I'm back from San Diego, slightly jet-lagged and thunderstruck, but otherwise okay! Since it's such a short week and there's a lot to do, I won't be posting a vlog until next week. Instead, we just got a cart groaning with new books, so I'll do another new-book post for this week.
It'll also serve a dual purpose: many of these books are going straight onto my reading list for future vlogs, and posting this will help me remember them -- my memory short-circuits with each wave of new items.
China and English
This is a collection of essays about the role that English is increasingly taking on in China because of a number of factors, including close financial ties with the U.S. and English's rise as a global language, and its impact on Chinese national and cultural identity.
Globish: How the English language became the world's language
The term lingua franca refers to a language used to communicate between people who don't share a mother tongue. Originally used to refer to French -- once the language of trade, politics, and culture -- the term now applies to English, which has started to work as a common global language. This book traces how English came to be and the various factors behind its spread.
One word: Contemporary writers on the words they love and loathe
Is there a word that irritates you every time you see or hear it? Or a word you love? If so, you're not alone in your exacting tastes; a number of authors come together in this collection of essays on words they either wish were used more or were abolished from the language entirely.
Voice of America: Stories
A collection of short stories, this book covers different events taking place in either Nigeria or the U.S. among Nigerian immigrants. I'm pretty excited about this one -- I've heard many fantastic reviews.
Terror and wonder: Architecture in a tumultuous age
The attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 serves as a demarcation in the history of modern architecture, both as an instigator of security measures that reshape the buildings of Washington, DC, and as an instance of destruction just before a decade-long period of creation, in which the world saw an unparalleled building boom.
Makeshift metropolis: Ideas about cities
In the tradition of Jane Jacobs' Death and Life of Great American Cities (mentioned in a brief review here), this book considers the history of urban development, the current state of planning and design trends, and the possible future of the American city.
The 100 best African-American poems (*but I cheated)
A collection of (slightly more than) 100 poems written by African Americans that are generally recognized as the best at characterizing the African-American experience in the U.S., in many different ways.
German: Biography of a language
Did you know that English is actually Germanic in origin? Or that the German state didn't fully unify into a single country until 1871? The history of the German language is closely intertwined with that of our own -- as the history of German culture is with ours.
Triumvirate: McKim, Mead, & White: Art, architecture, scandal, and class in America's Gilded Age
A bit of a lengthy title, but then the subject is rather involved. One of America's leading architectural firms in 1920s New York was led by a group of three men who led wildly different lives but together updated the American aesthetic with buildings like the second Madison Square Garden and the original Pennsylvania Station. The differences between the three men makes it clear that they're worth a book of their own: a pragmatist, a tragic figure, and a murdered sybarite.
Okay, wish list filed with the appropriate authorities. Next week, we'll take a look at what's going on in the Library and, as promised, there'll be a vlog. See you then!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
New books!
It's everyone's first week back from the winter break and it kind of shows. The shell-shock hasn't worn off of some staff members as they realize that yes, they need to be here, and yes, they have to do things that don't involve watching movies, reading a book, or hanging out with their friends.
Or maybe I'm the only one. It feels like I was just at the airport, waiting for my flight to Florida, and now I'm getting ready for another flight, this one to San Diego. Yup, I'm leaving tomorrow for the American Library Association's MidWinter Meeting, which ought to be both fun and interesting. It's a little different from the Annual Conference, which happens in June; that one has more programs and workshops, while this one has meetings and discussion groups. I'm looking forward to learning more about how ALA works and from other librarians about how they're doing things differently from -- and maybe better than -- how we do things.
Of course, the fact that it's in Southern California doesn't hurt. Nor does the fact that there will also be an exhibition hall, at which free books will be given out. I'm planning to pack light -- need some room for those books!
In the meantime, I thought I'd hold you all over until late next week with a listing of new books. We've begun ordering, and because of various reasons, have streamlined the process so things move a little more quickly, which means books are arriving on the shelves already!
American insurgents by T.H. Breen
Fascinating analysis of the American Revolution in terms of a grassroots revolution: it was quite literally an insurgency against the British Crown. This helps paint the Revolution in a different light, and makes it considerably more a product of daily life in the colonies -- and how that daily life was overturned by violence.
Dew breaker by Edwidge Danticat
The famed Haitian author comes back with the powerful story of a Haitian immigrant whose past is not what he told his daughter it was -- and how it comes back, little by little, in glances of recognition on the streets of a city far away and in stories told to children. As a hint, the term "dew breaker" refers to an agent of the government who comes early in the morning to arrest someone or burn down a house -- breaking the dew on the grass.
The half-made world by Felix Gilman
From the author of Gears of the City -- which I keep promising to review but keep failing, if only because it's so odd -- comes this new book. Gilman is sort of a steampunk/fantasy author who likes to build universes predicated on different principles than our own. In Gears, his world was based on a large machine that was found in the center of an ancient city; in this one, it's based on two peoples -- one whose power is supernatural, the other mechanical -- who have always been at war, and how that war finally comes to an end.
Lost to the West: The forgotten Byzantine Empire that rescued Western civilization by Lars Brownworth
It can be easy to think that the period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance was a veritable eon of darkness for the planet. However, it's a big planet, and even Europe's neighborhood is pretty big. The Byzantine Empire was originally part of the Roman Empire, but persisted after the fall of the West. This book does a fantastic job of portraying the Byzantine Empire's gradual metamorphosis from a Christian dominion to a Muslim sultanate, and exactly how much the history of the West owes to this part of the world.
How to read a word by Elizabeth Knowles
Written by a lexicographer at the Oxford English Dictionary, this book is mostly about how to use a dictionary and understand what it tells you. It sounds boring, but if you're interested in language and how definitions work, this is a great read. It includes a number of fascinating stories on the origins of some words.
Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky
First sentence of this book: "Sometimes, Marie got a little drunk at work." Given that she works as a live-in nanny, the title is probably true to the character. Marie's an ex-con, having served six years for harboring a fugitive ex-boyfriend, and has just gotten out of prison. She's caring for her best friend's daughter while she lives with the family -- but being Bad Marie, of course, things go relatively bad relatively quickly. Fueled by a steady diet of improbable coincidences, this is a pretty fun read.
That covers it for now. We've all ordered quite a few more already, and they should start arriving within the next few weeks, so keep an eye out!
I'll be back next week, most likely with lots of stuff to report.
Or maybe I'm the only one. It feels like I was just at the airport, waiting for my flight to Florida, and now I'm getting ready for another flight, this one to San Diego. Yup, I'm leaving tomorrow for the American Library Association's MidWinter Meeting, which ought to be both fun and interesting. It's a little different from the Annual Conference, which happens in June; that one has more programs and workshops, while this one has meetings and discussion groups. I'm looking forward to learning more about how ALA works and from other librarians about how they're doing things differently from -- and maybe better than -- how we do things.
Of course, the fact that it's in Southern California doesn't hurt. Nor does the fact that there will also be an exhibition hall, at which free books will be given out. I'm planning to pack light -- need some room for those books!
In the meantime, I thought I'd hold you all over until late next week with a listing of new books. We've begun ordering, and because of various reasons, have streamlined the process so things move a little more quickly, which means books are arriving on the shelves already!
American insurgents by T.H. Breen
Fascinating analysis of the American Revolution in terms of a grassroots revolution: it was quite literally an insurgency against the British Crown. This helps paint the Revolution in a different light, and makes it considerably more a product of daily life in the colonies -- and how that daily life was overturned by violence.
Dew breaker by Edwidge Danticat
The famed Haitian author comes back with the powerful story of a Haitian immigrant whose past is not what he told his daughter it was -- and how it comes back, little by little, in glances of recognition on the streets of a city far away and in stories told to children. As a hint, the term "dew breaker" refers to an agent of the government who comes early in the morning to arrest someone or burn down a house -- breaking the dew on the grass.
The half-made world by Felix Gilman
From the author of Gears of the City -- which I keep promising to review but keep failing, if only because it's so odd -- comes this new book. Gilman is sort of a steampunk/fantasy author who likes to build universes predicated on different principles than our own. In Gears, his world was based on a large machine that was found in the center of an ancient city; in this one, it's based on two peoples -- one whose power is supernatural, the other mechanical -- who have always been at war, and how that war finally comes to an end.
Lost to the West: The forgotten Byzantine Empire that rescued Western civilization by Lars Brownworth
It can be easy to think that the period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance was a veritable eon of darkness for the planet. However, it's a big planet, and even Europe's neighborhood is pretty big. The Byzantine Empire was originally part of the Roman Empire, but persisted after the fall of the West. This book does a fantastic job of portraying the Byzantine Empire's gradual metamorphosis from a Christian dominion to a Muslim sultanate, and exactly how much the history of the West owes to this part of the world.
How to read a word by Elizabeth Knowles
Written by a lexicographer at the Oxford English Dictionary, this book is mostly about how to use a dictionary and understand what it tells you. It sounds boring, but if you're interested in language and how definitions work, this is a great read. It includes a number of fascinating stories on the origins of some words.
Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky
First sentence of this book: "Sometimes, Marie got a little drunk at work." Given that she works as a live-in nanny, the title is probably true to the character. Marie's an ex-con, having served six years for harboring a fugitive ex-boyfriend, and has just gotten out of prison. She's caring for her best friend's daughter while she lives with the family -- but being Bad Marie, of course, things go relatively bad relatively quickly. Fueled by a steady diet of improbable coincidences, this is a pretty fun read.
That covers it for now. We've all ordered quite a few more already, and they should start arriving within the next few weeks, so keep an eye out!
I'll be back next week, most likely with lots of stuff to report.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Vlog review of Crazy Like Us
NOTE: Zimbabwe is referred to repeatedly. This is incorrect. The section on schizophrenia discusses Zanzibar. Zambia was not present, while Zaire vanished sometime in 1997 and has not been seen since.
Crazy like us: The globalization of the American psyche by Ethan Watters.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Quick holiday update
And lo, it was December and hark how the mercury plunged.
It's been cold. And busy. We're already about to start finals week -- today is Study Day, a nice perk for students who need an extra day off to either cut loose or prepare before they plunge into exams -- and the end of the semester is looming.
I'm looking forward to it, to be honest with you. This has probably been my most action-packed semester so far (which isn't saying much, since it's only my second full Fall semester), and although I've enjoyed it every step of the way, I'm also ready for the Library to quieten before turning to some new projects.
But this post isn't going to be about that (cleaning up periodicals, more work on library.gallaudet.edu, getting ready for a conference in early January, ordering, ordering, and more ordering -- just had to slip that in there).
This will be a short one, intended to draw your attention to our hours for the next few weeks. This particular semester break being what it is -- it's the only one all year that has a couple of major holidays in it -- our business hours are going to be a little funky. Check the page out to see what I mean.
But before you ask -- yes, we will be open between Fall and Spring semesters. Just not during the time between Christmas and New Year's. We'll shut down at the end of the day on Thursday, December 23, and reopen first thing in the morning on Monday, January 3.
And if you're a student who happens to live nearby and will be home for most of the break, you will be able to use the Library. All students will see their Library privileges "expire" this Friday, Dec. 17 (everything currently checked out is due then, except for items with borrowing periods shorter than 5 days, like DVDs), but if you're going to be around, come in on the following Monday (or the next time you need something from the stacks), and we'll reinstate you provisionally until the start of the next semester.
No more blog posts for this year; you should have a couple more vlogs coming your way, then when we get back, we'll talk a little bit about new things on our Web site and new things on our shelves. It'll be neat!
It's been cold. And busy. We're already about to start finals week -- today is Study Day, a nice perk for students who need an extra day off to either cut loose or prepare before they plunge into exams -- and the end of the semester is looming.
I'm looking forward to it, to be honest with you. This has probably been my most action-packed semester so far (which isn't saying much, since it's only my second full Fall semester), and although I've enjoyed it every step of the way, I'm also ready for the Library to quieten before turning to some new projects.
But this post isn't going to be about that (cleaning up periodicals, more work on library.gallaudet.edu, getting ready for a conference in early January, ordering, ordering, and more ordering -- just had to slip that in there).
This will be a short one, intended to draw your attention to our hours for the next few weeks. This particular semester break being what it is -- it's the only one all year that has a couple of major holidays in it -- our business hours are going to be a little funky. Check the page out to see what I mean.
But before you ask -- yes, we will be open between Fall and Spring semesters. Just not during the time between Christmas and New Year's. We'll shut down at the end of the day on Thursday, December 23, and reopen first thing in the morning on Monday, January 3.
And if you're a student who happens to live nearby and will be home for most of the break, you will be able to use the Library. All students will see their Library privileges "expire" this Friday, Dec. 17 (everything currently checked out is due then, except for items with borrowing periods shorter than 5 days, like DVDs), but if you're going to be around, come in on the following Monday (or the next time you need something from the stacks), and we'll reinstate you provisionally until the start of the next semester.
No more blog posts for this year; you should have a couple more vlogs coming your way, then when we get back, we'll talk a little bit about new things on our Web site and new things on our shelves. It'll be neat!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
ALADIN Mobile
I was browsing through the latest WRLC monthly newsletter -- it's sent out to all librarians in the Consortium and updates us all on what the high mucky-mucks in Upper Marlboro are up to as a result of our collaboration -- and thought I'd take another look at last month's newsletter.
It just happened to mention ALADIN Mobile and how well it's been doing over the past six months.
Hmm, I thought to myself. Have I done a blog post about that? It's the kind of thing people ought to know, especially with the increasing prevalence of Web-heavy but Flash-light (no groans from the peanut gallery, please) devices like iPhones and iPads, which can't handle the full power of our catalog directly from our home page.
So I did a search from our home page for anything in this blog that might have mentioned it, and came up with this. It's in the Question of the Week, way down at the bottom, and is a little thin on details.
Well, details are what librarians do best, so here goes!
First, ALADIN Mobile is, obviously, a response to the aforementioned increase in portable Web devices. It's a mobile Web site at m.wrlc.org that's been optimized for browsers on Apple and Android devices (as well as those who qualify as "other"). It's been slickly designed to resemble an actual app and has three significant functions:
In general, it's a pretty great thing for us to have -- I know it is for me. It's saved me a ton of money when I find myself trapped in a bookstore with no way out except past the cash register; I just look it up on my phone and if we have it, I don't get it. And increasingly, it's available here or at a Consortium library!
It's also useful for doing quick research when you're not at a computer or when it's not convenient to use one -- say, on the Metro on your way in to campus, eating lunch in the cafeteria, or walking out of your book group (because if you're not first to make the CLS request, someone else in your book group will beat you to it, and then where will you be? Not that I've ever been in that position ... ).
It's also great for navigating the stacks downstairs if you need a few books but can only find one on the shelf; often there will be related books in the general vicinity, but different aspects of the same topic (such as psychological assessments of Napoleon versus prevalent medical conditions of the time that might explain his behavior) may be shelved in completely different parts of the Library. ALADIN Mobile can save you the trip upstairs and back. A small improvement but measurable.
I know, all of this sounds kind of commercial -- of course I'm pushing a service that the Consortium provides. But even if I weren't a Library shill, I'd still use ALADIN Mobile pretty heavily. I might be an outlier -- what normal person considers buying a book every time he walks by the Hudson News by the Amtrak gates in Union Station? -- but it has real utility and performs it in a very appealing and accessible manner.
Okay, that's about it for today. You'll get yourselves a vlog before the end of the week -- the first one since the last week of October!
It just happened to mention ALADIN Mobile and how well it's been doing over the past six months.
Hmm, I thought to myself. Have I done a blog post about that? It's the kind of thing people ought to know, especially with the increasing prevalence of Web-heavy but Flash-light (no groans from the peanut gallery, please) devices like iPhones and iPads, which can't handle the full power of our catalog directly from our home page.
So I did a search from our home page for anything in this blog that might have mentioned it, and came up with this. It's in the Question of the Week, way down at the bottom, and is a little thin on details.
Well, details are what librarians do best, so here goes!
First, ALADIN Mobile is, obviously, a response to the aforementioned increase in portable Web devices. It's a mobile Web site at m.wrlc.org that's been optimized for browsers on Apple and Android devices (as well as those who qualify as "other"). It's been slickly designed to resemble an actual app and has three significant functions:
- Search the catalog
- Including the holdings of all Consortium universities or just Gallaudet
- Request items through CLS on the go
- Text the record of the item you're looking at (so you can get the number right away when you arrive at the library on your way somewhere else)
- E-mail it to yourself as a reminder later
- Use myALADIN
- Check what books you have borrowed
- Check fines incurred
- Unfortunately you cannot renew items through the mobile app -- that's still largely the province of myALADIN on your home computer.
- Find locations and hours. This sounds simple, but ...
- Finding the location for a specific library will automatically take you to Google Maps, which will display that location
- Today's hours are automatically displayed in the listing for each library, and for each library, the full hours are displayed. It saves you a lot of time and irritation!
In general, it's a pretty great thing for us to have -- I know it is for me. It's saved me a ton of money when I find myself trapped in a bookstore with no way out except past the cash register; I just look it up on my phone and if we have it, I don't get it. And increasingly, it's available here or at a Consortium library!
It's also useful for doing quick research when you're not at a computer or when it's not convenient to use one -- say, on the Metro on your way in to campus, eating lunch in the cafeteria, or walking out of your book group (because if you're not first to make the CLS request, someone else in your book group will beat you to it, and then where will you be? Not that I've ever been in that position ... ).
It's also great for navigating the stacks downstairs if you need a few books but can only find one on the shelf; often there will be related books in the general vicinity, but different aspects of the same topic (such as psychological assessments of Napoleon versus prevalent medical conditions of the time that might explain his behavior) may be shelved in completely different parts of the Library. ALADIN Mobile can save you the trip upstairs and back. A small improvement but measurable.
I know, all of this sounds kind of commercial -- of course I'm pushing a service that the Consortium provides. But even if I weren't a Library shill, I'd still use ALADIN Mobile pretty heavily. I might be an outlier -- what normal person considers buying a book every time he walks by the Hudson News by the Amtrak gates in Union Station? -- but it has real utility and performs it in a very appealing and accessible manner.
Okay, that's about it for today. You'll get yourselves a vlog before the end of the week -- the first one since the last week of October!
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