Stacks of fun!

I'm back

2008-02-21T19:16:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been nearly 8 months since my last posting! I should let everyone know what's new in my life. Well, some of you know I got married in August and less of you know that we honeymooned in Prague, Czech Republic and Nice, France. Yes, yes...Nice is nice. The joke has run its course like an old magazine in a doctor's office waiting room.
I am now working in the Queens Library system where I spend a great deal of time becoming the "shushing" librarian many of you have come to know from movies and television. Yes, life imitates art sometimes! On occasion, I help a young hopeful get an A+ by overloading him or her with resources. Most of the time, it's the mothers I'm overloading.
I promise to add more as soon as possible. Please, don't be shy about clicking my ads at the bottom of the page as you will help finance Mr. Schmidt and maybe help me just a wee bit!

Foreign Language

2007-06-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

Let's face it: in this country, people as a whole take a very negative attitude towards learning a foreign language. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that immigrants who migrate to the States haven't been lax themselves on learning our tongue, but that's another discussion for another day!
For my honeymoon this summer, we're going to France and the Czech Republic. My father (who speaks French, Spanish, Italian, Latin and rudimentary German) was kind enough to pick me up a phrase book on the Czech language and I must say, it's not an easy language to master. It's interesting that when expressing my concern over the language barrier to friends and general acquaintances, they give a wave of the hand and remark, "Oh, they speak English everywhere!"
Well, yes that is true but why can't we take time out to learn a few phrases here and there? I've been dabbling with the ROSETTA STONE LANGUAGE LIBRARY. It's a CD-ROM program and it uses pictures and sounds to teach phrases and key words. It's something of a Sesame Street (Or Rue de Sesame)for adults. I've been playing around with the German version myself, in spite of the fact that both countries I'm visiting don't use German for their native tongue. Now, there are a few pros and cons as should be expected with any technological devices.
Ok, the bad news: This program is EXPEN$IVE!! The software costs over $200 and that's just for one level. More bad news is that the program does not offer any English translations. One looks at a picture and just assume "Der Hund ist Gelb und die Katze ist schwarze" means "Dog is yellow and the cat is black."
So the good news is, the cost issue can be fixed as well as the ambiguity of the language. To save costs you can borrow the software from most libraries. OR there's an online version available from the New York Public Library's website. As long as you're a New York state resident, you can get a NYPL card and access some of the databases from home! As far as clearing up the ambiguity of the language, try out some of these translation sites through Altavista and Google.
Buenos suerte!

Children's Literature

2007-06-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

Hi all, sorry I haven't posted in a while. Just wanted to bring a book to every one's attention. It's called Kiddie lit: the cultural construction of children's literature in America written by Beverly Lyon Clark. She illustrates several examples of how literature for children has long been frowned upon in our culture. The term "Kiddie Lit" is a cliche which is used condescendingly by individuals outside the field.
Clark discusses critics perceptions of books such as Tom Sawyer and how one such critic insisted that it "divorce itself" from the label of children's literature in order to be taken seriously. She also discusses Baum's Oz books and how the movie was held in such high regard because it was geared for adults and children. Conversely, the books were regarded as...well, childish.
Admittedly, the wording is quite heavy and readers may find themselves bored after a few chapters but her points are well grounded. I recommend this book for skimming purposes!

Donnell Public Library

2007-05-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I can't say enough good things about the New York Public Library...so let me bring up some of their branches. The Donnell Public Library on 53rd Street in NYC, across from the Museum of Modern Art (M.O.M.A.) is well worth the trip.
A visit to the children’s department at the Donnell Public Library yields a great number of treasures to the eye and intellect. There is a Harry Potter chess set on display as one alights from the elevator and steps on to the third floor. Directly behind that, is a display of the winners and honorees from the N.C. Wyeth Bookmaking Competition. This is an annual contest where children make their own book covers for their favorite works and their craftsmanship rivals that of some adults. One will also be quite amazed by the foreign language collection which not only includes Spanish, but French, Italian, Russian, Chinese and Portuguese. A fine way to make non-English speaking children feel part of the community!
Lastly, the rare books room holds many treasures. Sadly, it is open by appointment and for special tours only. However, the collection includes hundreds of non-catalogued items. A brief dialogue with the librarian on duty informed me that this included an eighteenth century work titled The girl who beat her sister as well as the actual Newbery medal awarded to Eric P. Kelly for the Trumpeter of Krakow. Although the website doesn’t do the facility justice, it is www.nypl.org/branch/central/dlc. A physical visit is much more rewarding, however!

Stacks of fun!: The Internet

2007-04-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

Stacks of fun!: The Internet

The Internet

2007-04-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

Let's begin this post with a disclaimer: I love the internet! It's an essential cog in the gears that make our world run. As a librarian, I can't imagine trying to help people find a book without our online catalog. I do not feel nostalgiac when I think back about the physical card catalogs with the drawers longer than my 13-year old arms. I don't miss having to find a pencil or post-it note to lodge between the cards while looking for multiple titles. That said, I love electronic resources.
However, proceed with caution whilst looking through electronic sources! I'll give you a perfect example. Go to your favorite search engine and type in "Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus". Look the site over...looks legitimate, yes? Site has an author, contact information, outside links etc.
Um..in reality, there's no such animal! (No pun intended). Octopi live in the water not in trees! So the main bullet point is, don't believe everything you surf! Take advantage of the databases your library has and research scholarly materials. And last of all, (dare I say it?) go read about it in a book. If you can carry your new Wii or XBox 360 out of Best Buy and into your car, I think you can manage lifting a book off the shelf and carrying it to a study station!

More Ideas

2007-04-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

By now, I'm sure those very select few of you who have read my blog know that I'm about to graduate Library School. I'm currently working on a fictitious grant proposal from a fictitious cultural endowment organization for a (you guessed it) fictitious library!
I do feel, however, that my idea should be implemented in REAL libraries. My idea pertains to art exhibits of local talents that many libraries conduct.
Why not make a permanent memory of them? If you've been kind enough to visit my links to both the New York Public Library and Library of Congress, you'll see a wide array of digital images that these fine organizations have posted on their sites.
Why not have that at the local library? It just may help an unknown graduate to known status! Anyone with a sense of pride in their community feels that glint in the cockles of their heart when they are able to announce that a celebrity comes from their hometown!
Well, I have to call it an evening. Time to watch The Sopranos on DVD which stars Edie Falco who comes from my hometown.

New York Public Library

2007-03-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a moment to share a secret with my friends out in library land...the New York Public Library.
OK, so maybe it's not a secret. Nearly all of us librarians (in the New York area, that is) have made a pilgrimage to this piece of history. We've basked in amazement at the various items which are centuries old and visited the many branches with the enthusiasm which rivals that of Charlie's in Dahl's legendary Chocolate Factory.
But, did you know that any resident of New York can obtain a NYPL card? All right, you're a librarian...you probably knew that. However, many non-librarians I've spoken to did not know that. So, spread the word!
They can access many of the databases from their home computer, download e-books to their iPod or computer and...well...actually I haven't had the time to investigate fully what can be done. I'm still in school folks! Plus I have a wedding to plan, but I've been letting Leiann plan most of that! But don't wait...click the link to the right of the page!

Higher Power of Lucky

2007-02-19T16:24:00.000-08:00

I thought perhaps some people had some thoughts on the controversy surrounding "The Higher Power of Lucky." I'm sure we're all aware of the word...Scrotum. For those of you not aware of what all the buzz is about, it pertains to the title character eavesdropping on an AA meeting and hearing a story of a dog being bitten on the scrotum.
For the strict religious or puritanical folk out there who plan to add "Higher Power" to your bonfires, I'd like to offer this as an idea: There are so many other things you could go after in this book.
1. Her divorced absentee father. This is an abomination in the eyes of God!
2. Dirt poor people receiving welfare checks---That's your tax dollars!
3. *SPOILER ALERT* A child has a mother in prison!
4. This is for the staunch conservatives- Lucky's guardian is from FRANCE! And...well, enough said.

However, all kidding aside, the word is used in the most non-sexual context one could hope for in a children's book. So, put aside all prudishness and have a "ball" with this touching piece of literature!