Letter to the Editor

Occasionally I’ll get a bee in my bonnet and write a letter to the editor of whatever periodical I happen to be reading. My letters tend to be either political in nature or library-related. My most recent letter to Library Journal (11/15/08), for instance, rebutted Joseph Grosso’s assertion that public libraries have abandoned their educational role. My contention, of course, was that they have not. (Don’t even get me started!)

I am no Luddite, but I am easily aggravated by the shortsightedness of those who think the Internet should replace paper-based information sources. I was especially rankled by last week’s L.A. Times “Webscout” article, which not only predicted the demise of print newspapers, but seemed to gloat in the possibility. I had a fit! Why should a format that has served its reading public well for so long be so summarily relegated to the junk pile? Anyway, here’s my response, which the Times published on Saturday (3/7/09):

Regarding David Sarno's "Online/on paper debate" (March 4, 2009), while I agree that many of today's readers are more interested in receiving their news through the Internet than via newsprint, I have some real concerns about doing away with paper periodicals altogether. In particular, I worry about the demise of newspapers as historical artifacts. Sure, we can currently look-up old copies of the L.A. Times on Proquest, but how long will that last in an electronic environment that's so volatile? I'm far more concerned that whole swaths of history can be eliminated with the simple touch of a delete key than I am about the millions of trees destroyed every year to create newspapers. If publishers do away with newsprint, then they better figure out a way to permanently preserve the historical record of our daily lives.

So there! (I’m glad my letter was printed on paper as this blog will no doubt be completely obliterated someday. . .)

The Reader

We finally saw “The Reader” yesterday—the last of the major Oscar-nominated films we needed to see. It was powerful and beautifully performed and touched me far more deeply than expected, even though I’m a huge sucker for thoughtful, sad love stories.

Although the entire movie was heart-wrenching, the most poignant part for me was when [SPOILER ALERT!] Michael (Ralph Fiennes) decides to send tape-recorded books to his former lover Hannah (Kate Winslet), whom he knows is illiterate. This tender gesture, which changes Hannah’s life, made me cry like no other scene in the movie.

Certainly there are much grander themes of morality and “doing the right thing” in the film. But the importance of literacy and the power of the written word are an integral part of the larger themes presented here. Maybe it’s just the librarian in me, but the ability to read is so critical that I think the act of reading to another person is one of the most precious gifts we can give someone. Imagine a parent reading to a young child before saying goodnight or an elderly wife reading to her sick husband. It's no exaggeration to say that sharing the written word can be as profound an act of love as any.

So what does this mean to librarians? Would Hannah still have become a Nazi guard if she had used a library when she was young? In the context of the movie, her shame of being illiterate directly forced her into a job that enabled the murder of hundreds of women and children. To me, the implications run much deeper, however. Because she couldn’t read, Hannah’s existence was very black-and-white—almost binary: if she couldn’t do this thing, then she would do that. There were no shades of gray in her life. By reading, however, her mind would have been opened to multiple worlds and ideas, which in turn may have led her to a life of more options. As it was, her ignorance resulted only in tragedy.

Of course, today’s libraries are much more than just book depositories: we offer programs, a “third place” where people can congregate, and information in many different formats. Literacy, too, has expanded to encompass all knowledge, not just reading. There’s information literacy, media literacy, consumer literacy, and even financial literacy. But it still all boils down to the written word.

In a wonderful article published in today’s New York Times, a school librarian helps kids find the best information possible.

“Have you looked in any books?” she asks a 13-year-old doing research on the Internet. “Does anybody like books?” she then asks the rest of the students in the library. They shake their heads no.

“You can read magazines, newspapers, pictures, computer programs, Web sites,” she tells them all. “You can read anything you like to, but you have to read. Is that a deal?”

Connie Costantino

I met Connie about 20 years ago when she interviewed for a job with the San Diego County Library. I was on the interview panel and was in charge of checking references before we offered her the job. Her former supervisor was absolutely ecstatic that we were thinking of hiring her. I had never heard such glowing praises from a previous employer! The woman clearly loved Connie as a librarian and as a friend.

Though we were never “best friends,” Connie and I did have a lot in common. We supported each other psychologically and emotionally while we both pursued doctorates (me in library science, she in education). And when she became adjunct faculty for the SJSU library school, we shared teaching tips. We kept in touch through email and exchanged Christmas cards every year. One winter, when they were living in Marina del Rey while her husband oversaw a construction project at UCLA, she and Lenny invited Tim and me aboard their sailboat for a leisurely cruise. The four of us spent a lovely evening together, sailing around the marina and chatting.

After a long time not hearing from her, Connie called me last month to touch base. She told me she was looking forward to traveling to Rome with Lenny after the new year—a trip they had postponed while she took care of her mother in Buffalo, NY. Though I was sad to hear that her mom had passed away in November, I was not surprised that Connie had pretty much put her own life on hold to be with her mother the last few months of her life.

Early this month, Connie died suddenly at the London airport as she and Lenny were changing planes to go to Rome. She apparently had a blood clot in her lungs that killed her instantaneously. The news still shocks me and reminds us all that no matter how good a life one leads, death is always just a moment away.

Friends, family and colleagues are gathering to toast Connie’s generous life and spirit tonight as the sun sets outside her Oceanside beach home. She is already much missed . . .

Year-End Weeding

This is the time of year when I take inventory of how much weight I’ve gained over the past twelve months. Mind you, I don’t weigh myself on a scale of any sort—that only happens when I go to the doctor. Instead, I try on various clothes in my closet to see if they still fit. Those that don’t fit get shoved into a bag that is unceremoniously taken to Goodwill as a year-end donation. I call this process “weeding,” because it is so similar to purging one’s library collection.

Like my clothes closet, library collections should be weeded at least once a year to rid the shelves of materials that the community has—ahem—“outgrown.” Items that were once stylish may now be tattered, old or just plain inappropriate (for example, why on earth did I ever think I could wear yellow?). Even more importantly, your closet—oops! I mean the library’s shelves—may be far too overstuffed to add new materials (like silk and denim!). Then there’s the clutter. How can patrons find what they really need when there’s a lot of old junk in the way? Weeding helps optimize your resources. (“Well, lookee here. I forgot all about these khaki pants I bought last year!”).

There’s nothing like a good after-Christmas sale to inspire me to cast out clothes I haven’t worn in a while! But as someone who works at home, I don’t feel compelled to shop all that often. I can wait till the end of the year to weed my closet.

Libraries, on the other hand, are constantly adding to their collections and so should constantly weed what’s no longer needed. The library will look more attractive and patrons will be able to more readily find what they want if your shelves are culled of unnecessary items. Don’t you dare hold on to old stuff, though, just because your book budget has been cut! As sure as I am you don’t want to see me wearing yellow, I am equally sure we do our patrons a disservice by having old information on the shelf. There’s no excuse not to weed . . . especially the week after Christmas when most people are doing things other than visiting the library.

How’s this for an idea? Let’s make a joint New Year’s resolution that I’ll stop buying new clothes as long as you continue to weed your library’s collection. I bet I know who’s going to break the pact first . . .

California Library Association Conference 2008

There are many reasons I love the fall: the first day of school, Halloween and the start of the holidays, and Satsuma tangerines (yum!). But one of my all-time favorite things is the annual California Library Association (CLA) conference, usually held in November. Not only do I look forward to seeing colleagues, former students and, yes, even favorite vendors, it’s also the time when I recharge my professional batteries.

This year’s conference was held last weekend in San Jose. Here are a few highlights:

•Online homework help provider Brainfuse has begun piloting a service that connects job-searchers with online helpers who advise on writing resumes and developing interview skills. Could this service be any more timely?

•Tutor.com premiered enhancements to its online homework help product, including color graphics, a more extensive toolbar, and stick-figure avatars that high-five each other when the student does well. Hopefully these enhancements, which are being rolled out next summer, won’t boost subscription costs during a year when most libraries will be facing budget cuts.

•Speaking of online homework help, a group of librarians offering this service convened to discuss the possibility of starting a users group. Instead, we decided to create a listserv for California librarians who want to discuss all manner of issues related to homework help, online or otherwise. The group volunteered me to moderate.

•San Jose Public Library staff, who led an excellent session on customer service, noted that our professional reputation tends to hinge on our keen knowledge of the collection and how things are organized in the library. They suggested we need to expand that reputation to include expertise in providing outstanding customer service. If we build a positive customer service reputation, patrons will not only come, they’ll also return.

•Kudos to CLA president-elect Barbara Roberts for giving the most inspiring inaugural speech I’ve heard in many a year. Reflecting her theme, “Reach Out!,” she admonished the membership to carry the library message to political leaders and others who may not understand what we do. She will be convening a summit with other library organizations to consolidate and reinforce these efforts. She also encouraged us to embrace best business practices and to reach across library “types” so we can work together to strengthen the association.

•And finally, just to prove that everything isn't serious work and no play at conference, here I am with a couple of state library colleagues, dressed-up as pseudo-Star Wars characters at Infopeople’s annual photo booth!

May the Force be with all of us in what looks to be a tough year ahead.

L.A. Archives

It’s no surprise that my husband Tim and I love Los Angeles. We’re both native Angelenos (Tim from the Valley and me Burbank) and big fans of almost anything related to 20th century Southern California. No wonder, then, that we happily looked forward to attending the 3rd annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar this past weekend.

Part of the “L.A. as Subject” project, the Bazaar showcases libraries and other agencies that collect various aspects of Los Angeles history. Not only did the day-long event feature well-known speakers, such as Jonathan Gold, the Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic, and artist J. Michael Walker, but also panel discussions on several topics, including how to search digital collections, how to use DNA to augment genealogical research, and what to do with old home movies. Four California Council for the Humanities-supported documentaries were also screened, including the much-anticipated “Chicano Rock! The Sounds of East Los Angeles,” which is scheduled to air on PBS, December 14. (We’ve already marked our calendars!).

But the best part of the day was the exhibit rooms, where more than 50 archives shared information about their unique historical holdings. Participants included everyone from USC's Aerospace History Project to UCLA’s Department of Special Collections, from the Los Angeles City Archives to the LA84 Foundation’s Sports Library. Hundreds of people browsed the displays and discussed research strategies with enthusiastic exhibitors. Tim found a photo of his childhood Little League team on Cal State Northridge’s San Fernando Valley digital archives database, while I gathered brochures and chatted with colleagues, many of whom were former students. It was heaven-on-earth for scholars and amateur historians alike.

As a librarian who periodically conducts historical research, I was amazed at the number of resources I knew nothing about. Who knew, for instance, that Occidental College houses one of the largest collections of detective stories, as well as extensive documentation of the Japanese-American relocation during WWII? I was also completely clueless about the Seaver Center for Western History Research located within L.A. county’s Natural History Museum.

Perhaps the most profound revelation, though, was the “L.A. as Subject” database, which lists nearly 300 historical collections throughout Los Angeles and beyond. As a reference tool, the list brings together primary resources on numerous topics and provides contact info, hours open, etc., for each participating archive. The interface is a little clunky—e.g., there’s no alphabetical list of all the collections and subject access is rather limited—still, this is an excellent start to shedding light on previously unknown archives.

Now, if only I had time to research the countless historical topics I’m interested in . . .

Living Library

I participated in the most wonderful program at the Santa Monica Public Library (SMPL) yesterday. It was called the “Living Library Project” and is part of an international movement to promote knowledge through conversation. The first Living Library occurred in Denmark several years ago as a way to combat violence and prejudice. SMPL’s event was the first of its kind in the U.S.

So what happens at the Living Library? Instead of learning about a topic through printed materials or websites, patrons are encouraged to “check-out” human experts (i.e., Living Books) with whom they can converse in the library for 30 minutes. Library cards are not required, but patrons do have to sign an agreement promising, among other things, not to damage the Living Book in any physical or emotional way. The experts on hand in Santa Monica included two Buddhists, a cancer survivor, a celebrity publicist, a disability activist, a woman who advocates on behalf of overweight people, a feminist, a formerly homeless person, a woman who works for an agency that helps homeless people, a nudist, an immigrant from Oaxaca, a raw foodist, and two teenagers.

The place was abuzz when my husband and I arrived. Library patrons were jockeying for a chance to speak with an available Book, while volunteers, wearing gray “Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” t-shirts, directed participants to conference rooms and tables. I signed up to meet with Rachel, the homeless advocate, at 2:30PM. As I waited my turn, I reviewed a list of suggested questions to ask my Living Book:

Why did you want to tell your story?
What makes you stereotypical/not stereotypical?
How have you been accepted/not accepted in society?
What is the most rewarding experience you have had?
What is your biggest obstacle?
Do you have a defining moment? What was it?

I chose instead to ask whether or not I should give money to street people (the answer: no — it is much better to give food coupons or actual food) and why Santa Monica has such a large homeless population. I also asked what services are available for local homeless folks.

What I learned: (1) many of the people living on the streets of Santa Monica actually grew-up in the area before becoming, for whatever reason, homeless; (2) according to the only two census counts conducted locally (in 2005 and 2007), the number of homeless people is dropping, possibly because of the good work being done by social service agencies countywide; and (3) although no one likes living on the street, it can be difficult to motivate people to change their situation even if that change is for the better — loss of dignity is one of the most powerful barriers keeping homeless people from improving their lives.

The most surprising moment came, however, when I asked Rachel how she had become an advocate for the homeless.

“Do you have a degree in sociology?” I wondered aloud.

She smiled and said that she had started off in banking many years ago, but then, after suffering a bout of severe depression, had become homeless herself. Supported and cared for by several agencies, she decided to dedicate her life to helping other homeless people once she got back on her feet. We then spent the rest of the all-too-short session talking about how rewarding her work is. At the end of 30 minutes, I shook Rachel’s hand and thanked her for sharing her story with me.

What started off as just a curiosity — so what happens at the Living Library, anyway? — ended up being a profound experience where I not only learned more about homelessness, but also met someone who overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to now help others better themselves.

I hope more libraries will consider tapping into the rich depths of their local communities to share the unique knowledge of their own Living Books.