ForeverMan

Reading Other Blogs - Thing 2

2011-08-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

Typically I do not devote much time to reading blogs. I am struggling against the feeling that I am drowning in a sea of content, particularly when it comes to professional development as a librarian. It seems that there is no shortage of bright, articulate librarians blogging about the profession, along with dozens of conference Slideshare presentations that I could lose myself in, not to mention the daily avalanche of emails from several listservs that I subscribe to. The drawback to such an abundance of information is that my purpose as a librarian is to spend my time getting things done instead of spending all my time reading about the actions of others. To be sure, it is instructive and wise to keep current on professional trends and topics of concern, and to be able to read about how colleagues are assessing their information literacy programs, for example, but I've learned that it is difficult to follow many blogs, etc. and remain productive at the same time. Now to the point: I checked out the blogs of several fellow 23 Things participants just before writing this post, and I've also been following several other library blogs some months now using Google Reader.

After taking a look at the Delicious list of bookmarked 23 Things blogs, I decided to investigate those tagged "rare books/special collections" as well as those tagged "digitalrepositories." I was hoping to break out of my bubble as an academic reference librarian a bit. The particular 23 Things participants' blogs that I checked out included:

Jen the Librarian - Good to find someone from the U.S. in this seemingly U.K. dominated activity. Jen has some great advice for library students about how to prepare for a job.

Notes from the Basement - Alison has an interesting story, abandoning a Ph.D. to work in archives. I also really liked the color scheme of her blog.

Girl in the Moon - I like this writer's style. Entries seem to be coherent and flow, and graphics are used tastefully for illustration. I'm also really intrigued by her work environment. As someone with a history degree, I can easily see myself working with very old and rare books, intrinsically interesting simply for persisting so long.

Links (w/o much commentary) to other library blogs I follow:

ACRLog - Authors of entries vary, official blog of ACRL.

thewikiman - Academic librarian

Information Wants to be Free - Meredith Farkas. Need I say more? One of the leading lights of the profession, she seems to have found a balance between getting things done and writing about it.

Annoyed Librarian - Just what it sounds like: biting humor and sarcasm.

Agnostic, Maybe - Public librarian

Library Babel Fish - One of InsideHigherEd's blogs, Barbara Fister always seems to have something insightful to say about current library issues.

Happy clicking!

Inaugural 23 Things Post

2011-07-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit behind the ball at getting started on the 23 things. I cannot remember where I first heard of the 23 things and if you look at my blog, you will see that it has been quite some time since I have written here on "The Quiet Site."

I am an early-career, young academic librarian who just this May secured a full time position as Reference-Instruction Librarian at a small private college. In many areas, I have more enthusiasm than knowledge and I find myself in the frustrating position of having good ideas but not possessing the skills to realize them. I am participating in 23 Things in hopes that I will learn more about cutting edge technologies and learn about how to manage my career and professional life. Several things in particular that interest me are:

Thing 3 - Considering Your Personal Brand -

It seems that the movers and shakers in libraryland have all mastered the art of creating a dynamic online presence. I'd like to learn how to be someone who offers original thoughts, who adds value, instead of someone who is an echo chamber or parrot.

Thing 15 - Attending, presenting at and organising seminars, conferences and other events -

Right now, I am only a member of a local chapter of ACRL. I would like to get more plugged in to national organizations and figure out how I can participate in sections of ALA that I find professionally relevant. Now that I have a job which will cover conference fees, I am eagerly awaiting my chance to attend ACRL 2013.

Thing 22 - How to identify your strengths, how to capitalise on your interests, how to write something eyecatching that meets job specs-

My interests seem to be all over the place, and I have no idea where my life will lead. I received enough rejection letters before landing my current job to think that I might well benefit from some wisdom on self-presentation in writing a cover letter.

Ventilation

2010-02-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

I just looked at a grade for a 250 word posting on a management theorist. Given 3.5 of 5 points, I was savaged, nitpicked apart, for not formatting correctly. Little things, like an ampersand instead of "and" between the last names of two authors. Writing "Works Cited" above my citations, which is evidently MLA, not APA, terminology. Ah! I can't wait until I am out of this program! For now, all I can do is exercise greater caution with the submission of my next assignment and work hard not to take the criticism as a personal attack. It would be nice if she had found one good thing to say...nope, just criticism and point deduction.
On a happier note, it is still snowing here in Pittsburgh :-) And I have time, or am taking the time, to do a fair amount of recreational reading. Soon I have a phone date...

Defiance - movie

2009-11-01T22:40:00.001-08:00

When is the man with the gun in his hand the kind of man to be??

Lots of Links, or Following Fun

2009-10-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

I am still alive here in Pittsburgh, for all 2 of you reading. Here are some links to neat online things I've discovered recently.

Cheap travel and a neat way to meet people(maybe)

Ansel Adams in color

Road trip!! (Oh for gas money!)

And take a look at that gazebo - strait out of Rivendell? Where do they find this stuff?

A Warm Blanket for an Early Morning

2009-09-29T03:44:00.000-07:00

Full recording of Avett Brothers newest albumn

Closer to love

2009-09-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

Its (a beautiful) Sunday here in Pittsburgh, and someone just started a blasted lawn mower. I was trying to partake of food, beauty and quiet before going to work. I think I'll still succeed, but I wouldn't mind if the lawnmower wasn't running in the background. There was a wonderful church service this morning. We sang quite a few old hymns: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee; On Jordan's Stormy Banks; God, Be Merciful to Me; Great is thy Faithfulness. The pastor spoke of "God Behind the Scenes," God at work in the world and in our lives even when we cannot see how He is working or to what end, for what profit or purpose, using as his text Exodus 1:1-2:10. During the sermon, I had a small epiphany. Hebrews tells us that Christ can sympathize with our experiences, our temptations, in every way, because of the incarnation. I realized that, because of the cross, Christ can also identify with the separation from God that we feel as fallen and sinful creatures.

Insomnia

2009-09-12T21:32:00.001-07:00

Half an hour after trying to go to sleep, here I am. My mind is too hard at work on stupid stuff: composing an email to complain about an inappropriate anecdote a presenter shared in the classroom, thinking about all of the work I need to do tomorrow, Monday, and through the rest of this week. And there is nothing to be gained from being awake right now... Oh, God...

TED

2009-08-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

You can, if interested, find some fantastically thought provoking, short lectures, here: http://www.ted.com/talks

Most of the lectures are 15-30 minutes.

Time

2009-08-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

I desperately need something to occupy my time, yet I shall be in some measure inconsolable when my time is no longer my own. My days are spent alone in my apartment, repeatedly checking email and Facebook, and reading. This is not exciting enough for me! Landmarks: one week, then two weeks!

Full Moon

2009-08-06T20:13:00.001-07:00

Admittedly, this post is being written mainly to keep the streak going. Here I am in Pittsburgh. Nothing much has changed. Today was a pretty good day in which I got out more than I have all week. I took a drive, finally rode the bus, and visited two libraries and the grocery store. I am sleepy! Reading and bed...

Warm, Fuzzy Thoughts (AKA Hard Reality)

2009-08-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

Don't complain too loudly: this is again a series of links. I stumbled upon several intelligent articles regarding graduate study in the humanities.

Original Jumping-off point Here are posted responses, to the following linked article, by several Christian Ph.Ds

Original Chronicle article, part 1

Original Chronicle article, part 2

Here are links to two longer responses to the above article:

Brett Foster

Carmen Butcher

Being and Becoming

2009-08-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

Recently I began reading a book, Twentysomeone, that was loaned to me back in April. Early in the book, the authors emphasize the importance of taking time to find out who we are as people (human beings) before becoming intent upon filling our lives with activity. While not exactly directly correlated with their point, their argument made me think of the ancient philosophical dichotomy of being and becoming. I have spent much of this summer being: reading and thinking about myself and my life, without engaging in lots of activity. I am headed into a year that will not easily again afford me so much time for reflection by the time I satisfy the demands of school, an internship, and a part-time job. Perhaps I am headed into a time of becoming? But I think that reflection is also critical to the process of becoming: mere activity itself will not suffice. So much, at times, and so little, at others, has happened during the past year (August-August). I wonder, what does this coming year hold?

Mistakes

2009-08-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

I need the freedom to make my own mistakes!

A Parable by Thurber

Nostalgia

2009-08-04T07:42:00.001-07:00

When I moved to Pittsburgh on Saturday, I brought with me 9 small jars of canned peaches and one jar of applesauce that Mom gave me about a year ago. I have decided that I'll eat them, one by one, when I feel lonely and homesick. Then I began to wonder if I'll ever feel lonely and homesick. I know that I will miss certain people, but will I miss Lancaster? The question really is whether I will be consciously aware of such feelings, or simply experience periods of crankiness and the blues without realizing the cause.
The couple that moved out of my apartment left a few scattered cleaning supplies. I found a Softsoap dispenser, with the fishy sticker, and some Target liquid hand soap under the bathroom sink. It was a powerful reminder of the days at 25A W. Cottage with Scott, Scott, Danny, and later, Jon.

Loans and Lemonade

2009-08-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

This is my second full day in Pittsburgh. At present I am recovering from a 10 mile bike ride about the city. Some places there are bike paths; on some roads they are absent. According to my brother's observations on a recent walk through Crossgates, I am too heedless of danger. He couldn't believe that I kept walking on the road instead of moving into the grass when cars went by.

I have finally got my loans finalized, so the first term's tuition will be paid as soon as they are disbursed. I feel like I'm gambling and hope that I'm making a wise decision, not wasting time and money. As I started out on my bike ride, several young boys manning a lemonade stand on my street solicited my business. I told them, "Maybe when I come back!," so when I returned, hot and tired, I stopped by their card table. They had 3 sizes of plastic cups. I settled for a "large," which got me 10 ounces of icy lemonade for $.75. Capitalism lives among the young! They said they'd made $24.00 so far.

I wonder how many people will come out here to visit me in the course of the next year (August to August)? I predict, for the record, that no more than 4 people, not to include my parents, will.

King of Links

2009-07-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

On Failure

Happy Danes

A Loose Sketch of Recent, Sometimes Cynical, Thoughts

2009-07-12T09:30:00.001-07:00

The following strands and sketches of thought could each be developed into several paragraphs on their own, had I the patience and inclination.

Mennonites and Homosexuality

There was an article run in the Intelligencer Journal at some point during the past two weeks which covered a demonstration, by "Pink Mennonites", outside of the 2009 Mennonite Church USA conference in Columbus, OH. Roughly 100 "Pink Mennonites" gathered outside the conference to protest the "exclusion" of GLBT people from full membership within the Mennonite church. They wrote an open letter and, like a small snowball, it gathered ~1,400 signatures. Their position and approach are disturbing. The open letter that they wrote is vague, but in a further explanation of the letter on their website, it is clear that they want full rights within the Mennonite church:

What, concretely, are you asking for? I don’t see any specific goals in this letter. What does “radical hospitality” or “full welcome” mean? Our church already welcomes everybody, including LGBT people.
The second paragraph of the letter ends with this sentence: “We believe that all people are invited to faithful fellowship in this Body, blessing for our deepest relationships of love and care, a spiritual home for ourselves and our children, and the opportunity to fully express the gifts for ministry that God has given us.”

In other words, the authors of this letter – Weldon, Cindy and Sheri -- call MCUSA to accept into membership, marry and ordain all people, regardless of sexual orientation. The letter does not specifically say how this will come about or next steps are in this process. But these are the goals to which the letter points. We believe that anything less than this “full welcome” ends up treating LGBT people as second-class citizens within the church.

Whew!! Mennonite Church USA is currently not opposed to GLBT people entering Mennonite churches and participating in worship, but there is the expectation that, in order to fully participate in the body, they acknowledge homosexuality as a sin and take the steps appropriate to deal with it as sin. The "Pink Mennonites" make no mention of such personal change. They clearly want full inclusion and acceptance just as they are, which is hardly biblical.

So what do we, the church, do with homosexuals? Derek Webb to the rescue with a song from his new album! I hope that he does not believe homosexuals should be unquestioningly accepted into membership without a loving insistence that they repent and turn from sin.

Weddings

By the end of this summer, I will have personally attended 7 weddings within the past 2 years. I sincerely hope that each of these couples "beat the odds" against them, but cannot help wondering to myself how many marriages, out of the total number of weddings that I have been invited to, will have dissolved in divorce 25 years from now?

Long winded

2009-07-03T16:23:00.001-07:00

So far this billing period (ending July 13), I have spent 33 hours on the phone. This is leaving out 40 minutes which should more than account for any voicemails left for me during that time.

I defy anyone to beat this.

How do you argue?

2009-06-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMlv3ripSM

At what cost celebrity?

2009-06-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

Jon and Kate Gosselin are divorcing. I wonder, would this be happening if they had never been on television?

How sad.

Experience

2009-06-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

Wow. That was something! Three years out and I just attended my first ever college party, complete with very loud, drunk people, a keg of cheap beer, and a decent selection of liquor. Kudos to Mike and John. They would put many Christians to shame with their friendliness and hospitality, even when considering that some of it might have resulted from inebriation. John mixed Captain Morgan with Diet Coke, half and half, and gave it to me. Very generous, in several ways. I drank half of it (definitely my limit on an empty stomach) and stuck around for 15-30 minutes. Now what did I accomplish? No one there knows that I'm a Christian. I didn't tell anyone. I didn't give a persuasive speech to the assembly in order to convince them that getting smashed isn't the best way to spend their Saturday nights. I suppose the best thing that could possibly come out of this is that I might have an "in" for further conversations with Mike and John, should I see them around Millersville in the future. Maybe when they're not drunk I could try to share Christ in some way. But how? It may be only superficial, but it feels to me like we're coming at life from opposite ends of the spectrum.

Waiting

2009-06-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

I despise waiting. I'm waiting for people to email me back about apartments in Pittsburgh. I'm waiting for other people to return my phone calls. I'm waiting for this evening to get here. I'm impatiently waiting for specific dates in the future.

The greatest crime and most confounding truth is that I am not enjoying the moment!!

Are you?

Think on these things!

2009-06-17T12:20:00.001-07:00

Take a moment to contemplate the word "responsibility." Think about what the word means. To whom are you responsible? What are you responsible for? Do you have "responsibilities"? What are they? How are you at fulfilling them?

To what end do you do what you do?

I recently finished reading Habits of the Mind, by J.W. Sire. Here is a quote that he used within the book:

"Altogether, I think we ought to read only books that bite and sting us. If the book we are reading doesn't shake us awake like a blow on the skull, why bother reading in the first place? So that it can make us happy, as you put it? Good God, we'd be just as happy if we had no books at all; books that make us happy we could, in a pinch, also write ourselves. What we need are books that hit us like a most painful misfortune, like the death of someone we loved more than we love ourselves, that makes us feel as though we had been banished to the woods, far from any human presence, like a suicide. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. That is what I believe." -Franz Kafka, in a letter to Oskar Polak

Troubling: NYT article on our first "Muslim" president

2009-06-15T19:09:00.001-07:00

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/09/americas-first-muslim-president/

See also: http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=M2JmNDJlYTBiMGY2MzNkZDg2ZWM4ZTYzNjVhODU3YmI=

On Obama's contempt for truth: http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=OTAyNzFjMmMwOWJjYmFmMTA2ODdjODZmZmQ0MWE1Mzg=