Exercise

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.

-Joseph Addison The Tatler-

If that's true then I've got one in shape mind!

Book of the Week: Pay It Forward by: Catherine Ryan Hyde

I have been meaning to read this book for the longest time. I knew the basic storyline before reading it so that took some of the mystery away. Still I liked it. I have seen parts of the movie, mostly by chance as I wander through the assortment of cable channels. I suppose the movie was good, considering that a screenplay must focus on the main points of the story and bypass some of the other lesser points. Yet I enjoyed the book more than the movie. I think this book is a very creative way to inspire people to change their world. Perhaps other people reading this story have taken a bit of the "pay it forward" idea and applied it to their daily life.

Spring is here.....

Well it's the first official day of spring. You could have fooled me. It sure doesn't feel like spring. Now I can't put off my garden any longer. I will be spending my day doting on my little plants and trying to come up with a plan that will complement my small yard. This has been a multi-year project. I have been doing a little at a time, I'm not capable of providing a large budget for landscaping. My friends tell me that this hobby keeps me out of trouble. So I guess it's best that this project is taking a while to complete.

Book of the Week: The Periodic Table by: Primo Levi

This was translated from Italian by: Raymond Rosenthal

What can I say? I am a geek. This was a book I chose only based on my love for science. I like to read about chemistry and anything else science related. My friends thought it was an odd choice but then they don't have the same interest in science as do I. To many readers the career of a chemist might seem as exciting as the career of an accountant or a tax attorney, essential to society, but better left to someone else. I suggest that if you put that thought aside you will truly be surprised with this book.

Primo Levi was a Jewish chemist that was a survivor of the Holocaust and imprisonment in Auschwitz. Some of the stories are quasi autobiographical, using the Piedmontese Jewish community he came from and his time imprisoned to illuminate human interaction.

He begins the book with Argon and continues with selected elements in the periodic table for a total of 21 chapters. Mingling fact and fiction, history and anecdote, Levi uses his training as a chemist and his experiences as a prisoner in Auschwitz to illuminate the human condition. Each of the 21 chapters is titled for an element of the periodic table which is the focus of their themes. The chapter is based on one idea the element inspired which he explores. I recommend the three chapters Lead, Mercury, and Carbon. I was absolutely fascinated by all three. Lead and Mecury should be read by students of history and Carbon should be mandatory reading for all students of chemistry and biology.

An Irish Toast

May your glass be ever full. May the roof over your head be always strong. And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.

Upsetting Things Patrons Say

Last week at my local public library I overheard a patron voicing her opinions of the library's atmosphere. She said that she has a very conservative view of what a library is and should be. She felt that a library should be a quiet place where she can come to focus, read, study and think without interruption from children running and chatting, adults meeting not for library concerns, but for their own personal talking and socialization needs and people eating and drinking in the library. She was not familiar with all of the decorum policies of the library but she felt some attention needs to be paid to patron behavior and who can discipline them. She mentioned that her use of the library is decreasing because every time she is there it is a very irritating experience. She stated that the last time she was here she had to shush three patrons and they all looked surprised to be told to be quiet. She went on, by this time noticeably louder and growing more irritated, saying that it should not be her job as a patron to enforce library rules.

The whole time the librarian remained attentive and attempted to help the patron the best he could but this woman was not really there to find a solution as much as she was there to complain. He indicated that the patron code of conduct is posted at public service desks and it covers what is appropriate and not appropriate to do in the library. He continued to explain that these behaviors are often tempered by society. He told the patron he would investigate her complaints and will determine if they are not communicating the rules properly to the patrons or if it is not being enforced by the staff. He suggested that if she were to have any future problems with patrons that it would be best if she were to report them directly to the librarian staff.

The patron walked away visibly not pleased. I watched her walk to her table and noticed that she was sitting about three tables away from the Children's section. I was a tad upset with her myself. I just couldn't understand why this woman insisted on sitting near the busiest section of the library and expected absolute quiet. There is a quiet study room, a nice spacious room with fab tables and chairs a nice view, away from children and it's quiet. People are so very strange.

I commend you that work in Public Libraries. You truly are the warriors of the librarians. To have the patience to interact with difficult people is an asset.

Book of the Week: J. K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind Harry Potter by: Marc Shapiro

I have been so busy this week with work I really hadn't had the luxury to read a book. However since I had a bit of a break today I decided to grab one from our little collection. I read this during my dinner break. It's really a short book and a fast read. Since I'm a Harry Potter nut I thought I should read about the author. It's an unofficial book, with the quotes taken from the internet, newspapers and other sources, but it was interesting. She seems like a nice woman with an incredible imagination.

Spring Break Blues

I have the Spring Break blues. My student staff are mostly gone. It is so quiet. I do miss their smiles and conversation. And yes their help is sorely missed at the service desk too. I enjoy their presence. I am a social butterfly at heart and I miss seeing the students and listening to their funny stories and gripes about school. I'll be glad to see them and hear about their fun.

I also wouldn't mind taking a trip to some tropical beach and hanging out for a week. I need a vacation.

Book of the Week: Your Own Words by: Barbara Wallraff

I picked this book out last week at my local library. The author is pleasantly humorous and the book has been a wonderful read. If more young people (middle-high schoolers) were taught how to use reference books I believe that they would greatly improve their research skills. The author discusses that these books are incredible resources. By understanding the ways dictionaries are set up a person can improve their language skills.

When I was in school I do not remember being taught how to use a dictionary, thesaurus or any other reference book. My English classes were based on grammar or literature, nothing else. The teachers I had presumed that we knew how to research and would assign a paper topic without much guidance. For me it wasn't incredibly difficult. I have enjoyed libraries all my life I was happy to spend hours learning how to find books on my own. I can't take all the credit for my genius. My mother is a big fan of reading she was my first research instructor. She taught me how to use the card catalog (the non-computerized kind) at the age of six. She believed it was important to know how to find information, and of course to read regularly.

It wasn't until I went to college that I needed to go to the library to do extensive research. Of course my past experience made me pretty good at finding information, a dandy skill come 3am the day before the term paper was due. I was (still am) excited to learn about all the other sources of information. By this time the use of electronic databases for research was becoming acceptable and was something new for me to learn. As we move further into the electronic age and rely more on digital resources we shouldn't be so hasty. You still can find a wealth of information in the basic (*'so totally old fashioned') reference materials.

Maybe I should start reading that old dictionary again.


*This quote provided by my student staff person.

Come listen to GW speak...Only if you aren't on the LIST

Earlier this week a number of people, 42 to be exact, were put on a "do-not-admit" list for Bush's Social Security speech in Fargo, ND. Among the list members was a librarian.

It appears that an "overzealous volunteer" was responsible for developing this list and providing copies to those distributing tickets. The White House spokesman Jim Morrell claims that the staff there were not aware of any list. Both the White House and the ND Republican party have not been able to determine identity of the volunteer. How convenient. It must have been your standard phantom volunteer called in to do the dirty work and suddenly become a unidentifiable missing person. Where's my milk carton......I saw it here a minute ago.....

Thanks for looking out for my freedom Prez.