Welcome Back to the Library!

It’s a new semester, and in many ways, it feels like a return to the old semesters. Last year at this time, the library was open for keycard access only. The building was, by and large, a ghost town most times of the day. The coffee bar (one of the biggest draws of the library) was open, but with limited options. There were no places to sit in there, and most of the comfortable furniture in the library was removed. Even for the furniture that was left, it was all placed very far apart. Libraries typically try to be places where people can go and spend a long time and be comfortable. Since the pandemic began, we really haven’t been that.

But now the students are back, and the social distancing measures are gone. You would think that 6 feet of distance wouldn’t make that much of a difference, but you’d be wrong. Having the furniture back, having the coffee bar back in full swing, doing away with all of the rules and regulations (up-only staircases, down-only staircases, constant reminders to not eat or drink in the library), it sort of feels like when Dolores Umbridge was taken down as the Headmistress of Hogwarts. (Well, maybe not that bad, but you get the picture.)

How safe does it feel on campus? Well, masks are required everywhere indoors (unless you’re eating or drinking), vaccinations are mandatory for all students, and widely done for most faculty and staff, and the ventilation in our buildings is pretty darn good, so it feels quite safe. Plus, Maine continues to have one of the lowest case rates in the nation. I’m hopeful the safety measures that are being taken will allow us to continue to be as open as we are.

In a small town like this, having an influx of students coming back to classes and the area really feels like a revitalization, and it’s great to have them all back.

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking this PERFECT PLACE TO DIE Amazon link. It will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

On Doing Your Own Research

It seems these days more and more people are encouraging each other to “do the research” so they can be properly informed about a subject and make their own decisions. As an academic librarian, you would think I would be thrilled with this newfound desire to delve into research. Instead, I’m left scratching my head.

The problem is that what I mean by “research” seems to be quite different than what many other people think it means. Perhaps a lot of this stems from the fact that I believe different levels of research are appropriate for different projects.

For example, if you’re interested in finding out where you recognize that guy in that movie from, then doing a quick search on Wikipedia or IMDB makes perfect sense. It’s a simple question with a simple answer. The stakes are relatively low. What’s the worst thing that happens if you turn out to be wrong? You look foolish at a party? I think we can all live with that. Likewise, if you’re interested in different Big Foot sightings, you can no doubt find no end of web pages that will regale you with any number of them. Again: very low risk if those sites end up being wrong. Worst case, I suppose you head out to where some of the sites swear Big Foot visits all the time, and you waste a weekend searching for him in vain. (Hmm. Or would the worst case be that you actually find him and are torn limb from limb? Maybe this was a bad example . . .)

When the stakes get raised, the importance of the quality of the research goes up dramatically. Say you’re writing a paper for your college biology class. In this case, citing Wikipedia as your main research source isn’t nearly as appropriate. You’d want to be using academic, peer-reviewed journals to persuade your professor that you really have “done your research.”

(A quick aside, as I recognize not everyone knows what a peer-reviewed journal means. In essence, it means that for an article to be published in that journal, a scholar in that field does extensive research, writes it up, and submits it. The editor of the journal then sends that article on to other scholars in the field (anonymously, so they have no idea who wrote it). Those scholars then evaluate the research and its findings, ultimately recommending that the article be published, be rejected, or be revised. No article makes it to print without being verified by other experts in that field. Thus, this research is far more reliable than anything else you’re going to find online.)

If, when people said “do your research,” they meant, “go scour through peer-reviewed journals for a while and come back when you’re better informed,” I might feel a bit more comfortable with the suggestion. But that’s not what they mean. The research people typically end up doing consists of reading articles by reporters, watching YouTube videos, reading websites around an issue, and asking their friends. Worse yet, they’re typically doing this in an effort to prove that what they want to believe is actually the truth. (Pro tip: never start your research with your mind already made up. These days, you will almost always be able to find someone who says you’re right, and it will be that much easier for you to mentally dismiss anyone who disagrees with you.)

What’s particularly alarming in these instances is the ultimate worst case scenarios if the “research” people have done turns out to be wrong. With pandemics and climate change, that can result in millions dead and entire areas ruined for decades to come.

Let’s say for a moment that I decided to do some real research into vaccinations. As a trained reference librarian, I know how to sift through sources to find and evaluate the best research. Let’s say I spend 100 hours combing through the various studies before I come up with an opinion. Even after all of that, that “opinion” isn’t nearly worth as much as an actual expert in the field. Why? Because while I’ve spent 100 hours of my life doing this, that person has spent decades of their life becoming familiar with the field and its nuances. Knowing how to effectively discern between a good study and a bad one. I realize there is no way I can compete with that sort of background.

Ultimately, when it comes to issues like “is the vaccine safe?”, no amount of research I’m going to do is going to be able to reliably contradict the general consensus of experts in the field. And that’s if I’ve done everything right. Science is self-correcting. Researchers do studies. Those studies are evaluated and replicated. They learn from their past mistakes and findings. Through that process, better and better information rises to the surface.

The science on climate change or COVID or the vaccines might have been up for debate decades ago (in climate change’s case) or a year ago (for the others), but the more you see those expert opinions aligning, the more solid that science becomes. Yes, you still might find some studies that contradict the consensus. But those studies will in turn be evaluated. If they prove correct, then the consensus will change. If they don’t, then they’ll be dismissed. In issues like these, the currency of the study is vital to knowing how much credence to give it.

If I come down with a series of symptoms that seem alarming, I will undoubtedly do some “research” to find out just how alarmed I should be. I just can’t help myself. But I know better than to assume three hours of WebMD scanning is going to help me in any meaningful way. To do that, I need to go to an actual expert. A doctor. And even then, I might get a second opinion.

So for issues like the safety of the COVID vaccine, I wish the general public would realize that “doing the research” isn’t really going to help them at all. Or rather, it won’t help them nearly as much as simply listening to the experts in the first place. Right now, Florida is averaging 19,000 cases each day. Their earlier peak was just under 18,000. They have 13,000 people hospitalized with COVID. (Their earlier peak in the first wave was 12,000.) And still they have a governor who’s insisting masks are an option, not a necessity. People who believe the vaccine is more dangerous than the disease. 617,000 Americans have died of this so far. (The worst recent yearly flu death total for the US is around 61,000.) The global death total is coming up in 4.25 million. It’s almost certainly much higher than that.

Not all research has the same weight. Please get vaccinated now.

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking this PERFECT PLACE TO DIE Amazon link. It will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

The End of an Era: Stepping Down from the Maine Library Association Presidency

I had my last meeting as part of the Maine Library Association presidency today. It’s hard to believe it’s been six years that I’ve been doing this. Six years! So much has changed in that time. I remember first getting the phone call from the incoming president, asking if I’d be interested and willing to serve in the presidency (as Vice President for two years, President for two years, and then Past President for two years). It was a big commitment, especially for someone who had just been in the Maine library world for less than six years.

In the time since then, I’ve had five different bosses. I’ve changed jobs two or three jobs (at the same institution). It’s been a huge learning curve for me, and I can point to so many things that I’ve gotten better at through the opportunity to assume that leadership role in the state. A stark example would be conference planning. When I came on as VP, I suddenly found out it was up to me to set up the annual conference. That first year was very rocky (for a number of reasons), but when I contrast it with the conference I set up yesterday for Maine Academic Libraries Day, the difference is night and day. People kept coming up to me to thank me for setting it up so well, and I just didn’t feel like the thanks were that necessary. I found some presenters, arranged for food and rooms, emailed to promote it, had multiple meetings to coordinate it, negotiated some vendor sponsorship . . .

When I rattle off the things I did, it suddenly does sound significant, which is just a sign to me of how much I’ve learned being part of the presidency.

The organization itself has changed a ton as well. When I came on, we had around 300 members. Now we’re over 600. Six years ago, we were losing money, with our sole reliable “income stream” being membership dues. Now, we have multiple successful conferences that pay for themselves and bring in funds to help cover other important initiatives. We’re taking on new responsibilities and tackling new projects, like revising the public library standards for the state.

Through my time on MLA, I’ve gotten to know so many more awesome librarians across the state, to the point that I almost always feel like there’s someone close by I could reach out to for help, should I be anywhere in Maine. I know what libraries are struggling with, and where they’re excelling. I know about the challenges we face locally, across the state, and nationally.

It’s all come with a cost, of course. Weekly teleconferences. Board meetings every other month. Committee work across the gauntlet. When I first came on, we began weekly presidency meetings. For the first two years, it was just me and the president. Then we added a new VP for the next two years, and then I shifted to the past president role for the last two. It’s to the point now that those meetings are a permanent fixture (at least, that’s how it feels to me). We found a new Executive Director, revised the bylaws, and I learned much more about Roberts Rules of Order than I ever wanted to.

I could go on, but I won’t. I’m grateful for the chance I had to make an impact, and happy the impact appears to have been a positive one. I still plan on being involved with MLA however I can help. Its mission is near to my heart for multiple reasons.

To all those who’ve helped me over the past six years, a huge thank you. It’s very much a group effort. I’d call you out by name, but I’ll hold back. For one thing, not everyone’s comfortable being name dropped on a blog without permission, and for another, I would inevitably forget someone hugely important. But I really am thankful for all the help I’ve gotten these six years, and the awesome things we’ve come together to achieve. I’m sure there’s even more awesomeness to come.

Go Maine Libraries!

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve posted the entirety of my book ICHABOD in installments, and I’m now putting up chapters from PAWN OF THE DEAD, another of my unreleased books. Where else are you going to get the undead and muppets all in the same YA package? Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking the MEMORY THIEF Amazon link on the right of the page. That will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

A New Desk

I started working at the University of Maine at Farmington in 2007. At the time, I was down on the main floor of the library, working as the Information Technology Librarian. After a year and a half or so, I moved up to the third floor when I became Library Information Services Manager. That lasted for a few years, but then four years ago or so I moved back to my original office and desk, to be closer to the action.

I’m still in that office, but today I upgraded my desk to a bigger one, and it feels lovely. By old one was all of five feet wide, tops. It was pretty cramped, and in a spot of my office that made it so I was always watching/noticing everyone passing by my office outside. Not that I’m not trying to be friendly, but that can get pretty distracting after a while.

With my new configuration, I have an L shaped desk with about 12 feet of desk space, give or take. I’m still facing the door, but angled so that I don’t see everyone passing by. It’s already helped me to feel able to focus more, and that’s great.

Another nice perk? When I moved everything from one desk to the other, it was a great chance to jettison a whole bunch of Stuff that had accumulated in my old desk over the years. It was kind of like moving houses, only on a much smaller scale. I do think I’m getting better at letting go of stuff and not being a packrat as much as I used to be, but it’s still something that takes effort for me to do.

Ideally I’d like to trim down on more stuff at home as well, but that’s a process that will take me a fair bit longer. Many of the problems in a home come down to not being able to take sole ownership over the stuff. While I personally might not want item X, that’s not a guarantee someone else in the family doesn’t want it. So it’s almost as if you have to go through things as a committee to get rid of them.

That doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Just that it can’t be done as easily as I just moved desks.

Anyway, if you swing by the library, you’ll no longer see me at my desk, noticing everyone walking by. But I’m still here, and if my door is open, feel free to pop in!

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve been posting my book ICHABOD in installments, as well as chapters from UTOPIA. Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking the MEMORY THIEF Amazon link on the right of the page. That will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.

The Start of a New Semester

When I was in college, I only ever saw it through the eyes of a student. I went spring term a few times, and so I thought I knew what things were like in slower times. But I’m now heading into my 11th year working at a university full time as a staff member. You start to see things differently after you’ve been at a place for that long.

Of course, it also helps that I live in such a small town. There’s a huge difference when you take a town of 7,760 people and then add 1,750 students to the mix. It’s a difference that’s readily apparent, but it becomes even more stark with each passing year that I live here.

In the summer months, campus is almost in hibernation mode. (At least, the library is.) We do most of our renovations then. We go to conferences. We get things in order for when the students return. There are some summer classes, and there are summer camps that go on at the university, but much of that doesn’t end up directly affecting the library.

The week before classes start up again, students and faculty begin to return. It’s easy to mistake this initial influx of people for what things are “really like.” “Ah yes. This is what it’s like when people are back.” But then classes actually start, and you remember just how wrong that is. Sort of like when I drive down to Massachusetts and hit traffic in Portland. “Ah yes. This is what traffic is like.” And then comes Boston and I remember what it really is.

I’m always excited to see the students return each year. To see all the freshmen wandering around with confused expressions, looking more than a little bewildered, but doing their best to pretend they’ve got it all together. To see friends meeting up again after a summer off. It’s a great reminder for why I do what I do and just what goes on here.

Academia in America can get a bad rap from time to time. It’s accused of being too expensive and being irrelevant. And there’s definitely an argument to be made for each of those in some cases. But for many, many students, it’s still the best way to prepare for a long, successful career. It’s also a wonderful transitory period as students learn the ropes of being adults instead of children. More than a hundred years ago, “teenager” wasn’t much of a concept. You were a kid, and then you were an adult. But in the intervening time, that time of being a teenager has really developed and broadened, and now it’s very much an important part of a person’s life. College plays a real role there, giving people time to establish who they are and how they will approach life.

In any case, I’m excited to see everyone back, even though it makes for a harried start to my week. Students are the lifeblood of my workplace and my town, and it’s great to have them back.

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Like what you’ve read? Please consider supporting me on Patreon. Thanks to all my Patrons who support me! It only takes a minute or two, and then it’s automatic from there on out. I’ve been posting my book ICHABOD in installments, as well as chapters from UTOPIA. Check it out.

If you’d rather not sign up for Patreon, you can also support the site by clicking the MEMORY THIEF Amazon link on the right of the page. That will take you to Amazon, where you can buy my books or anything else. During that visit, a portion of your purchase will go to me. It won’t cost you anything extra.