Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Oh! What tangled webs we weave...


In "The Quickie" James Patterson (or should I say Michael Ledwidge) really tops himself. This is a great suspenseful drama that takes you on some twists and turns. Just when you thought you had it figured out, bam! It turns on you.


Lauren Stillwell is trapped in a marriage that is leading to nowhere. She accidentally finds her husband having an affair and reciprocates by having a "quickie" with a co-worker. Her life becomes very, very complicated after that event. Not just because of her marital repercussions of adultery but something more sinister. I really don't want to give away more of the story but it's totally worth picking up. Every chapter has new revelations and twists. You won't be able to put it down.


Friday, October 19, 2007

Research

Whatever happened to good ole fashion note taking? When I was in school (which wasn't that long ago) I did not want to lug around all my books I was using for research. So having to deal with a reference book was no big deal. Because I took notes. I deal with patrons everyday who think it's the end of the world if the book they need is reference. Mostly because we don't have copiers, our patrons freak out and give me an attitude. "What?! I can't check this out? But it's for my assignment!"

Well then sit down and start taking some notes!!

Here are some tips:
  1. While doing research refer to the index and find the material you are looking for faster.
  2. When writing down a relevant quote make sure and write down the bibliographic information prior to jotting down the note ( you don't want to lose a good source just because you forgot the name of the book. It gets confusing especially when you have five books on your desk):
Ricardo Flores Magon and the Liberal Party (1967). Ward, Albro. University of Michigan Publishing
"The liberal party was part of the revolution that took place in the 1960's in Mexico...."p. 67

3. After writing the note, make sure and jot down the page number.

See how easy that was?! The time it took you to argue with me about checking out the reference material you could have jotted down several pertinent quotes for your research.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

MLIS

Some people still ask me, "Why do you need a Master's to be a librarian?" Other than the fact that you need to know your way around Dewey and the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, it also gives you a sense of professionalism when dealing with serious issues. Working as a librarian, I can easily see how someone who does not have the professionalism of a Master's degree totally screw with our profession. I mean, I have had the urge so many times just tell people "No." Just tell them "No" for no particular reason. Just so that they can go away. When they ask do you have a book on [fill in the blank], NO! Or make fun of them for mispronouncing a word like "Morse" and pronouncing it "Moresy", asking for the "Moresy code". Yea, I talk about it later, but not to their face. Because we are a profession we have a Code of Ethics we follow and the Library Bill of Rights we adhere to. I know I hold back from being rude because I am a professional and as such, not be rude nor deny information because of my own personal beliefs.






Pet Peeve # 5 - Don't conduct your own reference interview.



While waiting in line and the librarian is busy helping the people ahead of you, please fight the urge to intervene. We don't need your opinion of which topics I should be searching under and asking the patron what their paper is about. Please don't assume that the patron is waiting for your opinion on the subject and hoping that you think the book was great. WE don't care. We don't care that your dad had the same condition and that herbal teas is the best way to go. Stop it! Not everyone cares to hear your take on a topic. Keep it to yourself.






Midnight by Dean Koontz


Was a really great book. I listened to it on my way from work at night and it was "escury!" The book is about a megalomaniac who is trying to take over a small town. I don't really want to spoil the book, but you get a great feeling of urgency and the desperation of those who are not converted to follow.

I love the way Koontz write because all of his books I have read take place within a couple of days or a 24 hour period.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

The book came first


The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper was briefly a TV show on NBC. I had no idea until I started reading it that this was the case. I saw the first episode of the show and didn't really like it. The book was somewhat entertaining and I mainly kept reading it because I wanted to see how it concluded, not so much that I was interested in the story.


Joe Goffman left his small town to become a writer. His book became a best seller and he was shunned by his hometown. The book was a work of fiction but is filled with descriptions of real people from his town in which he portrayed them in a very negative light. Due to his father having a heart attack he has to go back home and face the music.