One of the stickers the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library was handing out to story-loving passersby
Last Sunday (June 12, 2011, to be exact), I had a fun old time volunteering at the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library’s booth at the Haight Ashbury Street Fair, an annual tradition that takes place not from my house.
Gary Shteyngart's "Super Sad True Love Story" is available at your local library!
I recently had the pleasure of reading “Super Sad True Love Story” by Gary Shteyngart, which I borrowed from my local public library. In this dystopic black comedy, the author takes the superficiality of modern love, the overabundance of data (and people’s cavalier attitude toward their own personal information) and the sense of America’s decline, contrasts it with an Old World sensibility.
I finally finished reading the “The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains” by Nicholas G. Carr. I had the opportunity to hear him speak in person at the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco in June, 2010. He was being interviewed by Peter Norvig, who is the Director of Research at Google. The choice of interviewer was no doubt inspired by Nicholas Carr’s article in the Atlantic Monthly entitled, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” I also had it autographed by the author, which always makes for a fun addition to my collection.
I would definitely say that I have a mixed opinion of the book. I thought it was interesting and definitely valuable in that it made me stop and think about how I interact with the Internet, and how my use of it is affecting my ability to concentrate. I definitely find it easier to read from print than from a screen, and I notice that I do skim when reading online. Interestingly enough, this seems to be the way that I, and probably many others, traditionally read hard-print newspapers and magazines. One thing I noticed with the Internet is that it I am constantly tempted to click on something else. However, is this due to the design of the Internet, or is it due to something within me that says, “maybe this link has something more interesting (and hence more gratifying) than what I’m looking at right now?” In other words, is it the nature of the Internet, or is it an anxious, “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” mentality? Or could it be, as Mr. Carr states in his book, that the structure of the Internet is re-wiring my brain as I use it? Or perhaps, the Internet’s structure hooks into the lower-functioning part of the brain that is geared to respond to stimuli. In other words, the Internet – or to be more precise, use of the Internet – triggers a primal response in humans that is not useful in the Information Age.
I have two cats, Ingrid and Olivia. My partner and I adopted them from the San Francisco SFCA last August, when they were only 4 months old. As can be expected of kittens, they are full of energy and need to explore everything, sometimes repeatedly (such as climbing the curtains). I also dabble in Zen Buddhism. I say “dabble” since while I am drawn to Buddhist philosophy, and find a lot in it that makes sense to me and gives me peace, I don’t practice it very often, as I am just too lazy, and not all that disciplined when it comes to meditating.
However, I’m searching for employment in the library profession and have plenty of time on my hands to do so. I’ve found that I can get caught up in the logistics of the job search, and the resulting anxiety. Does my resume look good? Does my cover letter look good? Did I say the right thing in my email to a potential contact? Am I doing the right things in searching for a job (i.e., if I’m looking for job postings should I be networking instead, and if I’m networking should I be doing something else)? The anxiety caused by the logistics feeds upon itself, and if not checked can lead to stress and sleepless nights. However, anxiety, stress and sleepless nights do not lead to a job.
Today, I received my diploma in the mail. It really underscores the sense of accomplishment I feel in having completed my MLIS degree at San Jose State University. In addition to being a sign of official recognition and confirmation of my competence in the field of library and information science, it is also a reaffirmation that I can do anything I put my mind to. This reaffirmation comes at a time when I am currently searching for employment as I launch my career. The economic climate may be rough, but I have confidence that I will be able to find the place where I can make the best contribution possible as an information professional. The job search continues, but for now, I’m going to savor this one, because it feels so good.
