Haiku: Beastie Boys new album

Every now and again I make an attempt at creative writing. Haiku is about as far as I've made it. Enjoy. Or don't. I'll love you all the same.

New Beastie Boys joint
Super fresh, ill to the core.
Funk makes you move lots

Online Resource Sharing: Is this allowed? Ethical? Great service? What?!?

The other day I was plowing through my pile of journals and newsletters and found a whole list of copyright sources. I will post the list in the future, but it served as an impetus for some pondering.

In addition to this list, I have found myself dipping into all the resources available to me. I work at the University of Michigan - Dearborn, so I have access to their online resources and databases. Additionally, I work at Southfield Public Library and naturally have access to their resources. Finally, I am a student at Wayne State University, so, well, you know the drill.

On a number of occassions I have used my long informational reach to access articles that my patrons or coworkers could not get without me (or without driving elsewhere or without going through ILL). I've also used multiple resources from other places for my own consultation endeavors.

The situations vary: sometimes it's a really wonderful patron that wants that obscure journal article. If you're a really nice patron and you just need a single article or something quick, I won't subject you to having to go to Wayne State, sign up for a computer and then use one of their filthy machines while a homeless person watches porn next to you. Good patrons deserve better.

Other times it's a coworker or client that needs some research done. Sometimes their research sources aren't quite as fabulous as mine.

Although I do research favors for people, I never (until now) publicized it. While looking through my unfortunately huge listserv message box, I found that someone actually posted that they needed an article - full citation and all. They even admitted their library has no subscription, but one of their patrons needed it.

So, my quandry was this: is it legal? Is it ethical? The answer is: neither. I looked it up and found a great discussion at the University of Texas-Austin. Not exactly the most exciting reading, but enough to show that I shouldn't be doing that other than for my own personal scholarly research and that patrons should be going through ILL.

I also found a lovely PDF entitled, Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians. It's full of boring copyright mumb0 jumbo and excerpts from political discussions, etc. Pretty much everything you'd ever want to know about copyright as it relates to libraries and archives. Have fun with that.

Does this mean that I'll stop sharing my resources? Not until they take my access away ;) Am I really that wrong to provide excellent customer service? You know, I really can't help myself.

Cornel West: Perspectives on Antisemitism

Voices on Antisemitism features a broad range of perspectives about antisemitism and hatred today. On July 19, 2007 the podcast featured Cornel West, Ph.D., Professor of Religion at Princeton University. Dr. West encourages us to acknowledge our prejudices, rather than to pretend that they don't exist. He says that we must then formulate strategies to move to a higher moral ground.

Check out this podcast and previous parts of the series at: Voices on Antisemitism: A Podcast Series.

Book Review: Shantaram

Shanatram, by Gregory David Roberts
Finally, after quite a long time, I finished the book Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts. It's the author's first novel and, God, I certainly hope it's not the last. Bottom line: read it.

I came upon this book when my boyfriend's brother got it for me for either Christmas or my birthday. It's cute - although I work at multiple libraries, Tommy always buys me books as gifts. This, admittedly, is the first I've finished, but it was well worth it.

One should not let the book's length (over 900 pages) scare them off. The book moves quickly for a number of reasons. For one, action. There's something crazy going on all the time. Second, scandal. Then love. Misery, despair...then joy and celebration. Then lessons learned. The main character is a fugitive that makes his way to Bombay, India, where he joins the Indian mafia.

Perhaps the single best reason for this book's fast pace is the brilliant - BRILLIANT - writing style of Mr. Roberts. The man is a wordsmith and storytelling extraordinaire. The story is prose, but it flows like poetry. The dialogue is honest to the characters and is woven together in a beautiful tapestry of conversation. You can hear these people voices.

An additional plus to this book is how much you learn about the Indian culture. You can see their saris, smell the roti and spiced rice, taste the sweet chai, see them waggle their heads in agreement... I've worked around Indians for the past seven years and have learned more about them in the past few weeks by reading this book.

This book tugs at all the emotional strings. I cried twice. I felt my heart pound a little faster many times. I laughed countless times. In addition to all these lovely things, the book has many fantastic bits of wisdom, witty jokes, and even, dare I say, advice. It's not only a book I'd recommend, but it's a book I'd reread.

Michigan articles in the New York Times

Check out these two Michigan stories in today's NY Times:

Good: Michigan’s Wine Country Grows Where the Cherry Is King

Bad: Michigan’s Summer Fishing Turns Less Carefree

Texas goes green - literally

After the wettest June on record, Texas isn't battling it's typical wildfires, but instead it's watching plentiful vegatation grow. Check out this photo from National Geographic

Video games - good for friends, bad for brain.

I found this little snippet in the Research section of my alumni newsletter:

The good news: Video gaming doesn't affect the time kids spend socializing. The bad news: It does affect the time they spend in school-related activities. A U-M study of 1,500 teens nationwide shows game players and non-game players spent the same amount of time with parents and friends. But compared with non-gamers, kids who played video games spent 30 percent less time reading and 34 percent less time doing homework. The teens kept diaries tracking the time spent playing video games, with parents and friends, reading and doing homework, and in sports and active leisure.

New list of [sweet] old stuff.

(You knew the Great Wall was a lock)


Backgrounder: New Seven Wonders of World

LISBON, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The Great Wall of China was named as one of the new seven wonders of the world on Saturday in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.

Brazil's Statue of Christ Redeemer, Peru's Machu Picchu, Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid, Jordan's Petra, the Colosseum in Rome and India's Taj Mahal were also chosen as the modern-day seven wonders of the world, according to a global vote by about 100 million Internet and telephone voters.

Read the rest at http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-07/08/content_6344168.htm

Make yourself heard, make yourself count.

People need to communicate with the people that are in control (read politicians). WE vote for them and WE need to communicate with them. First, find the people that represent you in:

• Congress
• Senate
• Michigan House of Representatives

Once you know who you need to address, figure out what you want to talk about. Finally, take action. I ripped this "Action Toolkit" from ALA's website, but it works in all instances. You can click on the title to go to ALA or just read on for tips on communicating with these folks.

Ways to communicate

There are many ways to communicate with legislators. Some make it easy by providing a link on their Web sites. Most prefer letters and/or visits. Remember, timing is everything. Make sure you know the legislative cycles for various governing bodies. The sooner you voice your concerns the better. ALA and many state associations issue action alerts on key issues.

Visits
Face-to face discussion is the most effective means of communication and helps to establish a solid working relationship. While politicians have demanding schedules, but generally welcome opportunities to stay in touch with their constituents. Visits to district offices may be easier—and more relaxing—for both advocates and legislators. It’s better if citizen advocates outnumber staff.

• Know your legislator. Fill out the pocket checklist provided and review it before making contacts.
• Know when is the best time to time to schedule visits. Timing is everything. All legislative bodies have their own cycles. Make a point of knowing when the legislature meets, when key committee hearings are held, when bills are marked up, when debate is scheduled, when recess is scheduled. Time your visit accordingly.
• Know who to bring. Delegates should be constituents, and citizen advocates should outnumber staff. Keep the delegation small enough for an easy exchange of views.
• Know how to make your case. Make sure everyone understands and agrees on grounds rules before the visit. Choose a spokesperson who will lead the discussion, cover the main points and keep the conversation focused. Not everyone needs to speak to make a contribution. Be prepared to answer hard questions.
• Know why you’re there. Have a clear agenda. Tell the legislator what specific legislation you want him or her to support. Legislators can’t keep track of all pending legislation. Make it easy for them to help you.
• Know what you don’t know. Practice your presentation with at least one person who is unfamiliar with your issues. They may point out inconsistencies or ask questions that you’ve overlooked. Edit your presentation accordingly.
• Know what to bring. Bring a policy statement or fact sheets that supports your position. Keep paper to a minimum—one page is best.

Letters
Letters are a simple and powerful way to let a legislator know how you feel. Legislators pay attention because letters represent votes. And each letter is deemed to represent several likeminded citizens. Your letter may be formal or informal, typed or handwritten.

• Be sure to identify yourself as a constituent and include your contact information.
  Use the correct form of address.
• Write from your own experience. A personalized letter carries more weight than a form letter.
• Limit yourself to two or three paragraphs—no more than a page.

Telephone calls
Telephone calls are appropriate and easy, especially if there is a vote pending. When should you call? Call to ask support before a hearing or floor vote, to ask for help with legislative colleagues or to convey urgent concerns.

• Start by identifying yourself, where you live and why you are calling.
• Write down your key points.
• Again, be brief and express thanks.
• Write down when you called, whom you spoke with and the outcome of the call for follow up and a thank you note.
• Encourage others to call.

E-mail and fax
These options are best used when time is of the essence, e.g., in the days approaching a key vote. Follow the same general rules as regular correspondence. The following are especially important for email.

• Put your name and address at the top of your message so it is clear you are a constituent.
  Be very brief and personal. If you are working from a form message, personalize it.
• Make your view known in the subject line (e.g., "Support the library") and do not expect a response. Staff may check only the subject lines to gauge public opinion on a particular issue.
• Avoid attachments, which are rarely read.
• Use e-mail sparingly to avoid being considered "spam."
• Proof carefully, especially when writing in haste. Mistakes may cost you credibility.