UH Special Collections

I started my practicum at the University of Houston last week. Today, as a part of an on-going series where the different parts of the library invite other library staff to come to a presentation about their services, I went to a presentation by Special Collections. They started by introducing several of the people who work in that area, including talking about current projects, which sounded really great. I'd list them here, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to or not, so I won't. I would just recommend keeping an or an ear out for new exhibits produced by Special Collections. I was able to see some of the old and rare stuff they have like a 16th century King James Bible in excellent condition.

They also took us on a tour of the vault, which is a very large and very cold room where they keep all the really old stuff--and some new stuff. They explained that they also keep all the theses written by UH PhD students and some new books that have been published that they feel are or will be classic works of literature in the future, like Gone with the Wind. As we walked down the rows, it was really neat to get a glimpse of some of their rare books. When we walked out, I saw a whole row of nothing but bibles of varying ages. I do have a question about the fifty years after Gutenberg created his printing press. Why is it only those books published during that time that get a special name? (By the way, they're called incunabule.)

Cataloging the World

Last night I had a dream that two friends and I were traveling around the world cataloging everything. Hmm...now that I think about it, maybe we were a part of that scene in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy where they had to replace the earth and everything on it back in its right spot. Or maybe it just means that I have finally taken in enough library stuff that I'm starting to live it...or something like that. It's kind of like you really know when you're truly understanding a foreign language when you dream in that language. Maybe it just means I'm finally getting this library stuff.

New House Update

It's been raining for several days now off and on, but yesterday we had what my landlord described as a driving rain, which was a possible explanation for the leak in the walls of the kitchen. Yep. Just after I finally unpack the kitchen, line the shelves with non-adhesive contact paper, stack all the dishes and glasses into my pristine cupboards, up springs this nicely spread out leak that has run trails of orange colored water in the cupboards, the curtain in the window, and all down the backsplash. As my friends sing, "ooooold houses..."

The nice thing about this house, though, is that it is a good three or four feet off the ground so I shouldn't have to worry about flooding. (I hope.)

Moving

I would like to know if there has ever been a move that has gone smoothly. Okay, well, I will admit my move to Japan was pretty smooth. Bear in mind, though, that I moved into a furnished apartment. All I brought were books, clothes, personal items. I think I only had something like four boxes and two suitcases.

Joy and I moved into this wonderful duplex in the museum district. It's a great old house with the original hardwood floors, windows everywhere, off-street parking, central air and heat, and an upstairs neighbor who is never around. I say we moved in. We are here. The boxes are here. Our stuff is still in boxes. Yep. As I speak, the plumber is here. Again. The electrician is supposed to come today. Again. I'm still waiting for the dryer vent to be connected so I can wash two weeks worth of dirty clothes. I still have to figure out how to hang the shower rod so that the bottom six inches of the curtain are not slouching on the ground.

I really can't complain too much, though. The bed is unpacked, of course. The A/C is keeping me nice and cool. ATT finally finished installing the Internet, so now I can work on classwork, volunteer stuff, and, of course, this blog. It would just be nice to move in for real.

Third Semester

I'm starting my third semester of library school. I am taking and indexing and abstracting course, a cataloging course, and a preservation course. I am also going to be working on two practica, both in digital services, one public and one academic. I am running for Vice President of Houston LISSA. I am now the Secretary of GCAM. I am doing volunteer work for Houston ARCH. I'll be working on the wiki. I am volunteering at Houston Public Library. Oh, and I'm looking for a part-time job. I was hoping to find something along the lines of personal assistant to world leader since that's a job I hope to take on in the future. ;)

(I really am looking for a part-time job, though, in case anyone knows of anything library or database related. Thanks!)

Final Final

I gave my very last final exam for high school English I hope I ever have to give. I have turned in my resignation, received my five year service pin, and I am packed up and done. I will miss my students--well, many of them. There are many things I won't miss, though, but all that's better left behind. I plan to just keep the odd and funny memories with me, like my Japanese students yelling konpyuuuuuutaaaaaa as loud as they could to their teammates. I'll miss my teacher friends. Fortunately, I will still get to see some of them since they play dodge ball and kick ball or whiffle ball every Sunday just down the street from me.

I do feel I have to say something about my overall experience and where I think public education is headed. Now, I am only speaking of my school, a school that ranks in the bottom fifteen percent in the state of Texas. They are truly headed in the wrong direction. They have been talking about giving teachers an extra conference period, which I do think is a good idea, especially for English teachers who have to read essays from 130 students. However, in order to accomplish this, they have to increase class size. I adamantly oppose this idea. Classes should be smaller. All they have to look at to see this is the grades of my small classes versus my large classes. I think they would see the difference across the board for all teachers. It seems like such an obvious solution to many problems teachers face that I can't believe this is not a solution they are trying their best to implement. I think I would have gladly worked seven periods a day if my classes had fifteen students, maximum. I know this isn't the only option, but I wish they had tried that out instead of all these other inane ideas that fade away long before the school year is even out. Eh. Enough about that. Summer vacation, here I come!

What's New

I'm considering getting a new Mac. I love my PowerBook, but it runs really slow now on the Internet, and there's probably an easy fix for that that I haven't tried yet, but I would also like to get new Office software and more space on my hard drive, etc. (Does it sound like I'm just looking for reasons to buy a new computer?) I went to the mac store and found out I can get one on credit, interest free if I can pay it back in a twelve months. That sounds like a pretty good deal, right? Yeah, I'm still thinking about it. I know I will get a Mac for sure. I just don't know when--especially if I'm going to quit teaching and go to school full time. (Anyone know of a nice part-time library position starting in June?)

I'm looking forward to seeing the new jaguar exhibit at the zoo. I didn't get a chance to go this past weekend since I've been working on my major project due on Wednesday (which I am still procrastinating by writing this), but maybe there will be time next weekend. I'm also really excited about the new walkways they're beginning to put it. It's so comfortable to walk on. I can't wait to see what the zoo will look like when all the renovations are done.

There's a new engagement. My friends Vince and Dawn were engaged this weekend. Social networking is awesome, isn't it. One can keep up to date on friends so easily. I wonder if anyone has ever proposed via facebook? I mean, it happened on Twitter.

I think I'm done procrastinating. The smell of Girl Scout cookies is driving me crazy and I need to put them up and go to bed.