Library Service Win

We really didn't do anything special.  It was just the Adult Services staff doing what we always do.  But we made a difference...
Last Tuesday an older woman came to the desk asking to use a public access computer.  She was shaking like a leaf.  And she told us her story. 

The night before she'd gotten a phone call from someone claiming to warn her that her PC was in danger of crashing.  When she went to her PC her cursor was moving seemingly by itself.  The man on the phone said he could "fix" the problems with her computer, but she'd have to pay him.  She pulled the plugs on her computer, hung up the phone, and called the police!! 

And now she was in the library hoping to access her email and online accounts to make sure everything was okay.  She asked if we could recommend someone to help her with her computer, so we gave her the number for the local Geek Squad.  We also recommend Norton Anti-Virus.  Then I logged her onto a computer.  And when she was too nervous to log into her email account, I helped her get there, too.  When she opened her email and everything was still there, I could see her visibly relax.  Later one of my co-workers helped her with something else, and then I was with her again helping her print some documents. Every time we worked with her she told us her story again.

So that's it.  We did our jobs and we listened.

Yesterday, when I got to work there was a gift bag addressed to me on the counter.  It was from our patron.  A thank you note to me and the rest of the staff (my name was the only one she remembered) and a delicious box of cookies, to let us know she appreciated our efforts.

What a great feeling. 

Book Review Friday: Why Read Moby Dick?

 

In Why Read Moby-Dick?, celebrated author Nathaniel Philbrick shares his thoughts on why we should read Moby Dick.  In a rich and compelling narrative, Philbrick provides insights and analysis on why Herman Melville's Moby-Dick is still a classic worth reading.  He confesses that he has read the book many times, studies the life of the author, and followed many of the same research paths.  Philbrick deftly puts forth the argument that despite it's age and length, Moby-Dick has much to offer to modern readers.
He urges readers to at least read a  passage or two and then offers a wealth of quotations and explanations that help make Melville's story of the white whale come to life.  This is a great little book and a quick, fascinating read.  Philbrick's knowledge of and passion for the novel are evident on every page.  If you remain unconvinced and choose not to delve into Moby-Dick you will still gain a wealth of knowledge about Melville's classic from Why Read Moby-Dick?  If, on the other hand, you choose to take the plunge,you won't regret taking Philbrick as your guide.  Anyone for Moby-Dick?


Other books by Nathaniel Philbrick:

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Sea of Glory: America's voyage of Discovery, The U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of Little Bighorn
Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution

Children's Books by Nathaniel Philbrick:

Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex 
The Mayflower and the Pilgrim's New World

Reader's Advisory Win!!

Last week a woman came up to the Adult Services Desk with her young daughter in tow.  The daughter had an armful of books from the Children's Department.  The mother told me that she wanted a book to read so could set a good example to her daughter by reading along with her.
     "But," she said. "I don't read, I just watch movies."
So there went 90% of the standard RA interview.  She doesn't read, she doesn't have a  favorite book, nothing she's hated, doesn't know what kind of  genre she might like.  So I asked her what movies she's liked recently.
    "Harry Potter and Twilight"
Did she want to read the books?
    "Well the story's pretty much the same isn't it?"
So I recruited my co-workers at the desk for some ideas and plunged into the stacks.  What might be a good fit?  Something magical? paranormal? romantic? historical?  character driven? Nothing to heavy or dark.  I thought perhaps something on which a movie might be based. AND, of course, something on the shelf right now that I can put in her hands and that I know enough about to explain and sell.
   Eegad!!!
I gave her The White Queen by Philippa Gregory and One for the Money by Janet Evanovich (my co-worker's suggestion), we looked for a Neil Gaiman, but he wasn't on the shelf.  She seemed pleased and hopeful that she would like the books and off she went.

Yesterday, I was home and got an e-mail from my co-worker, the woman had come back.  She LOVED The White Queen and finished it in three days.  Huzzah!!!  A reader is born.

In the immortal words of Hannibal Smith, "I love it when a plan comes together."

Book Review Friday: Firelight

Firelight, first in the Darkest London Series by Kristen Callihan, is a paranormal historical romance set in 1881 Victorian London.  The story has a convoluted plot replete with mystery, magic, demons, and street thugs.  Main character, Miranda Ellis is no shrinking violet, instead she is a strong-willed and capable, though flawed, young woman.  Likewise, her love interest, Benjamin Archer, has depth as well as brains, brawn, and dashing good looks.  The sexual and emotional tension between the characters grows with each plot twist.  Building to an ending that stands other Cinderella stories on their ear. 

A good book to recommend to paranormal romance lovers.

 ... note while demons figured strongly in this novel, there are werewolf sightings in the sequels, which focus on Miranda's equally remarkable sisters. 

Sensuality rating: Steamy

Also in this series:

Moonglow
Winterblaze
Shadowdance

Academic Librarian Bans Book!!

This was great!
Check out this post from the blog at College and Research Library News.  Author Scott R. DiMarco tells the story of "Why I Banned a Book."  I shan't say anymore 'cause I'm sure you hate spoilers as much as I do. 

Banned books?

I have thought, of late, that the librarians' annual nod to banned books and the evils of censorship gets us nowhere.  Who really pays attention when we celebrate Banned Books Week?  Does anyone notice?  When was the last time a book was truly banned in the United States?  Possibly1921 when James Joyces' Ulysses was put on trial and banned for being obscene.
We librarians ban books from our libraries every day.  We call it selection, deselection, weeding, and collection development.  But the book isn't banned is it?  Community members still have access.  The publisher is still publishing, Amazon is still selling, even the library in the next township may have a copy of the offending item on its shelves. 
The banned and challenged debate comes in to play when a community member questions our professional opinion over what we choose to include or exclude from our collection.  Often the community member is acting from a narrowly proscribed viewpoint that doesn't reflect the community at large.  We did not pull Harry Potter from our shelves, The Higher Power of Lucky can still be found, even 50 Shades of Grey found a home at the library.  Frankly, the debate where I work was that some of the librarians didn't want to give 50 Shades shelf space, while we had over 100 patron placed holds from our library patrons in the county-wide catalog.
In reality, only a country can ban a book and attempt to prevent it from circulating among its citizens.  In the Information Age this is becoming an Herculean task.  The real debate for librarians today is access.  Our community members demand access to the items that they want to read.  Thus we have ongoing conversations with publishers over equitable access to electronic books for our patrons.  We use our skill and experience to use library funds wisely as we select materials to stock our shelves.  And we occasionally purchase a book with lousy reviews because patron demand requires it.

Book Review Friday: How to Think: The Liberal Arts and Their Enduring Value

Okay, I'm caught, it's Saturday.

I had every intention of getting this post done yesterday.  But I suddenly turned domestic and spent the day doing laundry, empty a few boxes out of the basement (they've been there since we moved in 12 years ago) and ... cooking and baking!!  I do love a day off when I can just relax and have fun in the kitchen.  So I made Challah bread, a really delish apple pie baked burrito, and for dinner a great recipe I found on Pinterest for Better than Panda Orange Chicken, and it was!


And now for the book review, which is in fact, NOT a book.  How to Think: The Liberal Arts and Their Enduring Value is a lecture course by Dr. Michael D. C. Drout.  It it part of the Modern Scholar series by Recorded Books.  In this course Professor Drout presents his arguments for why a liberal arts education is still worth the tuition dollars it costs, even if there are no jobs for Art History majors.  Drout's argument is that regardless of whether or not you get a job in that degree field, the underlying education, the overarching grounding in logic, rhetoric, and writing skills prepares a person to excel in any endeavor.  The liberal arts he posits teach students how to think, how to reason, how to persuade, how to lead.  This has been the raison d'etre for a liberal arts education since Greek and Roman times. Drout uses his background as a Medieval English specialist to back up his claims, with one lecture devoted to a case study on Beowulf (fascinating).  He also answers the critics of liberal arts, admitting to the faults that have crept into academia, while suggesting ways to remedy them.  While this lecture series might have a limited appeal, I highly recommend it to any student hoping to convince his/her parents that paying for that Art History degree isn't a waste of money and to anyone interested in or already in possession of a degree in one of the softer sciences.

Drout's lectures are presented in a breezy, conversational style.  While the occasional pause lets you know he is referring to notes for the most part his delivery is natural and flowing.  His presentations are humorous, informative, and well-researched. From the "About Your Professor" section of From Here to Infinity:

Michael D.C. Drout is the William and Elsie Prentice Professor of English at

Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, where he teaches courses in Old

and Middle English, medieval literature, Chaucer, fantasy, and science fiction.

Professor Drout received his Ph.D. in medieval literature from Loyola

University in 1997. He also holds M.A. degrees from Stanford (journalism)

and the University of Missouri-Columbia (English literature) and a B.A. from

Carnegie Mellon.

Full disclosure: I am an absolute Michael Drout fan.  I think I have listened to all of his lecture series.  He has done eleven.  For librarians especially, his surveys of Science Fiction (From Here to Infinity) and Fantasy (Rings, Swords, and Monsters) literature can be a great help to the perplexed reader's adviser.