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Engaging in the field of Library Politics

I’m a frequent visitor of LisJobs since it pertains to my chosen career industry and I’ve become a fan of their section titled, “Career Q & A with The Library People”; it’s where they answer questions from librarians, librarians to be, and curious bookworms.

Today, I read about a question that was very similar to what I’ve recently been through in the my previous post of  “When Work isn’t Working“. Here’s the Library People’s answer to my same dilemma.

I especially liked the part that read:

“In my experience, it has always been my immediate boss who lobbied for me and procured my raises and promotions, which makes sense because he knew my work better than the director. Since your boss is supportive of you, I would try to engage her help as much as possible. Her words and opinion will mean a lot to her superiors and she should be involved in your discussion with them, if possible. If you do not have much contact with the head of the library, she may not be aware of everything that you have accomplished while working there or of your desire to move into a professional position. However, she cannot be surprised, considering you recently completed your MLS. In fact, I am a little surprised that your employers did not approach you after you finished the degree to discuss your future in the library. This could be a sign that you have a losing battle on your hands.”

Again, like in my previous post, it’s sad that our profession doesn’t seem to advocate for its degree holders as strongly as they should. It makes being taken seriously as organization and industry difficult. I know that both public and college libraries have more of a pull than special libraries and I’m not sure if that’s because special libraries have yet to adopt the same standards as those types of institutions. Unfortunately until the special art library field catches on, I’ll be navigating the seas on my own.

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It’s so Sweet, it’s delicious…

As in my sweet little self…Did I ever mention that I am a diabetic type 2? Well there it is. And I’ve been one for about 6 years now. I was diagnosed when I was 24 and have been living/dealing with it ever since.

I bring it up now for a couple of reasons.. The most important is that I’ve finally taken charge and have decided to really take the reins. It’s funny how life planning makes you aware of things you might never have cared about until you had to think of someone else besides yourself. And that’s the hint.

Continue reading “It’s so Sweet, it’s delicious…”

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Stressed? Who isn’t?

Feeling very exhausted this morning. I didn’t get to bed until 5am. It’s interesting how sleep and stress are directly related. I’d like to think that stress is some alien emotion that has nothing to do with the realm of sleep, but there it goes, intruding with creeping thoughts and sticky fingers. Yikes!

Last week was the culmination of a variety of stressors; it was tax week, graduate application  deadlines week, not to mention the annual performance-review-at-work week. All these events in one week doesn’t bode well for a luxurious sleep.

So it was with great timing that I stumbled upon a related blog post at NeuroAnthropology discussing just this problem: Worry and Stress.

The writer along with his colleagues hope to explore the different facets of “insecurity, stress, and mental and behavioral health in their long-term fieldsite in Costa Rica.”

They’ve listed a great bibliography that makes a librarian like me happy and well less stressed. The bibliography links out to various abstracts and studies occurring in the realm of stress and psychology. Some highlights from their list:

Boutain, D.M
2001 Managing worry, stress and high blood pressure: African-American women holding it together through ‘family’. Ethnicity & Disease 11(4):773.

Nolen-Hoeksema, S., B. E. Wisco, and S. Lyubomirsky
2008 Rethinking rumination. Perspectives on Psychological Science 3(5):400-424.

Schoenberg, N. E., et al.
2005 Situating stress: Lessons from lay discourses on diabetes. Medical Anthropology Quarterly 19(2):171-193.

Wells, A., and C. Papageorgiou
1995 Worry and the incubation of intrusive images following stress. Behaviour Research and Therapy 33(5):579-583.

For the entire blog post over at NeuroAnthropology, click here.

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If Only….

 Just read this blog post over at Mindhacks and found myself both laughing and crying at the same time. And that’s because it’s a study all about Regrets, specifically a study titled, “Regrets of a Typical American”.

 I’m laughing because my husband is often pointing out how much I dwell too long over actions that I’ve already committed. At the same time all this dwelling makes me sad cos, that’s right….it’s depressing.

 And although I can’t access the full study from the Journal of Social Psychological and Personality Science, the review remains intriguing, so I’ll just have to see if I can get access from my office.

 Not surprisingly, like the author points, Love tops the charts with Family and Education right after. Continue reading “If Only….”

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When it’s time

It seems time is the ultimate commitment for writing, for studying, for sleeping, for reading, for… well almost everything.
When it’s time… I went away to school, made new friends, missed my family, and ended up with a bachelor’s degree.
When it’s time… I moved back home, lived from apartment to apartment, stayed faithful to both boyfriend and career.
When it’s time… I lost a mother…then a father….and learned what life was really about.
When it’s time… I found a way to live again, to love, and got married to my best friend.
The phrase “When it’s time…” led me to where I am now, writing about the next phase in my life. And what is that you say? Well this blog is for me, a place where I can explore the daily musings of a very interesting academic life, or my hopes therein. It’s where I’ll come to unload and hopefully inspire discussions and enlighten others to think about where they are in life and where they’re going.
I told my husband the other day that I believe I’m meant to do something more with my life, something that gives back and pays forward. And that’s what I’m setting up to do. This blog is just one way to document it.
Thanks…and enjoy!