto, or rickshaw; often they hiked up steep paths to reach mountainous forest reserves. With supporters and rivals in the field, she dodged Chinese authorities and the invading Japanese army. In time she came to the conclusion that the expeditions were endangering the pandas and dishonored the land that she had come to love.
Readers who enjoy natural and political history and those who enjoy adventure stories will enjoy this book.
Croke, Vicki Constantine. The Lady and the Panda: The True Adventures of the First American Explorer to Bring Back China’s Most Exotic Animal. New York: Random House, 2005. ISBN 0375507833
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Every Step of the Way by Mark Dvorak
Mark Dvorak came to our library last week as our Friday at the Ford performer. He played his guitars and banjo and sang a mixture of his own compositions and well-known folk songs. He entertained everyone with his stories, and we all joined in without his asking when he started "Goodnight, Irene." I particularly liked his rendition of Lead Belly's "Bourgeois Blues." He sold a half dozen or more CDs after the concert. All this week I heard compliments about the concert. People want us to bring him back.
I bought his new CD Every Step of the Way and listened to it several times. Dvorak pays tribute to many musical influences in its dozen songs. In the liner notes he says that he imagines Johnny Cash singing his title song and claims that he had Billie Holiday in mind writing "Don't Make the Blues Make You Bad." My favorite "One Couldn't Run, One Couldn't See" tells about Blind Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. "Not War" would be a natural song for Pete Seeger or Peter, Paul & Mary to take up. He concludes with "Smile," which is based on a melody by Charlie Chaplin. The instrumental "Walking in the Air" is quite nice, too.
Mark has a website if you want to find his next concert or book him for your library, church, or coffeehouse.
Excuse me. I now have an urge to listen to my Steve Goodman albums.
I bought his new CD Every Step of the Way and listened to it several times. Dvorak pays tribute to many musical influences in its dozen songs. In the liner notes he says that he imagines Johnny Cash singing his title song and claims that he had Billie Holiday in mind writing "Don't Make the Blues Make You Bad." My favorite "One Couldn't Run, One Couldn't See" tells about Blind Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. "Not War" would be a natural song for Pete Seeger or Peter, Paul & Mary to take up. He concludes with "Smile," which is based on a melody by Charlie Chaplin. The instrumental "Walking in the Air" is quite nice, too.
Mark has a website if you want to find his next concert or book him for your library, church, or coffeehouse.
Excuse me. I now have an urge to listen to my Steve Goodman albums.
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
I just listened to The Good Earth by Pearl Buck, which won the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for Literature and has long been assigned for high school reading. I somehow missed having to read more than an excerpt in school, but I have had it on my to-read-someday list for a long time. Someday came last week when I found the audiobook on a display at the Downers Grove Public Library.
Based on second-hand knowledge, I had numerous assumptions about The Good Earth, many of which have been disproved. I did know that the story involved Chinese peasant farmers in the early part of the Twentieth Century and I knew that Buck was frank in her descriptions of daily life. I expected tragedy, but I also expected comic relief and characters standing up against adversity honorably. What I found was one long tale of characters compromising their morals to survive a relentlessly cruel environment. There is no one to admire in The Good Earth. (You can argue that last statement.)
The central character is Wang Lung, who is a poor farmer as the book begins. He is caring for his old father and owns nothing but his land, house, a few pieces of furniture, a few farm implements, and some seed. In rural China of the time, that was not bad. His father arranges for Wang Lung to take a slave woman from a great house in the village as his wife. They start having children, struggle to make ends meet, and flee to the south during a terrible drought. To save his children from starvation, Wang Lung does many things against his conscience and begins to justify the acts to himself. An opportunity for easy money badly gained leads to his stake at wealth. Hard work and cunning turn the stake into great wealth, but he never regains his moral courage.
The Good Earth can be read at several levels. It can be accepted as a story of one poor man. It may also be considered a story of China. Like Wang Lung, the country justified many terrible acts throughout the past century; women were treated very badly; children were sold into slavery; many died in the revolutions. The children of Wang Lung represent differing parties that struggled to control the land. Every type of villain you can imagine appears in the book: bandits, soldiers, prostitutes, opium sellers. I read in Women in History: A Biographical Encyclopedia that it had been translated into nine Chinese languages. I suspect many of the Chinese took offense to its portrayal of their society.
The book may also be read as a warning for any country that loses sight of its basic values. When tending to the land and the family are replaced by the pursuit of pleasure as the people's focus, the country will be torn apart by conflict.
Every source I read says that Pearl Buck was an advocate for China. Seventy-five years later her most famous book still raises many questions about the Chinese. Like Oprah, I bet The Good Earth would make a great discussion book.
Buck, Pearl. The Good Earth. Books on Tape, 2001. ISBN 0736685146. 10 discs
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
IM Shorthand for Monty Python Fans
Bonnie and I were talking about how it is sometimes hard to recognize what is meant by all the shorthand that is used in instant messaging. That's why there are websites like NetLingo. Of course, you can not really look up all of the abbreviations as they fly at you, but it sometimes helps when you are sorting it out later.
In the interest of making the world even more confusing, here are some Monty Python additions to IM shorthand:
MBH - My brain hurts!
NETSI - Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
ANFSCD - And now for something completely different
IALAIOK - I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay.
UCT - Upper Class Twit
SW - Silly Walk
VSP - Very Silly Party
POTT - Penguin on the telly (We have one. Don't you?)
HIWTRAC - Hello, I wish to register a complaint.
IASBOLIRIP - It's a stiff, bereft of life. It rests in peace. (Some young IMers say this of email.)
ALOTBSOL - Always look on the bright side of life
STMIAN - She turned me into a newt! (A common complaint)
IGB - I Got Better.
KWSN - Knights who say "Ni!"
NNNNN - Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni!
STIGTS - Stop! This is getting too silly!
That last one could be particularly useful for some IM exchanges. Have any other suggestions?
In the interest of making the world even more confusing, here are some Monty Python additions to IM shorthand:
MBH - My brain hurts!
NETSI - Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
ANFSCD - And now for something completely different
IALAIOK - I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay.
UCT - Upper Class Twit
SW - Silly Walk
VSP - Very Silly Party
POTT - Penguin on the telly (We have one. Don't you?)
HIWTRAC - Hello, I wish to register a complaint.
IASBOLIRIP - It's a stiff, bereft of life. It rests in peace. (Some young IMers say this of email.)
ALOTBSOL - Always look on the bright side of life
STMIAN - She turned me into a newt! (A common complaint)
IGB - I Got Better.
KWSN - Knights who say "Ni!"
NNNNN - Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni!
STIGTS - Stop! This is getting too silly!
That last one could be particularly useful for some IM exchanges. Have any other suggestions?
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Open WorldCat Review Samples
Judy at OCLC sent me some statistics from the User-Contribution Project for Open WorldCat. As of Monday, November 14, she had these numbers:
All content: 367 user submissions
Reviews added - 161
Table of Contents added - 135
Notes added - 71
That may seem like a small number, but there has been little publicity in the world outside techie library circles. This is giving OCLC some time to test and adjust the system. Judy said that there will be more publicity early next year.
Right now, it is hard to find reviews unless you know where to look. Judy sent these links, so you can see some examples other than mine:
http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/oclc/60739594&tab=reviews
http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/oclc/39551790&tab=reviews
http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/oclc/57514882&tab=reviews
http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/oclc/54022622&tab=reviews
http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/oclc/49285663&tab=reviews
The first review is lengthy, while the other four are brief. All are very positive. No one seems to be slamming books as yet.
If you have submitted some reviews to Open WorldCat, send me the titles or the links. Either add them to the comments below or send them to my library email rick@fordlibrary.org, and I will pass them on through this blog or some other site - maybe on a wiki.
All content: 367 user submissions
Reviews added - 161
Table of Contents added - 135
Notes added - 71
That may seem like a small number, but there has been little publicity in the world outside techie library circles. This is giving OCLC some time to test and adjust the system. Judy said that there will be more publicity early next year.
Right now, it is hard to find reviews unless you know where to look. Judy sent these links, so you can see some examples other than mine:
http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/oclc/60739594&tab=reviews
http://www.worldcatlibraries
http://www.worldcatlibraries
http://www.worldcatlibraries
http://www.worldcatlibraries
The first review is lengthy, while the other four are brief. All are very positive. No one seems to be slamming books as yet.
If you have submitted some reviews to Open WorldCat, send me the titles or the links. Either add them to the comments below or send them to my library email rick@fordlibrary.org, and I will pass them on through this blog or some other site - maybe on a wiki.
Mystery Solved, Apology Offered, and Information Shared About Open WorldCat Reviews
The mystery is solved, thanks to help from the friendly people at OCLC. If you read this blog last week, I expressed my frustration over not being able to submit my book reviews to Open WorldCat. The user-submission service had been working fine, but suddenly it seemed as though it was not working at all. I now know that it was never down. The problem stemmed from what and how I was submitting. Let me explain.
Through October I would occasionally submit a review to Open WorldCat, according to the instructions I wrote for the Library Success wiki. The length of my reviews varied, and I at times used Internet Explorer at home and either Internet Explorer or Firefox at my library. I never counted the number of words in my reviews. The Open WorldCat recommendation is that reviews be between 75 and 300 words. I could not imagine that I would ever hit 300 words. All my reviews submitted without error.
On Novemebr 2, I tried to submit my review of Peace is the Way from home using Internet Explorer as my browser. I pasted the review into the submission form, clicked the submit button, and watched while nothing happened. I assumed there was a temporary disruption of service. Still at home, I tried again several days later. Again it did not work. I thought that maybe something was wrong with the item record, so I tried another review. Same problem. I tried at work a couple of days late, probably using Internet Explorer. Same problem.
When I look at my review of Peace is the Way at Open WorldCat , it does not look long to me, but it is 377 words, well beyond the recommendation. When Judy from OCLC called me at the library on Friday, November 11, I happened to be using Firefox. She asked me to try submitting the review again so she could watch from her end. I pasted in the review and clicked submit. It worked right away. I loaded several more. They all worked.
On Saturday at home, I was using Internet Explorer and found I again was unable to submit a review. Remembering that Judy had asked what browser I was using, I loaded Firefox onto the computer and tried again. It worked.
On Monday, I sent a message to Judy and she replied that OCLC has found that Firefox will allow longer submissions than Internet Explorer. The OCLC staff is studying the situation. When I got home, I submitted some shorter reviews using Internet Explorer without problem, verifying what she said.
This seems a good time for an apology. I regret that I ever suggested that OCLC had let the service go down without even noticing. I learned from Judy that staff is actually reading every submitted review at this point. (Hey, I have captive readers!) They would notice if nothing was being submitted. I apologize.
I hope the episode does help OCLC in the design of the service and the writing of reviewing instructions. We are all learning as the project progresses.
Through October I would occasionally submit a review to Open WorldCat, according to the instructions I wrote for the Library Success wiki. The length of my reviews varied, and I at times used Internet Explorer at home and either Internet Explorer or Firefox at my library. I never counted the number of words in my reviews. The Open WorldCat recommendation is that reviews be between 75 and 300 words. I could not imagine that I would ever hit 300 words. All my reviews submitted without error.
On Novemebr 2, I tried to submit my review of Peace is the Way from home using Internet Explorer as my browser. I pasted the review into the submission form, clicked the submit button, and watched while nothing happened. I assumed there was a temporary disruption of service. Still at home, I tried again several days later. Again it did not work. I thought that maybe something was wrong with the item record, so I tried another review. Same problem. I tried at work a couple of days late, probably using Internet Explorer. Same problem.
When I look at my review of Peace is the Way at Open WorldCat , it does not look long to me, but it is 377 words, well beyond the recommendation. When Judy from OCLC called me at the library on Friday, November 11, I happened to be using Firefox. She asked me to try submitting the review again so she could watch from her end. I pasted in the review and clicked submit. It worked right away. I loaded several more. They all worked.
On Saturday at home, I was using Internet Explorer and found I again was unable to submit a review. Remembering that Judy had asked what browser I was using, I loaded Firefox onto the computer and tried again. It worked.
On Monday, I sent a message to Judy and she replied that OCLC has found that Firefox will allow longer submissions than Internet Explorer. The OCLC staff is studying the situation. When I got home, I submitted some shorter reviews using Internet Explorer without problem, verifying what she said.
This seems a good time for an apology. I regret that I ever suggested that OCLC had let the service go down without even noticing. I learned from Judy that staff is actually reading every submitted review at this point. (Hey, I have captive readers!) They would notice if nothing was being submitted. I apologize.
I hope the episode does help OCLC in the design of the service and the writing of reviewing instructions. We are all learning as the project progresses.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Red Berries in the Children's Garden at the Morton Arboretum
With the opening of the Children's Garden and the fall leaves, there has been much to see at the Arboretum lately. Most of the brilliant leaves are gone now, which gives the berries their time to shine. It is worth bundling up and taking a hike.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
The Visit: A Drama in Three Acts by Friedrich Duerrenmatt
Last week I attended a performance of The Visit by Friedrich Duerrenmatt at Downers Grove North High School. Bonnie and I attend most of the plays and musicals, as we enjoy live theater and like to see students that we know on stage. This time our daughter Laura was on the crew doing makeup for four of the cast members. Her friend David was playing the son of Alfred Ill.
I had never heard of The Visit, which Critical Survey of Drama identifies as Duerrenmatt's masterpiece and most performed play. I do not recall having heard of Duerrenmatt either, who is identified by the reference set as the leading German-language playwright of post World War II Europe. My friend Dick Wyman, who has directed many community and high school plays, knows the work well. He said it was a very challenging drama for a high school production. He remembered that Joan Fontaine had played Claire Zachanassian in the American debut in the 1950s.
The play is set in the economically depressed town of Gullen in an unnamed country. Most of the cities of Europe are recovering and prospering, but Gullen has a wagon works, a foundry, and a pencil factory that all stay mysteriously closed. Everyone is wearing old clothes and old shoes, eating inferior food, smoking cheap cigarettes, and drinking cheap beer. They are all desperate for an economic savior, which comes in the form of Claire Zachanassian, a former citizen who has become one of the world's wealthiest women. She does offer the community a large sum of money, but she demands that the citizens commit a terrible crime to earn it.
After seeing the play, I read a copy from my library. I quickly discovered that there are different translations available. Characters names vary. Alfred Ill in the high school production is Anton Schill in the copy I read. Toby and Roby become Max and Mike. The Mayor is the Burgomaster. The actors as trees and the family driving scene are missing from the copy I read. Most of the story, however, and its impact are the same.
Critical Survey of Drama states that the play examines the difficulties of justice. Perhaps, but justice is definitely not served. Duerrenmatt combines both comic and tragic elements in this work with a 1950s or 1960s feel to it. It reminds me of the plays and short stories of Ray Bradbury and of television's The Twilight Zone; they often have an entire community act almost like a single character. The Visit is a creepy play that will make you shudder.
Duerrenmatt, Friedrich. The Visit: A Drama in Three Acts. New York: Samuel French, 1958, 1986. ISBN 0573617546
I had never heard of The Visit, which Critical Survey of Drama identifies as Duerrenmatt's masterpiece and most performed play. I do not recall having heard of Duerrenmatt either, who is identified by the reference set as the leading German-language playwright of post World War II Europe. My friend Dick Wyman, who has directed many community and high school plays, knows the work well. He said it was a very challenging drama for a high school production. He remembered that Joan Fontaine had played Claire Zachanassian in the American debut in the 1950s.
The play is set in the economically depressed town of Gullen in an unnamed country. Most of the cities of Europe are recovering and prospering, but Gullen has a wagon works, a foundry, and a pencil factory that all stay mysteriously closed. Everyone is wearing old clothes and old shoes, eating inferior food, smoking cheap cigarettes, and drinking cheap beer. They are all desperate for an economic savior, which comes in the form of Claire Zachanassian, a former citizen who has become one of the world's wealthiest women. She does offer the community a large sum of money, but she demands that the citizens commit a terrible crime to earn it.
After seeing the play, I read a copy from my library. I quickly discovered that there are different translations available. Characters names vary. Alfred Ill in the high school production is Anton Schill in the copy I read. Toby and Roby become Max and Mike. The Mayor is the Burgomaster. The actors as trees and the family driving scene are missing from the copy I read. Most of the story, however, and its impact are the same.
Critical Survey of Drama states that the play examines the difficulties of justice. Perhaps, but justice is definitely not served. Duerrenmatt combines both comic and tragic elements in this work with a 1950s or 1960s feel to it. It reminds me of the plays and short stories of Ray Bradbury and of television's The Twilight Zone; they often have an entire community act almost like a single character. The Visit is a creepy play that will make you shudder.
Duerrenmatt, Friedrich. The Visit: A Drama in Three Acts. New York: Samuel French, 1958, 1986. ISBN 0573617546
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Map That Locates Blogging Librarians
Click here to find a map showing where blogging librarians live. So far there is no one from Greenland.
If you wish to put yourself on the map, have your picture ready. I joined and later thought about adding my photo, but I can not find a way to do so. Have I asked for help? Of course not.
If you wish to put yourself on the map, have your picture ready. I joined and later thought about adding my photo, but I can not find a way to do so. Have I asked for help? Of course not.
Updating Adding Reviews to Open WorldCat
After adding some reviews to Open WorldCat yesterday from my library, I tried again today from home. It did not work. Like before, I got to the point of clicking the submit button and nothing happened.
When I talked to OCLC yesterday, I was asked what Internet browser I was using. That got me thinking about how I have been intending to add Firefox to the home computer. I use it at work all the time, but had never gotten around to loading it at home. So, I loaded it and I was able to submit reviews to Open WorldCat again.
I wonder if something went wrong with my Internet Explorer 6.0. I know I used it before to submit reviews. It has been slow lately. It is a mystery to me.
The point of this is, if you are unable to submit the reviews to Open WorldCat using IE, try Firefox.
When I talked to OCLC yesterday, I was asked what Internet browser I was using. That got me thinking about how I have been intending to add Firefox to the home computer. I use it at work all the time, but had never gotten around to loading it at home. So, I loaded it and I was able to submit reviews to Open WorldCat again.
I wonder if something went wrong with my Internet Explorer 6.0. I know I used it before to submit reviews. It has been slow lately. It is a mystery to me.
The point of this is, if you are unable to submit the reviews to Open WorldCat using IE, try Firefox.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Open WorldCat User-Contributed Content Pilot Problem
I have been frustrated by the Open WorldCat User-Contributed Content Pilot recently. It worked well for me in October, but I have not been able to add any reviews in November. I am able to find the Open WorldCat records, login with my user name and password, and compose the book reviews, but the process grinds to a stop when I click “Submit Review.” Nothing happens.
Update 2:30 p.m. Friday: Judy from OCLC called. We tried again. It worked. She is checking to see if the service was down.
Since I first noticed the problem, I have tried to submit from three different computers. I created a second account in case there was a problem with my first account. I am still unable to do what was so simple last month.
I assumed that there was a temporary problem when I first experienced the problem last week, and I was too busy with other things to inquire. When I tried again early this week and found I still could not contribute, I sent an email through the OCLC feedback system. Four days later, I have heard nothing from that inquiry. Yesterday, I left a voicemail and sent another email. This morning I got a reply to the email saying that my request for information was being assigned to a specialist. I am hoping that I will hear later today or tomorrow why I can not submit reviews.
Maybe I am being impatient, as it is a pilot, but the episode leaves me with some questions.
If the pilot was down, did anyone at OCLC notice? If they did, why didn’t OCLC post a notice on the webpage describing the pilot that the service was disabled? Why would OCLC continue to let contributors login and compose when there was no chance the submit button would work?
If anyone has trouble with submitting reviews, call OCLC right away. With few people submitting at this point, they might not know there is a problem.
Update 2:30 p.m. Friday: Judy from OCLC called. We tried again. It worked. She is checking to see if the service was down.
Since I first noticed the problem, I have tried to submit from three different computers. I created a second account in case there was a problem with my first account. I am still unable to do what was so simple last month.
I assumed that there was a temporary problem when I first experienced the problem last week, and I was too busy with other things to inquire. When I tried again early this week and found I still could not contribute, I sent an email through the OCLC feedback system. Four days later, I have heard nothing from that inquiry. Yesterday, I left a voicemail and sent another email. This morning I got a reply to the email saying that my request for information was being assigned to a specialist. I am hoping that I will hear later today or tomorrow why I can not submit reviews.
Maybe I am being impatient, as it is a pilot, but the episode leaves me with some questions.
If the pilot was down, did anyone at OCLC notice? If they did, why didn’t OCLC post a notice on the webpage describing the pilot that the service was disabled? Why would OCLC continue to let contributors login and compose when there was no chance the submit button would work?
If anyone has trouble with submitting reviews, call OCLC right away. With few people submitting at this point, they might not know there is a problem.
My Detachment: A Memoir by Tracy Kidder
Detachment is a word with multiple meanings. In My Detachment: A Memoir, Tracy Kidder uses several of them. Lieutenant Kidder and the handful of enlisted men that he commanded in Vietnam were a detachment; they were stationed in a separate compound apart from the company, assigned to plot the coordinates of enemy movements using special radio intelligence equipment. Detachment also refers to the separation the author felt from the war and most of the officers to whom he reported; he had decided that the war was wrong before he left the States. He was doing only what he had to do, only following orders when necessary, eager for his tour to end. He was also detached from the men he commanded, but he was trying not to be. Detachment also means without bias. As a Harvard graduate with a liberal philosophy, he liked to think he saw all races as equal, including the enemy that he was sent to fight. In his compound, which he rarely left, he never saw any Vietnamese.
While reading My Detachment, I had to laugh at Kidder sometimes. When he arrived in Vietnam, he had no assignment. No one was expecting him, so he was told to settle into a non-air-conditioned hotel to wait for a position to be found for him. What did he do with his humid, sweaty time? Already having thoughts of writing a novel, he started reading the works of Joseph Conrad. This was years before the film Apocalypse Now.
In his book, Kidder states that he was never in much personal danger during his year in Vietnam. He and his men fled to their bunkers once when targeted by mortar fire. This danger was quickly forgotten and most of their sandbags were never filled. On most days, he plotted enemy radio locations and saw the jets heavy with bombs passing overhead. Every morning he attended a briefing at which a tactical officer reported the previous day’s tonnage of arsenal expended, results mostly unknown. This was as close as he got to learning whether his work mattered. Known now for his nonfiction writings, he spent his off-time in his hooch writing fiction – mostly letters full of lies about experiences he never had.
Scattered throughout My Detachment, Kidder has inserted portions of his never published novel Ivory Fields, which contrast greatly with his real experiences. His greatest challenges came during the visits by higher ranking officers, who had a tendency to notice non-regulation haircuts and unpolished boots. War was just a rumor. Instead, alcohol, prostitution, disease, self pity, boredom, and senseless protocol plagued the detachment. In its own way, this book is just as disturbing as battle line stories. It should be popular in most libraries.
Kidder, Tracy. My Detachment: A Memoir. New York: Random House, 2005. ISBN 0375506152
While reading My Detachment, I had to laugh at Kidder sometimes. When he arrived in Vietnam, he had no assignment. No one was expecting him, so he was told to settle into a non-air-conditioned hotel to wait for a position to be found for him. What did he do with his humid, sweaty time? Already having thoughts of writing a novel, he started reading the works of Joseph Conrad. This was years before the film Apocalypse Now.
In his book, Kidder states that he was never in much personal danger during his year in Vietnam. He and his men fled to their bunkers once when targeted by mortar fire. This danger was quickly forgotten and most of their sandbags were never filled. On most days, he plotted enemy radio locations and saw the jets heavy with bombs passing overhead. Every morning he attended a briefing at which a tactical officer reported the previous day’s tonnage of arsenal expended, results mostly unknown. This was as close as he got to learning whether his work mattered. Known now for his nonfiction writings, he spent his off-time in his hooch writing fiction – mostly letters full of lies about experiences he never had.
Scattered throughout My Detachment, Kidder has inserted portions of his never published novel Ivory Fields, which contrast greatly with his real experiences. His greatest challenges came during the visits by higher ranking officers, who had a tendency to notice non-regulation haircuts and unpolished boots. War was just a rumor. Instead, alcohol, prostitution, disease, self pity, boredom, and senseless protocol plagued the detachment. In its own way, this book is just as disturbing as battle line stories. It should be popular in most libraries.
Kidder, Tracy. My Detachment: A Memoir. New York: Random House, 2005. ISBN 0375506152
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses by David Lodge
Last month in Berkeley, California, my friend Richard, who is a dedicated reader, recommended several books to me. During a conversation about books that satirize academic life, starting with Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith and mentioning Moo by Jane Smiley, Richard remembered Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses by David Lodge, the first in a series of comic novels dealing with college life. I had never heard of it and made a mental note to myself to read it. The note had to be mental as I had no pencil and paper at the moment of the conversation. Like many of the readers I help in the library, I promptly forgot the author’s name, and I emailed Richard for the citation after I returned to Illinois. I had to interlibrary loan the book, of which there was only one copy in Metropolitan Library System’s SWAN catalog.
Once I started reading Changing Places, I realized why Richard, who has lived most of his life in Berkeley, would know the book. Part of the book is set at Euphoria State University in the city of Plotinus, high on the hills overlooking a bay. Across the bay is the city of Esseph (sound it out). The year is 1969 and the hippies are occupying a plot of university land and calling it the People’s Garden. Governor Ronald Duck calls out the National Guard. See the connection?
At the National Archives on Thursday, our guide spoke about how federal records that are preserved are often used for purposes other than their original intent. This novel written in 1975 can be read in a different way than when it was first published. It describes a period of history that is mostly past and almost forgotten. Here are some of the details that would not have been worth comment thirty years ago:
People smoking on airplanes
Renting a color television (with a big emphasis on “color”)
Everyone living in cheap apartments
Brick and plank bookshelves
Eight-track tapes
In the course of the novel, several characters hear of Women’s Liberation for the first time. Student unrest, the Vietnam War, and the Sexual Revolution are featured parts of the humorous story.
David Lodge took a creative approach to the writing of this novel. Every chapter is written in a different style. The story advances in one chapter through letters. Another chapter uses news clippings, and the final chapter is written as a play.
I ordered a copy of Changing Places for my library, so there will be two copies in SWAN. I recommend it to readers everywhere.
Lodge, David. Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses. New York: Penguin, 1995. ISBN 0140170987
Once I started reading Changing Places, I realized why Richard, who has lived most of his life in Berkeley, would know the book. Part of the book is set at Euphoria State University in the city of Plotinus, high on the hills overlooking a bay. Across the bay is the city of Esseph (sound it out). The year is 1969 and the hippies are occupying a plot of university land and calling it the People’s Garden. Governor Ronald Duck calls out the National Guard. See the connection?
At the National Archives on Thursday, our guide spoke about how federal records that are preserved are often used for purposes other than their original intent. This novel written in 1975 can be read in a different way than when it was first published. It describes a period of history that is mostly past and almost forgotten. Here are some of the details that would not have been worth comment thirty years ago:
People smoking on airplanes
Renting a color television (with a big emphasis on “color”)
Everyone living in cheap apartments
Brick and plank bookshelves
Eight-track tapes
In the course of the novel, several characters hear of Women’s Liberation for the first time. Student unrest, the Vietnam War, and the Sexual Revolution are featured parts of the humorous story.
David Lodge took a creative approach to the writing of this novel. Every chapter is written in a different style. The story advances in one chapter through letters. Another chapter uses news clippings, and the final chapter is written as a play.
I ordered a copy of Changing Places for my library, so there will be two copies in SWAN. I recommend it to readers everywhere.
Lodge, David. Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses. New York: Penguin, 1995. ISBN 0140170987
Monday, November 07, 2005
Life: A Guide for the Perplexed by the Flying Karamazov Brothers
I became aware of the Flying Karamazov Brothers back in the 1980s when I saw their version of the A Comedy of Errors on PBS. All of Shakespeare's story was there, and the Karamazovs and their friends delivered all the lines. The really funny thing was that they did it all while juggling. Pins and balls in the air. Balls bouncing off walls and from the floor. All kinds of juggling. I could hardly take my eyes from the television. The Karamozovs are amazing jugglers.
Last week I got to strike through one of my life goals (second or third level, but still pretty important). I saw the Flying Karamozovs in Life: A Guide for the Perplexed at the McAninch Arts Cener at the College of DuPage. At 8:00 p.m. (maybe 8:02 p.m.) the house lights went down and the spot lights came on to show four buildings on wheels rolling onto the stage. Behind each was one member of the company. After a little dance of buildings, the members stepped forward and started juggling. The show had begun.
The Flying Karamozovs do more than juggle. They dance, tell jokes and stories, dress in silly costumes, sing, and play musical instruments in ways that you would not expect. In one scene of the show, the Karamazovs lined up with a flute, baritone horn, and guitar between them. One member blew the flute while another fingered the instrument. Likewise, one blew the baritone while another fingered. One fingered the frets while another strummed the guitar. The Karamozovs at the ends with one free hand each juggled balls back and forth across the ensemble while they played a merry tune. There seems to be almost nothing they will not try.
A tradition at Karamazov performances is The Gamble, a real test of juggling expertise. Members of the audience bring to the stage many strange items, which are then chosen for juggling according to the applause of the audience. Last Tuesday, being the night after Halloween, there were several pumpkins and other leftover decorating items, as well as many general household items and odd toys. The audience chose a big rubber ball, a Chicago telephone directory, and a bowl of salad for Dmitri to juggle. He had three tries to juggle the three items for ten seconds. He succeeded on the second try, after the modifications. He was rewarded with a standing ovation.
Throughout the show, the Karamazovs returned to four-juggler roving juggling that took up a lot of the stage. The stomp stomp stomp stomp told you it was coming. They actually dropped juggling pins several times in these exercises, but their humorous reactions to the errors made the viewing even more fun.
The Karamazovs have a website with history of the troop, a description of Life: A Guide for the Perplexed, and a schedule of upcoming performances. If you are lucky, you can see them, too.
Last week I got to strike through one of my life goals (second or third level, but still pretty important). I saw the Flying Karamozovs in Life: A Guide for the Perplexed at the McAninch Arts Cener at the College of DuPage. At 8:00 p.m. (maybe 8:02 p.m.) the house lights went down and the spot lights came on to show four buildings on wheels rolling onto the stage. Behind each was one member of the company. After a little dance of buildings, the members stepped forward and started juggling. The show had begun.
The Flying Karamozovs do more than juggle. They dance, tell jokes and stories, dress in silly costumes, sing, and play musical instruments in ways that you would not expect. In one scene of the show, the Karamazovs lined up with a flute, baritone horn, and guitar between them. One member blew the flute while another fingered the instrument. Likewise, one blew the baritone while another fingered. One fingered the frets while another strummed the guitar. The Karamozovs at the ends with one free hand each juggled balls back and forth across the ensemble while they played a merry tune. There seems to be almost nothing they will not try.
A tradition at Karamazov performances is The Gamble, a real test of juggling expertise. Members of the audience bring to the stage many strange items, which are then chosen for juggling according to the applause of the audience. Last Tuesday, being the night after Halloween, there were several pumpkins and other leftover decorating items, as well as many general household items and odd toys. The audience chose a big rubber ball, a Chicago telephone directory, and a bowl of salad for Dmitri to juggle. He had three tries to juggle the three items for ten seconds. He succeeded on the second try, after the modifications. He was rewarded with a standing ovation.
Throughout the show, the Karamazovs returned to four-juggler roving juggling that took up a lot of the stage. The stomp stomp stomp stomp told you it was coming. They actually dropped juggling pins several times in these exercises, but their humorous reactions to the errors made the viewing even more fun.
The Karamazovs have a website with history of the troop, a description of Life: A Guide for the Perplexed, and a schedule of upcoming performances. If you are lucky, you can see them, too.
Friday, November 04, 2005
National Archives Research Center in Chicago Needs Visitors
Yesterday a handful of reference librarians from the western suburbs of Chicago took an eye-opening tour of the National Archives and Records Administration’s Great Lakes Region Center in Chicago. The staff of the center, including Martin Tuohy, Peter Bunce, a couple of public service staff, and three of the archivists, rolled out the red carpet for us. They showed us through the massive facility, which includes a 900,000 square foot storeroom for federal records. The view down the aisles was amazing. After the tour we sat down with the archivists for a conversation.
Much has changed at the Chicago facility since we had last visited the facility. The N.A.R.A. has a new public research center, with a new microfilm reading room and a new room for public viewing of records. Workers were still painting door trim as we toured. There also seemed to be a new emphasis on public service, as the staff has produced many finding aids and the center is starting an experiment with Saturday hours. The center will be open to the public on the first Saturday of each month. Call ahead before sending anyone to the facility. Needing an appointment has not changed; the staff want to verify that the archives has the needed records and to suggest preparations before visitors come.
We discussed at length the differences between libraries and archives. Martin said that while libraries catalog and organize their holdings by subject, archives organize their items according to source and date. All the records from a government agency will be together regionally and chronologically. When a researcher goes to a catalog of the holdings of an archive, a keyword search will not work well. The searcher needs to understand the hierarchy of the records system and work from the general to the specific to find records. In the archive the records are kept by Record Group Numbers; the archivists know them by heart, just like librarians know our call numbers.
Martin listed the most common uses of the records at the archives:
Family history
Maritime history
Community and family history of native Americans
Legal research for litigation
Scholarly study of American history
The archives has much for the family history researcher, including census records, land records, selective service and military records, ship passenger lists, immigration and naturalization papers, and records from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Bankruptcy recordsare a great source, too, as they tell much about ancestors possessions.
He urged all libraries to get the third edition of the Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States. He said most of our libraries had the first or second editions, which are quite dated now. The N.A.R.A. also has a number of other useful publications for sale.
Martin showed us a display of books whose authors did their research at the National Archives in Chicago. All of them used federal court records, a major part of the archives collection. Peter said that he hoped to sometimes have an authors group meet regularly at the archives.
After being shown through the archive permanent collection, in which records are constantly being moved into acid-free boxes, the archivists showed us a display of historical items spread across a large table. Among the papers, books, rubber dentures, photographs, and scary objects, was a legal brief written in the hand of Abraham Lincoln, which we all got to hold (inside a plastic sleeve, of course). The rubber dentures were items from a patent case involving a dentist named Goodyear. One big volume had the hand-written transcript of Aaron Burr’s trial (an Ohio case). The photographs were from an early twentieth century obscenity case. The scary objects were the remains of a Molotov cocktail and hand weapons submitted in the Chicago Seven trial. Also on the table were petitions for naturalization for Bob Hope and Enrico Fermi. These items suggest the many items of interest in the collection.
We finished the tour with a very interesting conversation. Peter, Martin, and the archivists told us how public use of the National Archives across the country has fallen drastically in the past ten years. Most of the microfilm readers sit empty much of the time now. The staff is seeking ways to draw the public back to the center and sought our ideas. Two groups they particularly want to recapture are family history researchers and students. Peter said that the archives staff would much like to work with high schoolhistory teachers to draw students for their history projects. He mentioned the hope that he would get an education liaison for his staff to work with high schools and colleges. We agreed that this would be a good idea.
Librarians can help. Let your genealogists know that there are readily available appointments now at the archives on almost any week day. Put up posters. Get the most recent Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States into your collections. Tell your high school teachers that the Archives is eager to with them. Call Peter Bunce, 773-948-9009, and plan a tour. It is an amazing place
http://www.archives.gov/great-lakes/chicago/
Much has changed at the Chicago facility since we had last visited the facility. The N.A.R.A. has a new public research center, with a new microfilm reading room and a new room for public viewing of records. Workers were still painting door trim as we toured. There also seemed to be a new emphasis on public service, as the staff has produced many finding aids and the center is starting an experiment with Saturday hours. The center will be open to the public on the first Saturday of each month. Call ahead before sending anyone to the facility. Needing an appointment has not changed; the staff want to verify that the archives has the needed records and to suggest preparations before visitors come.
We discussed at length the differences between libraries and archives. Martin said that while libraries catalog and organize their holdings by subject, archives organize their items according to source and date. All the records from a government agency will be together regionally and chronologically. When a researcher goes to a catalog of the holdings of an archive, a keyword search will not work well. The searcher needs to understand the hierarchy of the records system and work from the general to the specific to find records. In the archive the records are kept by Record Group Numbers; the archivists know them by heart, just like librarians know our call numbers.
Martin listed the most common uses of the records at the archives:
Family history
Maritime history
Community and family history of native Americans
Legal research for litigation
Scholarly study of American history
The archives has much for the family history researcher, including census records, land records, selective service and military records, ship passenger lists, immigration and naturalization papers, and records from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Bankruptcy recordsare a great source, too, as they tell much about ancestors possessions.
He urged all libraries to get the third edition of the Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States. He said most of our libraries had the first or second editions, which are quite dated now. The N.A.R.A. also has a number of other useful publications for sale.
Martin showed us a display of books whose authors did their research at the National Archives in Chicago. All of them used federal court records, a major part of the archives collection. Peter said that he hoped to sometimes have an authors group meet regularly at the archives.
After being shown through the archive permanent collection, in which records are constantly being moved into acid-free boxes, the archivists showed us a display of historical items spread across a large table. Among the papers, books, rubber dentures, photographs, and scary objects, was a legal brief written in the hand of Abraham Lincoln, which we all got to hold (inside a plastic sleeve, of course). The rubber dentures were items from a patent case involving a dentist named Goodyear. One big volume had the hand-written transcript of Aaron Burr’s trial (an Ohio case). The photographs were from an early twentieth century obscenity case. The scary objects were the remains of a Molotov cocktail and hand weapons submitted in the Chicago Seven trial. Also on the table were petitions for naturalization for Bob Hope and Enrico Fermi. These items suggest the many items of interest in the collection.
We finished the tour with a very interesting conversation. Peter, Martin, and the archivists told us how public use of the National Archives across the country has fallen drastically in the past ten years. Most of the microfilm readers sit empty much of the time now. The staff is seeking ways to draw the public back to the center and sought our ideas. Two groups they particularly want to recapture are family history researchers and students. Peter said that the archives staff would much like to work with high schoolhistory teachers to draw students for their history projects. He mentioned the hope that he would get an education liaison for his staff to work with high schools and colleges. We agreed that this would be a good idea.
Librarians can help. Let your genealogists know that there are readily available appointments now at the archives on almost any week day. Put up posters. Get the most recent Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives of the United States into your collections. Tell your high school teachers that the Archives is eager to with them. Call Peter Bunce, 773-948-9009, and plan a tour. It is an amazing place
http://www.archives.gov/great-lakes/chicago/
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki
Last summer Meredith Farkas set up Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki for everyone in the library community to share their knowledge and experiences to help others do their jobs better. While it has a stated emphasis on the applying of library technology, volunteers are adding pages about library services and management as well. The pages may have discussions or instructions, or they may have collections of links to websites with useful information.
Being a wiki, anyone can contribute. I did. Click here to find the page I created about adding book reviews to Open WorldCat. You may edit my page if you see typos or think of better words or want to add some more text. It is a tool for collaboration. That's what wikis are all about.
If you do decide to contribute, join the wiki user list so we will all know who you are. See you there.
Being a wiki, anyone can contribute. I did. Click here to find the page I created about adding book reviews to Open WorldCat. You may edit my page if you see typos or think of better words or want to add some more text. It is a tool for collaboration. That's what wikis are all about.
If you do decide to contribute, join the wiki user list so we will all know who you are. See you there.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Comments Let Us Know the Blogs Are Worthwhile
This blog is a little different than most. Most literature on blogs emphasizes the currency of information posted and the speed of reporting. People generally read blogs for hot news.
A majority of readers of ricklibrarian come to it through search engines when they seek reviews. As a result, some of the older postings are as popular now as they ever were. Some are only read occasionally.
I was glad to see that someone had visited my review of Imperial Reckoning this morning. It is one of those less visited reviews, and I had not seen it myself in a long time, as I wrote it in April. On a whim, I clicked the link and saw that the new visitor left a comment that dispelled any doubt I have about the value of blogging reviews.
It is humbling sometimes when we make connections with strangers.
A majority of readers of ricklibrarian come to it through search engines when they seek reviews. As a result, some of the older postings are as popular now as they ever were. Some are only read occasionally.
I was glad to see that someone had visited my review of Imperial Reckoning this morning. It is one of those less visited reviews, and I had not seen it myself in a long time, as I wrote it in April. On a whim, I clicked the link and saw that the new visitor left a comment that dispelled any doubt I have about the value of blogging reviews.
It is humbling sometimes when we make connections with strangers.
Peace is the Way by Deepak Chopra
My feelings about the book Peace is the Way: Bringing War and Violence to an End by Deepak Chopra are mixed. I thought the first several chapter were well written and persuasive. They describe how war is a chosen path that never leads where leaders promise it will, how defining an opponent as enemy makes peace impossible, and how militarization leads to less security. The chapter “Beyond Toxic Nationalism” is particularly interesting; Chopra suggests we need to identify with our adversaries to find common ground and learn to consider them as equals.
I felt lost the middle part of the book. I know the author’s premise is that societal and political peace will not come until a majority of individuals embrace a personal spirit of peace, so the chapters on psychological health and preparing the individual for peace are important in his viewpoint. As a reader who avoids self-help books, I was impatient with this section. Some great quotes kept me reading, but I felt less involved. It was here that I realized Chopra’s concern is spirituality, while I was looking for philosophical and ethical arguements.
In the final chapter of Peace is the Way, Chopra states that we must maintain hope for peace. This echoes his assertion early in the book that most people support war only because they are told it will lead to peace eventually. He says that many young people have to be convinced by their leaders to overcome their aversion to violence when becoming soldiers. Some never fire their weapons until they are persuaded that other people are the enemy and less worthy of life and that the enemy is threatening them. To this end, much of our media, many of our schools and churches, and our government teach the lie that we are different from our enemies. Chopra’s hope is based on the underlying goodness in people who will embrace peace when they see the truth. He is an optimist.
With so many books on war in our libraries, it is good to add one about peace.
Chopra, Deepak. Peace is the Way: Bringing War and Violence to an End. New York: Harmony Books, 2005. ISBN 0307236072
I felt lost the middle part of the book. I know the author’s premise is that societal and political peace will not come until a majority of individuals embrace a personal spirit of peace, so the chapters on psychological health and preparing the individual for peace are important in his viewpoint. As a reader who avoids self-help books, I was impatient with this section. Some great quotes kept me reading, but I felt less involved. It was here that I realized Chopra’s concern is spirituality, while I was looking for philosophical and ethical arguements.
In the final chapter of Peace is the Way, Chopra states that we must maintain hope for peace. This echoes his assertion early in the book that most people support war only because they are told it will lead to peace eventually. He says that many young people have to be convinced by their leaders to overcome their aversion to violence when becoming soldiers. Some never fire their weapons until they are persuaded that other people are the enemy and less worthy of life and that the enemy is threatening them. To this end, much of our media, many of our schools and churches, and our government teach the lie that we are different from our enemies. Chopra’s hope is based on the underlying goodness in people who will embrace peace when they see the truth. He is an optimist.
With so many books on war in our libraries, it is good to add one about peace.
Chopra, Deepak. Peace is the Way: Bringing War and Violence to an End. New York: Harmony Books, 2005. ISBN 0307236072
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