GIGO

Since I'm just getting around to reading my December edition of American Libraries, yesterday I came across the Opinion article by David Isaacson, "Don't Just Read - Read Good Books." I thought it wonderfully appropriate for my current course, and thus decided to take a closer look at it. Issacson argues that "Librarians ought to have the courage to say that some books aren't worth reading at all." I don't agree with that exact statement, because I know that patrons' reading interests are as diverse as they are colorful. I am reminded of a time when I recommended my favorite mystery to two patrons in the space of one week, and both of them came back and said they just hated it. So I would argue that Librarians should give patrons all kinds of synopsis, reviews, and any other information they request, but should hold off on giving their own opinion unless asked to do so by the patron.

Isaacson concludes with this statement, "Literacy is better than illiteracy, but discriminating readers are ever so much better than undiscriminating ones." And I thought, "Is he right?"

I would say yes, Issacson is correct in his thinking. After reading the article, I went to the OED to confirm the definition of discrimination : "To distinguish with the mind or intellect; to perceive, observe, or note the difference in or between." The ability to make this distinction is of vital importance, I believe. Whether the reader reads "the classics" or is content to read contemporary popular fiction, that person should have the ability to distinguish between the two. That is a point on which Librarians can be of tremendous help; we aren't here to tell a patron that a book is "good" or "bad," but we should encourage the patron to make the decision for him/herself. I can think of nothing worse than having the time to read anything at my fingertips, yet not being able to distinguish between solid, well-written prose or poetry, and the trite, run-of-the-mill fiction that is often published.

That brings me to my subject heading "GIGO." I learned this phrase as a child (I think I even learned a tune to sing it to...) : Garbage In, Garbage Out. If all one reads is garbage (and who decides it's garbage?), then they won't be able to produce any original thoughts or opinions; they will just be regurgitating garbage. There is no need to ban any kind of fiction (or nonfiction) from a library's collection, unless there is a statistical drop in interest for that author/genre. Sections of a collection should not be pulled just because of a few people's opinion.

By adhering to this argument, I, as a Reader's Advisor, would encourage any patron to read the synopsis of a book that they found interesting. I would help them look for reviews of the book, if they wished. Once I gave them all the information and/or advice requested, I would encourage them to read at least three chapters. If they didn't like it after three chapters, then just bring it back in to the library and find another book. There is nothing wrong with not finishing a book that you have started.

Being Useful

As many of you know, this blog started as a project for one of my Library School classes last semester. Along the way, I began to fill it up with my own personal stories and photos. While I don't know which kind of post is more appreciated - the personal or the scholarly - I've decided to once again use my blog as a project for a Library School class.

One of my classes this semester is for the Reading Interests of Adults. By the end of May, I will have learned how to be a good Reader's Advisor (I hope). Periodically for the next few months I will post reviews of Adult Fiction and Nonfiction. I welcome your comments and feedback.

Catching Up Part 3

After Christmas had been celebrated, I left the very cold Midwest, USA, for warm and sunny Italy for 10 days. The weather turned out to be not as perfect as I'd like, but I didn't complain too much, as I was on vacation and in Italy! Yay! This vacation was organized by my university's Alumni Association, so I only knew two people at the beginning of the trip. I eventually became acquainted with the 28 others in our group.

What follows is a very brief view of my trip to Italy. If you're interested in seeing more, I am putting together a longer slide show which I will present in a month or so to my friends and family. More information on the time and place of that presentation will be posted on this blog at a future date.

The plane ride to Italy was very difficult for me. (I have never had motion sickness in my life, despite being force-fed Dramamine by my mother when I was a child.) I believe that at various times during the vacation I suffered from High-Altitude Illness. And before you tell me that the plane was correctly pressurized or whatnot, let me tell you that whatever it was, something made me feel very ill. I became nauseated and extremely fatigued. Chris had to support me as I walked off the plane. We soon met up with some of our other travelers in a corridor, and he let go of me, not realizing how weak I was. I fell against the glass wall of the corridor, and stayed there for a few minutes until I felt better. Consequently, the photo below was my first view of Italy.

On the morning of 29 December, our group visited Vatican City. After seeing much of the Vatican Museum and some of the grounds, our tour guide explained that when we entered the Sistine Chapel, we mustn't speak or take photos. However, it seemed as though only our group obeyed that rule, for the Sistine Chapel was humming with noise. The lighting was very poor, so I couldn't see the ceiling or The Last Judgement very well. After five minutes of this (and our group was told that we could stay for 20 minutes), Chris and I ditched the group and went in search of the Vatican Library. My skin was all a-tingle just thinking about the library. I knew we most likely wouldn't be allowed in, but Chris had told me that there are usually books from their collection on display. After a few wrong turns, we found the corridor leading to the library. Alas, no books were on display, and we were not allowed to enter. This photo is of the entrance to the library.

Later that day some of us walked to the Spanish Steps. This is a shot from the top of the steps. In the center of the photo, you can see the dome of St. Peter's Cathedral.

On Saturday, 30 December, many of us journeyed to Assisi (of St. Francis fame). Here is a photo I took while standing in one of the main piazzas in the small hill town. At the bottom of the frame, in the distance, you can see the dome of the Cathedral to St. Mary of the Angels.

On the morning of Sunday, 31 December, some of us went to visit The Colosseum and the surrounding areas. I had to duck out early to meet Giovanni (friend of my mother's), and I was nearly crushed in the subway on the way from the Colosseum to the hotel. Here is one of the beautiful umbrella pines on top of Palatine, one of the seven hills of Rome. These pine trees were everywhere in Rome, and they are spectacular!

Later that afternoon, Donna, Chris, and I walked all around the north and east areas of Rome, and had a wonderful time. I ducked into every bookshop I could find, and ended up buying Harry Potter e la pietra filosofale and Harry Potter e la camera dei segreti. Chris tried an orange from one of the trees lining the sidewalk. It was as sour as a lemon!

That evening, our entire group went to a lovely (and tiny) restaurant where we had a seven course meal (!), along with games and music. There was one very small dance floor, and insisted that, as I may never be in Rome on New Year's Eve again, I wanted to dance. So Chris humoured me. From the photo below, I hope you can distinguish that not only was the dance floor tiny, but it had a large bunch of balloons in its center. Not only that, but something had been spilled on the floor, making it very slippery. Yet I persisted; I was going to dance. And I did.

Thank you for viewing my very long and photo-filled post. Please stay tuned, for in my next post I will share all my Sicilian adventures.

The Need for Information

While going through my files left over from last semester, I discovered the list of questions I was working on last semester. Those questions were submitted to me by my friends and family, in hopes that I could answer them and write intelligent-sounding posts at the same time. While nearing the end of the semester, I (I will admit it) gave up on the questions listed below. I did research all of them for a time, both online and in the reference stacks of the local University. If any of my kind readers know the answers, or can point me in the right direction, I would really appreciate it.

• What two keys must be pressed to suspend an Intellivison console game?
• Do you have references about the lay out of the solar system and possible explanations as to its organization?
• Do you have references regarding robots—specifically the impact of artificial intelligence on the “thinking skills” of a robot?
• I need to find out what the irradiance of the earth is.

Catching Up Part 2

To continue on with my life in December :


First off, we had Christmas. Here is a shot of my new brother, Nick, having lots of fun with Christmas gifts. Maribeth is in the background.


Also here is Kathy (with Father's foot in the foreground) right before she opened my gift to her, a jar of apple butter from Edward's Apple Orchard, the best Apple Orchard ever!


And here are shots of my wonderfully crazy family, including my cousins Becky and Richard, and my grandmother, Joy. We all had a wonderful time on the 23rd of December when we came to her house early and made breakfast, then attacked the tree.

No, the dog with her (Chloe) isn't demonic.

Catching Up

The next few posts will be photo-heavy so I apologize now to anyone with dial-up. This will show you what I've been doing in the last month that made me too busy for any new posts.

Last month I took a road trip to see my friend Lori and her family, who now live near Carbondale, IL. The long and mind-numbing drive was punctuated by listing to the unabridged recording of John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It was wonderful. I would dedicate a post just to review it, but I'm not that good when it comes to reviews. I usually like all the books and Audiobooks I read, and I love discussing them with people who have also read them, but my reviews would be very dull.

I saw Lori in a Christmas Pageant, which was wonderful; however, the next best thing was the tour she gave me of her local Carnegie Library. It was beautiful and very comfortable. I told Lori that she must promise to take me there each time I visit her.

Here is the front door of the library. Isn't it impressive?

And here is Lori's youngest daughter by one of three gorgeous murals that were painted by one of the librarians. This one is right next to the door leading into the Children's Room.

That's all for today. Tune in for the next post, if you're really curious as to what I've been up to the past month. :)

Five Things (Some of) You Don't Know About Me

Quick Note : I know I haven't posted in awhile, and I promise there will be more postings coming soon!


So I was tagged by ricklibrarian (who has a wonderful blog) to write five things that you may not know about me.

1. Last Friday (5th) I returned from my first ever visit to Italy. So that's why I've been conspicuously absent from my blog. And yes, I'm still jet-lagged.

2. Many years ago, when I was young, I almost stood up in the middle of my cousin's wedding at the point where the minister asks if anyone objects. The reason for this was because she was marrying a man she had known for a few months, and who had been convicted of beating his first wife. I didn't say anything, and the marriage lasted less than 9 months.

3. A few years ago I was in a production of The Glass Menagerie, where I played Laura. In order to affect a limp, I put a small wad of tape and paper in my shoe for every performance. That little thing threw off the angle of my hips so much I had to visit a chiropractor for seven months afterwards.

4. Last year at this time I started to become very annoyed at people when they learned that both my sisters were engaged, and immediately asked why a) I didn't have a boyfriend and b) why I wasn't engaged. For the record, no I do NOT have a boyfriend and I'll become engaged when I'm DARN WELL READY, thank you.

5. One of my hobbies is cross-stitching. I chose that hobby while I was standing in the middle of the aisle in the craft store, and realized that cross-stitching was cheaper than making beaded jewelry.