Collected Shorts

Writing About Death...

The death of Norman Mailer this past weekend prompted me to think about those who write the obituary columns for newspapers. His death was covered in every media shape and form. Speaking with a colleague at the library about his death, I remarked how I was somewhat amused at the NY TIMES obituary on Mailer. Amused- how so?

The four page obit was a condensed biography of the writer. At times, the "essay" was amusing-

"At different points in his life Mr. Mailer was a prodigious drinker and drug taker, a womanizer, a devoted family man, a would-be politician who ran for mayor of New York, a hipster existentialist, an antiwar protester, an opponent of women’s liberation and an all-purpose feuder and short-fused brawler, who with the slightest provocation would happily engage in head-butting, arm-wrestling and random punch-throwing. Boxing obsessed him and inspired some of his best writing. Any time he met a critic or a reviewer, even a friendly one, he would put up his fists and drop into a crouch".

Hipster existentialist? Reading the obituary, I thought about all the famous folks out there who are still alive. I wondered if the NY Times wrote the Mailer obituary sometime ago and filed it away in the drawer- or computer? How many amongst the living have their obits pre-written so that in the event of their death- the paper has it ready for press?

I might be wrong on this assumption? There is nothing wrong with this process and it would probably make things much easier to have it all ready...just in case!


About the night...

Life out here in the Northwest has been at a different pace. I am often being asked these days if I miss New York. It has been just a little over 2 months since I left Brooklyn. I have started to adapt to the early closings of the bars and restaurants here.

It has been a challenge sometimes to find a place to have a late night dinner in the Tacoma area. Most restaurants stop serving food around 9pm weeknights and 11pm on weekends. Yes yes- there are a few exceptions to this rule.

I am not alone in my quest. I often find others who post to the Exit133 forum asking the same questions (i.e. where can I get a cup of coffee at 11pm?). Does this mean I cook at home more often? I would probably have to answer yes to that question.


About Teens...

The new teen space at the library is completed! It was a great learning experience creating the new space. I tried to focus on creating a "teen lounge" that was part modernist, hipster (existentialist??), cool, da bomb, etc. etc. The 2 large flat screen TVs mixed in with that hi-tech industrial look, gives the teens a cool hang-out environment.

The bookcases and front entryway were designed with acrylic panels that are back lit. The walls are a deep purple and the accessories are metallic, chrome and black and white. The computers (not in pics) are black with chrome accents. Wireless headsets compliment the TVs which have cable.

This was a great project to work on. Teens are liking the space and programming is in the works to utilize the area for gaming, etc. etc. Yeah- how cool is that!

Heat of Summer

It's been a few days since I have posted here and I have to admit that I have been really busy getting ready for my move out west. I have been packing and shipping boxes. In addition, I have been selling my furniture on Craigslist which has been time consuming- in the sense that I have folks coming by to see or buy the furniture.

I find Craigslist a great service, however, I also find it problematic. I have posted everything from a TV to a dresser to bed. In most cases, I get several responses from people who are interested in the furniture. Those people express an interest in coming by to see the furniture and I oblige by arranging a time for them to come over. Problem is they never show-up or call to cancel! I have learned this is common.

I don't know if this is a New York thing or common in other cities? I do know that the scams are everywhere. E-mails from folks that will send a cashier's check and send a moving company to pick up your lamp is a bit odd.

Nevertheless, even though I can't use Craigslist as an excuse for not writing. I can blame this summer as the reason. What? It's true! Seriously, I have the proof. Lisa Belkin in a recent article in the NY Times writes about how we are a bit slower and lazy during the summer months. She couldn't even get herself to write the article- curiously I felt the same way about writing this post. I just could not get myself in the write mode. Maybe the heat, maybe everyone on vacation also allows us to pretend we are on vacation, maybe we are programmed to slow down during the summer months. I for one seem to get tired during these hot days and find myself taking a nap- which seems to only happen during the summer!

What does this all mean? I apologize to anyone who wakes up and grabs their morning java and reads my latest post du jour! Yes- I do have a sense of humor! Needless to say, I will be pulling the plug next week and disconnecting my internet service as I get ready to hit the road. Even though I have every intention of trying to update this blog while on the road, and detail my travels with Milo and my friend Rick, the hotter the weather the less likely I might see myself sitting in a cafe in Fargo, North Dakota banging away at the keyboard.

Wikipedia Power

The world of information is overwhelming. Our lives are inundated with information from every angle. Our ears and eyes are perhaps the most inundated. Whether it's sitting on a train listening to someone talking about their life drama (hey, isn't that news?) or listening to Morning Edition on NPR or watching TV News or reading the review of the Harry Potter book before you were allowed to read it!

Yet another entry into the world of information is Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia that all of us can contribute to in one way or another- even though our contribution may not be trustworthy or accurate. What many do not realize is that Wikipedia is also being used as a source of current and up-to-date news. An example of this would be the Wikipedia page for the recent TAM airline crash in Brazil that killed 200 people. What intrigues me about this Wikipedia article is the in-depth information. At the top of the page is a header that informs the reader that this article is about a current event.

The article includes plenty of resources and even links to the video footage- which in itself is hard to watch- but you can clearly see the intense speed the plane was traveling down the runway. A great deal of research is done to gather all this information about an event and put it all together into one source for all of us read.

As a librarian, I believe this Wikipedia entry is a valuable resource for patrons of the library. If you think of a scenario where someone would come to the reference desk and ask about the recent plane crash in Brazil- we could refer the person to this Wikipedia article. Not only does it give information about the crash but it also provides information about the type of aircraft, the city, the airport, aviation history and much more- all with external links of information to all the above. Before Wikipedia, we would have to point to dozens of resources to collect this information for someone-- i.e. newspaper articles, airplane manufacturers, country profiles, etc. etc.

Then again, if you really think about it, with this Wikipedia article does anyone really need to come to the library to get this information? Or do they just go online and punch up Google and get this Wikipedia page? A debate in our profession now and in the future.

Cool Factor

The Gothamist reported today about the recent articles that appeared in the NY Times and the NY Sun about hip librarians. I know this will be interpreted as a much needed publicity boost to the profession. I am not sure how many will read this article and run out to enroll in the nearest library school, however, there will be some surge in that cool librarian phenomena. Many attempts have been made over the years to change the perception of that image (we) embedded in our visual databases of a typical librarian- glasses, hair in a bun and long skirt.

Truth be told, I am not sure if I was considering the image of the librarian when I decided to pursue the profession? I was only reminded about the "historical" librarian image while I was in library school. None of my friends made comments or associated me with this image. What about the image of a male librarian? I could probably research what a male librarian use to look like back in the day, but I will let everyone come up with their own image of the male librarian.

Yes, there was the character from the TV mini-series The Librarian that seemed to be popular and probably, in some fashion, put the male librarian's image on the map. But, I never really thought about being an Indiana Jones librarian.

Does there need to be an image? I wonder how the image of a policeman, fireman or nurse has changed? Ok- that is comparing apples and oranges- or is it?

I like listening to all kinds of music, however, if I have my mp3 player or car radio, I am most likely listening to alternative/rock music--- AFI, the Cure, Muse, etc. etc. Does that make me a rock librarian? How cool is that? We can start this whole group of librarians into rock music! I am sure that already exists. What is a rock librarian anyway?