LISNews Librarian And Information Science News

I get a chuckle out of librarians' rules--sounds so much like what I hear at church.

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/04/librarians-are-bossy-younger-2.html

Forget the Patriot Act. Forget stop words on Popline impeding your right to an easy search. Will you lose a job or not get one because you're over weight, aka fat? I really enjoy the blog Junkfoodscience.blogspot.com because the author really rips apart the health stories we hear over and over in the media (some of which I repeat) which then are used to support various initiatives. She's not writing about "junk food," but the junk "food science." Like this one from a month ago. http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/03/from-food-for-thought-file-can-you-be.html

"As the move to hire only low-cost employees and “a healthy work force,” fat people could also find themselves out on the street. Yes, you can be fired for anything, yet, the evidence points to things other than costs and mortality risks being behind these initiatives. The single largest demographic risk factor for early mortality in our country, accord to Daniel Kruger, a social psychologist at the University of Michigan Insitute for Social Research, is being male. Moderate drinkers live the longest, as shown in the American Heart Association's review of the evidence and in studies such as the recent Copenhagen City Heart Study. And the highest mortalities are found in those who are thin and aging. "

She really chews on the whole grains mantra and low fat diets for children.

Writing poetry about a temporary library is a challenge. Blake may be the only one who can picture this. The Thompson Library is closed and all the books were moved to an off campus site to which the students are bussed. I just love it. So peaceful and quiet.

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/04/ack-stacks-main-library-thompson-on.html

At the coffee shop today Tina, the counter clerk who loves "true crime" books and often tells me about her latest read, told me about a program of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Perhaps other large cities have this as part of the bookmobile feature, but I wasn't familiar with it. Tina was visiting her friend who has a daycare in her home, 6 children, two shifts. She can't get to the library, so the library comes to her. A van driver brings a package of selected, age appropriate books to her home and she selects what she needs and the items are recorded. The library staff person also drops off used, donated children's books for the daycare provider to keep.

Tina said the children in the home get so excited when "the library lady" comes, and she thinks it's building interest in reading.

This reminds me a bit of a service my mother told me about when she attended a rural, one-room school in Illinois in the 1920s. The state library provided the schools with rotating boxed collections of books which would stay at the school for awhile and the children could use them, then they would be moved to a different school.

Tina is currently reading The devil in the White City which I recommended. It may be the only (and last) true crime book I ever read, but it sure is a spell binder and great history of Chicago and the 1890s. Her enthusiasm for reading and libraries is refreshing.

The Bureau of Labor chart showing restaurant growth with the advent of women working outside the home shown in the March 14 WSJ (p. B2) seems to parallel the rise in obesity.

The article also reports that with a recent flattening of growth in restaurant sales by women with families, restaurants are adding features to attract women with children--books, etch-a-sketch and video games.

Then today, the USAToday features an editorial, "Feeding the obesity epidemic" whereby the author, Zinczenko, thinks information, not self-discipline and exercise, is the answer to obesity.

I don't know a person in the USA who doesn't know that Aussie Cheese Fries with ranch dressing (2900 calories, 182 g. fat) at Outback will make you fatter than a baked potato with sour cream, or that a Frappucino at Starbucks (750 cal) daily will cost you more than a coffee with cream (35 cal) in more ways than the pocket book.

Information is fine, but it won't take off the pounds unless you make choices with it.

Anybody remember this title? I was recording a new magazine for my hobby bloggy today that changed titles after the first issue, so I looked up 'Title Varies' and found some interesting things. I was never a serials cataloger, but always thought people who were had one of the more interesting jobs in the library.

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/03/4728-new-endeavor-this-is-probably.html

This data looks a bit dated, but it's interesting. There's a Consumer Expenses Survey that reports on the differences in income and spending between single men and women based on 1991-92 and 2001-02 surveys. I can't figure any other way to read it except that single women lost big time during the 1990s. In 91-92, they had virtually the same income in the 25-34 age group ($24,721 for women, $24,719 for men), but by 2001-02 it was $29,736 for single women and $38,936 for single men. It would seem that women who graduated in the 80s (the 1991-92 figures) did much better financially that women who graduated in the 90s (the 2001-02 figures). Or, I suppose you could say the 80s men did worse than the 90s. Any thoughts on why this happened?

Over all, the singles data reflects the older age and widowhood of women in everything from income to health care to home ownership, but in the breakouts by age, it's much less likely to be skewed by the longevity of women (i.e. many older single women work only part time or don't work at all, and they are more likely to own homes).
Here's the site:
http://stats.bls.gov/cex/anthology05/csxanth8.pdf

Today I came across an interesting blog about Canadian magazines that I'll link at my premiere issue blog. Interview with Charlie Rose and Wired editor. ". . . the job of every print publication is to add value to the web."

http://canadianmags.blogspot.com/2008/03/job-of-every-print-publication-wired.html

sometimes a little common sense wouldn't hurt.

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/03/4707-i-love-google-but.html

I think it will elect Obama, and here's why.

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/02/white-guilt-that-will-elect-obama-its.html

Not many, but there are some people who still value the degree. http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/02/someone-thinks-mls-matters-while.html

And thanks to Blake (I can't comment for some reason) for that link to the Detroit Public School warehouse photos. That was amazing--also blogged about that. Dutch's photos on various architectural jewels in Detroit in his Flcker file are also well worth browsing. It's not true that any dummy can take a good photo (I can't, no matter how good the camera). You have to have an artist's eye and heart.

Last night at a dinner party, we talke about career advise. Here's mine. http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/02/leadership-and-girls-last-night-at.html

I get such a chuckle out of media bias--especially analysis of polls.

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/02/what-media-bias-did-you-see-front-page.html

No. But don't read this if you don't like spoilers.

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/01/is-juno-really-comedy-first-thing-that.html

What's the story of Amazon showing publications they've never had and never will? Do they scoop it up from library records? I've got a stack of these somewhere, so they are actually available, but who would want a 1981 publication on this topic?

http://www.amazon.com/Agriculture-rural-development-third-world/dp/B0006XPKPG/ref=sr_1_8?ie=...

That's my topic today. http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2008/01/4549-dna-darn-nuisance-again-its-in-our.htm...

Or if you've remodeled a kitchen, you might like yesterday's Monday Memories.

"I switched career tracks from high school English teacher to school librarian four years ago. It’s no secret that compared to managing classes of twenty-five or more students five times a day, a school library is softer on the sensibilities. Admittedly, after fifteen years in the English classroom, I’m not sure I have the nerve any longer to convince sixteen-year-olds that Thoreau is more relevant in the twenty-first century than he was in the nineteenth. After fifteen years of following the dictates of high school English programs, after just a few years of observing my appalling library circulation statistics for leisure reading and encountering many Chris Hamrins along the way, I’m left with one schooling leitmotif. It’s a POW tunneling out fifty yards beyond the barb-wired fencing." Story http://www.newenglishreview.org/custpage.cfm/frm/13773/sec_id/13773.

https://www.ideals.uiuc.edu/bitstream/2142/3483/3/ZumaltWhatCanIExpectToEarn2.rtf.pdf

This seems only to be the University of Illinois, and is not peer reviewed. Not sure of its value or use. One thing hasn't changed since I was there in the 60s. The search. There's always a good pool.

"Excessive clutter and disorganization are often symptoms of a bigger health problem. People who have suffered an emotional trauma or a brain injury often find housecleaning an insurmountable task. Attention deficit disorder, depression, chronic pain and grief can prevent people from getting organized or lead to a buildup of clutter. At its most extreme, chronic disorganization is called hoarding, a condition many experts believe is a mental illness in its own right, although psychiatrists have yet to formally recognize it." NYT article

I can't leave a comment, even on my own blog--it never recognizes the secret spam defying code, goes to an error message, and then wipes it out. So I'm not commenting on any stories or blogs at LISNews. Anyway, to comment on a comment on my last entry: if you google "read down your fines" you find libraries use this tacky tactic with children who have lost their library privileges, usually during summer reading programs. UAPL's program is for adults, in January at night. The average family income is over $90,000 and the average home value well over $300,000. Tacky. Just send a bill. Don't insult people by pretending it's a money issue.