Ode To A Quiet Library

I miss my quiet library
The soulful company
Of rows and rows of quiet books
and all I hear is me.

An introspective getaway
to shake the cobwebs free
To read and browse and acquiesce
to peaceful reverie.

The "Quiet" signs have all come down
to make way for the masses
They come to find a free playroom
And use computer passes.

They hug their babies on their laps
while screeching at another
One pulls the pages from a book
"Has anyone seen your brother?"

A cellphone blares across the room
It's more than we can stand
"Can you hear me NOW?" he shouts
And if she can't...we CAN.

Possibly a pedophile
is surfing something vile
He interrupts the library staff,
"Yo, help me save this file!"

The DVDs come crashing down
where a toddler has found steps
She wails but tries to climb again
No parent intercepts.

A conscientious adulterer
is fearful he might fail
He asks for help to cover up
His telltale paper trail.

It doesn't seem that libraries
should reek of burger grease
A "No Food" sign is underneath
a poster glued with cheese.

A homeless man hacks up some phlegm
His face is blank but glum
He reads a stolen paperback
with more dignity than some.

I miss my quiet library
the academic hum
I look up when a page is turned
Where did that sound come from?

I know those days are gone for good
It seems we've crossed a line
I hope we have the strength to save
our last "No Smoking" sign.

The Web According To Google #85 Resistance Is Futile

I've been saying this for awhile, if you're not Googling, you're not trying hard enough to find something. Now it seems like Google, like Microsoft before it, is taking over the world. Well, at least there's less passwords to remember. Obviously, I use Blogger but I also use YouTube on a regular basis. Who doesn't? I know there are other options but these guys have it down to a fine science regarding ease of use and connectivity. They know what you want and don't make you sift through a lot of trash to get it. I don't use Gmail as a mail client because I've had Windows mail for such a long time I'm reluctant to change. And I use Bloglines as an aggregator from way back when iHCPL had us set up an account. I like being able to have access all the websites I regularly visit on one page. I use Google Books at work but usually search Amazon at home just because I'm so familiar with how their website works. Google Books also has a bookshelf feature to share your personal library with other bibliophiles but I am a longtime LibraryThing user, which serves the same purpose. I also use Shelfari but I should probably let one of these go. If you're a Facebook user, all three have applications so you can share your shelf picks (and reviews) with your FB friends. It's become harder and harder to stay OUT of touch with people you know. Google Labs is a fun way to explore different ways of making the most of your computing experience. I have to admit, I don't use it much simply because I forget about it, but it's certainly interesting. I'm curious about People Hopper, but really, when do I have time to morph my friends' profile pics into my own picture to see how different/similar we are? I suppose since I work in a library, Google Books would be the application I'd use the most. I searched for a book I'm currently reading, The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers. I like the preview - the first 167 pages - and the links to where you can purchase the book, as well as reviews from other Google Book-ers. As I stated earlier, I use its Advanced Book Search at work to help locate books for patrons, especially when the only information they can supply you with is, "That blue book with the thing on front." Sure, no problem. I can find that for you...

Jinny Williams: Library Assistant OTP (On The Prowl)

This is totally ME. Actually, it's a real 1967 romance book featured on a very funny blog called Awful Library Books. The caption reads: Can our young modern girl find love in her local library? Our girl Jinny moves through the stacks looking for love in all the wrong places. Maybe it will be the cute guy downloading inappropriate material from the Internet. Maybe it will be that ultra sexy new librarian who keeps “checking her out”. Maybe she will get a couple of cats and head off to library school and get her MLS. Weird thing is...it's all true. Keep your hands off the makes-your-eyes-water-stinky greaseball homeless guy loitering by Magazines cuz he's all mine! Off to do my nails and polish my charm bracelet for Monday! Gag.

Hey...You Said I Was Getting Better!!

Dressed to Bless

"Dressed to Bless" is how this latest sacrosanct - yet sexy - version of Barbie is being described. Reverend Barbie not only has an article in USA Today, she's got a Facebook page with 5,000 fans. The outfit was made up by the Rev. Julie Blake Fisher and given as a gift to a fellow rector in N.Y. There are plans to expand the line with ".. an African-American Bishop Barbie, a Hispanic Ken doll who will be cathedral dean (rector) and his African-American friend, Stephen, will be a deacon. Barbie's little sister, Kelly, will be an acolyte. " No word yet whether Barbie will be officiating at the same-sex marriage of some of her Bratz friends. And...you had to see this one coming:

I don't suppose the Texas Board of Education is going to be ordering any of these for their kids. Hey...I have stylish nerd glasses!

What Secret Asian Girl is Reading Now

I first read about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks months ago and have since listened to podcasts of the author, Rebecca Skloot, talk about this incredible story and how it's still playing out. Henrietta Lacks was a poor tobacco farmer from Virginia who died of cervical cancer in 1951. Since then, she has changed all our lives in ways you'd never imagine. When Henrietta was diagnosed, a small piece of her tumor was put aside for later study, without her knowledge or permission. To doctors' and scientists' surprise, her cells continued to replicate at an astonishing rate, allowing them to perform various tests and experiments on the seemingly "immortal" cells. Over time, Henrietta's cells (later referred to as "HeLa" cells - an abbreviation of Henrietta Lacks's name) were used to cure polio, make strides in AIDS and cancer research, and have been used for gene mapping. They've been cloned, gone up in the space shuttle, and tested for the effects from the detonation of an atom bomb. Thanks to Henrietta, human quality (and length) of life has improved vastly...all without the knowledge of or compensation to her bereaved family. Was that the normal procedure at the time (and what's happened since?) or did she receive deferential treatment because she was poor and black? There are HeLa cells in every laboratory in the world. The story goes that if you were to somehow mound all the HeLa cells ever replicated onto one scale, it would weigh over 50 million metric tons. No typo. Up until recently, no one even knew her name. The irony comes in when we find out that Henrietta's family is so poor that they don't even have health insurance. Her widower had a third grade education and didn't even know what a cell was. The story follows the family's realization of the impact their mother has made on the world and their quest for recognition, if not the compensation they are due. I'm not finished yet but so far, a very compelling read. Who cares who got the boot on American Idol? Talk about THIS at the water cooler on Monday.