Read 'Til You Drop

Despite working in a law-firm library, I'm not a very good library patron.

Oh, I'm good enough about returning my books on time (or, at least, paying fines when I forget to).  I'm good about bringing extra books to the Library's sale desk.  I'm good about talking up the Library with its incredible resources, available for free to all.  I'm even good about camping out at the Library on the odd day when I'm in Writing Marathon and can't work at home.

But I don't use the Library to borrow books.  I generally own far more books on my to-be-read shelf than I  have time to read.  Most of them I've bought, some have been gifts.  A few are borrowed from friends.

And yet, I found myself reading several YA novels solely for the purpose of getting background for Super Secret Project Two.  Of the four that I bought, one was tremendous, and I've already recommended it to others.  One had a knock-me-down great idea, but was poorly written and worse-ly edited.  Two were OK, but not for me, and not really all that helpful for SSP Two.

But I bought them all, in a fit of "I have to read these NOW and, besides, they're deductable."

So, when I thought of another title that will help with SSP Two, I decided to go by the Library.  (It helped that we were dropping off seven bags of books for the book sale.)  I found the title on the shelf.  I brought it up to the counter to check out.  I found the "self checkout" terminal.

And I discovered that my card has expired - it's been more than three years since I checked out a book.

Gulp.

A kind and tolerant librarian renewed my card (and listened to Mark and me jabbering about our love of libraries.)  I've got three years before I have to renew this one. 

Do you use your library?  If so, do you check out books?  DVDs?  Music?  Participate in programs?

Mindy, promising to use the card at least a *little* more often (which isn't saying much...)

I was interviewed by the Twinsburg (Ohio) Public Library about SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL, being an author, etc.  The interview is in their monthly magazine:

http://www.twinsburglibrary.org/magazine/November_2007.pdf

The Library seems to do a lot of outreach activities, and they've actively built an online presence.  If you've got some time, swing by to check out their website - and to see the sorts of things that you can ask *your* public library to do for you!

Mindy, always pleased to see libraries changing with the times :-)

As many of you know, I have a monthly guest-blogging gig with First Book, a great organization that gets kids from low-income homes their very first books to own.  My posting for this month is about my life in libraries, in honor of National Library Week.

Here it is:  http://blog.firstbook.org/2007/04/18/a-lifetime-in-libraries/

Enjoy!  (And if you haven't had a chance to learn about First Book in the past, take a couple of minutes to browse around their site - they do great things!)

Mindy, juggling writing, reading, and libraries this week...

Well, we got about 7 inches of rain from Saturday midnight to Sunday midnight (on top of about five inches over the preceding two days).  When I woke up Monday morning, I heard that there was a mudslide on the Beltway.  Smugly, I noted that it wouldn't effect me; I take the subway to work. 

The gods wrought their revenge.  My normally-45-minute commute took an hour and 45 minutes.  I spent that time waiting for a bus (subway tunnels were partially flooded), deciding to take my chances on the subway, and walking in to the office from a distant station when I got tired of 10-minute waits in every station ("for our safety and convenience" (!))

And that was the *good* part of my morning - I got to the office to find that we had massive leakage in the Library - the product of the brick re-pointing that they've been doing to the exterior of the building for the past two months.  We've lost a couple of dozen books (so far), and my office was the unfortunate victim of a waterlogged-ceiling-tile cave-in.  I lost some photographs on my bulletin board, a stack of papers, and there are a number of other documents that I need to photocopy to get "clean" copies.

I indulged in Thai chicken with basil over jasmine rice at lunch - and all the trauma faded into the past.   :-)

And tonight, it continues to rain - several inches more, by the sound and look of it.  I hope the towels and dropcloths at the office have a beneficial effect.

Mindy, ready for the rain to stop, thank you very much (and certain that they'll *still* tell us we're in drought conditions - they always do!)

I spent most of this week in Baltimore at the annual meeting of the Special Libraries Association.  (Special libraries are libraries with specialized collections, like law firm-, medical-, and newsroom-libraries.)  There were almost 6,000 people in attendance.  Highlights included:

• Participating on a panel with five other speculative fiction authors, ostensibly discussing The Future Of Libraries - but really chatting with conference attendees about writing, reading, etc.
• Being recognized as the author of GIRL'S GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT (I'd read from it at a prior library event) and getting to chat about the rapidly approaching October 1 release date
• Listening to the Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg discuss the future of the Internets (yes, he refers to them in the plural, but not like Our Fearless Leader - he believes that there will be an evolution toward a "credentialed" Internet that will run parallel to our current anonymous, say-what-you-want-when-you-want net), the need for changes in copyright law, and the longevity of specialized searchers such as librarians
• Attending a vendor party at Baltimore's National Aquarium, where I could eat amazing food, spend hours watching rays "fly" through the water, and laugh as bartenders poured frou-frou flavored martinis through carved ice sculptures of fish before serving them up in perfect glasses

Oh - and I got a couple of chapters written on SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL.  August 31 deadline?  That's plenty of time...

Mindy, glad to have gone, glad to be back home

What other phrases in the English language imply (or mean) their precise opposite?

I mean, let's face it: "With all due respect" actually means "I think that you're an ignorant, incompetent, twit, but I'll attempt to explain this one more time, using one syllable words."

Other candidates for language twisting?

Mindy, engaging in an email battle of words at the day-job...

Over the years, I've taught hours and hours and hours of classes to adults (how to write (legal briefs and fiction), how to research, how to do presentations, etc.) I've had adult learning theory drilled into me in various Train the Trainer courses.

Still, I'm surprised to see how differently people learn.

Me, I'm a learn-by-doing person. Two evenings ago, at work, I realized that our online catalog was riddled with references to our now-defunct law firm name. We're mounting an all-out effort to greet our new merger-partners on Monday morning - having an online catalog that excluded them Would Not Do. And so, it was time to learn how to reformat the online catalog, including re-doing the graphics, the basic menu design, etc.

I *loved* fiddling with it. No, I wasn't always happy - there were too many things that I thought would work that didn't, and too many things about the 7-year-old software that are just stupid. But I tried things, used existing menus as guides, taught myself how the program works.

And when I left work today, we had a new and improved online catalog - with only the new firm name displayed.

Some people learn by reading about things. Some learn by asking questions and hearing answers. Some learn by manipulating objects.

How about you? What type of learner are you?

Mindy, who was reminded of the joys of getting a computer program to type "Hello World" back in 1982, when she thought she'd be a computer science major)

Pardon my absence from the blog. My day-job is in a flurry - my law firm just merged with another, and I am discovering just how many places I need to change my name, email address, account information, etc. (I actually have a 13-page transition checklist that I've been working from for the past month or so, but putting it into action is, um, exhausting.)

My lesson for the day, though, is: Seek Out Professionals.

I spent about two hours this afternoon, attempting to reformat a silly little form that we librarians tape to the front of books that we lend to other libraries. The old version of the form was designed centuries ago (it's not even in our document management system).

I tried to make the new form. I read Help files. I sought out advice on the Internet (where I found at least a half-dozen people saying that I can't do what I want to do with the software I have.) I tried to blunt-force my way through. I ranted, raved, and gnashed my teeth.

And then, I remembered that we have marketing profesionals right here in our building. Professionals who are on retainer to assist us through this merger. Professionals who have wonderful software toys and who have sheets and sheets of our new logo, in every size one could imagine.

I brought my form to the Trained Marketing Professional. I explained how we used it. She smiled and said she'd get me something by Friday.

Seek out professionals. It just might keep you from pulling out your hair.

Mindy, off to conquer the next disaster on the merger checklist!

So, I drafted a chapter of the GIRL'S GUIDE sequel this morning. It's amazing to me the variety of things I need to research, just in passing, for one silly chapter. This morning's tally:

The official description of the back of a Roosevelt Dime ("an upright torch, symbolizing freedom, flanked by branches of olive and oak, respectively denoting peace and victory")

The original reference for the phrase "slough of despond" (Pilgrim's Progress - Christian falls into the bog on his way from the City of Destruction, but he's saved by Help)

The original name and description of the dates in the board game Mystery Date (confirmed, "Dud Date" was the disaster result)

The names and/or positions of the lions outside the Corcoran Gallery of Art (copies of Canova's lions, they're in the couchant position)

And that doesn't count searching my own files for characters' names, eye colors, hair colors, etc.

The learning never ends :-)

Mindy, off to grab lunch before revising the new chapter

I just typed a really long entry about bad customer service, and then the good things that were done to make me forgive the bad guys.

I'll spare you the details.

Just remember, when you do something wrong, admit your mistakes. If you can make things right, do. If you can sweeten the pot with future incentives, do. And never underestimate the power of a librarian with a listserv at her disposal.

Mindy, exhausted from working this out, but pleased with the resolution.

So, I learned a vocabulary lesson today. I've always been quite pleased with my vocabulary - I know that enormity does not mean "large-ness" and that penultimate is "second to the last." I've known that unique attributes are truly one of a kind and therefore cannot be modified by relative adjectives.

But today I learned that "historic" means "famous" or "having importance." It is not a synonym for "historical" (which means, as we all would expect, "of or relating to history" or "used in the past.")

At least the signs I printed up indicating the location of our "Historic Federal Registers" are on paper; the final signs will be ordered in about a month. (Because, believe me, there is nothing "famous" about the Federal Registers, and they have very little importance :-) )

Did everyone know this but me? And what other "trick" words are out there, lying in wait for me?

Mindy, pleased to add to her knowledge, but a bit embarrassed by the signs - although not really, because they've been up for six months without comment or criticism

So, I've been a bit scarce online, the past 48 hours.

But, good news first: I love libraries and librarians. A family member is interested in shipping a computer to Africa. I told Family Member that this was not a trivial goal; I got tasked with finding out exactly what was necessary. I posted to my national law librarians' listserv, and in 24 hours had complete guides to the issue, including several recommendations for vendors, shippers, NGOs, and other individuals and entities that could assist. (Short answer: we're likely going to buy the computer in Africa, due to export restrictions on the software.)

And bad news: My law firm employer is merging with another law firm. OK, this might NOT be bad news. It might be neutral news. Or even, down the road, good news. For now, though, it's unsettling news - I'm not sure what my role is going to be in the new organization, and I haven't had a chance to meet my counterparts at the other firm.

Oh well. Complacency is boring. And August 31 (the deadline for the sequel to GUIDE) is still a loooong way away. Right?

Mindy, heading back to the so-called salt mines!

One night, when I was in law school, I had dinner with a couple of the guys in my study group. We started talking about the three best feelings in the world. They were pretty straightforward, with variations of "sex", "food", and "sleep."

I tried to define my three best things.

1. The feeling when you've been writing a computer program for days, trying to get the computer to type back, "Hello World" and it finally does.

2. The feeling of having a crush on someone, and having that crush do something receptive - not the steady, abiding feeling of love, but the stomach-swooping feeling of crush-rewarded.

3. The feeling of helping someone - someone who is lost, or looking for an answer, and knowing enough to point them in the right direction.

That "3" drove my career choice - as a librarian, I help lost people all day, every day. This afternoon has had several helping-lost-folks moments, and the feeling doesn't get old.

What about you? What are your three favorites?

Mindy, who doesn't have anything *against* sex, food, or sleep, but thinks that there is something more.

Here's a test:

You walk into a downtown office building, before 8:00 in the morning. (You got into the building because you work there; the security guards aren't at their desk yet.) You stop by the guard desk. There are two copies of the New York Times, two copies of the Washington Post, two copies of the Wall Street Journal, and a handful of other single- or double copies of newspapers. Each newspaper has a label on it, indicating who has paid for the subscription. Your name (indeed, the name of your law firm) is not on those labels.

Do you:

1. Take a copy of each, convincing yourself that the building management must provide two labeled complimentary copies to the first two people lucky enough to get into the building each morning?

2. Leave the copies for their rightful owners, who arrive at 8:00 in the morning?

3.

OK. I really can't think of a "3".

Mindy, off to figure out polite wording for people who skipped preschool, you know, signs saying "Don't steal our stuff - if it doesn't have your name on it, it isn't yours"

This morning, I was the featured speaker at an event sponsored by Westlaw (a major vendor to the law librarian community), in honor of Ken Kahn. Ken was a law librarian with the Public Defenders' Office; his dreams of publishing a book were cut short by his untimely death last year.

The event was held at Bread and Chocolate, a great bakery over on Capitol Hill. I read from GUIDE (a fun little section from the beginning, where Jane Madison has a rather disappointing meeting with her boss.) I took questions from the group, who wanted to know about writers' groups and my writing routine, about how much money can be made in writing, about where I get my ideas, about developing characters and plots.

The setting was a bit chaotic - Bread and Chocolate is open to the public of course, and there were other patrons around us (including one very active toddler!) The waitstaff served up brunch while I was reading, but they did their best to be unobtrusive.

Everyone was relaxed and enthusiastic, and (I hope) a good time was had by all. I brought along some copies of SEASON OF SACRIFICE, so that people could carry away a "prize"; people seemed honestly thrilled to get the books. West's library relations folks do a great job at building community, and this was a great example of how to bring people closer together.

I didn't known Ken, but I know many people like him - folks who want to write, folks who have researched and written great books, but who haven't found the ticket to publication. Yet. I hope that my speaking today might encourage some of the attendees to follow through on their writing dreams. Or, at least, encourage them to read :-)

Mindy, who really enjoys being part of the local librarian community

As almost all of you know, LiveJournal lets people mark their entries with tags (those hyperlinks in the upper left corner of this entry.) I've been very intrigued to study the different ways bloggers use those tags.

I, personally, use them as "subject matter headings". I have relatively few tags, each one covering a broad topic. If you're interested in this entry on librarianship, you might be interested in other entries on other aspects of librarianship - click away to your heart's content. (I still remember the moment in high school when I realized how the "Subject" lines on card catalog cards could open up my research - that, after *years* of indoctrination in library research when I was in elementary school! For some reason, if I'd found a book by using the Title or Author parts of the catalog, I'd just never thought to look for other books with the same Subject categories. Bad, bad me.)

Others, though, use their tags as an index. They have a relatively high number of tags, several of which are only used on one entry. When those LiveJournalers "manage" their tags (using LJ's editing features), they can pull up specific articles on specific topics.

Indexing is both an art and a science, and it is hardly ever taught (at least, it wasn't taught any longer, when I was in library school.) There's been a lot of talk in library circles about folksonomy (the development, by not-library-trained individuals, of categories for information). I haven't heard or read, though, scholarly articles about the merging of subject matters and indexes.

Hmmm...

Mindy, who has bored all of you to tears but just had to get this thought off her librarian chest

At the day-job, we've been renovating the offices for about seventeen years. Or for six months - whichever seems more reasonable. The Library renovations were completed about two months ago, except for our new office furniture. (For the past 2.5 years, I've been using a reject desk that no one else in the firm would have in his/her office. Aside from being an ergonomic monstrosity, it was hideously ugly, with peeling veneer and impractically sized drawers that wouldn't stay closed.)

Yesterday, my new office furniture arrived.

I have a D-shaped desk, and a "return" (a side unit), and the most amazing drawers and cabinets I've ever seen in an office. I have eight different drawers that lock. I have specialized drawers for my inbox and my outbox. I have drawers that just happen to be the height of a box of Revolution teas. It's all made out of pearwood, a glowing red-yellow wood, and it feels so smooth and perfect that I'm almost afraid to use it.

I'm in heaven. (Or at least as close as one can get when talking about *work*.)

Mindy, actually looking forward to seeing how the new office looks in the morning light!

In the past, I've been a big list-maker. I love the way lists look, the way that I feel when I cross off items.

Over the past several years, though, I've fallen out of the habit of list-making. I'm not really sure why - part of it is that I have so many electronic presences that some lists seem redundant. (Why write down what I'm doing today when it's already in my Outlook Calendar, so that my office mates can track me down at a moment's notice?)

This afternoon, though, I realized that I've got 1.5 weeks left of the working year. (I'll be out of the office for the week between Christmas and New Year's.) I've got a lot to get done between now and then. Some of it is carry-over stuff that *could* wait till 2006. Most of it, though, is actually due by year-end.

It's list-making weather. (I hear myself say that, like the old lady in Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory", a perennial contender at my high-school declamation tournaments... She says, "It's fruitcake weather!")

Mindy, off to list

When I decided to be a librarian, I remembered all the great libriarians that I knew as a kid. There was the one in Dallas Public, who retrieved endless periodicals for me, for specialized school projects. There were the ones at my school, Greenhill, who let me work in the Library during my free periods, and who even laminated the dog-eared dust cover for my copy of the Silmarillion...

Well, now I manage a law firm library. We don't get a lot of opportunities to help bibliophile kids. I *do* enjoy my job, and I get a lot of satisfaction out of it. But I never quite get the same jolt of accomplishment as the Feel Good Librarian: http://feelgoodlibrarian.typepad.com/feelgood_librarian/

The Feel Good Librarian should be required reading for every library school student in the world. And for everyone who thinks of libraries (and librarians) fondly.

Mindy, who would work shifts at the public library, if she won the lottery and could quit her day job