My son, the tech geek just sent me this analogy for those of us tech challenged humans inhabiting the earth. Enjoy!
It's Analogy Time: How Caches Work
Caches are pretty simple to understand. Let's say you're running a library with thousands of books and thousands of users. Allowing everyone to roam freely would create a traffic nightmare so you make all requests for books go through your help desk. A customer approaches the desk, tells your employee what book they want, and your employee runs to grab the book. This happens for each request. The time it takes your employee to return with a book after receiving a request from a customer is your service time and it's a value that you want to keep as low as possible in order to prevent you losing your customers to another library.
Over time your employee may notice that certain books are frequently requested. A smart employee would decide to have copies of these books at the help desk, to more quickly service those requests. With a large enough desk, your employee could likely accommodate a good percentage of the requests that come by. At the end of the day, doing so would lower your service time and allow you to serve more customers. Requesting a book not located at the help desk would still take the same amount of time.
If reading patterns change over time, your employee could adapt. Assuming there's a finite amount of space at the help desk, books that are no longer as frequently read as they once were could be evicted from the desk and replaced with more popular titles.
The library I've described above is an example of a cache. The books are of course data, the customers are instructions and the help desk is the cache itself. Data that's accessed more frequently is stored in the cache and as access patterns change, so does the data in the cache.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
New Years Eve Dressing
Not staying home this New Year’s Eve and want to look your best. Even a little ‘Sexy”
First as always, emphasize your good points and minimize what you are self-conscious about.This is the year, where style flaunts great legs. Dresses that are knee length or shorter are abundant.
Decide what style you want? Feel feminine and flirty go with a flowing fabric.
Party in Pants!You can still have fun if you wear pants like these soft pants from Speigels Pair them with a sparkly sweater, and some fancy baubles and you will look like a million!!
Not feeling as toned as you would like. Don't like your arms.Cover your arms with a cap or quirky sleeve. Then just cover them, ever so slightly! These dresses are a great example of camouflaging a problem area but still showing some skin!
Still have your skinny waist? Show it off--don't hide it!!
Need some more suggestions?
So, here are your basics to feel your best from ehow.
Figure out the dress code for the event you'll be attending. Is it a formal party? Semiformal? Casual?
Keep in mind that wherever you're going, there will always be other guests who are more and less dressy than you are.
Be the belle of the ball by pairing a metallic camisole with a satin ball gown skirt and rhinestone satin mules.
Slip into a silver or pink sequined silk dress with platform stilletos for a sleek sexy look.
Pull on a black fringe or silver beaded slipdress with silver mules.
Zip up a strapless black tube dress with glittering beaded trim.
Slip on a sequined silk/cashmere top with a knee length tulle ball skirt.
Attend a fairly casual party wearing sequined cropped pants with a velvet tube top for a relaxed yet sexy look. Or button up a pair of jeans with fabulous beaded fringe cuffs; then don a silk halter and mules.
Choose a simple necklace, bag or bracelet to keep everything clean.
Read more: How to Dress for a New Year's Eve Party - Women | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_9767_dress-new-years.html#ixzz1hxBCZKPI
First as always, emphasize your good points and minimize what you are self-conscious about.This is the year, where style flaunts great legs. Dresses that are knee length or shorter are abundant.
Decide what style you want? Feel feminine and flirty go with a flowing fabric.
Party in Pants!You can still have fun if you wear pants like these soft pants from Speigels Pair them with a sparkly sweater, and some fancy baubles and you will look like a million!!
Not feeling as toned as you would like. Don't like your arms.Cover your arms with a cap or quirky sleeve. Then just cover them, ever so slightly! These dresses are a great example of camouflaging a problem area but still showing some skin!
Still have your skinny waist? Show it off--don't hide it!!
Need some more suggestions?
So, here are your basics to feel your best from ehow.
Figure out the dress code for the event you'll be attending. Is it a formal party? Semiformal? Casual?
Keep in mind that wherever you're going, there will always be other guests who are more and less dressy than you are.
Be the belle of the ball by pairing a metallic camisole with a satin ball gown skirt and rhinestone satin mules.
Slip into a silver or pink sequined silk dress with platform stilletos for a sleek sexy look.
Pull on a black fringe or silver beaded slipdress with silver mules.
Zip up a strapless black tube dress with glittering beaded trim.
Slip on a sequined silk/cashmere top with a knee length tulle ball skirt.
Attend a fairly casual party wearing sequined cropped pants with a velvet tube top for a relaxed yet sexy look. Or button up a pair of jeans with fabulous beaded fringe cuffs; then don a silk halter and mules.
Choose a simple necklace, bag or bracelet to keep everything clean.
Read more: How to Dress for a New Year's Eve Party - Women | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_9767_dress-new-years.html#ixzz1hxBCZKPI
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Looking for the Perfect Legwear?
I just came across Peek Brooklyn, an online hosiery boutique. I have recently rediscovered the fun of wearing skirts and dresses and this site is a perfect match. They have any kind of leg coverings imaginable from funky to vintage. Prices seem to run from about $20 to $34 for their better tights.
From their site: "PEEK Brooklyn started as the dream of a hosiery enthusiast, myself, and offers for sale much of the hosiery I've featured in my blog Who Moved my Birkin - which has had over 10,000 and will continue to be updated and accompany PEEK with tips on how to wear and appreciate fine hosiery.
PEEK will always have the trendest hosiery of the season, vintage inspired pieces and your daily essentials. We will carry brands that you know and love as well as lesser-known brands that I have found on my travels around the world - sometimes bringing them to the states exlusively through this site. We also hope to support and launch smaller indie brands from both here and the rest of the world.
PEEK Brooklyn is located in the heart of Carroll Gardens, in Brooklyn New York."
Peek Brooklyn - Coloured Stockings, tights, hold-ups and leggings (clipped to polyvore.com
From their site: "PEEK Brooklyn started as the dream of a hosiery enthusiast, myself, and offers for sale much of the hosiery I've featured in my blog Who Moved my Birkin - which has had over 10,000 and will continue to be updated and accompany PEEK with tips on how to wear and appreciate fine hosiery.
PEEK will always have the trendest hosiery of the season, vintage inspired pieces and your daily essentials. We will carry brands that you know and love as well as lesser-known brands that I have found on my travels around the world - sometimes bringing them to the states exlusively through this site. We also hope to support and launch smaller indie brands from both here and the rest of the world.
PEEK Brooklyn is located in the heart of Carroll Gardens, in Brooklyn New York."
Peek Brooklyn - Coloured Stockings, tights, hold-ups and leggings (clipped to polyvore.com
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Holiday Shoes Which Will You Choose?
One of your most important accessories is a kickass pair of shoes. A new pair of shoes can do everything from dress up a favorite pair of jeans, breathe new life into your classic LBD, transform a simple dress into a eye-catching outfit or be the icing to your festive new frock. So, check out a few of these styles.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Enter To Win Two Timex Weekenders
Put Timex at the top of your gift list.
Tired of stressing over holiday gifts? This year, don’t wonder if your loved ones will ever use that trendy trinket; get them a gift that withstands the test of time with the Timex® Weekender™ collection.
The Timex® Weekender™ collection brings a relaxed, put-together style to any look. With unfussy designs and affordable prices, they’re sure to make the pickiest relatives feel merry and bright.
Give your classically handsome husband this bold timepiece with rugged leather straps and surprise your demure mother-in-law with the petite, casual women’s watch. Your teenage daughter can change her ticker as much as she changes outfits with the collection’s fashionable slip-thru straps.
As if the selection and price tags don’t bring enough comfort and joy, enter the Timex Give One Get One Sweepstakes now through 12/21/11, and earn the chance to win two watches from the Timex® Weekender Collection. After all, the only thing better than giving the perfect present is getting one.
Enter now – because like the holidays, this contest will be over in no time. Valid through 12/21/11.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Stuck for That Special Gift?
Here's some websites with unique and affordable ideas!!
Gifts Under $25 That Aren't Worthless
http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/756/gifts-under-25-that-arent-worthless/
Wired Staffers Most Wanted
http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/757/holiday-wish-list-wired-staffers-most-wanted/
Gifts the Give Back
http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/755/gifts-that-give-back/
How about that special mom?
http://www.purewow.com/ecs/2254.htm?sid=144786
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Holiday Sweaters--Not What You Think
Holiday sweaters have taken the fashion forefront, with no resemblance to the snowflake covered red sweaters your Aunt Ethel used to knit. Check out these sophisticated updates and be the bell of the ball. Or add your own gems to a simple cardigan and take off in style.
With the holiday sales, most sweaters are reduced for your shopping pleasure!!
With the holiday sales, most sweaters are reduced for your shopping pleasure!!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Eight Ways to Tie a Scarf
Check out Coldwater Creeks instructions on savvy ways to tie your scarf
http://www.coldwatercreek.com/style-spot/case-closed.aspx?bpid=130&d=2
Friday, December 2, 2011
WIN A KINDLE
I Heart Daily + Figment’s Books of 2011 Contest (Win a Kindle!)
December 2, 2011 By Anne 1 Comment
You know that feeling when you read a book that is so good, it’s all you can think about and you even shun Facebook for a few days until you finish? Well, we want to know what that book was for you in 2011! We’ve teamed up with our fine friends at Figment for the Books of 2011 Contest where you have a chance to win a Kindle loaded with each of our five favorite books of the year — that’s 10 books!
Here is your mission, if you wish to accept it:Write a review of your favorite book published in 2011. Submit your entry by December 16 at 11:59 p.m ET. Help chose the top 10 finalists by voting for your favorite entries. The finalists will be read and judged by I Heart Daily’s very own Melissa Walker, author of Small Town Sinners and four other young-adult novels.
How to enter:
1. Read the full rules here
2. Sign up for Figment
3. Write a review of your favorite book published in 2011, of no more than 300 words, and press “Publish Now”
4. In the details tab, tag your story iheartdailybooks
5. Wait the 2 hours it sometimes takes to see your piece appear below
Good luck!
http://iheartdaily.com/2011/12/i-heart-daily-figments-books-of-2011-contest-win-a-kindle/
Fun Friday--Why Google Will Never Replace Us!!
One of the listservs that I read put a call out for unique reference queries. I thought you all might enjoy these that she posted below or at: http://theoutreachlibrarian.com/2011/12/01/adventures-in-reference-or-this-is-why-google-will-never-replace-us/
Adventures in Reference, or this is why Google will never replace us
Posted on December 1, 2011 | Leave a comment
Some of the best outreach we do is through reference. A friendly, supportive, helpful reference experience can create bigger fans of the library than free cookies or a Neil Gaiman visit. When patrons walk away feeling listened to and helped, they are more likely to advocate for us, visit us and spread the word that the library has good stuff (like Penn Jillette said, we have good wi-fi). At the end of the day we are service providers.
Good reference service often means having patience, a good “I’m listening” look and going beyond the stacks to answer queries. Once a student was looking for a Bollywood movie she had to watch for class…by tonight. We did not have it; NetFlix did not have it. So I called all of the Indian grocery stores in the vicinity until I found someone who did have it. I found out which bus she could take to get there and how to get a movie account. She felt great about the library and I felt a little proud, I gotta say.
This week, I asked librarians to share their favorite adventures in reference. (We are quite the innovative group.) They each demonstrate in their own way best practices in reference service. And the librarian in question probably created a library lover for life.
Librarian as travel guide, or recognizing user need: Jessica Brown of the Enoch Pratt Free Library shares a story that many of us can relate to: “I had a patron come in asking for directions to a building that was near our location. I did the usual things (address, map, Google street view even), but this poor young woman looked so frazzled and anxious (and also, English was her second language), I decided, what the heck? After a brief conversation with my manager, I took the patron outside and walked her to her the building she was trying to get to. She was so relieved, she sprung at me and hugged me! I realize that this isn’t the most realistic way to handle a question of this type in all situations, but it was beyond apparent that this particular patron needed this information by way of travel guide.”
Mission accomplished!, or finding innovative ways to meet need: drue wagner-mees of the Los Angeles Public Library Brentwood branch is often called upon to help settle bets over outrageous topics with often outrageous stakes. A patron who lost such a bet had to cook a rattlesnake dinner for the winner. He came to the library seeking help with this task (of course!). “We had a southwestern style cookbook that had a really gorgeous photo of a “snake” made out of all sorts of chopped up small food items, like bits of chopped boiled egg, capers, and for the forked tongue you used a piece of pimento cut up. That saved his butt on this bet!” dree reports. The man loved the idea and checked the book out.
Heather Booth helped a patron trying to remember the name of a business that had burned down in town many years ago for a bet. Heather called the local fire department and asked to speak to the fire fighter who had been there the longest. The fire fighter remembered the fire and helped the patron settled his bet. Now THAT’S using your sources.
And, Jen Schuremen, Gloucester County, NJ Library System, had a gentleman who bet his friend that the score of their high school football game (they went to rival schools) in 1953 was a shutout. Jen searched archived local papers and discovered that the historical museum had yearbooks. So she went to the 1953 yearbook and found the score proving the patron was correct and owed a beer.
What is Mick Jagger actually singing here? No reference desk can rightly call themselves one if they have not helped a patron who cannot remember the name of a song but are happy to hum it for you. Karl Siewert of the Tulsa Public Library had a regular telephone patron who often called asking for lyrics to old songs. “She once asked for one that she couldn’t remember the tune to, but I could. I ended up singing the song to her over the phone, though not at the reference desk.” (In case you’re curious, it was “Button Up Your Overcoat.”)
Keeping a Straight Face Award, or don’t eat at this woman’s house: Michell Hackwelder, Northwestern University in Qatar, shares this eye-popper. When he worked at the Queensborough Public Library’s Central Library in the early 90’s, a woman came in saying she had frozen her baby’s placenta and wanted to know what she could do with it. Because she heard that placentas were important. The intrepid Michael gave her references on different cultures religious use of placenta, Medicinal/magical lore/use of placenta, and Use of animal not human placenta in shampoo. (See, we can answer any question…except maybe “could you please read this x-ray for me?”)
THIS is what reference is all about, or there is not really a specific time nor place for reference: Lawrie Merz of Messiah College was the on-call librarian the last weekend of the semester. At that time the desk was not open on the weekends, but the on-call librarian would carry a cellphone. Lawrie was surprised when she got a call, but helped the patron all while CUTTING DOWN HER CHRISTMAS TREE! “I walked them through navigating our homepage and getting to the right database (from memory—had to try to picture the homepage) and then coaching them by suggesting several keywords.”
That’s my librarian, dawg: Sandy Molz of the Swampscott, MA Public Library is the young adult librarian we want to grow up to be. She has two awesome rock ‘n’ roll reference stories. She recalls running into some young patrons at the Warped Tour who couldn’t find the stage hosting their favorite band. The librarian was able to guide them to the correct location (because she had read the schedule!). Even better: one of those library kids went to see Rancid and ended up talking with the band members. He had been into juggalo* music, so they asked him how he got into their music and he answered, “A librarian from the next town.”
Sometimes patrons need hands-on help, or yes we know this is a librarian stereotype: Laurena Schultz of Mt. Lebanon, PA Public Library, Tracey Johnson, Shawnee Community College, and Jeri Cohen, Patchogue-Medford, NY Library, have all provided hands-on knitting assistance to yarn-troubled patrons seeking books to help correct their knotty mistakes. “I felt funny, standing at the circulation desk with yarn and needles, but whatever helps our patron, right?” says Tracey. Exactly!
Where does stuff like this fit into a job description? Amy Gillespie knows first-hand that one never knows what they can expect at a reference desk. There is no “that’s not my job” at a reference desk. A patron came to the Pennsylvania public library where Amy worked needing information on her aunt. Specifically, the aunt had passed away and as she was not next-of-kin, the hospital couldn’t tell her any more than that. The distraught woman had visited her aunt often in the hospital, but was on bad terms with her cousin. She wanted information on funeral services, which Amy looked for diligently using all of the usual information suspects. Finally, she called someone she knew in the medical examiner’s office and got the details the woman was looking for. By the end of that interview, Amy had an invitation to a pecan orchard in Georgia.
Knowing what our patrons REALLY need: Sometimes our patrons just need us to do something for them. We all try to teach and guide so that they can do it themselves next time. But that’s not always the service truly needed. Heather Booth recalls a woman needing instruction to use Word in order to reformat the programs for her mother’s memorial service. Heather decided to just do it herself for the patron as “I just couldn’t sit there and teach her when it was such a personal, sensitive need.”
“So I need this one book about this one thing by this one author…”: Scottsdale, AZ Public Librarian Beth Medley epitomizes what I love about us: we won’t give up until we help a patron. A patron to read a book she had seen on a TV talk show. The catch? She didn’t know the book’s title or author, and she didn’t know which show she had seen it on. Beth prevailed and discovered the patron did know that it was Monday afternoon around 4:00. She did what any librarian worth her weight in free books did and went to the TV Guide website to identify the show. With that information in hand, Beth visited the show’s website to find that day’s schedule AND the book title. ”It took a while,” Beth confesses, ”but she left with what she wanted!”
We will use every available resource we can think of in the pursuit of an answer: Several years ago the Pope referenced a Chekov short story in his Easter homily, but didn’t name the story, recalls Heather Booth. A patron wanted to read it, so she scanned Chekov for the phrases the Pope had used, called several Catholic churches, the library of a nearby Catholic college, and the Archdiocese of Chicago. No one knew what it was and Heather maintains that His Holiness maybe read it long ago and forgot who really wrote the story. In any case, she suggests he could have used a librarian to help him fact check that homily! While Heather never found the answer, her persistence and dedication embody the spirit of reference.
Jen Schureman had a patron ask if it was possible to send a letter to Italy in 1915 and if so, how much would it cost and how it would get there. Jen first tried the United States Postal Service, but they didn’t know. She then tried the National Postal Museum at the Smithsonian Institute. She found out that it would cost 5 to 15 cents and it would get there by boat since airmail didn’t begin until 1918. (I hope that patron dedicated whatever World War I novel they were writing to Jen.)
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I am proud to call myself Librarian.
Adventures in Reference, or this is why Google will never replace us
Posted on December 1, 2011 | Leave a comment
Some of the best outreach we do is through reference. A friendly, supportive, helpful reference experience can create bigger fans of the library than free cookies or a Neil Gaiman visit. When patrons walk away feeling listened to and helped, they are more likely to advocate for us, visit us and spread the word that the library has good stuff (like Penn Jillette said, we have good wi-fi). At the end of the day we are service providers.
Good reference service often means having patience, a good “I’m listening” look and going beyond the stacks to answer queries. Once a student was looking for a Bollywood movie she had to watch for class…by tonight. We did not have it; NetFlix did not have it. So I called all of the Indian grocery stores in the vicinity until I found someone who did have it. I found out which bus she could take to get there and how to get a movie account. She felt great about the library and I felt a little proud, I gotta say.
This week, I asked librarians to share their favorite adventures in reference. (We are quite the innovative group.) They each demonstrate in their own way best practices in reference service. And the librarian in question probably created a library lover for life.
Librarian as travel guide, or recognizing user need: Jessica Brown of the Enoch Pratt Free Library shares a story that many of us can relate to: “I had a patron come in asking for directions to a building that was near our location. I did the usual things (address, map, Google street view even), but this poor young woman looked so frazzled and anxious (and also, English was her second language), I decided, what the heck? After a brief conversation with my manager, I took the patron outside and walked her to her the building she was trying to get to. She was so relieved, she sprung at me and hugged me! I realize that this isn’t the most realistic way to handle a question of this type in all situations, but it was beyond apparent that this particular patron needed this information by way of travel guide.”
Mission accomplished!, or finding innovative ways to meet need: drue wagner-mees of the Los Angeles Public Library Brentwood branch is often called upon to help settle bets over outrageous topics with often outrageous stakes. A patron who lost such a bet had to cook a rattlesnake dinner for the winner. He came to the library seeking help with this task (of course!). “We had a southwestern style cookbook that had a really gorgeous photo of a “snake” made out of all sorts of chopped up small food items, like bits of chopped boiled egg, capers, and for the forked tongue you used a piece of pimento cut up. That saved his butt on this bet!” dree reports. The man loved the idea and checked the book out.
Heather Booth helped a patron trying to remember the name of a business that had burned down in town many years ago for a bet. Heather called the local fire department and asked to speak to the fire fighter who had been there the longest. The fire fighter remembered the fire and helped the patron settled his bet. Now THAT’S using your sources.
And, Jen Schuremen, Gloucester County, NJ Library System, had a gentleman who bet his friend that the score of their high school football game (they went to rival schools) in 1953 was a shutout. Jen searched archived local papers and discovered that the historical museum had yearbooks. So she went to the 1953 yearbook and found the score proving the patron was correct and owed a beer.
What is Mick Jagger actually singing here? No reference desk can rightly call themselves one if they have not helped a patron who cannot remember the name of a song but are happy to hum it for you. Karl Siewert of the Tulsa Public Library had a regular telephone patron who often called asking for lyrics to old songs. “She once asked for one that she couldn’t remember the tune to, but I could. I ended up singing the song to her over the phone, though not at the reference desk.” (In case you’re curious, it was “Button Up Your Overcoat.”)
Keeping a Straight Face Award, or don’t eat at this woman’s house: Michell Hackwelder, Northwestern University in Qatar, shares this eye-popper. When he worked at the Queensborough Public Library’s Central Library in the early 90’s, a woman came in saying she had frozen her baby’s placenta and wanted to know what she could do with it. Because she heard that placentas were important. The intrepid Michael gave her references on different cultures religious use of placenta, Medicinal/magical lore/use of placenta, and Use of animal not human placenta in shampoo. (See, we can answer any question…except maybe “could you please read this x-ray for me?”)
THIS is what reference is all about, or there is not really a specific time nor place for reference: Lawrie Merz of Messiah College was the on-call librarian the last weekend of the semester. At that time the desk was not open on the weekends, but the on-call librarian would carry a cellphone. Lawrie was surprised when she got a call, but helped the patron all while CUTTING DOWN HER CHRISTMAS TREE! “I walked them through navigating our homepage and getting to the right database (from memory—had to try to picture the homepage) and then coaching them by suggesting several keywords.”
That’s my librarian, dawg: Sandy Molz of the Swampscott, MA Public Library is the young adult librarian we want to grow up to be. She has two awesome rock ‘n’ roll reference stories. She recalls running into some young patrons at the Warped Tour who couldn’t find the stage hosting their favorite band. The librarian was able to guide them to the correct location (because she had read the schedule!). Even better: one of those library kids went to see Rancid and ended up talking with the band members. He had been into juggalo* music, so they asked him how he got into their music and he answered, “A librarian from the next town.”
Sometimes patrons need hands-on help, or yes we know this is a librarian stereotype: Laurena Schultz of Mt. Lebanon, PA Public Library, Tracey Johnson, Shawnee Community College, and Jeri Cohen, Patchogue-Medford, NY Library, have all provided hands-on knitting assistance to yarn-troubled patrons seeking books to help correct their knotty mistakes. “I felt funny, standing at the circulation desk with yarn and needles, but whatever helps our patron, right?” says Tracey. Exactly!
Where does stuff like this fit into a job description? Amy Gillespie knows first-hand that one never knows what they can expect at a reference desk. There is no “that’s not my job” at a reference desk. A patron came to the Pennsylvania public library where Amy worked needing information on her aunt. Specifically, the aunt had passed away and as she was not next-of-kin, the hospital couldn’t tell her any more than that. The distraught woman had visited her aunt often in the hospital, but was on bad terms with her cousin. She wanted information on funeral services, which Amy looked for diligently using all of the usual information suspects. Finally, she called someone she knew in the medical examiner’s office and got the details the woman was looking for. By the end of that interview, Amy had an invitation to a pecan orchard in Georgia.
Knowing what our patrons REALLY need: Sometimes our patrons just need us to do something for them. We all try to teach and guide so that they can do it themselves next time. But that’s not always the service truly needed. Heather Booth recalls a woman needing instruction to use Word in order to reformat the programs for her mother’s memorial service. Heather decided to just do it herself for the patron as “I just couldn’t sit there and teach her when it was such a personal, sensitive need.”
“So I need this one book about this one thing by this one author…”: Scottsdale, AZ Public Librarian Beth Medley epitomizes what I love about us: we won’t give up until we help a patron. A patron to read a book she had seen on a TV talk show. The catch? She didn’t know the book’s title or author, and she didn’t know which show she had seen it on. Beth prevailed and discovered the patron did know that it was Monday afternoon around 4:00. She did what any librarian worth her weight in free books did and went to the TV Guide website to identify the show. With that information in hand, Beth visited the show’s website to find that day’s schedule AND the book title. ”It took a while,” Beth confesses, ”but she left with what she wanted!”
We will use every available resource we can think of in the pursuit of an answer: Several years ago the Pope referenced a Chekov short story in his Easter homily, but didn’t name the story, recalls Heather Booth. A patron wanted to read it, so she scanned Chekov for the phrases the Pope had used, called several Catholic churches, the library of a nearby Catholic college, and the Archdiocese of Chicago. No one knew what it was and Heather maintains that His Holiness maybe read it long ago and forgot who really wrote the story. In any case, she suggests he could have used a librarian to help him fact check that homily! While Heather never found the answer, her persistence and dedication embody the spirit of reference.
Jen Schureman had a patron ask if it was possible to send a letter to Italy in 1915 and if so, how much would it cost and how it would get there. Jen first tried the United States Postal Service, but they didn’t know. She then tried the National Postal Museum at the Smithsonian Institute. She found out that it would cost 5 to 15 cents and it would get there by boat since airmail didn’t begin until 1918. (I hope that patron dedicated whatever World War I novel they were writing to Jen.)
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I am proud to call myself Librarian.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
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