To Be Frink...

Frank (adj.): open, sincere, candid, direct in manner or appearance. Frink (n.): female, future librarian, never apathetic; never bored. 

[tobefrink-blog]

Whoops.

Due to life, I actually forgot about this Tumblr account for about 3 months. 

Whoops.

So, updates: 

Accepted into MLIS school at the beginning of December and started classes in January! Woot. I’m going to be a punk ass book jockey!!!

Still working at a smallish academic library with lovely and fascinating people. My schedule is a wreck though. Not my choice, and it makes no practical or logical sense, and I even volunteered for the late shift for the entire semester, but nope. Sigh. my diabetes is not liking this.

This first semester of library school I am taking two classes: 701 and 745, Intro to LIS and Social Science Services.  My 701 class I detest with every fiber of my being, but I am doing my best regardless. Gotta get them As.  My 745 class, thankfully, is WONDERFUL. The professor is truly a gifted educator and librarian, and I plan to take any class available with her.

Given that this is not my first graduate program, I thought I would not encounter any surprise regarding the caliber or student admitted or matriculating with me...oh, how wrong I was. How very, very wrong I was. More on that in a later post.

In short though, I am loving library and information school. My friends and mentors have told me for years that I was destined to do this, but apparently I needed to try other things before arriving here. The program is already more work than my MFA program, but that fact does not surprise me. but as I am able to utilize a great deal of my seemingly (though not really) unrelated interests/skills, I’m happier than a bird with a french fry.

[shitmystudentswrite]

Octopi

Think about octopi. There are no ‘rich octopi’ or ‘poor octopi’ there are only octopi trying to survive.

[shitmystudentswrite]

Exceptionally ambiguous

It has been plainly exposed how the methods by which people conduct themselves has easily been over exemplified to an exceptionally ambiguous state.

[tobefrink-blog]

Unexpected language lesson.

It's been a rough week for every one I know, including all of my coworkers and fellow library staff. Tomorrow is Friday, and although my particular library is open half the weekend, most of us are still looking forward to the brief respite. Tonight, near the end of my desk shift, a professor walked up, his infant daughter strapped to his chest in a carrier. This professor is visiting, a Fulbright scholar, and teaches mathematics, all with a lovely accent(it reminds me of my sister in-law's, but I know he's not from Bulgaria). Since the beginning of the semester, I've bumped into him and his wife and daughter either in the library or around town multiple times. His daughter, dark brown hair curling close to her head, large, brown eyes, usually just stares at me, as I wave and gesture and babble in a literal foreign language to her. Tonight as the professor came up to the circulation desk, I was shuffling a few picture books in my hands. Upon seeing his daughter, I smiled and began making noises at her. AND SHE POINTED AT THE BOOKS IN MY HANDS AND SAID THE WORD FOR BOOKS IN THEIR NATIVE TONGUE!! She *finally* acknowledged my presence 😄😄😄😄 But the most amazing thing? I flipped through the books, pausing at gorgeous illustrations for cats, bears, children, and every time I paused, her large eyes tracking the images, her dad would tell her the words for each animal in their language, and her little face would light up and she'd gurgle a response. Words do not exist to describe those few, short moments, where culture and language did not matter in the realm of family, literacy, and pure joy as a fledgling human was introduced to the world around her. This is why we keep Kleenex at the front desk.

[tobefrink-blog]

One crayon to rule them all...

This is a photo of my coworker's office door after the entire library team created whimsical crayon drawings...only with Crayola crayons.

Last night, said coworker and I were discussing my vehement belief in the superiority of Crayola crayons over competitors. Him, being the science-minded person he is, demanded empirical evidence supporting my claim.

Well, it's not empirical, but it certainly was hilarious on a Friday afternoon in an academic library.

This co-worker does not come in on Fridays, so he has absolutely no inkling what awaits his eyes.

I would pay huge amounts of money to see his reaction.

I just wish I could have gotten hold of his wife to join in on the fun, because she totally would have.

Well-timed doses of silliness are good for the soul, good for team morale, good for life.

[tobefrink-blog]

Small people; big impact.

One of deans at the academic institution I work at frequents the library due to meetings and whatnot; occasionally, she brings her daughter and son with her.

The first time I met her children, roughly aged 10 and 8, was to check out books to them. Now, one of her children had chosen books by the wonderful author Cornelia Funke, whom I adore (Twigleg, anyone? Silver tongue?). My natural enthusiasm bubbled over, and I proceeded to chat with the kids about Funke and other things.

Fast forward two weeks, and I see the daughter again, who is trailing her mother after school. I had just taken out a stack of picture books from my local library, and lent her a few to read while she waited. I mean, who wouldn't like Jon Klasson or Mo Willems to pass the time?

Fast forward another week, to today. The dean, the mother was again in the library for a meeting, and I finally asked her her daughter's name. After replying with it, she said:"You know, we came in yesterday, but you were gone, and my daughter asked if the woman with the Storm hair was here."

Guys. I burst out laughing, but then almost teared up.

When I first met this 8 year old little girl, and we were discussing super heros, I mentioned that if all my white/silver hair would grow in at once (I'm roughly at 60%), then I could dress as Storm from X-Men for every Halloween.

And she remembered.

Countless, innumerable times throughout the day, I, we are provided examples of adults, groups, cultures not listening to each other. Yet here is a child who listened AND remembered. And I believe she listened and remembered because I actually took the time to speak to her, to engage her in a silly discussion, to communicate not through a screen but face-to-face. Paying attention in person is vital and priceless, necessary to cultivating listeners in young (and old-ish) people.

Why have we arrived at the point where the adult population must be reminded of that?

May I, may we, never be so self-absorbed that we miss these opportunities to hear the young, that they might remind us how to be old.

[tobefrink-blog]

Might I Suggest?

The crisp flavor of curiosity, the savory richness of enthusiasm mingling with intellect. The satisfying slurp of gumption propelling you towards new endeavors and the active pursuit of a life with purpose.

Or, you know, there’s always the prospect of a nap.

*ah hem*

Welcome to Arlia’s adventures of working in an academic library, applying to MLIS school, and all of the shenanigans possible when one shares time and space with college students and book-ish people. All under the influence of coffee.

Oh, so much coffee.

So, prepare yourselves accordingly: book recommendations, cardigan field-testing results, organizational tactics, and anecdotal vignettes are headed your way.

Oh, the inter-disciplinary gloriousness that awaits!