Strangers @ MindSay 
friends
Reading Between The Lines
There's a person that I only know through the book site GoodReads. I have never actually had a conversation with this person. She randomly sent me a friend request one day and I accepted it, noticing she had an interesting (to me) reading list and that our tastes in books were remarkably similar. I regularly see her reading updates and always marvel at how a stranger I've never met or talked to can be on the same wavelength, and quite literally on the same page as me. I find cool books from scanning her list, and I've noticed from time to time she's added some of my books to her "to read" list as well.
Recently her booklist has changed a little in tone...books on coping with divorce suddenly started appearing. And today, I received an e-mail update from GoodReads saying she had added a book on cooking for one. I couldn't help but feel saddened. It isn't really my place to say anything to her, it isn't my business and we have never exchanged a word, only book lists. But I wish I could say, whoever you are, wherever you are...I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. I suppose there is the possibility that she was looking at/finding books for someone else, perhaps a close friend or relative, but somehow, I just know. And I feel bad.
Of course, life goes on and I imagine her list will probably change again sooner or later. Life has more than one chapter, after all...I can only wish her well, and hope her story has a happy ending.
Recently her booklist has changed a little in tone...books on coping with divorce suddenly started appearing. And today, I received an e-mail update from GoodReads saying she had added a book on cooking for one. I couldn't help but feel saddened. It isn't really my place to say anything to her, it isn't my business and we have never exchanged a word, only book lists. But I wish I could say, whoever you are, wherever you are...I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. I suppose there is the possibility that she was looking at/finding books for someone else, perhaps a close friend or relative, but somehow, I just know. And I feel bad.
Of course, life goes on and I imagine her list will probably change again sooner or later. Life has more than one chapter, after all...I can only wish her well, and hope her story has a happy ending.
"Community" Library Redux
This actually happened a couple days ago (Friday 8/21 to be precise) and I made a note to blog it as soon as I had the chance. Which is now.
I was working at the public library and a guy comes in and asks for a specific book. A Bible dictionary. I know that we have one, but it is in our reference collection (meaning it cannot be checked out). I explain that to him and then show him the book. It is EXACTLY the book he is looking for. I repeat that he can't check it out but we have a copier if needed. Suddenly, he hears me and gets all upset that he can't check the book out. I explained again and he tells me that the other librarian told me to come here because he could check it out.
Once I got the full story I think it went like something like this: he was at the downtown branch looking for this book. They have it, but in reference. Trying to be helpful, she checked the suburban catalog (we are in the midst of a merger and the catalogs are still separate) and saw that we have a copy. Being new to our catalog she (or he, I don't actually know) missed the fact that this book is marked as reference and sent him to our library. The customer took the bus from downtown to our branch (quite a distance by bus) only to be disappointed. I checked our catalog and found out that of the 20-odd copies we own of this book ONE of them is circulating and it is at the Penn Lake branch. I called them to make sure that this wasn't an error in the catalog (it seemed so odd that only one copy would circulate and that it would live at PL...why not a bigger branch?). They had the book and assured me it would circulate. I had them hold it for the customer.
Then, he needed to know how to get there by bus. This is NOT my area of expertise. I haven't ever been on a city bus (as far as I know) and I have never even looked at a bus schedule. So, between his knowledge of bus schedules and my knowledge of where the library was located, we were going to get him there.
While all of this is going on, my coworker, Rich, was helping some guy track down a book. I didn't hear any of their conversation, but as luck would have it, his book was checked in at...you guessed it, Penn Lake! While my guy and I were headed for the door, still discussing bus schedules and PL library, Rich's customer overheard us and said "excuse me". We turned to him and he said, "are you headed to PL?" My guy said that he was and then Rich's guy said, "so am I, I'll give you a ride if you want." My guy said that he would appreciate it and accepted the ride.
Can you believe that?
I was shocked. I think I still am. In this day and age, to offer a ride to a stranger is completely unheard of. Truly, I think this might be the most quintessential definition of a community library. It is possible that nowhere else on earth would you see this kind of situation come to fruition. Two complete strangers working together to make the best of their library experience. Is that an amazing story or what?
Had it not been so busy (and so late in the day) I'd have blogged about it then and there.
If you didn't find that to be so extraordinary, then I will add this and you can take it as you will. The man that offered the ride was a middle-aged white man. The man who accepted was a young black man.
Maybe, just maybe, the world isn't as bad as they say it is.
I was working at the public library and a guy comes in and asks for a specific book. A Bible dictionary. I know that we have one, but it is in our reference collection (meaning it cannot be checked out). I explain that to him and then show him the book. It is EXACTLY the book he is looking for. I repeat that he can't check it out but we have a copier if needed. Suddenly, he hears me and gets all upset that he can't check the book out. I explained again and he tells me that the other librarian told me to come here because he could check it out.
Once I got the full story I think it went like something like this: he was at the downtown branch looking for this book. They have it, but in reference. Trying to be helpful, she checked the suburban catalog (we are in the midst of a merger and the catalogs are still separate) and saw that we have a copy. Being new to our catalog she (or he, I don't actually know) missed the fact that this book is marked as reference and sent him to our library. The customer took the bus from downtown to our branch (quite a distance by bus) only to be disappointed. I checked our catalog and found out that of the 20-odd copies we own of this book ONE of them is circulating and it is at the Penn Lake branch. I called them to make sure that this wasn't an error in the catalog (it seemed so odd that only one copy would circulate and that it would live at PL...why not a bigger branch?). They had the book and assured me it would circulate. I had them hold it for the customer.
Then, he needed to know how to get there by bus. This is NOT my area of expertise. I haven't ever been on a city bus (as far as I know) and I have never even looked at a bus schedule. So, between his knowledge of bus schedules and my knowledge of where the library was located, we were going to get him there.
While all of this is going on, my coworker, Rich, was helping some guy track down a book. I didn't hear any of their conversation, but as luck would have it, his book was checked in at...you guessed it, Penn Lake! While my guy and I were headed for the door, still discussing bus schedules and PL library, Rich's customer overheard us and said "excuse me". We turned to him and he said, "are you headed to PL?" My guy said that he was and then Rich's guy said, "so am I, I'll give you a ride if you want." My guy said that he would appreciate it and accepted the ride.
Can you believe that?
I was shocked. I think I still am. In this day and age, to offer a ride to a stranger is completely unheard of. Truly, I think this might be the most quintessential definition of a community library. It is possible that nowhere else on earth would you see this kind of situation come to fruition. Two complete strangers working together to make the best of their library experience. Is that an amazing story or what?
Had it not been so busy (and so late in the day) I'd have blogged about it then and there.
If you didn't find that to be so extraordinary, then I will add this and you can take it as you will. The man that offered the ride was a middle-aged white man. The man who accepted was a young black man.
Maybe, just maybe, the world isn't as bad as they say it is.
Hello
Hello
Shivon is my name and a friend of mine suggested I learn to blog since I am a bit lonely at times. I hope to meet new people of similar interests, or anyone at all who is interesting.
I googled blogging and this looked like a nice place to be. I hope so.
Introduce yourselves and tell me about you and I will visit your blog.
Shivon is my name and a friend of mine suggested I learn to blog since I am a bit lonely at times. I hope to meet new people of similar interests, or anyone at all who is interesting.
I googled blogging and this looked like a nice place to be. I hope so.
Introduce yourselves and tell me about you and I will visit your blog.
Strange phenomenon "Little people men"etc....
This is strange it's not everyday that you capture one of the little people men. If it hadn't have been for the moritorium in congress on the electronic voice phenomenon I might not have been able to commandeer jack. But if you can count on those boobs for anything it's to run for the nearest bolthole at the first sign of trouble .The electronic priest ,the elves,Langoliers,it all just swirls around in my head like rainbow soup .I feel bad about pushing bubby down, but it's high time somebody else had a turn. Make your very own fire in the sky! Impress your friends! Abduct the neighbors! Become stanger than fiction! All at the expense of the world nationalists . If you would like to join The Combine, The Combines Fog Machine,or infiltrate deep behind friendly lines, just telepathically call or post a good review of this blog .(Please note all good reviews and accidental clicks will be considered applications to join)New World Now! ( not now!).goddamn gaylord stangers!
Strange phenomenon "Little people men"etc....
This is strange it's not everyday that you capture one of the little people men. If it hadn't have been for the moritorium in congress on the electronic voice phenomenon I might not have been able to commandeer jack. But if you can count on those boobs for anything it's to run for the nearest bolthole at the first sign of trouble .The electronic priest ,the elves,Langoliers,it all just swirls around in my head like rainbow soup .I feel bad about pushing bubby down, but it's high time somebody else had a turn. Make your very own fire in the sky! Impress your friends! Abduct the neighbors! Become stanger than fiction! All at the expense of the world nationalists . If you would like to join The Combine, The Combines Fog Machine,or infiltrate deep behind friendly lines, just telepathically call or post a good review of this blog .(Please note all good reviews and accidental clicks will be considered applications to join)New World Now! ( not now!).goddamn gaylord stangers!
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