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A Library-Themed Christmas

This Christmas, my husband gave me several library-themed gifts. I said I was touched because it demonstrated to me how he was supportive of my decision to pursue an MLIS degree and change careers. His response was, "Oh, sure, that's what I was doing."

Okay, so maybe he didn't intentionally select the gifts for that reason, but he has been very supportive and I love the gifts. (If you're wondering where he found them, he searched Google for "librarian.")

My favorite gift (shown at right) is the Deluxe Librarian Action Figure, with “amazing push-button Shushing Action.” Featuring the likeness of real librarian Nancy Pearl, the 5” tall vinyl figure comes with a reference desk, computer, book cart, multiple book stacks and some loose books, including a tiny plastic replica of Nancy's book, "Book Lust."

My other gifts included the following books: "Death Books A Return: A Scrappy Librarian Mystery," by Marion Moore Hill, which I very much enjoyed reading over the holiday break (I also ordered her other book in the series); "Quiet, Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian," by Scott Douglas, which I'm reading now (very funny); and "Library: An Unquiet History," by Matthew Battles, which I'm planning to read during the semester break.

Cool. I love Mad Men

NY Public Library's researchers field calls & texts 24/7
By Jeremy Olshan, New York Post

They have an answer for (almost) everything. Whether it's the writers of "Mad Men" calling to ensure the hit show's portrayal of the city in 1963 is accurate, or a fourth-grader stumped on her science project, the research librarians at the New York Public Library are the question authorities.

Created in the 1960s as the telephone reference desk, the team of six senior librarians in the catalogue area of the stunning Rose Reading Room now take hundreds of questions each day by phone, e-mail, online chat -- and, as of a few weeks ago -- by text message.

Most of the requests relate to mundane matters such as obtaining a library card, but each day there are several dozen juicy "cherry questions," senior librarian Bernard van Maarseveen told The Post.

"These are our bread-and-butter questions -- the ones that keep us coming in each day and keep us from calling out sick," he said. "These could take days or weeks."

The writers of "Mad Men," for instance, call frequently while working on the show. For example:

"Right now on taxi cabs you have lights that say 'off duty,' and they wanted to know if those lights were on in 1963," said Maarseveen, whose desk is piled with books filled with such Big Apple arcana.

"They also wanted to know what was scheduled to be on TV the day of the Kennedy assassination," he said... (full article)

Spring 2010 and Snow!

Well, I've made it through 2-1/2 semesters of the program. This term I'm taking LIS 2500: Reference Resources and Resources and LIS 2585: Health Consumer Resources and Services. I'm also continuing my internship with the ipl2, with a focus on marketing. So far, everything is going well.

The campus has been closed this week because of the blizzard so I have another week to catch up on my work. The photo to the right is of the Hillman Library. Pittsburgh has gotten about 2 feet of snow. I live north of Pittsburgh and we've had a lot less - about 10 feet - but it's still coming down.