The New Balkanism?

I've alluded before to projects like the Free State Project, and to various half-serious secession efforts in different states.

Now comes Christian Exodus, which is "moving thousands of Christians to South Carolina to reestablish constitutionally limited government founded upon Christian principles."

Their webpage proudly features the First Amendment to the Constitution to which they allude: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...."

The phrase "deaf to irony" comes to mind.

"You eat an apple one bite at a time...."

The Economist argues that the political power of U.S. theocrats will continue to grow. The article features a very nice photograph of the Southern Baptists meeting to worship their deity.

And while I'm ranting about libraries

... I'll point out that the current edition of UtneReader contains a couple of interesting articles about American libraries:

Knowledge for Sale

The New Monastic Librarians (subscription required for full article but a short abstract is free.)

Books, schmooks

The University of Texas at Austin, once reputed to be a prestigious and intellectually respectable institution of higher learning, no longer expects undergraduates to actually look at books. A local news channel, among other sources, reports that the U. of T. has removed practically all the books from its undergraduate "library" in favor of installing computers, "flexible furniture", and staff trained in making "multimedia presentations" (i.e., PowerPoint).

The predictable result: in about four years, instead of undergraduate students who can't read, think that research consists of doing a Google-search, and think that a "library" is a place to play Solitaire between classes, UT librarians and professors will have graduate students who can't read, think that research consists of doing a Google-search, and think that a library is a place to play Solitaire between classes.

We are assured, say the UT head honchos, that the books will be readily available to anyone who asks for them. If they know the right title to ask for. At the proper desk. At the proper time. On the proper form. A day, or a week, or six weeks in advance. If the "multimedia presentation"-trained staff can remember where the storage area is. If the requestor has the proper authorization to the proper specialized graduate library. If the administration hasn't appropriated that space for other purposes.

Disciplina praesidium civitatis, indeed.

Nyah nyah nyah!

My ribbon is bigger than your ribbon! So there! That makes me a better American!

(Thanks to Louise for the link)

Oh Enetation... Enetation.... Here, Enetationenetationenetation....

Enetation's less-than-helpful FAQ suggests adding a new post to the blog to make the comments reappear. We'll see:

Back by popular demand

Carlos, you asked for it. It's been a busy month, but I should find it easier to update the blog on a regular basis over the summer.

Goodbye to All That

As of the beginning of May, I'm no longer an Academic Librarian. I question whether I'll ever want to try that career path again. My experience in academic library-land has been that unless you're an unsuccessful would-be academic with multiple unused graduate degrees, there are no steady jobs to be had, and no opportunity to work one's way into a long-term career. Covering a university library's reference desk for twenty to thirty hours a week counts for precisely zero in the academic measure of an employee's worth. Likewise with any desire to provide good quality service to students or faculty who don't happen to be the heads of their department or the personal friends of library administrators.

In the calculus of academic careers, students and low-ranking faculty are undesirable pests to be avoided, since time spent with them detracts from the amount of time one can spend kissing administrator's asses, schmoozing with tenured colleagues, padding one's vita with "scholarly" publications that no one will ever read, and collecting and carefully arranging paper documentation for future promotions. Students (and library users generally) have no influence on hiring committees, tenure committees, or budget allocations. Therefore a wise aspiring academic will do everything possible to avoid them and avoid wasting time on them.

When I interviewed with "Huron State", I was told that the position would involve reference and bibliographic instruction as well as other duties. During the two years I was there, I was assigned to precisely one hour-long bibliographic instruction session. I was assigned twenty-two to thirty hours a week of reference desk coverage, including the majority of the library's evening hours from 6 to 10 pm. The "other projects" ranged from the fun (event-related bibliographies and displays) to the mildly interesting (investigating or confirming the availability of lists of titles) to the dull (modifying MARC records for periodicals to include links to electronic indexes and databases) to the stupendously pointless and time-consuming (transcribing information from thousands of electronic catalog records onto paper). When I questioned the methodology and purpose of the latter, I was informed in so many words that, as a lowly lecturer, I wasn't supposed to ask such questions.

Meanwhile, tenured faculty with three-day work weeks made sarcastic comments about my selfishness and disloyalty for having a second, part-time job with which to supplement my munificent $25,000-per-year salary and pay rent during my otherwise unemployed summers. Another tenured faculty member consistently refused to speak with students who had complex or specialized reference questions in her assigned subject area, and complained bitterly to the administration about mere lecturers who complicated her life by referring such students to her. And another considered it to be her perogative, as a tenure-track faculty member, to throw shrieking temper tantrums at Mere Lecturers.

Meanwhile, in addition to covering 22-30 hours of reference desk service per week, I was expected to cheerfully volunteer to cover whatever reference hours the tenure-track librarians didn't feel like covering. And, oh, by the way: lecturers get no vacation time at "Huron State", and must apply well in advance for permission to earn or use comp time.

The university is currently conducting a search for tenure-track librarians. Since I did not have the foresight to accumulate a stack of unused graduate degrees before becoming a librarian, I was not qualified to apply for said positions.

Suburban Public Library, amazingly, considers me to be capable of ordering books, organizing library programs, and doing other things that professional librarians do, despite the fact that I'm only working there part time. I've applied for a full-time position there, and I hope to get it. I may get frustrated at the paucity of resources available for in-depth historical research, non-bestseller fiction, and poetry. I may get bored dealing with a clientele made up largely of people whose interests revolve ceaselessly around the latest fad diet book, the latest quick-get-rich infomercial, the latest paint-by-numbers bestseller or right-wing political hatchet job.

But at least it would pay enough to live on.

When Roombas Attack!

I've thought of getting one of these handy little devices. Anyone who's visited my place can vouch for the need for more-frequent vacuuming.

Sadly, though, it seems they do not get along with household pets.

Thanks to the Stilyagi Air Corps for the link.

A clash of loyalties

Either way this contest went, I was going to end up both congratulating and offering condolences.

Congratulations to the Lady Bears, and condolences to the Spartan women, who will be coming home on their shields rather than carrying them (metaphorically speaking.)

Drink your way to genius!

In Bellwether, Connie Willis wrote about drinks that enhance one's mental powers. Apparently this is one more instance of science-fiction's prophetic powers. Behold Google Gulp!

Oh no!

I wonder if I'll have time to make it to Archer City this weekend.

This makes me mad

Had an unpleasant episode at work yesterday evening. A male person, wearing jeans and a beige jacket and lurking amongst the shelves of the children's area of the library, exposed his genitals to a young girl browsing the stacks. (I refuse to call such creatures "men", by the way. Biologically male he may be. A man he is not.)

Fortunately, the girl was a relative of a library worker, and felt comfortable and self-assured enough to immediately tell the library staff what was going on. When the cowardly sleazebag saw her going up to the library staff desk, he bolted out the door and was gone before anyone knew to stop him.

I'm glad nothing worse happened. My only wish? That some library staffer had known what was going on in time to stop him or at least identify him. Who knows how many other kids might not have felt self-assured enough to say anything?

One of the children's librarians spent a few minutes with the girl after the library had closed, both of them "practicing" screaming at the top of their lungs. Rehearsing what the girl should do if something similar happened again. (Her response, when asked what she would have done if he had touched her? "Bite him!")

Against my will, I now feel obliged to scrutinize all unaccompanied men entering the library. When I saw a middle aged man chatting briefly with a gregarious and intelligent young girl who frequently comes to the library with her homeschooling mom, I felt obliged to stay in the area and keep both of them under observation until he left. It's a dirty world we live in.

London is a happening place

From Joss Whedon's blog: Advance screenings of Serenity, the cinematic continuation of the dearly departed Firefly, are taking place in London.

Also found through the same source: Doctor Who has apparently regenerated again. From the FAQ: The official World Premiere of new series starts in the UK on BBC1 on Saturday March 26th at 7pm. The North American premiere will be Tuesday April 5th 8pm on CBC in Canada. No airdate has been given for the series in Australia or New Zealand yet, and a US broadcaster has not yet been announced.

Grrrr.

The month in review

Aside from last week's quick post about the snowfall, I've been too busy to blog for almost a month. A quick recap of the past month:

Spent the weekend of the 13th-14th up in Ottawa, visiting Fiend and exploring Winterlude. My skating skills seem to have regressed since January. I fell down on the frozen Rideau Canal more often this time around than I did on my first visit. Could it be that I'm getting overconfident? The snow and ice sculptures, the "bed races" across a frozen lake, and the other appurtenances of the Winterlude festival are all pleasant memories, even if the ice sculptures were a bit drippy due to some unseasonable warmth the previous week.

With the end of my current contract at Huron State rapidly approaching and no word about renewal, I've returned to my jobhunting ways. That is to say, I am once more inundating the postal service with resumes and cover letters going hither and thither and yonder across the country with little visible result. I did have one telephone interview with a place I'll call Gulf Coast State University during the month. It seemed to go reasonably well. Although I don't have much experience performing the exact functions they're looking for, I did manage to blurt out some questions and observations which prompted actual conversation with some members of the search committee, rather than just the usual packaged rote questions and answers. Certain family and friends who reside in the Lone Star State would probably like to have me closer at hand, or at least have a free place to drop their luggage while they head for the beach. Unfortunately, it's about 1500 miles in exactly the wrong direction from some other places I'd like to be.

The Ann Arbor Model Railroad Club sponsored its usual annual train show this month. I was disappointed by the lack of modular layouts on display. Last year there were three or four operating layouts; this year, that number was reduced to one, with the rest of the show dedicated to dealers hawking their wares. I did end up patronizing the latter, though. I spent more than I should and less than I wanted to. At least I'll have some nifty toys to show off, if I ever manage to make it to a local model railroad club. And the Lionel layout at grand-dad's house will look a little spiffier next Christmas (or whenever I next get time to fiddle with it).

Unfortunately, I was back in Missouri on more sombre business this past weekend, attending the funeral of Great-Uncle S. He was not a relative with whom I'd ever spent a great deal of time over the years, but I always havd a great deal of respect for him. He was the epitome of a gentleman and a capable, responsible, sensible man in every way, and his influence on the family and the community in which he lived will be greatly missed. It is possible that in the absence of his calm and moderating influence, both may fragment and dissolve. I hope not.

My return from Missouri was delayed by the inevitable encounters with shirt-tail relatives and community acquaintances with whom one must, for the sake of politeness, share a cup of coffee, or a lunch at a local restaurant, before departing. Many problems of the world were solved, and the moral and intellectual character of many individuals not present was analyzed in deep and searching detail. Consequently, instead of making it all the way back to Michigan on Sunday evening, I found it necessary to check into a cheap motel near Fort Wayne, Indiana, at about 3 a.m. I noted that, for a cheap motel, it had a surprisingly large bed and mirror. I didn't realize until morning that it was right across the street from an ... ahem ... "gentlemen's" club. (I don't particularly want to think about why the wooden ceiling beams near the bed had bolt-holes through them.)

Accomodations notwithstanding, this proved to be a fortunate delay, since I was able to visit the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana the following morning. It's one of the best antique-car collections I've ever seen, and although the cars and displays are not arranged in any particular chronological order, it does a good job of showing that at one time Indiana was home to a number of thriving and historically significant auto makers. I knew that Cord had introduced things like retractible headlights and front wheel drive to North America several decades before anyone else, and that the Duesenberg roadsters of the late 20's and early 30's were among the most glamorous creations of their era. But who knew that the same family of companies had also introduced the hydraulic brake, superchargers, and unit-body construction? Even for those not particularly entranced by automotive engineering, it's worth seeing if one ever passes through northern Indiana with a couple of hours to spare. The cars are gorgeous, and the building, the former headquarters of the Auburn Automobile Company, is a fittingly grand place in which to see them.

Unfortunately, the rather curt woman on duty at the next-door National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States was unable to provide any information about the "Samson" or "Sampson" truck which my great-grandfather is said to have driven. Also unfortunately, the Garrett Historical Society Museum, housed in a former B&O railroad depot, was closed. Fortunately, it is located next to an active CSX switching yard, and while I was parked there, a fellow ferroequinologist dropped by. According to him, the partially-dismantled Florida East Coast steam locomotive which is en route from Traverse City, Michigan, to a proposed tourist railroad in Colorado, and which has been the subject of much discussion on Michigan railroad messageboards, was in a train waiting in the yard. Unfortunately, the train in question was hidden on the inaccessible side of the yard, behind another train, limiting his (and my) ability to photograph it. Apparently he did eventually get a chance to photograph it, though, since I later received copies of the photos from him via e'mail.

Unfortunately, I had no time to wait for trains, since I was due to work the reference desk at Suburban Public Library that evening. And so homeward through the snow flurries and the slush. Waiting at home: two hungry cats, an overflowing litterbox, at least two piles of cat-puke on the carpet, and two phone messages about potential job interviews.

So it goes....

Perfect snow

Y-town and Suburbia are receiving today what I would consider to be Perfect Snow. It's fluffy, it drifts through the air picturesquely, and it sticks to the ground only on unpaved surfaces.

Unfortunately, I've yet to figure out how to post pictures, and I don't have a camera with me in any event. So you'll just have to take my word for it.

Copied without comment...

...from Huron State's winter 2005 schedule of music and dance events:

Barry Manilow Competition

Many of [the school's] finest undergraduate music majors compete for scholarship honors as they perform in thie annual prestigious competition recital.

Well now, there's a surprise

I'm a....

Loner. Loner 75% Goth 56% Geek 50% Drama nerd 50% Punk/Rebel 44% Stoner 25% Ghetto gangsta 19% Prep/Jock/Cheerleader 13% What's Your High School Stereotype? created with QuizFarm.com

Recent reads

Bellwether -- Connie Willis

Explains it all: stupid management theories, faddish hairstyles, incompetent mail clerks, hula hoops and tongue piercing. Not to mention chaos theory and, above all, the importance of being a little greedier, a little pushier, and slightly less stupid than the average sheep. Funny and thought-provoking and highly recommended. I'm still internally debating whether to use this book's revelations as a practical guide to office politics.

"I'm delusional. That's why I'm calling you."

This essay, linked to by the current issue of Library Juice, got me to thinking about a series of "reference" telephone calls received by me and other librarians at Suburban Public Library. The caller usually begins by asking what sounds like an actual reference question (e.g., "I need to know the telephone number for my representative"). But before the librarian taking the call has time to check a webpage or directory of goverment officials, he's off on some other tangent, usually having to do with some military subject. And then another tangent. And so on.

A representative sample, reconstructed by memory:

"I saw this picture in a magazine, but I don't know which magazine. There were these three soldiers. Can you tell me who they were? One of them looked Portuguese. I mean, mercenaries are usually white, aren't they? I need to know how many blacks have won the medal of honor. Oh sh*t, I just dropped my cigarette, gonna burn the f*ckin' place down. Do you know anything about parachutes? I'm delusional, that's why I'm calling you...."

Fortunately, if the call is picked up by the answering machine, he usually rambles on and on until the message ends in mid-sentence, and never leaves a callback number, thus absolving the librarian on duty from having to call him back.

Obviously, the fellow's suffering from some pretty serious mental and/or substance-abuse problems. And it wouldn't be the first time that someone very lonely and isolated had latched onto the idea of calling the local library reference desk just to be able to talk with some other human being. But it's difficult to know quite how to respond, especially when he starts asking for personal names. Do I want to become this fellow's favorite librarian?

Once more into the breach

The Biblioblog is back!