The RUSA CODES program Establishing and Promoting Readers' Advisory in Small and Medium-sized Libraries was held in room 299 of the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on Sunday morning, June 25. Room 299 is as far away as a meeting could be. How many started and never reached the room? They should have made the extra effort to get there to hear the program that I think had the most practical ideas of any I attended at the conference.
Patrick Wall of the University City Public Library (Missouri) began the session by saying, "Someone is telling your readers about books and it usually isn't you." He went on to say that librarians have to re-assert their role in the conversation between books and readers. He added that the task is not easy. Support from management and staff has to be gained, and the staff needs to be trained to use readers' advisory tools. He went on to say that readers' advisory is a patron-centered service that will benefit the library with increased circulation and community support.
A point that Wall made is that commercial media promote books only when they are new. Libraries have the charge to bring books back into the public spotlight.
If Megan McArdle of the Chicago Public Library had one main point to make, it was that readers' advisory is not about personal book recommendations. Librarians often balk at being readers' advisors thinking that they have not individually read enough books. RA is about identifying books and matching them with readers. With knowledge of tools and listening to readers, the trained librarian can do the job well. A love of books and public service is the quality that librarians most need.
McArdle recommended library staffs have reading plans in which every staff member read from genres with which she or he has little knowledge. In studying books readers advisors should focus on learning to identify why certain books appeal to readers. This will get them farther than memorizing plots.
McArdle recommended subscribing the Fiction-L list serve.
Sharon Smith of the Kitchener Regional Library (Ontario) described three levels of marketing reading to the public. The first level was "Build It and They Will Come, " which involves setting up special reading collections, creating book displays, printing book lists, and other passive ways of leading readers to books. One good idea that she promoted was creating a Readers' Advisory Notebook in a binder with an ever changing collection of selected book reviews. Promote the notebook to get return users.
The second level is "Kicking It Up a Notch," which is a more active effort to link books and readers. Insert bookmark into books to direct readers to other books. Initiate book conversations with people in the bookstacks. Hand sell books. Put hand-written post-its on books. Low-tech promotions can seem more personal and be more effective. Library-run book clubs, summer reading programs, and city-wide reading programs are part of this second level.
Her number one rule: Never let a reader leave empty-handed.
"Taking It to the Streets" is Smith's third level. She said this is the level at which you really become evangelical. You become a book (and library) advocate, leaving your building. She said we should all offer to be speakers for any community organization that needs a speaker. Go talk about new and old books to schools, churches, service organizations, and anyone else who will listen. Always have a table stocked with handouts and a person to talk about books at community fairs. Put book posters everywhere in the community.
Smith went on to say that we should not just ask local bookstores and newspapers sponsor reading programs - we should ask them to be partners in our programs. Bring them into the planning process, and they will be very generous, for the product will reflect on them. Many bookstores would love the opportunity to partner with the library.
Joanna Hazelton, a branch manager at the Chicago Public Library, spoke about evaluating readers' advisory programs. She said that it is important to report success to promote the service, to get further support for the service, and to evaluate the library's collections.
Hazelton recommended many output measures:
1. Comment cards - Put cards in books on display and hand them out whenever you give a reader a book. Ask whether the reader enjoyed the book. Ask what kinds of books the library should add.
2. Anecdotal evidence - Record any useful thing that a reader says during reference interviews.
3. Statistics for readers' advisory - Make RA a category on the reference tally sheet.
4. Web page statistics - If you create book web pages, monitor their use.
5. Circulation statistics - If you promote specific titles or collections, gather checkout statistics.
In the question period after the presentations, the speakers recommended The Booktalker's Manual by Chapple Langemack. Booktalk podcasts were also recommended; two voices in conversation should be used to make them lively and more interesting.
This program had the best handouts of any program that I attended at the conference. One handout reproduced articles from Libraries Unlimited's Readers' Advisory News, including an article on graphic novels written in comic book format. It is pretty cool.
It was worth the long hike getting to Room 299.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices by Xinran
"Xinran" means "with pleasure" in Chinese. From 1989 to 1997, Xinran hosted a nightly radio program Words on the Night Breeze from a Communist Party controlled radio station in Nanjing. She played a little music, took telephone calls, and discussed lives of common people. With a ten second delay, a censor was always ready to pull the plug. Cultural reform had made the program possible, but Party officials would not tolerate criticism. Xinran was always cautious, but she also had a driving need to learn about the true lives of women in China. They had a great need to speak, and Words on a Night Breeze became very popular.
In the eight years Xinran was on the air, she received many cards, letters, and packages from listeners. Some told stories that she could not repeat until she left China to live in London. The Good Women of China is a collection of these stories.
The roots of many of the stories lay in the Cultural Revolution when families were repressed by the government under Chairman Mao. With many rules governing proper thought, speech, and action, husbands and wives could not trust each other or their children. Children were often sent off to Communist schools. Parents were often sent to prison or to rural communities for reeducation. No one was safe.
Life did improve after the Cultural Revolution, but not much. Tenets of the party said that women had equal status with men, but in many cases women led miserable lives. All forms of poverty and abuse were common, and the police and local officials often ignored obvious violence towards women. With no one to champion them, women began to send Xinran their stories.
Western readers may have trouble believing some of the accounts. One lengthy story tells about an abused girl who keeps a fly as a pet. Another tells about girls living in caves taking turns wearing their clothes; if it was not her day to wear the clothes a girl would have to stay in the cave. Most of the women who tell their stories are desperate.
With China becoming a dominant country in foreign affairs, this should be a well-read book.
Xinran. The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices. New York: Pantheon Books, 2002. ISBN 0375422013
In the eight years Xinran was on the air, she received many cards, letters, and packages from listeners. Some told stories that she could not repeat until she left China to live in London. The Good Women of China is a collection of these stories.
The roots of many of the stories lay in the Cultural Revolution when families were repressed by the government under Chairman Mao. With many rules governing proper thought, speech, and action, husbands and wives could not trust each other or their children. Children were often sent off to Communist schools. Parents were often sent to prison or to rural communities for reeducation. No one was safe.
Life did improve after the Cultural Revolution, but not much. Tenets of the party said that women had equal status with men, but in many cases women led miserable lives. All forms of poverty and abuse were common, and the police and local officials often ignored obvious violence towards women. With no one to champion them, women began to send Xinran their stories.
Western readers may have trouble believing some of the accounts. One lengthy story tells about an abused girl who keeps a fly as a pet. Another tells about girls living in caves taking turns wearing their clothes; if it was not her day to wear the clothes a girl would have to stay in the cave. Most of the women who tell their stories are desperate.
With China becoming a dominant country in foreign affairs, this should be a well-read book.
Xinran. The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices. New York: Pantheon Books, 2002. ISBN 0375422013
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
So You Want to Be a Reviewer? RUSA CODES Materials Reviewing Committee Program
With great and obvious interest in the reviewing of books and media, I started my first day at the American Library Association Conference in New Orleans by attending So You Want to Be a Reviewer?, which was presented by the Reference and User Services Association’s Codes division. Kathleen Sullivan of the Phoenix Public Library, the host for the program, greeted me as she made her way around the room before the meeting welcoming everyone. (She’s a nice lady!) Perhaps everyone who came deserved some recognition for finding a room that was not on the conference hotel diagrams. As I looked around the room, I saw a mix of younger and older librarians. When asked if they wanted to become reviewers, most said “yes.” (It is encouraging that librarians of all ages are looking for new challenges.)
Sullivan was the first speaker. She gave the history of the RUSA Materials Reviewing Committee. In true
Sullivan went on to explain that librarian-written reviews are important 1) to librarians purchasing books and other media, 2) to authors and publishers looking for feedback, and 3) to librarians helping readers find books. She said that only 10 percent of books published are reviewed anywhere. Not counting time reading, it takes her three or four hours to write a 250 word review.
Danise Hoover of Hunter College Library followed with her thoughts about tailoring reviews to audiences. Though she is an academic librarian, she often writes for general audiences, for whom expert opinion is less important than entertainment or utility. She said she works hard to be fair, sometimes giving good reviews to books that she personally dislikes if she believes others would enjoy them.
Barbara Bibel of the Oakland Public Library said that she began writing book reviews to return the favor for all the helpful reviews that she had read. She was surprised how reviewing made her a better librarian. She was forced to think about the elements of books, the arrangement of content, and the publishing experience. She had to look for similar books for comparisons and improved her knowledge of her collection. Reviewing is not a sacrifice without rewards. She also enjoys getting free copies of the books to add to her library.
Bibel characterized the pre-publication reviews of Kirkus Reviews as the most entertaining because they are sometimes “snide.” She writes for Library Journal and other more specialized publications; LJ reviews may be positive or negative. Booklist reviews are limited to recommended books.
Brad Hooper from Booklist and Barbara Hoffert from Library Journal told about what they look for in reviews and reviewers. They agreed on several points. 1) Reviewers have to stick to word counts, usually 175 words. 2) Deadlines must be met. Most jobs are limited to two or three weeks, depending on the type of book. 3) Reviewers have to be fair and not assert a superior attitude. It is okay to be critical but not self-promoting. It is also okay to express admiration for a book. 4) Reviewers should compare the new work with other books on a topic. 5) Reviewers should not write to be quoted.
Library Journal reviews are mostly written by volunteers. To volunteer, send an email to tbarnes@reedbusiness.com. Volunteers should send samples of reviews limited to 175 words. The journal particularly needs reviews for political and current affairs books. Booklist reviews are mostly written by staff. Working on ALA book awards committees seems to be a good way to get noticed by Booklist.
In the question period, I asked about the formats of galleys and the process for submitting reviews. It appears that not much has really changed since I wrote consumer health book reviews for Library Journal twenty-five years ago, except that submission is usually by email and that email has allowed more communication between reviewers and editors.
After the program I looked at the description in the conference program guide again. As is often the case with conference programs, there seem to be unstated assumptions. In this case it was that the book reviews in question were short pre-publication reviews written under strict guidelines. It would be interesting in the future to have a program about the broader world of book reviewing. Libraries are trying to use staff-written book reviews in their newsletters and on their web sites to promote reading. Readers are posting reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Open WorldCat web sites. Bloggers write book reviews. Some even aspire to write for literary reviews. These writers would also like to hear reviewing advice.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Cokie Roberts Closes the American Library Association Annual Conference in New Orleans
Cokie Roberts was the last big name speaker at this year's American Library Association conference. Despite an 8:00 a.m. presentation, hundreds of librarians came to the Auditorium in the convention center to hear her talk about her books about women in American history. She has another book in the works. Ladies of Liberty: Women Who Shaped Our Nation is scheduled to be released in April 2007. She admitted twice that she has not actually written it yet, but her comments reveal that its content and outline are already well developed.
She began by telling us about her mother, who was elected to U.S. Congress from Louisiana and retired to live on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Two years of retirement was all she could stand, so she accepted an appointment as U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican. Roberts really knows how to deliver jokes. When she remarked how both Bourbon Street and the Vatican had guys in dresses, the audience burst into to laughter.
She spoke proudly of getting library cards for her twin grandsons and remembering how she was able to persuade a librarian in New Orleans to give her a card before the stated age of six by writing her name.
Much of her discussion focused on women of the American colonies and the Revolution. One of the interesting things that she discovered was how no matter where they were in the colonies, they were reading the same books. She also told about how quickly books published in England were distributed in the colonies. She told about many women whose contributions were vital to the creation of our country.
In the question period she said, "I am a journalist because it is too interesting not to be."
By the way, she also thanked librarians for coming to her city.
She began by telling us about her mother, who was elected to U.S. Congress from Louisiana and retired to live on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Two years of retirement was all she could stand, so she accepted an appointment as U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican. Roberts really knows how to deliver jokes. When she remarked how both Bourbon Street and the Vatican had guys in dresses, the audience burst into to laughter.
She spoke proudly of getting library cards for her twin grandsons and remembering how she was able to persuade a librarian in New Orleans to give her a card before the stated age of six by writing her name.
Much of her discussion focused on women of the American colonies and the Revolution. One of the interesting things that she discovered was how no matter where they were in the colonies, they were reading the same books. She also told about how quickly books published in England were distributed in the colonies. She told about many women whose contributions were vital to the creation of our country.
In the question period she said, "I am a journalist because it is too interesting not to be."
By the way, she also thanked librarians for coming to her city.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Goodbye to New Orleans: Anderson Cooper and the Architecture of the Past
As I write, I have one more event to attend at this year's American Library Association conference in New Orleans. I intend to get up early tomorrow morning to hear Cokie Roberts speak in the auditorium in the Morial Convention Center. I have only one block to walk to the center, but I have three or four blocks to walk inside the center to get to the auditorium. I was there several hours ago hearing Anderson Cooper tell about New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina.
Before I came to New Orleans, I read much about the city's past and the events of Hurricane Katrina. I had wondered what it was going to be like to go into the convention center, which had been the scene of much tragedy, neglect, and crime. When I arrived in the city on Friday afternoon, I watched the city from the shuttle, looking for signs of damage and recovery. I saw much of both, but nothing like the devastation of the Ninth Ward. The path from the airport to the hotel was not lined with damaged buildings. Somehow, when I entered the convention center, nicely remodeled, I did not think about its recent past. It just seemed to be a convention center. We heard about Hurricane Katrina and the recovery of New Orleans much from inside its rooms, but no one really dwelt on the center itself.
That changed this evening. Anderson Cooper was visibly shaken by being back in the building. He told us at the PLA President's Program that he had last been in the building soon after the thousands of refugees had finally been evacuated. He told us about the refuse, the smell, and the stray dogs. He told us of an older woman who escaped the flood only to die outside the convention center doors when she could not get her medications. He will never forget. How could I?
When I was sitting in Chartes House, a restaurant in a two hundred year old building in the French Quarter, waiting for my gumbo and Greek salad, I looked at the walls, windows, and floors and wondered what had happened in the room in the past two hundred years. Had the room been a public room where guests were entertained? Were engagements announced in the room? Did soldiers say goodbye to their families in the room? Did slaves serve their masters in the room? What stories could be told?
Inside the modern and bright convention center I had no questions for its walls, windows, and floors. It did not seem like the kind of place that could have much history. It is hard to imagine it dark and hot and full of despair.
Cooper had two things that he wanted to say to the librarians in the cool blue auditorium with its dramatic lighting. The first was "thank you for coming." That seemed to be the first thing that Madeleine Albright, Mayor Nagin, Robert Pinsky, and Gail Godwin said to us. "Thank you for coming. You could have cancelled and gone somewhere else. Others have. It is so important that you came." They all said first "thank you for coming."
Cooper's second message was "remember." He said that the people of New Orleans, many who have to drive in from other places because there are few places to live inside the city, remember every day. He fears that the rest of the country is forgetting already. The federal government seems to have forgotten. There are no plans to restore the city. There is little progress towards preventing future flooding. He urged librarians, as keepers of the collective memory, to remember and tell the story of New Orleans.
As I was walking back to my hotel this evening after delicious lasagna and tiramisu, I thought about what I was seeing around me. Around me were a few homeless people, some workers about to commute to wherever they live, and lots of librarians. There were a few tourists, some families with children, but not many. I thought about how easy it has been to cross streets. Drivers seem very tolerant of pedestrians. Then it occurred to me that there really were not many drivers in downtown New Orleans. Convention Hall Boulevard without marked crosswalks or traffic lights has been very easy to cross.
I have walked around the Warehouse District, Central Business District, and the French Quarter for four days (after my library programs). I have taken many pictures. There are many beautiful old buildings. Cooper explained this to us. The people of New Orleans preserve the past. He named several building where the old signs from institutions that disappeared decades ago still remain. New tenants do not remove them. Likewise the people live with and remember the past, even the tragedy. He said that the New Orleans way seems more right than the American way of erasing the past.
There are many beautiful old buildings. Many have balconies loaded with potted plants. Some are built of beautiful old bricks. Others are painted colors that you would not see in other American cities. Most are not gaudy or loud. In the sun and heat they fade into beautiful shades. The proportions of the buildings are usually graceful. Some of the tall modern buildings seem out of place.
There is much I have not seen. I was unable to go to the museums, the historical sights, the zoo, the aquarium, and the parks. I want to come back with my family some day.
Goodbye, New Orleans.
Before I came to New Orleans, I read much about the city's past and the events of Hurricane Katrina. I had wondered what it was going to be like to go into the convention center, which had been the scene of much tragedy, neglect, and crime. When I arrived in the city on Friday afternoon, I watched the city from the shuttle, looking for signs of damage and recovery. I saw much of both, but nothing like the devastation of the Ninth Ward. The path from the airport to the hotel was not lined with damaged buildings. Somehow, when I entered the convention center, nicely remodeled, I did not think about its recent past. It just seemed to be a convention center. We heard about Hurricane Katrina and the recovery of New Orleans much from inside its rooms, but no one really dwelt on the center itself.
That changed this evening. Anderson Cooper was visibly shaken by being back in the building. He told us at the PLA President's Program that he had last been in the building soon after the thousands of refugees had finally been evacuated. He told us about the refuse, the smell, and the stray dogs. He told us of an older woman who escaped the flood only to die outside the convention center doors when she could not get her medications. He will never forget. How could I?
When I was sitting in Chartes House, a restaurant in a two hundred year old building in the French Quarter, waiting for my gumbo and Greek salad, I looked at the walls, windows, and floors and wondered what had happened in the room in the past two hundred years. Had the room been a public room where guests were entertained? Were engagements announced in the room? Did soldiers say goodbye to their families in the room? Did slaves serve their masters in the room? What stories could be told?
Inside the modern and bright convention center I had no questions for its walls, windows, and floors. It did not seem like the kind of place that could have much history. It is hard to imagine it dark and hot and full of despair.
Cooper had two things that he wanted to say to the librarians in the cool blue auditorium with its dramatic lighting. The first was "thank you for coming." That seemed to be the first thing that Madeleine Albright, Mayor Nagin, Robert Pinsky, and Gail Godwin said to us. "Thank you for coming. You could have cancelled and gone somewhere else. Others have. It is so important that you came." They all said first "thank you for coming."
Cooper's second message was "remember." He said that the people of New Orleans, many who have to drive in from other places because there are few places to live inside the city, remember every day. He fears that the rest of the country is forgetting already. The federal government seems to have forgotten. There are no plans to restore the city. There is little progress towards preventing future flooding. He urged librarians, as keepers of the collective memory, to remember and tell the story of New Orleans.
As I was walking back to my hotel this evening after delicious lasagna and tiramisu, I thought about what I was seeing around me. Around me were a few homeless people, some workers about to commute to wherever they live, and lots of librarians. There were a few tourists, some families with children, but not many. I thought about how easy it has been to cross streets. Drivers seem very tolerant of pedestrians. Then it occurred to me that there really were not many drivers in downtown New Orleans. Convention Hall Boulevard without marked crosswalks or traffic lights has been very easy to cross.
I have walked around the Warehouse District, Central Business District, and the French Quarter for four days (after my library programs). I have taken many pictures. There are many beautiful old buildings. Cooper explained this to us. The people of New Orleans preserve the past. He named several building where the old signs from institutions that disappeared decades ago still remain. New tenants do not remove them. Likewise the people live with and remember the past, even the tragedy. He said that the New Orleans way seems more right than the American way of erasing the past.
There are many beautiful old buildings. Many have balconies loaded with potted plants. Some are built of beautiful old bricks. Others are painted colors that you would not see in other American cities. Most are not gaudy or loud. In the sun and heat they fade into beautiful shades. The proportions of the buildings are usually graceful. Some of the tall modern buildings seem out of place.
There is much I have not seen. I was unable to go to the museums, the historical sights, the zoo, the aquarium, and the parks. I want to come back with my family some day.
Goodbye, New Orleans.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Robert Pinsky Reading The Life of David
Poet Robert Pinsky was the first author today on the Live @ Your Library stage at the ALA conference in New Orleans. He began by reciting his 26-word poem "ABC" and talking about some of his other works, including "Library Scene," which says that the library is an aperture for information. He followed with a discussion of and reading from The Life of David.
Pinsky talked about the Poetry Project that he started as U.S. Poet Laureate. Tens of thousands of people sent him letters saying why specific poems had been so important to them. He has included a DVD of a few of the people reading their favorite poems in the anthology Invitation to Poetry.
He told about his drive through damaged parts of New Orleans, and suggested that film is the medium to communicate how badly lives have been disrupted. He ended with a recitation of "Samuri Song" from his collection Jersey Rain.
I was most impressed with his presense, as he fielded questions about his work and often had us laughing. He was an excellent choice for the stage.
This year's Live @ the Library stage was better in that I was able to hear the speakers better than last year when there were many competing sounds all around. Being more isolated, however, meant fewer librarians found the stage. It was a great find for those who did. It was well advertised, I think, and I was grateful for the better sound.
Pinsky talked about the Poetry Project that he started as U.S. Poet Laureate. Tens of thousands of people sent him letters saying why specific poems had been so important to them. He has included a DVD of a few of the people reading their favorite poems in the anthology Invitation to Poetry.
He told about his drive through damaged parts of New Orleans, and suggested that film is the medium to communicate how badly lives have been disrupted. He ended with a recitation of "Samuri Song" from his collection Jersey Rain.
I was most impressed with his presense, as he fielded questions about his work and often had us laughing. He was an excellent choice for the stage.
This year's Live @ the Library stage was better in that I was able to hear the speakers better than last year when there were many competing sounds all around. Being more isolated, however, meant fewer librarians found the stage. It was a great find for those who did. It was well advertised, I think, and I was grateful for the better sound.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Libraries in Harrison County, Mississippi Still Need Help
Though it was rather late for an old guy like me, I attended a party in ALA President-Elect Leslie Burger's suite Saturday night. She invited two groups of people, library bloggers and librarians of Mississippi and Louisiana who worked tirelessly after Hurricane Katrina. The Gulf Coast librarians told us about their experiences.
I spoke with Robert Lipscomb, director of the Harrison County Library System in Mississippi. His community took the direct hit from the hurricane last August. He told about 37 feet high waves that swept in off the coast. Many of his libraries were destroyed. Photos are on the library website. Most of his staff lost their homes and possessions. He says he needs about eight million dollars to fully restore his libraries.
President-elect Burger asked that bloggers broadcast that the Gulf Coast libraries still need money. Libraries across the country should continue to adopt libraries. Do not send old books. Money is the wanted commodity.
I spoke with Robert Lipscomb, director of the Harrison County Library System in Mississippi. His community took the direct hit from the hurricane last August. He told about 37 feet high waves that swept in off the coast. Many of his libraries were destroyed. Photos are on the library website. Most of his staff lost their homes and possessions. He says he needs about eight million dollars to fully restore his libraries.
President-elect Burger asked that bloggers broadcast that the Gulf Coast libraries still need money. Libraries across the country should continue to adopt libraries. Do not send old books. Money is the wanted commodity.
Hurricane Damage Still Evident in New Orleans
This is a photo I took from the fifth floor of the Sheraton Hotel on Canal Street in New Orleans. From the cool comfort of the swanky hotel, the work to be done can be seen. That is the way it is in New Orleans. The shiny and new often sits next to the old and crumbling. Katrina can be blamed for some of that, but not all.
Mayor Nagin was one of the dignitaries to speak at the opening session of the American Library Association tonight. He welcomed us and said having our major convention in his city meant very much to the community financially and symbolically. He said that we rock and urged to spend as much as we could.
Mayor Nagin was one of the dignitaries to speak at the opening session of the American Library Association tonight. He welcomed us and said having our major convention in his city meant very much to the community financially and symbolically. He said that we rock and urged to spend as much as we could.
Madeleine Albright Gives Keynote Speech at ALA
Madeleine Albright gave the keynote speech at the American Library Association's opening session tonight in New Orleans. She spoke about the importance of libraries in the preservation of liberty and told about her new book The Mighty and the Almighty. In the process she criticized current American foreign and domestic policy and was interrupted by applause frequently.
Before the keynote speech, members of the Social Responsibility Round Table distributed "Statement Concerning Madeleine Albright as the Keynote Speaker" to librarians approaching the great hall. It reminds ALA members of the "direct historical relationship between the Iraq policies of Secretary Albright and the current US Administration." It also criticizes Albright for her role in keeping American forces out of a rescue operation in Rwanda in 1994. The round table position is that Albright was not an appropriate choice for keynote speaker.
Inside the hall, Albright started by recognizing all the dignitaries who had preceded her at the lectern, including Mayor Nagin and Lieutenant Governor Landrieu. In discussing the emphasis of spreading democracy to other nations, she said that "what we preach abroad we should practice at home." In explaining the positions of terrorists and anti-terrorists that they are doing what has to be done, she stated that certainty is not a part of human condition. She cited that the care of strangers is a tenet of all religious traditions, and that world leaders should be able to use that commonality to forge bonds of peace. She also said that while we are proud of our traditions, we should also be able to imagine ourselves being born into other cultures with their other religious beliefs.
Hundreds of librarians lined up to have Albright sign her book.
Before the keynote speech, members of the Social Responsibility Round Table distributed "Statement Concerning Madeleine Albright as the Keynote Speaker" to librarians approaching the great hall. It reminds ALA members of the "direct historical relationship between the Iraq policies of Secretary Albright and the current US Administration." It also criticizes Albright for her role in keeping American forces out of a rescue operation in Rwanda in 1994. The round table position is that Albright was not an appropriate choice for keynote speaker.
Inside the hall, Albright started by recognizing all the dignitaries who had preceded her at the lectern, including Mayor Nagin and Lieutenant Governor Landrieu. In discussing the emphasis of spreading democracy to other nations, she said that "what we preach abroad we should practice at home." In explaining the positions of terrorists and anti-terrorists that they are doing what has to be done, she stated that certainty is not a part of human condition. She cited that the care of strangers is a tenet of all religious traditions, and that world leaders should be able to use that commonality to forge bonds of peace. She also said that while we are proud of our traditions, we should also be able to imagine ourselves being born into other cultures with their other religious beliefs.
Hundreds of librarians lined up to have Albright sign her book.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Life Work by Donald Hall
"I have never worked a day in my life." Donald Hall in Life Work
"I almost always like when poets write prose." me right now
After Donald Hall was recently named the U. S. Poet Laureate, readers began checking out his books, especially Life Work, which is part essay, part memoir. I had to place a hold and wait a week to get the book. Luckily for me, I did get it in time to start yesterday and then bring with me today on my trip. I finished it on the flight to New Orleans.
Life Work is not the book that Hall intended it to be. He began it in 1992 as a journal of his thoughts about the work of writing poetry in the world of other work. In early entries in the book, he compares his work to that of his grandfathers and father, brings Studs Terkel's book Working into the discussion, and tells about the work methods of the sculptor Henry Moore. It is not a dry account. His descriptions of farmers and poets so devoted to their work that they rise early to get started struck home with me. The people he profiles love what they do and never regret their effort.
Then tragedy strikes. Hall is diagnosed with liver cancer and undergoes surgery. He writes that his prognosis is poor and that his life will probably be short. He tells about arranging for posthumous publication of some of his writings. His sorrows include that he will be unable to care for his 87 year old mother, will miss getting to know his grandchildren, and will leave his wife (the poet Jane Kenyon) a widow. He will also abandon several writing projects. It is a moving account.
The ironic part is that 14 years later he is named U.S. Poet Laureate. Look for Life Work in your library.
Hall, Donald. Life Work. Boston: Beacon Press, 1993. ISBN 0807070548
"I almost always like when poets write prose." me right now
After Donald Hall was recently named the U. S. Poet Laureate, readers began checking out his books, especially Life Work, which is part essay, part memoir. I had to place a hold and wait a week to get the book. Luckily for me, I did get it in time to start yesterday and then bring with me today on my trip. I finished it on the flight to New Orleans.
Life Work is not the book that Hall intended it to be. He began it in 1992 as a journal of his thoughts about the work of writing poetry in the world of other work. In early entries in the book, he compares his work to that of his grandfathers and father, brings Studs Terkel's book Working into the discussion, and tells about the work methods of the sculptor Henry Moore. It is not a dry account. His descriptions of farmers and poets so devoted to their work that they rise early to get started struck home with me. The people he profiles love what they do and never regret their effort.
Then tragedy strikes. Hall is diagnosed with liver cancer and undergoes surgery. He writes that his prognosis is poor and that his life will probably be short. He tells about arranging for posthumous publication of some of his writings. His sorrows include that he will be unable to care for his 87 year old mother, will miss getting to know his grandchildren, and will leave his wife (the poet Jane Kenyon) a widow. He will also abandon several writing projects. It is a moving account.
The ironic part is that 14 years later he is named U.S. Poet Laureate. Look for Life Work in your library.
Hall, Donald. Life Work. Boston: Beacon Press, 1993. ISBN 0807070548
I'm in New Orleans Now
I arrived in New Orleans for the American Library Association Annual Conference today and have already wandered the Warehouse District and French Quarter. Click on the trombone to get to my Flickr photos from those areas. I wrote more to explain the photos than I usually do.
I learned firsthand that there is a shortage of workers in the area, and employers are hiring who they can. Our Airport Shuttle driver was just hired and did not know his way around the city. It was pretty funny, as a load of librarians with maps helped him find the hotels.
Whatever, I am here and will start attending meetings Saturday.
I learned firsthand that there is a shortage of workers in the area, and employers are hiring who they can. Our Airport Shuttle driver was just hired and did not know his way around the city. It was pretty funny, as a load of librarians with maps helped him find the hotels.
Whatever, I am here and will start attending meetings Saturday.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions by Bruce Springsteen
I have been enjoying We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Session by Bruce Springsteen for over a week now. The renditions of songs from Pete Seeger's old albums are wonderfully rich and exciting. Springsteen sings them with gusto, and I really like the band. The arrangements, like the songs, tap many American musical traditions. Folk, gospel, zydeco, dixieland, and country sounds fill the CD.
The flip side of the CD is a DVD with a 30 minute documentary of the making of the album. I enjoyed seeing the band and hearing why Springsteen made the album.
I loaded the songs onto my laptop. They seem like great music to take to New Orleans.
The flip side of the CD is a DVD with a 30 minute documentary of the making of the album. I enjoyed seeing the band and hearing why Springsteen made the album.
I loaded the songs onto my laptop. They seem like great music to take to New Orleans.
Stick Out Your Tongue by Ma Jian
Do you think of Tibet as a holy place, a destination for enlightenment? Ma Jian did until he went there in 1985. He found impoverished people living in a desolate land where the Communist Chinese had destroyed and corrupted the monesteries. Most of the holy men had fled the country. Stick Out Your Tongue is a small collection of short stories based on his Tibetan experiences.
Ma Jian was in Hong Hong when his stories were published in China in 1987, so he avoided arrest. The Chinese authories took great offense at his portrayal of Tibet and tried to destroy all copies, which made them more popular, of course. According to the Afterword in Stick Out Your Tongue all his writings have banned in China since that time.
Ma Jian's stories are tales of despair in which people do terrible things. If the book ever became popular, Tibetan travel would decline dramatically.
The first English edition of the book was just published in 2005. It is small and light and can easily be taken on a plane to read. It could easily be read in the air between Chicago and New Orleans. Be warned that you won't sleep during the flight.
Ma, Jian. Stick Out Your Tongue. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2006 ISBN 0374269882
Ma Jian was in Hong Hong when his stories were published in China in 1987, so he avoided arrest. The Chinese authories took great offense at his portrayal of Tibet and tried to destroy all copies, which made them more popular, of course. According to the Afterword in Stick Out Your Tongue all his writings have banned in China since that time.
Ma Jian's stories are tales of despair in which people do terrible things. If the book ever became popular, Tibetan travel would decline dramatically.
The first English edition of the book was just published in 2005. It is small and light and can easily be taken on a plane to read. It could easily be read in the air between Chicago and New Orleans. Be warned that you won't sleep during the flight.
Ma, Jian. Stick Out Your Tongue. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2006 ISBN 0374269882
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Here, Bullet by Brian Turner
I learned about Here, Bullet by Brian Turner by listening to a free podcast from the ITunes Store. Of course, ITunes got the audio of the story about Turner from The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, which has a series of poetry interviews. Later I found that the video is available on the PBS website.
Here, Bullet is a collection of the poems that Brian Turner wrote while stationed in Iraq with the 2nd Infantry Division of the US Army. As you can imagine, he found many subjects about which to write, and his poems are filled with startling images. Readers meet a father with a child in his lap while he oils black market weapons, a woman who hangs the garments of the dead on a rooftop clothes line, and a private who commits suicide. They see the animals from the Baghdad Zoo roaming the streets, an exploded BMW that lands on a store, and plenty of bloody casualties. In one poem American ghosts wander the streets watched by Iraqi ghosts on rooftops. In several Turner drives the dangerous highways.
Despite the terrible situation, there are moments of beauty that Turner notices. The sun calmly rises in the morning. Birds hover over the Tigris River. "Observation Post #71" tells about listening to an owl in the night. "Cole's Guitar" describes music sparking thoughts on the beauty home.
Here, Bullet seems to have been overlooked in my area. Only one library had a copy. It should be more available.
Turner, Brian. Here, Bullet. Farmington, Maine: Alice James Books, 2005. ISBN 1882295552
Here, Bullet is a collection of the poems that Brian Turner wrote while stationed in Iraq with the 2nd Infantry Division of the US Army. As you can imagine, he found many subjects about which to write, and his poems are filled with startling images. Readers meet a father with a child in his lap while he oils black market weapons, a woman who hangs the garments of the dead on a rooftop clothes line, and a private who commits suicide. They see the animals from the Baghdad Zoo roaming the streets, an exploded BMW that lands on a store, and plenty of bloody casualties. In one poem American ghosts wander the streets watched by Iraqi ghosts on rooftops. In several Turner drives the dangerous highways.
Despite the terrible situation, there are moments of beauty that Turner notices. The sun calmly rises in the morning. Birds hover over the Tigris River. "Observation Post #71" tells about listening to an owl in the night. "Cole's Guitar" describes music sparking thoughts on the beauty home.
Here, Bullet seems to have been overlooked in my area. Only one library had a copy. It should be more available.
Turner, Brian. Here, Bullet. Farmington, Maine: Alice James Books, 2005. ISBN 1882295552
If You Enjoy the Poetry of Walt Whitman, You Might Try ...
Here is a second poetry readers' advisory aid.
If you enjoy reading Walt Whitman, you might also try ...
Jimmy Santiago Baca
Beat poets
Hart Crane
James Dickey (later works)
Kenneth Fearing
Albert Goldbarth (Read The Library which is very Whitman-like.)
Donald Hall (after 1978)
Langston Hughes
David Ignatow
Etheridge Knight
Philip Levine
Muriel Rukeyser
Carl Sandburg
Reg Saner
James Schuyler
Gerald Stern
I relied heavily on the comments in The Facts on File Companion to 20th-Century American Poetry, edited by Burt Kimmelman. Many of the poets included in the reference work are said to have been influenced by Whitman, but I put on the list only those whose work is compared in one way or another to that of the great 19th century poet. I lumped all the Beat poets together as the whole movement seems to be indebted to Whitman.
If you enjoy reading Walt Whitman, you might also try ...
Jimmy Santiago Baca
Beat poets
Hart Crane
James Dickey (later works)
Kenneth Fearing
Albert Goldbarth (Read The Library which is very Whitman-like.)
Donald Hall (after 1978)
Langston Hughes
David Ignatow
Etheridge Knight
Philip Levine
Muriel Rukeyser
Carl Sandburg
Reg Saner
James Schuyler
Gerald Stern
I relied heavily on the comments in The Facts on File Companion to 20th-Century American Poetry, edited by Burt Kimmelman. Many of the poets included in the reference work are said to have been influenced by Whitman, but I put on the list only those whose work is compared in one way or another to that of the great 19th century poet. I lumped all the Beat poets together as the whole movement seems to be indebted to Whitman.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Jayber Crow: A Novel by Wendell Berry
I try not to let good things go by unnoticed. Jayber Crow, page 323
Jayber Crow is the third work of fiction and sixth book by Wendell Berry that I have read in the past year and a half. I have just scratched the surface, as Berry has written dozens of books, including novels, short stories, poetry, and essays. The fiction is mostly set near the rural community of Port William, Kentucky and includes a recurring cast of characters, drawing obvious comparisons to the Mississippi fiction of William Faulkner. Luckily for readers, Berry is easier to read than Faulkner.
Jayber Crow could also draw some comparisons to the novels of Charles Dickens. The parents of Jonah Crow die when he is quite young, so he goes to live with his great aunt and uncle, who die several years later. Jonah enters an orphanage (where he sometimes helps the barber as one of his jobs) and stays until he can escape with a scholarship to a college for clergy. Deciding he is unsuited to the ministry, he leaves college to seek a life in Lexington, where he starts cutting hair. Eventually he decides to return to the community of his birth, where he takes over an abandoned barbershop. The locals begin to call him Jaybird and then Jayber. Like the youth in Dickens novels, at several points in the story the kindness of benefactors saves Jonah from poverty and despair.
Like Dickens, Berry has a wonderful sense for character names. My favorites include Brother Whitespade, Ben Fewclothes, Cecelia Overhold, Put Woolforke, and Julie Smallwood. These and the other rural citizens in Jayber Crow share equally in the comedy and tragedy of community life.
My favorite part of the book starts on page 302. At the invitation of Burley Coulter, Jayber moves into a camp house at Billy Landing. The description of the house, the river, the woods, and the garden makes me wish to live in the woods. I also like the economy of Jayber's life and the rising of the "underground barbershop."
In telling his own story, Jayber tells about his friends, the change in rural life brought about by "the Economy and the War," and the woman he loves but never marries. Jayber Crow is a rich novel that should interest many readers.
Berry, Wendell. Jayber Crow: A Novel. New York: CounterPoint, 2000. ISBN 1582430292
Jayber Crow is the third work of fiction and sixth book by Wendell Berry that I have read in the past year and a half. I have just scratched the surface, as Berry has written dozens of books, including novels, short stories, poetry, and essays. The fiction is mostly set near the rural community of Port William, Kentucky and includes a recurring cast of characters, drawing obvious comparisons to the Mississippi fiction of William Faulkner. Luckily for readers, Berry is easier to read than Faulkner.
Jayber Crow could also draw some comparisons to the novels of Charles Dickens. The parents of Jonah Crow die when he is quite young, so he goes to live with his great aunt and uncle, who die several years later. Jonah enters an orphanage (where he sometimes helps the barber as one of his jobs) and stays until he can escape with a scholarship to a college for clergy. Deciding he is unsuited to the ministry, he leaves college to seek a life in Lexington, where he starts cutting hair. Eventually he decides to return to the community of his birth, where he takes over an abandoned barbershop. The locals begin to call him Jaybird and then Jayber. Like the youth in Dickens novels, at several points in the story the kindness of benefactors saves Jonah from poverty and despair.
Like Dickens, Berry has a wonderful sense for character names. My favorites include Brother Whitespade, Ben Fewclothes, Cecelia Overhold, Put Woolforke, and Julie Smallwood. These and the other rural citizens in Jayber Crow share equally in the comedy and tragedy of community life.
My favorite part of the book starts on page 302. At the invitation of Burley Coulter, Jayber moves into a camp house at Billy Landing. The description of the house, the river, the woods, and the garden makes me wish to live in the woods. I also like the economy of Jayber's life and the rising of the "underground barbershop."
In telling his own story, Jayber tells about his friends, the change in rural life brought about by "the Economy and the War," and the woman he loves but never marries. Jayber Crow is a rich novel that should interest many readers.
Berry, Wendell. Jayber Crow: A Novel. New York: CounterPoint, 2000. ISBN 1582430292
Sunday, June 18, 2006
I'm Going to ALA in New Orleans
My conference badge for the American Library Association Conference in New Orleans arrived Friday, so I think I have everything I need for the conference, which starts later this week.
For months I have been reading items from and contributing to the 2006 ALA Conference Wiki that Meredith set up earlier in the year. There is a tremendous amount of good information there about the conference and New Orleans. More will be added during and after the conference, including links to reports on the various programs presented. Look there to learn who is blogging the conference.
I have created a Google Notebook with information I want for the conference. It links to several New Orleans websites that I have been reading. I am building a packing list there. I can add to the notebook from work or from home or from the conference. I will link to the best blog reports there later.
I arrive in New Orleans on Friday afternoon. I have reserved a seat on a shuttle from the airport to the Hilton Garden Inn, close to the conference center. I plan to check in to the conference right away to avoid the Saturday morning lines. Then I hope to have several hours exploring New Orleans with my camera. Look for the results on my Flickr page.
I start attending programs early on Saturday morning. As of now, this is what I plan to attend:
Saturday
8 am, Publishers Packages in the E-World*
10:30 am, So You Want to Be a Reviewer
1:30 pm, Tools for Collection Assessment
4 pm, Genealogy and Internet Basics
5:30 pm, Madeleine Albright
10:30 pm, Blogger Bash
Sunday
10:30 am, Establishing and Promoting Readers' Advisory
12 noon, Robert Pinsky at the author's stage
1:30 pm, Your Library's Intranet*
4 pm, LITA President's Program: What Do We Know About User Behavior*
Monday
10:30 am, Next Stop Blogging
1:30 pm, What You'll Read Next
5 pm, Anderson Cooper
Tuesday
8 am, Cokie Roberts
I will blog three* of those programs for the LITA blog. I will report on some of the others here at this blog.
For months I have been reading items from and contributing to the 2006 ALA Conference Wiki that Meredith set up earlier in the year. There is a tremendous amount of good information there about the conference and New Orleans. More will be added during and after the conference, including links to reports on the various programs presented. Look there to learn who is blogging the conference.
I have created a Google Notebook with information I want for the conference. It links to several New Orleans websites that I have been reading. I am building a packing list there. I can add to the notebook from work or from home or from the conference. I will link to the best blog reports there later.
I arrive in New Orleans on Friday afternoon. I have reserved a seat on a shuttle from the airport to the Hilton Garden Inn, close to the conference center. I plan to check in to the conference right away to avoid the Saturday morning lines. Then I hope to have several hours exploring New Orleans with my camera. Look for the results on my Flickr page.
I start attending programs early on Saturday morning. As of now, this is what I plan to attend:
Saturday
8 am, Publishers Packages in the E-World*
10:30 am, So You Want to Be a Reviewer
1:30 pm, Tools for Collection Assessment
4 pm, Genealogy and Internet Basics
5:30 pm, Madeleine Albright
10:30 pm, Blogger Bash
Sunday
10:30 am, Establishing and Promoting Readers' Advisory
12 noon, Robert Pinsky at the author's stage
1:30 pm, Your Library's Intranet*
4 pm, LITA President's Program: What Do We Know About User Behavior*
Monday
10:30 am, Next Stop Blogging
1:30 pm, What You'll Read Next
5 pm, Anderson Cooper
Tuesday
8 am, Cokie Roberts
I will blog three* of those programs for the LITA blog. I will report on some of the others here at this blog.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Just My Heart for You by Curtis & Loretta
Curtis and Loretta have a new CD Just My Heart for You, which mixes folk songs and Loretta's original compositions. It may be their best CD so far. Several talented musicians assist them, including fiddler Peter Ostroushko from a Prairie Home Companion. Sandy Njoes plays bass fiddle, Sera Jane Smolen and Lori Smart play cellos, and Bill Philipp plays banjo and accordion in support of Curtis on a variety of stringed instruments and Loretta on her Irish harp and guitar. Kazoos and a pennywhistle are also used. It sounds great.
There are two very moving stories in song on the CD. Track 4 is "Can You Take Me Home?" which tells about Loretta's mother caring for her father during his years suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Track 9 is "Angel of Bergen-Belsen," which tells the story of Luba Tryszynska-Frederick saving the lives of children at a concentration camp during World War II. Later Luba joins Loretta to sing the Yiddish song "Tell Me Where Can I Go?"
Not all the songs are so serious. Curtis sings a humorous old Vaudeville song called "I Had But Fifty Cents" and they end the CD with the children's song "There Ain't No Bugs on Me." "Harps in Heaven" is perhaps the happiest sounding song on the CD.
I also really like the Irish folksong "A Health to the Company," the revival camp song "Banquet Table," and Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More." There is not a song to skip on the CD.
Curtis & Loretta are coming back to the Thomas Ford Memorial Library on January 19, 2007. Come if you can. Their entire concert schedule is on their website, which also has music samples and background information.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Frank Lloyd Wright by Ada Louise Huxtable
There are never enough nonfiction audiobooks, so when I saw Frank Lloyd Wright by Ada Louise Huxtable at the Downers Grove Public Library, I grabbed it. I have been to Robie House in Chicago, the house and studio in Oak Park, Unity Temple also in Oak Park, and Taliesin West in Arizona, and I had an architecture major roommate in college, so I know "a fair amount" about Wright, but I have never until now read a biography. What a life!
Huxtable tries to be an even-handed biographer, telling alternate versions of Wright's stories. The truth is often fuzzy. Wright often fudged the facts in his books and interviews, and even his birthdate and birthplace are subjects of debates. In life he was charming and outrageous, usually in debt, and certain of his place in history as the most influential architect ever. He always claimed that he was unique and followed no other's lead.
At 251 pages in print or 6 hours 45 minutes in audio, Huxtable's book is just an introduction to Wright's life. Like all the Penguin Lives series, it tells the essentials in an entertaining way. Real students of Wright will want much more - there are many books on Wright.
Huxtable, Ada Louise. Frank Lloyd Wright. New York: Lipper/Viking, 2004. ISBN 0670033421
6 CDs. Santa Ana, California: Books on Tape, 2004. ISBN 1415903212
Huxtable tries to be an even-handed biographer, telling alternate versions of Wright's stories. The truth is often fuzzy. Wright often fudged the facts in his books and interviews, and even his birthdate and birthplace are subjects of debates. In life he was charming and outrageous, usually in debt, and certain of his place in history as the most influential architect ever. He always claimed that he was unique and followed no other's lead.
At 251 pages in print or 6 hours 45 minutes in audio, Huxtable's book is just an introduction to Wright's life. Like all the Penguin Lives series, it tells the essentials in an entertaining way. Real students of Wright will want much more - there are many books on Wright.
Huxtable, Ada Louise. Frank Lloyd Wright. New York: Lipper/Viking, 2004. ISBN 0670033421
6 CDs. Santa Ana, California: Books on Tape, 2004. ISBN 1415903212
White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good by William Easterly
The subtitle of The White Man's Burden by William Easterly sums up the topic of this hefty book very well. Easterly reviews foreign aid campaigns of the past sixty years to show how usually well-intentioned efforts have been dismally ineffective. The problem as he sees it is that rich Western powers look at the rest of the world paternally and try to dictate reform and development. They are 'planners" who often give tons of money to willing governments, never asking the poor themselves what would really help them. The aid rarely trickles down. Another problem is that the West schemes to fix problems globally instead of studying local problems and fixing them one by one. Easterly argues that donors should be "seekers" who look for real ways to help to help at a grass roots level.
While Easterly is an economist and his book includes many statistics and tables, White Man's Burden is conversational in tone and very readable. The title comes from the old colonial idea that the West needed to convert the undeveloped world to Christianity and democracy. With the duty came many privileges for profit and comfort, permitting exploitation with clear conscience. Easterly includes some colonial history to preface his discussion, but most of the text deals with post-World War II developments.
Easterly contradicts conventional development rhetoric. For instance, on page 124 the author explains why the discovery of oil in third world countries does not often help the poor. When there is great wealth for exploitation, international corporations and the leaders in the countries concerned lock up the funds. No middle class ever develops. Contrary to promises made by Western leaders, democracy does not follow. Poor countries without mineral wealth have a much better track record of developing democracy and feeding the poor than those with oil reserves.
Plans made by the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund often hurt the poor that are supposed to be helped. Easterly tells a story on page 194 about Western powers building a road to help poor farmers in Lesotho send their crops to market. The road actually let cheaper goods into the isolated area, which undercut the farmers and put them out of business.
Chapter Nine tells about the failures of Western military action to set things right in third world countries. Nation building has failed for over 150 years. Easterly discusses Haiti, Nicaragua, and Angola in detail.
Chapter Ten shows how countries that have not gotten Western aid are more democratic and economically healthier than those who have. Of course, the countries not receiving aid were usually more developed anyway, but nothing the West has done has brought the poorer countries up to them.
The author finishes the book with recommendations for reforming the way aid is distributed, bypassing corrupt governments and letting the poor choose and earn their aid. He describes Globalgiving.com, which he says works like an eBay for international aid, matching aid seekers with prospective donors.
White Man's Burden is an interesting book that should be widely discussed.
Easterly, William. The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good. New York: Penguin Press, 2006. ISBN 1594200378
While Easterly is an economist and his book includes many statistics and tables, White Man's Burden is conversational in tone and very readable. The title comes from the old colonial idea that the West needed to convert the undeveloped world to Christianity and democracy. With the duty came many privileges for profit and comfort, permitting exploitation with clear conscience. Easterly includes some colonial history to preface his discussion, but most of the text deals with post-World War II developments.
Easterly contradicts conventional development rhetoric. For instance, on page 124 the author explains why the discovery of oil in third world countries does not often help the poor. When there is great wealth for exploitation, international corporations and the leaders in the countries concerned lock up the funds. No middle class ever develops. Contrary to promises made by Western leaders, democracy does not follow. Poor countries without mineral wealth have a much better track record of developing democracy and feeding the poor than those with oil reserves.
Plans made by the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund often hurt the poor that are supposed to be helped. Easterly tells a story on page 194 about Western powers building a road to help poor farmers in Lesotho send their crops to market. The road actually let cheaper goods into the isolated area, which undercut the farmers and put them out of business.
Chapter Nine tells about the failures of Western military action to set things right in third world countries. Nation building has failed for over 150 years. Easterly discusses Haiti, Nicaragua, and Angola in detail.
Chapter Ten shows how countries that have not gotten Western aid are more democratic and economically healthier than those who have. Of course, the countries not receiving aid were usually more developed anyway, but nothing the West has done has brought the poorer countries up to them.
The author finishes the book with recommendations for reforming the way aid is distributed, bypassing corrupt governments and letting the poor choose and earn their aid. He describes Globalgiving.com, which he says works like an eBay for international aid, matching aid seekers with prospective donors.
White Man's Burden is an interesting book that should be widely discussed.
Easterly, William. The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good. New York: Penguin Press, 2006. ISBN 1594200378
Do I Still Use Reference Books?
In early May, I attended a meeting of the Zone 1 Reference Librarians at the Clarendon Hills Public Library. According to our tradition, the eight of us used the May meeting to plan next year’s meetings and to discuss our favorite new reference resources. Five or more years ago we just passed around new reference books at this May meeting, but since then we have also been discussing websites and databases. This year a couple of us did not bring any books. We all agreed that we buy fewer reference books and use them less.
Later back at my library I began wondering how often I use reference books. There seem to be days that I use none and days that I use many. Not knowing exactly what portion of my reference work involves books I decided to keep a log of resources used.
I started the log on May 6 and ended June 3. I recorded each item that I used in responding to a library client inquiry. I often used more than one item during the answering of a question.
I did not include resources used selecting library materials or making library management decisions. I also did not include my virtual reference sessions at which I usually stick to online resources.
Findings
After the four weeks of log keeping, I totaled the results according to types of reference tools. Here is what I found.
Finding 1. I use a great variety of tools answering reference questions.
Reference books – 20%
Circulating books – 6%
Magazines – 5%
Newspapers – 2%
Online library catalogs – 29 %
Online databases – 15%
Free web resources – 20%
Library produced literature – 3%
Finding 2. I used more online sources than print sources.
Print – 33%
Online – 64%
Library produced literature – 3%
Finding 3. There are no typical days. Every day seems unique. There were four reference desk sessions out of nineteen in which I used no reference books. There were five days that I did not use the online catalog.
More details
Reference books included bound print items in our reference collection.
The count of circulating books includes titles that I found without using the online library catalogs. (It helps to know Dewey and the collection well.) I either found reference answers in these books or gave them to our clients to borrow. I did not count circulating books that I found through the online catalog for the clients to borrow.
Much of the print magazine use was consulting Consumer Reports at the reference desk.
The local newspapers are not online, so I use them in print.
The online library catalogs total includes 26% SWAN catalog to which we belong, 2% WorldCat, and 1% other library catalogs.
Nearly half of my online database work was use of EBSCO’s Masterfile Elite to which my library subscribes.
Half of the use of free web resources involved using the Google search engine, which means I used Google in more than 10% of my reference work during the period. Some people might think this is a lower than expected figure.
Library produced literature in this case meant using our procedures manual and our events calendar to answer some reference inquiries. I am trying to remember now why I thought they were reference inquiries instead of “other help.” It may be because I actually did have to look up the answer to the inquiry. I am not certain.
Variables
During the period I logged, the library had many slow days, as area public and private schools were ending their years, and the weather induced many residents into their backyards and local parks. Results might differ during a busier part of the year, when reference book use might be higher. They might also differ during the summer, when I assume use of reference books might be lower.
Thomas Ford is a medium small library with a good basic reference collection. If we had a large reference collection, I might have used more books. I still envy big libraries with lots of specialized encyclopedias.
Conclusions
What does this all mean? It means I am still using tradition reference books about 20% of the time, which is definitely lower than in the past, but still seems significant to me.
Every librarian is different. I suspect every one would use a different mix of reference tools. I would be interested in seeing other reports.
UPDATE: I just saw a report from Evidence Based Library and Information Practice that says online resources were used six times as often as reference books to answer questions at a small university library in 2002-3.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Interview with Julia Pomeroy, Author of The Dark End of Town
Julia Pomeroy is the author of the new mystery The Dark End of Town. Like a good parent, she contacted our library to see how her book was doing. We struck up a conversation.
R: Julia, thanks for agreeing to this email interview. The Dark End of Town is your first book, and it seems to be fairly well received so far. How did you decide to write it? What gave you the idea?
J: My husband and I started and owned a restaurant for about four years. It was hard work, and we worked on alternating nights doing whatever needed to be done: we waited tables, prepared food and did janitorial work. Even so, it was always interesting, what with the dramas among the staff and the eccentricities of the customers. I always felt it would be a great backdrop for a mystery.
R: Have you always wanted to be a writer? Did you write anything as a child?
J: I did, I wrote stories and plays, and illustrated them. But we traveled a lot, and nothing has survived - which is probably a good thing, because I don't think they were very good. I did, however, have a pet monkey when I was about nine, and I made her a dress. I found that recently among some old toys. I knew that's what it was, because anything made for a monkey is a very different shape from a doll's dress. Imagine a very low-waisted garment.
R: Has your training as an actor aided your writing?
J: I think so. For a couple of reasons - the first one is dialogue. I think, as an ex-actor, I'm used to hearing dialogue in my head, seeing if it works, and if it sounds like someone could have actually said it. Also, I notice the way people talk, their voices, their turns of phrase. I also think that as an actor you are constantly trying to find the character's subtext, the unseen
motivations that drive them. And I think writers do the same thing.
R: What do you enjoy reading? Has any author inspired you and given you ideas for your writing?
J: I read a lot of mysteries. I enjoy them, but they are also lazier reading for me. Escapist. I read memoirs once in a while. I loved a book called Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller. It's about Africa. I loved it. Even though my childhood in Africa was very different from hers, it made me remember Africa the way most books don't. I also love Rian Malan's My Traitor's Heart, about South Africa. Very interesting. When I have overdosed on light reading, I go Jane Austen, or George Eliot. Still fun to read, but perfectly written and brilliant. They fire me up again.
R: You lived in many places abroad as a child. Were you always able to get books? Did you have libraries? Did you learn other languages and read books in those languages?
J: I lived in Libya and Somalia. Mogadishu, in fact. There were no English speaking libraries, though everyone had plenty of books and shared them. In both countries I was sent to Italian Missionary schools, because my parents felt that my brother and I should not just go to the American Embassy schools, but someplace where we could learn a second language. Both the countries were ex-Italian colonies, so Italian was widely spoken. I learned how to read in
Italian, then taught myself to read in English. I know it sounds very clever, but it really wasn't. Italian is phonetic so it was quite easy to read another language that I already spoke.
R: Have you been on a promotional tour for your book? Have you given any presentations at libraries?
J: I have been told, and I think it's probably very true, that unless your publisher is doing a huge promo for your book, you can't go on a book tour early on in your career. No one will come and it's very expensive. I've had a wonderful signing in my hometown of Chatham, NY, but otherwise I have gone to interested bookstores in New York City and the area, signed stock and met the bookstore owners or managers.
I haven't given any programs at libraries, mainly because I wouldn't know what to suggest. Do you have any ideas?
R: I bet libraries in your area would enjoy having an author just talk about her book and how to get a book published.
Back to your writing. Are you writing a sequel to The Dark End of Town?
J: Yes, I am writing a sequel. It doesn't have a title yet, but I signed a two book deal with Carroll and Graf, and the next one is due on September 1st, and if that all goes according to plan, the pub date will be next Spring. Time is telescoping, let me tell you. But it's fun - and a challenge. I love working with the same characters and moving them along, allowing them to progress. They feel very real to me. I have some new characters I am getting attached to. At
least one is going to have to die, I'm sorry to say.
R: Your childhood sounds pretty unusual. Have you ever thought about a personal memoir?
J: I kick it around sometimes, but I'm not sure what it would be about. So many memoirs have, at their root, a very painful set of circumstances, or an extraordinary event. My childhood and growing up was exotic in many ways, but in others very normal. I had a loving family, etc. My father was a pretty extraordinary guy, and sometimes I think the story is there. By the way, my mother wrote a book called The Great Sahara Mousehunt, long out of print. It's the account of a trip they took in the Sahara desert when my brother and I were kids. We, of course, were left behind in Benghazi. But they went down to the Chad and the Tibesti mountains in a convoy of Land Rovers with a scientist from the Smithsonian, various members of the British army and Winston Churchill's son and his grandson! So yes, maybe one day I'll just start writing and see where it takes me. A book I loved growing up was one called My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, Lawrence's brother. That family reminded me of mine.
R: Thanks, Julia. Good luck with your book.
More information about Julia Pomeroy and her mystery may be found at her website
www.juliapomeroy.com.
Pomeroy, Julia. The Dark End of Town. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2006. ISBN:
0786717203
R: Julia, thanks for agreeing to this email interview. The Dark End of Town is your first book, and it seems to be fairly well received so far. How did you decide to write it? What gave you the idea?
J: My husband and I started and owned a restaurant for about four years. It was hard work, and we worked on alternating nights doing whatever needed to be done: we waited tables, prepared food and did janitorial work. Even so, it was always interesting, what with the dramas among the staff and the eccentricities of the customers. I always felt it would be a great backdrop for a mystery.
R: Have you always wanted to be a writer? Did you write anything as a child?
J: I did, I wrote stories and plays, and illustrated them. But we traveled a lot, and nothing has survived - which is probably a good thing, because I don't think they were very good. I did, however, have a pet monkey when I was about nine, and I made her a dress. I found that recently among some old toys. I knew that's what it was, because anything made for a monkey is a very different shape from a doll's dress. Imagine a very low-waisted garment.
R: Has your training as an actor aided your writing?
J: I think so. For a couple of reasons - the first one is dialogue. I think, as an ex-actor, I'm used to hearing dialogue in my head, seeing if it works, and if it sounds like someone could have actually said it. Also, I notice the way people talk, their voices, their turns of phrase. I also think that as an actor you are constantly trying to find the character's subtext, the unseen
motivations that drive them. And I think writers do the same thing.
R: What do you enjoy reading? Has any author inspired you and given you ideas for your writing?
J: I read a lot of mysteries. I enjoy them, but they are also lazier reading for me. Escapist. I read memoirs once in a while. I loved a book called Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller. It's about Africa. I loved it. Even though my childhood in Africa was very different from hers, it made me remember Africa the way most books don't. I also love Rian Malan's My Traitor's Heart, about South Africa. Very interesting. When I have overdosed on light reading, I go Jane Austen, or George Eliot. Still fun to read, but perfectly written and brilliant. They fire me up again.
R: You lived in many places abroad as a child. Were you always able to get books? Did you have libraries? Did you learn other languages and read books in those languages?
J: I lived in Libya and Somalia. Mogadishu, in fact. There were no English speaking libraries, though everyone had plenty of books and shared them. In both countries I was sent to Italian Missionary schools, because my parents felt that my brother and I should not just go to the American Embassy schools, but someplace where we could learn a second language. Both the countries were ex-Italian colonies, so Italian was widely spoken. I learned how to read in
Italian, then taught myself to read in English. I know it sounds very clever, but it really wasn't. Italian is phonetic so it was quite easy to read another language that I already spoke.
R: Have you been on a promotional tour for your book? Have you given any presentations at libraries?
J: I have been told, and I think it's probably very true, that unless your publisher is doing a huge promo for your book, you can't go on a book tour early on in your career. No one will come and it's very expensive. I've had a wonderful signing in my hometown of Chatham, NY, but otherwise I have gone to interested bookstores in New York City and the area, signed stock and met the bookstore owners or managers.
I haven't given any programs at libraries, mainly because I wouldn't know what to suggest. Do you have any ideas?
R: I bet libraries in your area would enjoy having an author just talk about her book and how to get a book published.
Back to your writing. Are you writing a sequel to The Dark End of Town?
J: Yes, I am writing a sequel. It doesn't have a title yet, but I signed a two book deal with Carroll and Graf, and the next one is due on September 1st, and if that all goes according to plan, the pub date will be next Spring. Time is telescoping, let me tell you. But it's fun - and a challenge. I love working with the same characters and moving them along, allowing them to progress. They feel very real to me. I have some new characters I am getting attached to. At
least one is going to have to die, I'm sorry to say.
R: Your childhood sounds pretty unusual. Have you ever thought about a personal memoir?
J: I kick it around sometimes, but I'm not sure what it would be about. So many memoirs have, at their root, a very painful set of circumstances, or an extraordinary event. My childhood and growing up was exotic in many ways, but in others very normal. I had a loving family, etc. My father was a pretty extraordinary guy, and sometimes I think the story is there. By the way, my mother wrote a book called The Great Sahara Mousehunt, long out of print. It's the account of a trip they took in the Sahara desert when my brother and I were kids. We, of course, were left behind in Benghazi. But they went down to the Chad and the Tibesti mountains in a convoy of Land Rovers with a scientist from the Smithsonian, various members of the British army and Winston Churchill's son and his grandson! So yes, maybe one day I'll just start writing and see where it takes me. A book I loved growing up was one called My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, Lawrence's brother. That family reminded me of mine.
R: Thanks, Julia. Good luck with your book.
More information about Julia Pomeroy and her mystery may be found at her website
www.juliapomeroy.com.
Pomeroy, Julia. The Dark End of Town. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2006. ISBN:
0786717203
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Teens in the Library Today
I attended the Metropolitan Library System Zones 1-4 meeting of reference librarians from the western suburbs of Chicago today. One of our many topics of discussion was how hard it is to get teens into the library. Mostly we talked about programs to attract them, but some of the statements were of a more general nature. I got to brag about how our game nights at Thomas Ford now require prior registration to control the numbers. Other programs do not always do so well. We seemed somewhat agreed that attracting teens is something we will always try with some successes and disappointments.
I then returned to my library and started my shift at the reference desk. The first thing I did was log into Trillian to get messages via AIM, MSN, and Yahoo. I immediately found an email from a teen asking us to register her for a program, and within minutes I got an instant message from another teen looking for a book and a CD. She was in luck, as both were on the shelf. I banded the items and put them at the checkout desk under her name.
On the way back to the reference desk I saw a teen looking around the fiction collection. I asked if he was having any luck. He had one book but asked for some recommendations. So we looked around for several minutes and he left with John Gardner and E. L. Doctorow books. He said he wanted serious reading.
Several minutes later another teen came wanting a specific book that we did not own, so we looked in the shared catalog and ordered it from a nearby library. When she left I gave our teen librarian a purchase alert.
At that point I saw the irony of our conversation earlier. I had four teens in less than twenty minutes. I had another at the desk about a hour later. She wanted humorous novels. She had already read almost everything I suggested at first, but we finally found a couple of books for her.
In the evening I had one more teen via instant message. He did not really want anything other than to see if anyone was online. I was. I hope we always are.
I then returned to my library and started my shift at the reference desk. The first thing I did was log into Trillian to get messages via AIM, MSN, and Yahoo. I immediately found an email from a teen asking us to register her for a program, and within minutes I got an instant message from another teen looking for a book and a CD. She was in luck, as both were on the shelf. I banded the items and put them at the checkout desk under her name.
On the way back to the reference desk I saw a teen looking around the fiction collection. I asked if he was having any luck. He had one book but asked for some recommendations. So we looked around for several minutes and he left with John Gardner and E. L. Doctorow books. He said he wanted serious reading.
Several minutes later another teen came wanting a specific book that we did not own, so we looked in the shared catalog and ordered it from a nearby library. When she left I gave our teen librarian a purchase alert.
At that point I saw the irony of our conversation earlier. I had four teens in less than twenty minutes. I had another at the desk about a hour later. She wanted humorous novels. She had already read almost everything I suggested at first, but we finally found a couple of books for her.
In the evening I had one more teen via instant message. He did not really want anything other than to see if anyone was online. I was. I hope we always are.
African Safari Photo Mosaic
You can make a mosaic like this without reading Flickr Hacks, which I just recommended. Go to fd's Flickr Toys and choose the Photo Mosaic. You can choose the size of your grid, as well as color for the background and lines. It saves easily to Flickr. If you have the photos ready, you can do everything in five minutes.
Flickr Hacks: Tips & Tools for Sharing Photos Online by Paul Bausch and Jim Bumgardner
The problem with any book about the Internet is that it is out-of-date as soon as it is published. This is the case with Flickr Hacks by Paul Bausch and Jim Bumgardner. Flickr has just modified its look, changing the photostream and the set making tool, but there is still much that is basically the same. Flickr Hacks is filled with basic advice and advanced procedures its users will find helpful.
Hack #4 tells how to resize photos, which is very important to beginning users, especially those who have not upgraded to a Pro account.
Hack #7 explains how to load a Flickr Badge onto your website, as I did to my gardening website.
Hack #21 teaches the reader how to how to set random desktop backgrounds using your Flickr images.
Hack #22 tells how to feed Flickr images into your screensaver. We did this at Thomas Ford to promote our programs on some public PCs.
As you get toward the back off the book, the hacks are more challenging. Hack #48 tells how to make a slider puzzle, which requires typing a lot of PHP code. The same can be said of Hack #49 Make a Photo Mosaic. Both look really cool but beyond my patience to create.
Many readers may stick to the early chapters. Most should read chapter two, which helps with tagging. Librarians and civilians can learn much from this book.
Paul Bausch and Jim Bumgardner. Flickr Hacks: Tips & Tools for Sharing Photos Online. Sebastopol, California: O'Reilly, 2006. ISBN 0596102453
Hack #4 tells how to resize photos, which is very important to beginning users, especially those who have not upgraded to a Pro account.
Hack #7 explains how to load a Flickr Badge onto your website, as I did to my gardening website.
Hack #21 teaches the reader how to how to set random desktop backgrounds using your Flickr images.
Hack #22 tells how to feed Flickr images into your screensaver. We did this at Thomas Ford to promote our programs on some public PCs.
As you get toward the back off the book, the hacks are more challenging. Hack #48 tells how to make a slider puzzle, which requires typing a lot of PHP code. The same can be said of Hack #49 Make a Photo Mosaic. Both look really cool but beyond my patience to create.
Many readers may stick to the early chapters. Most should read chapter two, which helps with tagging. Librarians and civilians can learn much from this book.
Paul Bausch and Jim Bumgardner. Flickr Hacks: Tips & Tools for Sharing Photos Online. Sebastopol, California: O'Reilly, 2006. ISBN 0596102453
Monday, June 05, 2006
An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography by Paul Rusesabagina with Tom Zoellner
What should you know about Paul Rusesabagina, the author of An Ordinary Man?
Paul Rusesabagina was just a hotel manager doing his job. He says this numerous times in his book. While his statement sounds humble, it should be remember that his job as hotel manager required that he keep over 1000 people residing in the Hotel Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda alive during 74 days of the Rwandan genocide of 1994. While blood literally flowed in the streets of the city, no one in the hotel died or was injured. How Rusesabagina kept the killers at bay is the central story of the book.
Rusesabagina is a Hutu because his father was a Hutu and his mother a Tutsi. His closest friend in school was a Tutsi because his father was a Tutsi and his mother a Hutu. The author explains how there really are no natural differences among the people of Rwanda. Belgians created the artificial ethnicity to manipulate the Rwandans during colonial rule.
Rusesabagina fights with words not weapons. His ability to keep talking face to face with militia, rebels, police, and Rwandan military officers (they were all dangerous) is what prevented a slaughter of refugees in his hotel. He would offer drinks from the hotel cellar to anyone who threatened his guests.
Rusesabagina trained to be a Seventh-Day Adventist minister before he became a hotel manager, but he is quick to criticize churches for not acting to stop the genocide. He also tells how the United Nations peacekeeping force failed to act when it could have easily stopped the initial violence. He explains how the United Nations leadership and the international community (especially the Clinton administration) failed to do anything later.
Rusesabagina left Rwanda two years after the genocide because his life was in danger. He became a cab driver in Brussels until he could develop an African trucking firm. When the film Hotel Rwanda, which he praises, became popular, he began lecturing on Rwandan history.
The author warns that corruption and injustice continue in Rwanda, and the genocide could begin again.
An Ordinary Man is a compelling story, which I recommend to many readers. The accounts of murder by machete are horrific, but the message of common people risking their lives to save neighbors and strangers alike is encouraging. If you can, listen to the book read by Dominic Hoffman.
Rusesabagina, Paul. An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography. New York: Viking, 2006. ISBN 0670037524
7 compact discs. Westminster, Maryland: Books on Tape, 2006. ISBN 1415928908
Paul Rusesabagina was just a hotel manager doing his job. He says this numerous times in his book. While his statement sounds humble, it should be remember that his job as hotel manager required that he keep over 1000 people residing in the Hotel Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda alive during 74 days of the Rwandan genocide of 1994. While blood literally flowed in the streets of the city, no one in the hotel died or was injured. How Rusesabagina kept the killers at bay is the central story of the book.
Rusesabagina is a Hutu because his father was a Hutu and his mother a Tutsi. His closest friend in school was a Tutsi because his father was a Tutsi and his mother a Hutu. The author explains how there really are no natural differences among the people of Rwanda. Belgians created the artificial ethnicity to manipulate the Rwandans during colonial rule.
Rusesabagina fights with words not weapons. His ability to keep talking face to face with militia, rebels, police, and Rwandan military officers (they were all dangerous) is what prevented a slaughter of refugees in his hotel. He would offer drinks from the hotel cellar to anyone who threatened his guests.
Rusesabagina trained to be a Seventh-Day Adventist minister before he became a hotel manager, but he is quick to criticize churches for not acting to stop the genocide. He also tells how the United Nations peacekeeping force failed to act when it could have easily stopped the initial violence. He explains how the United Nations leadership and the international community (especially the Clinton administration) failed to do anything later.
Rusesabagina left Rwanda two years after the genocide because his life was in danger. He became a cab driver in Brussels until he could develop an African trucking firm. When the film Hotel Rwanda, which he praises, became popular, he began lecturing on Rwandan history.
The author warns that corruption and injustice continue in Rwanda, and the genocide could begin again.
An Ordinary Man is a compelling story, which I recommend to many readers. The accounts of murder by machete are horrific, but the message of common people risking their lives to save neighbors and strangers alike is encouraging. If you can, listen to the book read by Dominic Hoffman.
Rusesabagina, Paul. An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography. New York: Viking, 2006. ISBN 0670037524
7 compact discs. Westminster, Maryland: Books on Tape, 2006. ISBN 1415928908
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Notes from ALA in Dallas 1979
With the annual conference of the American Library Association in New Orleans less than three weeks away, I am again looking at notes from the first conference I attended. Much has changed since Dallas 1979.
My memory of the conference is a little fuzzy in some aspects, but I do clearly remember that most of the presentations were scattered among the conference hotels, some of which were not downtown. I was not staying downtown either, as the ALA conference service put me in a hotel by the airport. Getting into the city took me an hour or more every morning. The buses sponsored by Gale Research were inadequate for moving librarians around the city, and I often saw buses pass stops because they had no room to add passengers. I was late for a couple of programs. Perhaps my story has grown with years, but I am sure transportation was a problem.
I appear to have only attended six programs in four days, which sounds rather inattentive until you see that four of those programs lasted three hours or longer. As a newbie, I must have made some bad choices. One meeting I attended focused on what types of telephone service libraries needed to connect to remote databases, like Dialog; the speakers agreed that packet networks (whatever they were) were most economical.
I attended a program sponsored by the Professional Ethics Committee titled "Ethics of Providing Legal and Medical Information." A Dr. Erlen from the University of Texas at Dallas Medical School told us that librarians should stop interfering with the doctor-patient relationship and should refrain from providing medical reference. Michael Reagan of the Glendale Public Library refuted the doctor's position and reported that more reference librarians were starting to assist clients with medical information. My old notes suggest I was pretty upset by the doctor. Medical information must have been my focus at the conference, as I attended another three and a half hour program on wellness, holistic medicine, and community health information networks.
I also attended programs on young adults, information and referral networks, and government documents. I think I may have attended keynote speeches but did not report on them. I think I heard Isaac Bashevis Singer, but I am not certain.
I was overwhelmed by the exhibit hall, which I visited every day, trying to see all the book publishers' booths. There were many of them, and I collected dozens of their catalogs and brochures. My suitcase was tightly stuffed when I left town. The irony is that my book budget was small, so I bought very few books from those heavy catalogs.
Twenty-seven years later I will arrive in New Orleans with a laptop, digital camera, and an assignment to blog for LITA. I hope to leave with memories and ideas, not heavy catalogs.
My memory of the conference is a little fuzzy in some aspects, but I do clearly remember that most of the presentations were scattered among the conference hotels, some of which were not downtown. I was not staying downtown either, as the ALA conference service put me in a hotel by the airport. Getting into the city took me an hour or more every morning. The buses sponsored by Gale Research were inadequate for moving librarians around the city, and I often saw buses pass stops because they had no room to add passengers. I was late for a couple of programs. Perhaps my story has grown with years, but I am sure transportation was a problem.
I appear to have only attended six programs in four days, which sounds rather inattentive until you see that four of those programs lasted three hours or longer. As a newbie, I must have made some bad choices. One meeting I attended focused on what types of telephone service libraries needed to connect to remote databases, like Dialog; the speakers agreed that packet networks (whatever they were) were most economical.
I attended a program sponsored by the Professional Ethics Committee titled "Ethics of Providing Legal and Medical Information." A Dr. Erlen from the University of Texas at Dallas Medical School told us that librarians should stop interfering with the doctor-patient relationship and should refrain from providing medical reference. Michael Reagan of the Glendale Public Library refuted the doctor's position and reported that more reference librarians were starting to assist clients with medical information. My old notes suggest I was pretty upset by the doctor. Medical information must have been my focus at the conference, as I attended another three and a half hour program on wellness, holistic medicine, and community health information networks.
I also attended programs on young adults, information and referral networks, and government documents. I think I may have attended keynote speeches but did not report on them. I think I heard Isaac Bashevis Singer, but I am not certain.
I was overwhelmed by the exhibit hall, which I visited every day, trying to see all the book publishers' booths. There were many of them, and I collected dozens of their catalogs and brochures. My suitcase was tightly stuffed when I left town. The irony is that my book budget was small, so I bought very few books from those heavy catalogs.
Twenty-seven years later I will arrive in New Orleans with a laptop, digital camera, and an assignment to blog for LITA. I hope to leave with memories and ideas, not heavy catalogs.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
On Assigning Call Numbers to Books in a Public Library: Pinch Hitting
Kris is on vacation, so I am assigning call numbers to adult nonfiction books while she is gone. You have to be versatile when you work in a small library and step into other roles to help the cause. Assigning call numbers is something I have done off and on throughout my career, though I have never been a full-time cataloger. I took cataloging in library school long ago and know my way around the DDC22 (Dewey Decimal Classification edition 22).
As a cataloger I am uppity. While I like finding good call numbers already provided in the book or by another library in our shared catalog, I am not afraid to pose my own. Most of the 92 books I handed in the past three days were easy, but I found several call numbers to question.
First I found Look Good Feel Great by Joyce Meyer, a diet and exercise book by a Christian author aimed at a Christian audience. No other library has added the book as yet. The cataloging in publication (CIP) recommends the call number 248.4, which DDC22 describes as "Christian life and practice." The book has a little bit of religious philosophy but is primarily about exercise and diet. I assigned the Dewey 613 for personal health.
A second book had the complication of being aimed at a Christian audience. Serve God, Save the Planet by J. Matthew Sleeth argues that Christians should be environmentalists and live planet-friendly lives. The CIP recommended 261.8'8, which is "Social theology and interreligious relations and attitudes." In our small collection, it would be totally alone at that number. Because the book is mostly about environmental ethics and might be of interest beyond theology readers, I assigned it 333.72.
Lies at the Altar: The Truth About Great Marriages by Robin L. Smith was the third book I found with an odd Dewey suggestion in the book. 646.78 would put it between books on care for fingernails and books on planning for retirement in our collection. I chose to join one other library assigning 306.81, which puts it with our other books on marriage.
Another book I want to mention is Political Zoo by Michael Savage, in which the radio talk show host describes public figures as zoo animals. He offends people on both the right and left in this book. I notice his other books are in the 320s, but many of our libraries seem to be putting the new title in 818. 818 puts this book with collected works by Carl Sandburg, May Sarton, Wallace Stegner, and Henry David Thoreau. It does not belong there! With one other library, I have assigned 320.02 to the book. Let it sit with the other political books.
When you see a library in your shared database assigning a different call number from the majority of libraries, it is usually worth a look. Someone has taken the time to really examine a book.
I just ordered Mom's Cancer, a graphic book by Brian Fies. (It is nonfiction, so I can not call it a graphic novel. Is there another term?) I noticed that libraries are assigning the call number 741.5973, which puts it in the drawing area with comic strips. This is personal account of cancer. I will ask Kris to assign 362.1 or biography to this book.
Assigning call numbers is tricky business and I am glad I do not have to do this all the time. Kris, come back soon!
As a cataloger I am uppity. While I like finding good call numbers already provided in the book or by another library in our shared catalog, I am not afraid to pose my own. Most of the 92 books I handed in the past three days were easy, but I found several call numbers to question.
First I found Look Good Feel Great by Joyce Meyer, a diet and exercise book by a Christian author aimed at a Christian audience. No other library has added the book as yet. The cataloging in publication (CIP) recommends the call number 248.4, which DDC22 describes as "Christian life and practice." The book has a little bit of religious philosophy but is primarily about exercise and diet. I assigned the Dewey 613 for personal health.
A second book had the complication of being aimed at a Christian audience. Serve God, Save the Planet by J. Matthew Sleeth argues that Christians should be environmentalists and live planet-friendly lives. The CIP recommended 261.8'8, which is "Social theology and interreligious relations and attitudes." In our small collection, it would be totally alone at that number. Because the book is mostly about environmental ethics and might be of interest beyond theology readers, I assigned it 333.72.
Lies at the Altar: The Truth About Great Marriages by Robin L. Smith was the third book I found with an odd Dewey suggestion in the book. 646.78 would put it between books on care for fingernails and books on planning for retirement in our collection. I chose to join one other library assigning 306.81, which puts it with our other books on marriage.
Another book I want to mention is Political Zoo by Michael Savage, in which the radio talk show host describes public figures as zoo animals. He offends people on both the right and left in this book. I notice his other books are in the 320s, but many of our libraries seem to be putting the new title in 818. 818 puts this book with collected works by Carl Sandburg, May Sarton, Wallace Stegner, and Henry David Thoreau. It does not belong there! With one other library, I have assigned 320.02 to the book. Let it sit with the other political books.
When you see a library in your shared database assigning a different call number from the majority of libraries, it is usually worth a look. Someone has taken the time to really examine a book.
I just ordered Mom's Cancer, a graphic book by Brian Fies. (It is nonfiction, so I can not call it a graphic novel. Is there another term?) I noticed that libraries are assigning the call number 741.5973, which puts it in the drawing area with comic strips. This is personal account of cancer. I will ask Kris to assign 362.1 or biography to this book.
Assigning call numbers is tricky business and I am glad I do not have to do this all the time. Kris, come back soon!
Mystery Photo
That is not an enormous Lego on the top of the photo. This is not modern art. It is not a collage. The rough line above the yellow line does resemble a distant line of mountains. Do you recognize where I was standing when I took the photo?
Friday, June 02, 2006
Early Escapades by Eudora Welty
If you had asked a young Eudora Welty what she would grow up to be, she would have answered "a writer." She might have then qualified her answer to say that she was a writer already. At the age of twelve she produced a collage book for her brother that in juvenile form foretold her later talents for plot, description, and satire. Throughout her youth, at college, and in her early work years, Welty wrote stories, essays, plays, and poems to share with her friends and for publication. Early Escapades is a collection of those writings paired with her cartoons and school yearbook illustrations.
Jackson, Mississippi was a modern city in the 1920s and 1930s, with a skyscraper and a radio station, and Eudora Welty was a totally modern youth. She read magazines from New York and imagined a writer's life in Manhattan. She loved the cinema, especially the Marx Brothers, and was devoted to popular culture. With much energy, she tested her talents in many literary devices, always with an intent to have fun. Most of her early work was humorous. It must have really raised eyebrows in Jackson later when she wrote the deep and serious Delta Wedding.
Reading Early Escapades is fun. I was especially surprised by Welty's cartoons and illustrations. Her caricature of Mae West is a masterpiece of early pop art. Readers can see her visual sense, which she later used in her prose.
Early Escapades is a must read for Welty fans.
Welty, Eudora. Early Escapades. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2005. ISBN 157806774x
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests, Sixth Edition by Diana Tixier Herald
We got the new sixth edition of Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests by Diana Tixier Herald a couple of weeks ago. I have been lugging it around looking at the changes from the fifth edition. More is new than just books published since 2000 added to the chapters on genre fiction.
The sixth edition starts with a chapter by Wayne A. Wiegand about the social nature of reading, the importance of libraries, and the value of book discussions. A chapter by Melanie A. Kimball on the history of readers' advisory service follows. Third is a chapter about conducting the readers' advisory interview by Catherine Sheldrick Ross.
There are two entirely new chapters on genres. Chapter 13 is about Christian fiction and its subgenres, including Christian romance, Biblical fiction, social gospel novels, Apocalyptic fiction, and gentle reads. Also in the chapter are titles that blend Christian themes with mystery, science fiction, and western settings. Chapter 14 is about the emerging genres of women's fiction and chick lit. Chick lit is distinguished from women's fiction in that the protagonists are often younger and the tone is more humorous, sexier, and upbeat.
The sixth edition of Genreflecting has over 5,000 titles of which one third are new. The easy-to-use chapters are followed by author/title and subject indexes. The guide also recommends other guides for readers' advisory librarians to use in their work assisting readers, selecting books, and creating displays and promotional materials.
Genreflecting is an essential public library purchase.
Herald, Diana Tixier. Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests. Sixth Edition. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2006. ISBN 1591582865
The sixth edition starts with a chapter by Wayne A. Wiegand about the social nature of reading, the importance of libraries, and the value of book discussions. A chapter by Melanie A. Kimball on the history of readers' advisory service follows. Third is a chapter about conducting the readers' advisory interview by Catherine Sheldrick Ross.
There are two entirely new chapters on genres. Chapter 13 is about Christian fiction and its subgenres, including Christian romance, Biblical fiction, social gospel novels, Apocalyptic fiction, and gentle reads. Also in the chapter are titles that blend Christian themes with mystery, science fiction, and western settings. Chapter 14 is about the emerging genres of women's fiction and chick lit. Chick lit is distinguished from women's fiction in that the protagonists are often younger and the tone is more humorous, sexier, and upbeat.
The sixth edition of Genreflecting has over 5,000 titles of which one third are new. The easy-to-use chapters are followed by author/title and subject indexes. The guide also recommends other guides for readers' advisory librarians to use in their work assisting readers, selecting books, and creating displays and promotional materials.
Genreflecting is an essential public library purchase.
Herald, Diana Tixier. Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests. Sixth Edition. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2006. ISBN 1591582865
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