CHECK OUT “FROM THE STACKS”

Posted on January 23, 2010 at 5:02 pm in

In addition to the digital archiving I’m working on for the California Academy of Sciences, my new job also entails various other services — including the occasional addition to the Research Library’s blog, “From the Stacks“.

I recently wrote a post about Fur Seals, San Francisco and exploring the Bering Sea — the subject of an exhibit I curated in the C.A.S. Library Reading Room during my internship. Please go check it out, and while you’re there, take a look at all the other excellent Academy blogs — there is a lot going on at one of San Francisco’s great institutions!

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DIPTYCH: WATER

Posted on January 20, 2010 at 6:57 pm in

Diptych:

1. Anything folded, so as to have two leaves; esp. a two-leaved, hinged tablet of metal, ivory or wood, having its inner surfaces covered with wax, used by the ancients for writing with the stylus.

b. spec. (in pl.) Applied to the artistically wrought tablets distributed by the consuls, etc. of the later Empire to commemorate their tenure of office; hence transferred to a list of magistrates.

2. Eccl. (in pl.) Tablets on which were recorded the names of those of the orthodox, living and dead, who were commemorated by the early Church at the celebration of the eucharist. Hence, The list or register of such names; the intercessions in the course of which the names were introduced.

3. An altar-piece or other painting composed of two leaves which close like a book.

–Oxford English Dictionary

In art and photography, the diptych is the juxtaposition of two images or works together, by the same artist, with the hope that one illuminates the other (the triptych is the same concept rendered in threes). Photographers and bloggers Kellee Pigeon and Miss Grace have created a weekly challenge in which they collaborate on the creation of a photographic diptych. Each takes one photo independent of the other but on the the same general theme — light one week, paper another…once it was green. They then post the images paired together on each of their blogs. The original project description can be found on the blog Not So Small Things.

They have invited other bloggers to follow suit, and I am happy to say that @uncola — photographer, archivist, and author of .intense.drama — has agreed to partner with me.

Our first subject is water. Her image is the second one.

Diptych Project - Water

Be sure to visit Miss Grace’s Disgrace to see their take on the same concept, and find links to other bloggers taking part in the challenge.

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CONFESSIONS OF A LURKER

Posted on January 14, 2010 at 2:53 pm in

Apparently today is “delurk” day in the blogosphere, as lurking readers are encouraged to actually comment on their favorite blogs that they normally read in secrecy. I admit to being guilty of lurking on a number of blogs; either I have nothing to add or say in reply, or I’m shy because I don’t know the blogger personally and feel out of place commenting, or it’s a really popular blog and I see no point in adding my two cents when there are hundreds of other comments. I should know better — I certainly appreciate the small handful of comments I get here and on my feed on facebook, and I’d bet the blogs I read (particularly the “smaller” ones) would in turn appreciate the attention themselves.

So I thought I’d highlight a handful of my favorite blogs to lurk, some widely read, others not. Don’t be offended if your blog didn’t make my list…this is just a small sampling from my Reader, and I probably don’t consider myself a lurker on yours!

Blogs by librarians:

  • Carolyn the Librarian: This blog is written by a friend and former classmate of mine. She’s an academic reference librarian and one of the most organized, cogent and sharp colleagues I’ve had. Her blog is serious-minded, as she is, focusing on evaluating the library services she takes part in, and analyzing changing trends in academic librarianship. I read it regularly (or as regularly as she posts), and her blog has always featured in my “friends” blogroll at left, but I’ve only commented a couple times.
  • Silversprite: This blog is authored by John Kirriemuir, a library consultant who resides in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland (an area of the world recently featured in an evocative National Geographic piece). He travels extensively and blogs about the libraries and library services he witnesses in his journeys.
  • The Cataloguing Librarian: I’m not a cataloger, but I might be some day – it’s hard to know what direction my career might take. I have taken courses in the subject and done some archival cataloging during my recent internship, so I know the basics. Reading Laurel Tarulli’s blog, a frequently published Canadian cataloging librarian, keeps me up on many of the bigger questions in cataloging, thus helping me remain informed should I find cataloging a part of my job duties some day. Plus, she writes well and keeps what might be a dry subject pretty interesting. I think I’ve commented once.
  • Librarian in Black: Sarah Houghton-Jan’s blog on library web services is one of the gold standards on the subject — widely read, influential, and positive about the possibilities in library services. Reading Librarian in Black is a great way to stay informed about the technological possibilities out there (along with the occasional horror story).
  • The Travelin’ Librarian: This interesting blog is a hodgepodge mix of professional observation, personal musings and interesting links (not unlike my own, but generally better written!). The author is veteran librarian Michael Sauers of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Plus a music blog:

  • Dust Sleeve. I love, love, love this music blog, though I’ve only commented on it a couple times. I first found it googling for reviews of a Wolf Parade album (anyone who knows me understands I am a fanatic) but kept reading it due to the well-written reviews, the entertaining song mixes, and links provided by writer Erin Fox. After reading her blog for nearly a year, I can definitely say I trust her taste in music. And unlike some music blogs, she writes without pretension.

Now, I suppose I ought to go out and delurk on each of these blogs by posting some comments…in the meantime, I suggest you check them out!

And of course, I’m always happy to get comments here on The Pinakes. No need to be shy. Perhaps you can tell me your favorite blogs to lurk?

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THE THIRD & THE SEVENTH

Posted on January 8, 2010 at 4:28 am in

While Avatar has changed expectations for CG rendering in major Hollywood blockbusters, the following short film “The Third & The Seventh” obliterates limitations placed on independent and solo animators. It is 100% computer generated, yet many elements are utterly lifelike. Quite simply, it is the most photorealistic CG animation I have ever seen, and it was produced by one man, the Madrid-based Alex Roman. And it prominently features libraries.

Roman’s goal was to highlight architectural art through CG rendering, but his effort far exceeds that limited ambition, with his use of movement, music, simulated timelapses, changing light, and shifting focus lifting this work into the realm of genuine art itself. Of particular interest to librarians and archivists are the library and institutional spaces he highlights, internally and externally. One such example used is the Shiba Ryōtarō Memorial Museum in Japan — its awe-inspiring spaces are stunning even in the stills contained in Roman’s online portfolio. The video then brings this towering space to life.

The film features recurring themes of analog technology — film and film cameras play a narrative role, and the tone of the piece is established by early shots of fluttering polaroids and card catalogs. The images and music serve as a beautiful requiem for the passing of the old into the digital world of the new. There is an empty concert hall, then towering library stacks — full in one library, empty in another. Each space is highlighted in a breathtaking way. The wordless film is not without an arc; perspective and light shift as the film goes on, and ultimately the heightened reality moves into a certain magical surrealism (that seems to be an inspirational nod to René Magritte).

Please make use of the “Full Screen” option on the embedded video to properly appreciate this artwork, and allow for the 12:29 running time. You will not soon forget watching it.

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

If you click through to Vimeo, you can also watch various previews and “behind the scenes” videos Roman produced.

Credit for turning me onto this video is due Adam Whitehead, British-based author of the outstanding speculative fiction, film and game review blog The Wertzone.

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HIRED! TEMPORARILY

Posted on January 6, 2010 at 8:05 pm in

I have been hired. It’s temporary, but it’s still very exciting regardless. I’ll start working 30-hours a week for the California Academy of Sciences Research Library after Martin Luther King Jr. weekend (I officially started last month, but it’s been just one day a week for training so far). I’ll be the temporary fill-in for the Archives and Digital Production Assistant as she goes out on maternity leave.

So what will my responsibilities entail? The bulk of my workload will be digital archiving — scanning the Academy’s impressive collection of archival and curatorial photographs (from prints, books, slides and transparencies) to CDL standards, creating the accompanying Dublin Core-based metadata, organizing the servers, and operating the Cumulus digital asset management system that stores the collection.  I will also pitch in on archival reference questions, serving as the aide-de-camp for the Archives and Digital Collections Librarian as needed.

Of course, it’s great to find a paying job in the current economic climate. But beyond the wages, this job is a fantastic opportunity because of the new digital archiving skills I’m learning, the fantastic workplace and coworkers (with whom I’ve been interning since the summer), and the overall mission and orientation of the Academy, very much in line with that of my former longtime workplace, The Nature Conservancy. It further burnishes my credentials in the natural sciences, an area of interest of mine.

As a temporary position, this role adds to my résumé while still leaving me free to pursue longer-term appointments for after it wraps in mid-April. It all adds up to being the perfect opportunity.

résumé

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A NOT UNFORTUNATE EVENT

Posted on January 6, 2010 at 5:18 am in

One of the most satisfying book series I’ve read is Lemony Snicket’s magnum opus (ostensibly for children), A Series of Unfortunate Events. A verbose, witty look at the unceasingly unfortunate lives of the Baudelaire Orphans, it was the brainchild of San Franciscan (and fellow Lowellite) Daniel Handler, the author of such grown-up books as Adverbs and The Basic Eight — the latter being set at a thinly disguised version of Lowell High. The subject of Handler came up when I was out with friends Saturday night. One of the friends went to Lowell with me, while another is a fellow fan of The Magnetic Fields, a band with whom Handler has played (accordion). With the one friend I discussed The Basic Eight and its portrayal of our high school, and with the latter I discussed the upcoming Magnetic Fields tour and their shows in San Francisco and Oakland.

I openly wondered if Handler would be playing his accordion live with the band.

Lo and behold, today I ran into no less an authority on the subject than Mr. Handler himself, apparently taking a stroll in a Victorian neighborhood near one of San Francisco’s hilltop parks. It must have been a strange encounter for him — it was a chilly day, and I was on my bicycle with my three-year-old daughter, who was clad in a rainbow of colors, with silver sequined shoes and a shimmery silver scarf, sitting in her rear-mounted seat. I suddenly stopped mid-street, just ahead of him, and waited for him to catch up before disrupting his reverie. After verifying his identity (needlessly; I was certain it was him), I said I had just one question — would he be playing with The Magnetic Fields during their upcoming local shows?

I suppose it might have seemed less odd if I explained that I had just been asking that question (to people of lesser expertise) in a bar the prior night. Or, perhaps, that would have made it more odd.

In any case, he graciously said yes, he would, and that he was excited about the new album they were releasing. In fact, he didn’t seem startled by my shock assault at all.

I didn’t bother him for an autograph. I was on my bike, already confusing my daughter with my bizarre behavior, and without a pen or paper. That, and I already have his signature. I let him return to his brisk walk, and resumed our brisk ride.

When we got home I introduced Mather to the music of the Magnetic Fields, to which she responded, predictably, by dancing. A few years down the line she’ll no doubt be introduced to Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. Hopefully she can one day mirror their ingenuity, but hopefully without a series of unfortunate events.

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