Helpful Self-Help

Remember when you became a "tween" it was suddenly "uncool" to hang around in the children's section of the library? You wanted to show everyone you were grownup, so you went to the teen or adult sections but you secretly yearned for Clifford the Big Red Dog or the tales of Beatrix Potter's animals.

Okay, maybe I was among the few who went through such an experience, but a number of adults today feel a little uncool going to the self-help section of the library. I can spot those patrons: walking around other sections first, then casually, nonchalantly making their way to the self-help books, trying to peek discreetly about them to make sure that no one is paying attention to what they're looking at.

I say there is no stigma about reading self-help books.  Once again, THERE IS NO STIGMA ABOUT SELF-HELP BOOKS.  Libraries are places to obtain all kinds of information and resources. 

Those of us working at libraries are non-judgmental about the materials you seek and check out.  Really.  As a librarian, my job is to help you find whatever information you want; I'm not here to judge or ask you what you're going to do with that information.  That's none of my business.  And as a librarian, it's part of my job to keep your questions and your checkouts private.  That means I'm not going to go babbling to your neighbors, co-workers, or whoever else about what you were looking up in the library.

So come on down to the library and unabashedly look up and check out those self-help books!  Some of my pics: Don Miguel Ruiz's The Four Agreements and The Fifth Agreement along with Sharon Salzberg's Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation.

Breathing in...breathing out...from the perch.

How September 11 Changed Libraries

It's an understatement to say that the attacks of September 11 have changed life for Americans and others around the world.  Most noticeably, we see the changes in the security we go through in airports nowadays whenever we travel by plane.  But did you know that libraries have changed as well?

Library staff across the country have become even more proactive to keep the privacy of their patrons.  That means computers have programs that erase their browsing history once they are turned off or restarted, records of previous checkouts by patrons aren't kept, and anything written down on paper in helping a patron with research is shredded as soon as it's no longer needed.

Some of you may ask, "Doesn't this make it more difficult to identify and track potential terrorists?" Possibly, but would you want to be named a terrorist just because you have an academic interest in Muslim culture or planes?  Do you want to feel afraid to look up something in the library or ask a librarian a question because it may get you into trouble? 

That's not what the U.S. or American libraries are about.  Believe it or not, there's actually a Library Bill of Rights that all American libraries follow.  All people in this country--no matter their origin, background, age, or views--have equal rights to libraries and their resources.  Access to information is one of the freedoms we have.  It must be protected and preserved.

Patriotically yours from the perch.

Banned Books

We're getting ready for Banned Books Week (September 24-October 1) at the library, and I'm forewarning that as a librarian I have some strong feelings about it.

I'm going to let you in on something--librarians are all about information and most (including myself) feel fiercely passionate about keeping information readily available to the public without limitations or censorship.  After all, freedom (including the freedom to read what you choose) is part of the foundation of the United States.

So it upsets me when I think of people banning books.  I can understand that some books conflict with the beliefs of some people.  I'm going to be honest--there are some books or DVDs that I may disagree with.  Do I think those items should be banned?  No.  Just because I may find an item personally questionable doesn't mean that other people shouldn't have the right to read or watch that item.  Likewise, I should have the right to access material that other people may not support.

The whole point of the matter is we should all have the freedom to access all types of material.  If a library item offends you, no one is forcing you to use it, but respect the right and freedom of others to use it.  The U.S. is a nation of many peoples and cultures.  Let's all respect each other.

Getting off my soapbox, er, perch.

The End of (Summer) Reading?

Tomorrow is the last day for the summer reading program at the library, and it's been a good summer of reading over here.  We had a lot of children, teens, and adults take part and turn in reading logs on a regular basis, collecting prizes and entering drawings. 

I know I'm biased as a librarian, but I think summer reading programs are a great way to keep kids reading during the summer and keep their skills up so they're ready for the next school year, not to mention that a lot of kids like the freedom of being able to read whatever they like instead of what their teachers require them to read during the school year.  And adults taking vacations in the summer like relaxing with a good read, getting their minds off their everyday issues and immersing themselves in different worlds.

My question is why do we always hear about summer reading?  Why don't we hear about fall, winter, or spring reading?  I know many people continue reading year round, but it's not advertised the same way like summer reading.  Is it because most people put beaches and books together?  What about curling up in front of the fire with a good book when it's cold and snowy outside? 

I read throughout the year, but I probably get even more reading done during the cold weather when I'm "hibernating."  I turn into an outdoor person during the beautiful, dry summers in the Northwest, but the snowy, treacherous winters of Eastern Washington keep me indoors.  In my humble opinion, what better way to get through hibernation in the winter than by reading?

So I say let's hear it for fall reading, winter reading, and spring reading!

Today's wisdom from the perch.

What's your "thing"?

I needed to take some time to think about my next topic to blog about, and then it hit me.  Almost each one of my co-workers has a "thing."  One of them is into penguins, one is into frogs, one is into snowmen, one is into Hello Kitty...well, you get the idea. And each person has her desk area decorated with artifacts representing her "thing."

For a while I wondered what my "thing" is.  It's not that I don't have interests.  If you've been following my posts you might have guessed that I have an interest in travel, so I have magnets, postcards, and bookmarks around my desk area from places I've been.  But I didn't really consider travel a "thing" since it's more of an action, a verb rather than a noun.

This past weekend I took a trip to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon to enjoy the waterfalls.  I've always loved water and waterfalls in particular ever since I went to Niagara Falls when I was in college (if Niagara Falls doesn't convert you into a waterfall addict, nothing will).  I went from one waterfall to another along historic HWY 30, taking photos from different angles, appreciating the personality of each cataract, and feeling the spray of water on my face.

I e-mailed some of the photos I took to my mother and wanted to hear what she thought about the different waterfalls.  I thought she might have been as excited as I was about the waterfalls but instead she told me that one waterfall looked like another to her.  That was when I realized that I had my "thing."  I had it without even realizing I had it.

Now I'm happy to have an official "thing."  It's great to Google different waterfalls and their photos, search for books on waterfalls, and ponder which waterfall to visit next.  I'm even planning to make a screensaver of my own waterfall photos to put on my laptop as a pleasant reminder of the ones I've seen.

So, what's your "thing"?  Don't worry if you don't know what it is quite yet; it'll come to you.  And when it does, love it, read about it, live it!

Today's food for thought from the perch.

On Technology

Yesterday I blogged about e-readers and how I'm all for technology.  To put your minds at ease, I'm still for technology today, but I thought a bit about it last night at a Michael Buble concert.

Before the show began, the couple sitting next to me were busy with their cell phones, playing games, checking messages, and whatnot.  I looked around the arena and sure enough, I saw little glowing screens here and there.  Once the concert began, to make the show more enjoyable for people like me sitting high up in the rafters, a sophisticated sound system was in use and huge screens magnified Mr. Buble's well-groomed, scruffy chin.

At one point it hit me: why do people go to live performances anymore?  Where is the magic when people are doing the same things at a concert that they easily do at home or at work?  Why go to a concert only to play with your cell phone when you can soak up the atmosphere and energy of the other people around you?  Why pay top dollar to go somewhere to watch Michael Buble on a screen when you can watch him on PBS for free?

Then at the end of the concert something truly magical happened.  Michael Buble came out from behind the curtain and started singing "A Song For You" without instrumental accompaniment and without the use of microphones.  Nothing between the Canadian singer and his audience, just pure Michael Buble projecting his voice unaided out into the great space of the area.  Without the use of the sound system his voice wasn't booming, but it was all him.  And everyone hushed to hear the true Michael Buble.  For me, at least, it was the highlight of the evening.

The point of all this: technology--whether it's in sound, television screens, e-book readers, computers, or what have you--is a wonderful thing that has changed and improved our lives in many ways, but let's not allow technology to take over our lives.  It's good to keep a healthy balance between being plugged and unplugged; live in the real world and not exclusively in the virtual world of gadgets.

Oh, and I did enjoy the concert. :-)

Crooning "A Song For You" from the perch.

E-readers: What to make of them?

You see them almost everywhere--in TV commercials, in the mall, and now in the library (I even see them with two of my co-workers).  No doubt about it, e-readers are becoming serious business in the book world.  Instead of lugging around your bag o' printed books to and from the library or book store, you can buy or download numerous titles in electronic format to your compact, lightweight e-reader.  These gadgets are unquestionably handy for a lot of people.  On a flight from New York to Denver, I saw a flight attendant in the rear of the plane reading from an e-reader, and I thought, "Wow.  If I traveled for a living flying from airport to airport, I would rather carry an e-reader than drag a stack of books around with me."

I'm all for technology and the many ways it has and continues to advance our lives.  And I think e-readers are a great thing.  Really.  But (I'm sure you could sense there was a "but" coming) I'm not completely sold on the e-reader...yet.

Why?  Well, for one thing, e-readers don't come cheap.  Over a hundred bucks a pop?  For a lot of people (including myself) that's a wee investment.  Another thing is the compatibility issue--what can go on one e-reader may not necessarily go on another.  Then there's the thing about your e-reader breaking down.  If your e-reader illuminated its last page ever, what happens to all the e-books you have stored on it?  Do you lose them all forever?  Or can you somehow re-obtain them and put them on a different e-reader?  These are just some of the issues that need to be worked out with e-readers.

So, to sum up, I'm all for e-readers and would love to have one eventually (hey, I have a small, uncluttered apartment and want to keep it uncluttered), but they need to become a little more accessible both financially and practically.

My humble opinion from the perch.