When You Reach Me

Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me, the 2010 Newberry award winner, is one of my new favorite young adult books.  It's hard to put your finger on what genre this book belongs in, but it is essentially a coming-of-age story of a young girl growing up in New York City in the late 1970s.  In When You Reach Me, the main character Miranda deals with the typical issues of a sixth grader, like the complicated dynamics of friendship and first romances, while becoming entangled in an extraordinary mystery that will save the life of her best friend.

The story is compelling and the reader becomes a part of the mystery as pieces begin to fall into place.  I loved this book, I couldn't put it down. The main character Miranda is a work of genius. I felt like I knew her and recognized little bits of myself in her. The story is heartbreaking yet beautiful and hopeful.

I recommend this book for 4th-8th graders, and for adults who want a unique reading experience and to reconnect with their youth.  This book may be a little challenging for some children/young adults (I don't know if I would have liked it myself when I was younger), but it could be a good tool to stretch a young person's mind or introduce them to the fantasy/sci fi genre.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. the World this weekend with my boyfriend Nick and his friend Tim.  Awesome movie!  I really enjoyed it.  I am in love with the TV show Arrested Development, and Michael Cera can do no wrong in my eyes.  The movie runs just under 2 hours and it went by in a flash.  It's been a while since I've been sad that a movie was over.  Based on the quick research I did, the movie seemed to do an amazing job of staying true visually to the series of graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley.  (P.S. Amazon has some great previews of the books).  The movie actually really made me want to read the series because it was so incredible visually.  Tim's reading the series right now, and he said the movie left out a couple great fight scenes.  Normally, as a bibliophile, that would bother me, but this time I'm excited the movie left something out so I still have more to experience!  I loved the graphic quality of the movie and the old school video game references.  Do yourself a favor and see this movie!  Better yet, check out the graphic novels!

Fever 1793

I'm taking a Children's Lit course this fall, and I plan to write about some of the books we read along the way.  Right now I'm reading ahead a bit to get a start on the semester.

The first book I read for class was Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever 1793.  The book is targeted to middle schoolers but I highly recommend this book even for adults.  Fever 1793 is a quick read but with lots of substance.  The characters are well-developed, especially the main character, 14 year old Matilda Cook (Mattie).  Fever 1793 is a coming of age story about how Mattie faces adversity when faced with the tragic yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793.  Anderson paints a vivid picture of the politics and society in 1793, and the perpetual struggle of mankind to help one another survive in the face of disaster. 

On a personal note, Fever 1793 reminded me that the struggle and adversity that you face in life makes you stronger and shapes the person you become.

Librarian Breaking the Rules

Today I went to my local public library to find some books for a class project on international cookbooks and pick up a book I had on hold, Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Played With Fire (can't wait to read it!).

When I found the books I needed, I walked up to the check out counter and there were three people working at the desk, one working with a patron and the other two checking in or processing books.  I saw the roped off area where the line was supposed to begin, but since no one was in line and two staff members weren't busy with patrons, I decided to stand near the two who weren't busy to save myself a few steps and not look like a moron for going to stand in the right area when there was no line.  After a few awkward moments and other patrons getting in the "real" line, one of the staff members called on me.  She sort-of nicely said to me, "Just so you know, the real line starts over there."  I was so embarrassed!  What kind of (future) librarian breaks the rules and doesn't stand in line?  Shame on me!  I was over-reacting a little because I had a crappy day, but I resolved never to not stand in the line ever again. 

The interaction ended better than it began: the staff member commented on one of my books and we exchanged some pleasantries.  And I did get some awesome books for my project so the experience wasn't a total loss.

Another library experience I had that surprised me with the same feeling of guilt and inadequacy as a librarian was while I was volunteering at the other public library in town.  The librarian I worked with when volunteering would often bring cupcakes and other baked goods into the office for her co-workers, and would always offer me one at the end of my shift. 

The first time this happened, I ended up sneaking it out of the library, trying to hold the cupcake with one hand and it with the other.  It had coconut on the top, and I kept dropping little bits of coconut everywhere on my way out of the building.  I just wanted to take the cupcake home to enjoy it as it deserved, but for the next day or so I kept worrying that I had gotten the librarian in trouble or been a bad influence on all the patrons who had seen me leaving the library with a cupcake in hand.  I guess I was afraid it would start a cupcake anarchy or something. 

Of course, nothing came of it.  But the next time the librarian offered me a cupcake, I told her of my qualms and she escorted me out of the building using the staff staircase and walking me to the entrance.

Hopefully I can start being a better influence on library patrons from here on out!

Netflix Addiction

For starters, it's my new goal to post to my blog at least once a week about something.  I mean, come on, at least one interesting thing has to happen to me every week, right?

Today I want to talk about my love of Netflix.  Best $15 I could spend each month.  If I was a better student, I would wisely cancel my Netflix subscription so I would get more work done.  But alas, it makes me too happy.  And I've learned from the few months here and there when I've been out of school that life is less fun when you don't have anything to procrastinate doing.

I mainly use my Netflix subscription for watching TV series.  It can be hard for me to make time to watch an entire movie, but I can somehow make time to watch 5 episodes of Veronica Mars in a row (just one more episode.....).  The most dangerous part of Netflix for me is the ability to watch so many things instantly now.  I honestly don't know what I would do without a good wireless connection anymore.

My latest Watch Instantly discovery that blew my mind and made my week is Shelly Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre.  I used to check the VHS tapes of each individual faerie tale out from my local public library all the time when I was younger, to the point where I have memorized most of the words from and have certain foods associated with my favorite fairy tales (bread for Hansel and Gretel, sugar doughnut holes for Cinderella...don't ask me why).  Netflix has the whole 7 disc set of 26 fairy tales available to watch, a few of which I have never seen before because they weren't available at my library.

It's so much fun to go back and watch these stories that played such a big role in my childhood and in the formation of my very active imagination.  Thank you Netflix!


P.S. I'm pretty sure that my favorite of the 26 fairy tales is still The Dancing Princesses.

Organize

While reading a textbook for a summer class I started today, the authors discussed the meaning of the word "organize" in the context of librarianship.  When I tell people that I study Library and Information Science, they often ask me, "But what does a librarian DO?"  My answer to this question usually involves a long, drawn-out discussion of the many and varied tasks that a librarian is responsible for, but this short section of my textbook really captures what I think being a librarian is all about.  The authors of the textbook took their definition from Merriam-Webster, but I'm partial to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).  Here is what I found in the OED:

Organize, v. trans. To arrange into a structured whole; to systematize; to put into a state of order; to arrange in an orderly manner, put in a particular place or order, tidy.

This perfectly describes what a librarian does and why librarians are so important in the world of information and knowledge.

Librarians organize information in a meaningful way so that people can find and access the resources they need.  Several professors during my time in Library school have stressed the importance of creating access to library materials.  If a person can't access the information they need, that information is useless.  This is also connected to the AV Materials class I am taking right now as well, where I learned that even if you have the rarest piece of old video footage of an important event, if you don't have the carrier needed to play the footage, it becomes essentially worthless (although you should try to find someone who has the carrier that can play the footage for you if this happens, obviously).  Librarians provide access to things by making them easier to find.  We make sense of the chaos of information that we are inundated with in the world today and we "put [it] into a state of order."  We give it a place so that one day, another person can go to that place and make an important discovery: it could be a phone number or a crucial piece of evidence to support the main argument of a dissertation. 

What a great career and calling in life, librarians "tidy" up information so that it can be used in a meaningful way by the world.

P.S.  I love the word "tidy" and I love to tidy up things, so I guess I found the perfect profession.

P.P.S.  Here is the citation for my textbook if anyone wants to read more about information organization:

Taylor, Arlene G., and Daniel N. Joudrey. The Organization of Information. Westport, Conn: Libraries   
       Unlimited, 2009.

We are all deserving of love

What?!  Sandra Bullock won an Oscar?!?

In all seriousness, I think she's a great actress and she always makes me laugh.  But what I truly found extraordinary about Sandra Bullock in last night's Oscars was her acceptance speech.  Not only was it touching and funny, but she said something of great importance that I believe with all my heart and want to share here.

While she was thanking her mom, Sandra Bullock said:

“There’s no race, no religion, no class system, no color, nothing, no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else.  We are all deserving of love.”

Frankly, I'm glad she won just so she could say this.  Now I'm not only a fan of Sandra Bullock's acting and comedic skills, but I am impressed with her understanding of humanity.  

We are all deserving of love.

Advising and Direction

I had a meeting with my advisor on Wednesday morning.  I was feeling a little overwhelmed trying to plan out what classes to take since I'm on an accelerated track, trying to graduate with my Master of Science in one year.  I only get one chance to do everything.   I'm trying to do a general course of study with a certificate in Rare Books and Special Collections.  The plan is that going this route will allow me to work in an academic or public library, but I could also get into something more specialized with my background in Art History and French, like working in Archives, Special Collections or Museums. 

The financial climate on the U of I's campus right now is incredibly tense.  Students and faculty alike are hunkering down and preparing for the worst.  The campus is on a hiring freeze, faculty and staff are required to furlough, and competition for Graduate Assistantships and funding is fierce.  I'm hoping everything will work out and I will find a good library job on campus at least for the fall semester if not before. 

I feel really lucky that I have such a solid academic background and some unique professional experiences like my internship with Leslie Hindman Auctioneers that will set me apart from other people applying for jobs in both the short and long term.  I've also been volunteering quite a bit down here in Champaign-Urbana, volunteering in the Circulation and InterLibrary Loan departments at Champaign Public Library and at the Center for Children's Books at GSLIS (my department, the Graduate School of Library and Information Science). 

It's hard to focus on the present with all the scary realities out there, but I'm trying to focus on my school work, the opportunities I'm having to give back to the community through my volunteer work and learn more about the LIS field, and Nick and the wonderful friends and interesting people I've met down here so far!

The adventures of a (soon-to-be) librarian

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who loved books.  She grew up and she still loved books, and she decided to become a librarian...after she decided to become an art historian.  But at least she figured it out eventually :)

Doesn't really sound like a fairytale, does it?  But that's my reality.  Reality is harder to live with than the world of make-believe and fate...though I'm a big fan of that world as well, and escapisim in general.  Reality, though, relies solely on the choices you make in your own life.  It's about responsibility and accountability, but also about empowerment.

That's what my decision to pursue Master's degree #2 has taught me.  There aren't any easy decisions in life, but sometimes making a decision and committing to it is the most important thing you can do to bring your life to where you want it to be.  I still miss the people I've known and the places I've been, but I'm very happy to be right where I am right now.  And I'm even more excited about where I'm going.

So that's what this blog will be about: what happens after you make the decision and take a leap of faith.  It's going to be an interesting journey!