Hilarity and Comfort Food

Checking my "feeds" this morning, I found that both The Shifted Libarian and the Free Range Librarian had postings. The second blog discussed the trials and tribulations of moving and having a big fiasco at work simultaneously, and her craving for some junk food to make her feel better. I can relate well to where she is coming from, for it seems that whenever I try to improve my eating habits, situations in my life conspire to undermine that change. One source for challenges to healthy eating that many people seem to be oblivious to is the changing of the seasons. For thousands of years, this time of year was a time to stock up for the winter, to gather in the harvest, and eat more in order to increase fat stores for the winter. Compared to our ancestors (hunter-gatherers, farmers), librarians have a sedentary lifestyle. It seems imperative to me that library staff have access to wellness programs, especially ones that are close to work/home. It appears to the layperson that since librarians have access to any and all knowledge, they should already know how to live a healthy lifestyle.

On a more humorous note, The Shifted Libarian used her blog to share her delight at having her “staff inservice day video” posted on YouTube. This was my first time viewing video on YouTube, and the age of my computer was a real handicap. The video was jerky, fuzzy, and hard to make out. (Guess I know where part of my next student loan is going . . .) However, the parts that I could make out were funny at times, like when the computer repair staff dressed and acted like surgeons, and covered the "corpse" of a Mac G3 tower with a shroud. I think I also saw the entrance to the children's library, which looked like a giant mouth, complete with teeth. It made me want to go visit SJCPL someday. I look forward to seeing the video in class tomorrow on a faster connection and computer.

Since this will be my last blog for this assignment, I've thought about what I've learned from this assignment. I have a slightly more positive opinion of "blogs" than when I began. Many of us, I believe, feel the need to be listened to, and have since childhood. We want to write, to communicate our message, but are intimidated by the whole process of writing and publishing a book, short story, etc. But in our hectic, frenzied day-to-day living, opportunities for genuine communication are all but nonexistent. For some, blogs serve as something between a personal journal, and published writing. This is good, for it allows us to feel like we've written something that others may want to read. But it is not enough, because meaningful dialog takes place in real time, in a specific context, between two flesh-and-blood human beings. As my fiancee said when we were dating in college (here I am paraphrasing), if you don't have something deep and meaningful to say, I don't have time to bother with you.

Until later . . . ?


The New Old Student

Jobs and Technology

I would like to be witty, thoughtful, or in some way, "refreshing" as a blogger, but it's late, I am short on sleep, and I want to get the next part of this assignment done. I checked my feeds several times today, and finally two came through.

The Ocean is so Big and my Boat is so Small
Being unemployed, it seemed logical to subscribe to a feed that talks about jobs in this field, so I hooked into Bellefield, which is ostensibly about "Job Information for Library and Information Science." This particular feed seems more for the LIS person who has been in the field awhile. The level of experience and knowledge that institutions are looking for seem to far exceed what is expected of a “mere” master’s degree. My wife got her master’s in theology, but no place would even give her the time of day until she had her PhD. I’m not saying I want to go down the looooooong road of getting a doctorate. It just seems that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to this profession.
The one common thread I’ve noticed in looking at job postings in the field is the near-universal use of the term, “self-starter.” I have that quality hiding somewhere inside of me, but as I’ve gotten older, it gets harder and harder to start-over. I can see where being a part of a dynamic, challenging degree program, combined with memberships in related professional organizations, is the bare minimum needed to learn the skills I will need to bring to the job. I once saw a T-shirt in a catalog that read:

“God, help me be the person my therapist medicates me to be.”

I would offer one for graduate students that says,

“God, help me to be the professional _________ my student loans commit me to be.” (Fill in your profession of choice.)

Until tomorrow!

Comments welcome!

Comments to this blog are encouraged, especially from classmates in L401, and the instructor.