Reassurance. The lack thereof. Here I am no the second floor of a building, in my office. Chilling out. There’s at least one floor above me. Only 5 books were new for today. And what’s the only interesting one? Why Buildings Fall Down. Are you serious? This gem covers a range of collapses, from manmade cotastrophies to nature’s wrath on buildings. It even has a section about, and I’m quoting the back of the book, “one of the most fatal structural disasters in American history: the fall of the Hyatt Regency ballroom walkways in Kansas City”.
If you need something more uplifting, read co-author Mario Salvadori’s other book Why Building’s Stand Up. No, for real, that’s a real book.
I’ve seen both sides of the online class. I’ve never been a teacher of an online course, but my colleagues past and present are active parts of this. I know from many past conversations that teachers worry their students are phoning it in on the other side of the computer, if they’re even sitting at the desk at all. I know that students have a long list of complaints about how they’re either wasting their time or not engaged. Both sides end up frustrated with software.
But here’s something I’ve also seen: Both sides end up getting mad and often don’t share what could be done.
Please, if you are on either side of this situation, look at a book like today’s BotD: Engaging the Online Learner: Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction by Rita-Marie Conrad and J. Ana Donaldson. I believe that online learning and incorporating Web based material into learningto be potentially fantastic opportunities. With a breakdown in communication, though, the class loses value. When the students can’t visually express their displeasure or the instructors unable to visually assess interest, positive changes are harder to come by. Teachers: check this book out and get some ideas. Students: check this book out and don’t be afraid to give your teacher some suggestions.
File this under “Secret Lives of Librarians”. I spent a brief time in the video game industry, and while the games Iworked on weren’t be-all-end-all titles, they faired well, and the people I worked with were phenomenal. I was in a bottom rung position but having the best time of my life, and the only way to go was up. But, fate came knocking, and while I went on to library school, some of my best friends are still making games.
But maybe you’re interested in getting into the business. Maybe you want to do level design, or make physics engines, or do character models. Sound? Maybe you want to test? Oversee production? Or maybe there’s even an avenue outside of direct contact with the creation of games, like video game journalism
Paid to Play: An Insider’s Guide to Video Game Careers is by David S.J. Hodgson and Bryan Stratton. They’ve highlighted 50 careers that exist within the video game industry, and have included portions of over 100 interviews with other industry professionals. It is a great book to truly gauge the options out there, and the comics are all done by the folks at Penny Arcade. So, maybe take some classes here, do some research, and see if there’s a spot for you in the industry.
Of course Billington Library is wonderful. But have you heard about the other top-notch library in our area? The Kansas City Public Library will receive the National Medal for Museum and Library Service at a White House ceremony tomorrow night.
KCPL was recognized for its Books to Go project, which delivers books monthly to more than 7,000 preschool-aged children through Head Start programs and other similar venues; its extensive menu of monthly special events featuring presentations by historians, novelists, economists, and journalists; and its kid-friendly Once Upon a Time exhibit and related programming that took place in winter 2008.
Any Kansas or Missouri resident is eligible for a library card at KCPL.
Fact: My mom’s parents made tombstones for a living, and her family friends were in the funeral home business. My mom was one of those people who could watch Six Feet Under without blinking. I think because of this, I’ve always been around death, and have only seen it on an intimate level for families. In perusing for today’s BotD, I noticed Beyond the Good Death: The Anthropology of Modern Dying by James W. Green. Here’s a quick blurb from inside the bookjacket:
Death is political, as the controversies surrounding Jack Kevorkian and, more recently, Terri Schiavo have shown. While death is a natural event, modern end-of-life-experiences are shaped by new medical, demographic, and cultural trends.
Beyond Good Death takes a look at the factors in what people consider a “good death” or a “bad death”, whether it be heroic, peaceful, or an ethical madhouse, and peers into the evolution of societies that shape our modern views on one of the few inevitable events in life. Regardless of one’s own views, it provides an interesting dissection of why we think what we think when the end arrives.
My Sophomore year of college, I had a roommate who dropped out because he played Madden 2002 all day (this was new at the time.) I went away for the weekend, came back, and had already been given a new roommate. As I walked in, he looked at me nervously and said “Hello I’m Ryan have you checked your e-mail you should,” just like that, no pause. “Um.. Alright.”
This is an excerpt from that e-mail, which I will never delete.
Hi, I’m being moved into your room this weekend (Saturday
morning around noon I’ll be bringing my stuff by van…)
I thought I’d e-mail you and let you know a few things about
me and some of the stuff I have which I can bring with.
[…]
I enjoy lots of different things, I like movies, my favorites
include Dancer In The Dark, The Crow, Interview With The
Vampire, Lord of the Rings, Indochine (a French film), and
many others. I also enjoy music, and my tastes range greatly
but usually include everything except extremely hard rap and
twangy country. I also like playing on my computer and
hanging out with friends.
[…]
Another important thing to tell you is that I am a
homosexual. If you have any concerns about this, please let
me know, I will not be offended if you just ask me straight
out.
I look forward to living in Garner [our dorm’s name] and to being your
roommate… please let me know about what stuff I should move-
in with.
Now, what I didn’t know at the time was that Ryan was chased out of his old dorm because someone found out that he was gay (the guilty party was expelled). What Ryan didn’t know is that I’ve had extended family members who have been out since before I understood the concept of sexual orientation.
But that’s a pressure I won’t understand, and a persecution many have to face. And if I support my friends and family, I should probably learn more about how one goes about approaching an issue of equality. So when I see a book called The Lesbian and Gay Movement: Assimilation or Liberation? by Craig A. Rimmerman, I imagine it is time for a self-education. This takes on the different movements and issues as a collective, trying to discuss two different viewpoints: Is being accepted part of assimilating oneself into the mainstream, or is it to liberate their rights from oppression? Ideally, the end goal is to make issues a non-issue in society, but the angle one uses when getting their point across is of great inerest and debate.
The book focuses on the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy and the military ban of “outed” homosexuals, the AIDs epidemic, and same-sex marriage. It is a book with fully cited sources, and unlike many works about Gay Rights, focuses more on opposing camps of Gay Rights advocates than it does of a pro- or anti- rights stance. I’m not saying you’ll get all the answers, but maybe you’ll get a better shot at the different questions.
Here’s a weird one: Today’s BotD is Small Gas Engine Repair by Paul Dempsey That’s not really the weird part. What struck me is that one could argue, “Interesting, Barry, but with all this hybridization/alternative fuel sourcing/farm-animal-utilization going on now-a-days, how long will this book be relevant?” That got me thinking. First, have people talked about alternative energy sources for anything other than home and car? Is there a hybrid riding mower out there? The answer got a lot weirder when I found sites like Evatech, who apparently make remote control hybrid mowers. Freaky! But think of the fuel economy when it doesn’t have to carry you around, and the energy economy on yourself when you don’t have to push it. It’s like a Roomba for your backyard!
Well, all of that aside, what struck me beyond that point was a consideration of obsolete technology. Who could still make a record player? Who, in 50 years, will be able to make a record player? Who in 50 years will know how to make a small gas powered engine? What about in 100? After all of that, now I’m interested in how these things work. The biggest problem with doing the Book of the Day is never having enough time to complete them all myself.
I have an absolutely disgusting confession. I don’t know if you’re prepared for it, so grab your barf bag and cross your fingers: I absolutely love Tabasco-flavored Cheez-Its. I know, right!? They’re so gross! Yet, I cannot get enough of them. And the real kicker is that I don’t like Tabasco on anything else. But when I saw our brand new edition to the library, Tabasco: an Illustrated History, I knew I’d found today’s book. Fantastic images and an interesting stories about the McIlhenny family who started the product. Even beyond the fact that Tabasco Sauce is the focus of this, its really interesting to read the story, see the old pictures, and learn a little about an American family success story.
Banned books usually make us think of inappropriate library materials at middle schools, maybe intense subject matter at high schools. Yet one would think a library on a college campus is immune; after all, this is where free thinking is encouraged.
That’s why I was surprised last spring when a patron demanded that the Billington Library ban a book. The book, Mapplethorpe, contained nude images along with other photographs.
She complained that children shouldn’t have acess to it.
I urged her to put that in our suggestion box.
But what I really wanted to say was, “Hello? Earth to crazy lady: this is a college library not childrens’ story hour at Borders.”
Materials at college libraries differs from those at public libraries because our primary charge is to provide materials that support courses. That matierial provide is selected to provoke thought, expand minds and facilitate discussions. Librarians work with instructors to procure material that enhances the required and suggested texts students purchase.
Sometimes that material is ugly, violent, sacrilegious or even naked.
If you can’t find material in a college library that offends you, then they aren’t doing their jobs.
So today’s Book of the Day is a real upper! Let’s take a look!
AAHH!!!! New book! New book! New book!
YES! Thank goodness. I can’t takeanymore nuclear scares.
I’d much rather get my fashion on with A cultural history of fashion in the twentieth century : from the catwalk to the sidewalk. It is 177 pages of designs, designers, and the integration of innovation into daily wear. Certainly this is more uplifting than the first choice, plus I truly can respect someone who can go through this book and point out shifts in cultural asthetic paradigms… I see pretty pictures for the most part. But at least it can be enjoyed on both levels.
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