Joss Whedon’s SugarShock

Read SugarShock on Myspace. An internet comic written by Joss Whedon.

An Engineer’s Guide to Cats

Meet the Directors

“CLRC (Central New York Library Resources Council) is please to announce the latest feature on our website, a monthly pod-cast entitled “Meet the Directors”. Listen to a short interview each month with a different director of a CLRC member organization. Our first director to be featured is Mary Lou Caskey, Director of the Mid-York Library System. Mary Lou will be retiring in June so we were pleased that she could take time out of her very busy schedule to meet with us for 15 minutes.  Let us know what you think of our latest feature and we hope you enjoy hearing from your fellow colleagues.”

Check out Meet the Directors at CLRC.org.

Nancy Pearl

I went and saw Nancy Pearl, the Michael Jordan of Librarians, at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library on Wednesday night (5/21). She signed my Deluxe Librarian Action Figure! Nancy is a fantastic speaker and the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library is bad arse. The talk was centered around Readers Advisory towards children and young adults. Nancy has a simple four doorway philosophy towards RA… Story, Character, Setting, and Language doorways. Most children’s books are going to have large story doorways. Children don’t have the time or patience to get into character development, the experience to get into setting, or the language skills required to appreciate the language doorway.

Shiny news

Watch full episodes of Firefly (the greatest T.V. show ever canceled) at hulu.com.

icanhascheezburger.com

more cat pictures

I got leid at the State Librarian retirement party

Janet Martin Welch, distinguished New York State Librarian is retiring from service next month.  Her retirement party was held yesterday on the fourth floor of the New York State Museum.  It was tropical themed with plenty of desert options. 

The party centered around what she has done for New York State libraries and praising her for her advocacy efforts.  She looked rather uncomfortable as legislators, regents, advocates, and coworkers stepped up to the mic to present her with honors and going away presents. 

The best story of the party came from Carol Desch, Coordinator of Statewide Library Services and Director of Library Development (also my boss’ boss).  Melvil Dewey, who many consider the father of modern librarianship, was a misogynist and an anti-semite.  So when Janet became the first female New York State Librarian (a position

held by Dewey), she told a news reporter that she hoped he was “spinning in his grave.”  A portrait of Dewey hangs in the New York State Library’s Librarians Room along with the last State Librarian Joseph F. Shubert (who was at the party).  A beautiful/very regal looking portrait of Janet will be hanging directly across from Dewey in the Librarians Room, so he can always see how wrong he was.  It was definitely a girl-power moment.

 

You can read more about her retirement in the NYSALB (New York State Association of Library Boards) newsletter.

LOL Cats!

There’s one for every occasion.  Sorry I’ve been gone so long!

Check out the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats at Hobotopia!

Library School, Post #2

Second semester is over.  Haven’t heard what my grades are yet, but I aced everything I’m sure.  I’m good like that ;o). 

So I had a very good professor and a few less than stellar professors this semester.  The Information Science program at UAlbany needs work.  They have an extreme reliance on adjunct teaching professors.  I”m 10 courses in and I’ve only had three “staff” professors.  No one wants to pay a grand a course to learn from a doctoral student not much older than myself. 

I go back and forth over my decision to come here for graduate school.  I’ve wanted to go to Syracuse since I can remember.  I just could not afford to go.  UAlbany was kind of a last resort.  I have a lot of complaints about this place, but if I would just stop comparing it to SU, I might end up liking it.  The city of Albany is not that bad a place.  Ofcourse I live in Schenectady, so my basis for comparison is weak.    

It’s been awhile

Europe Trip… Work… School.  You’re all caught up.  It has been far too long since my last post.  Luckily, school is over for the semester and I’ll have alot more time to do what I wanna do (which is, ofcourse, writing on a blog that noone reads).