Reference + Web Development

It seems that my destiny in librarianship may lie in a reference librarian/web development combo. Anyone in my family that reads this will understand the irony of the latter. For those that don't get the joke, allow me to explain.

My younger brother is known as the "brain child." He is a very smart and talented young man who has done extremely well academically, and we are all very proud of him (I hope to do as well in my current program as he has done with his schooling). Ever since high school--or possibly middle school, it's hard to remember--he has shown a strong interest in computers that developed a focus on programming. This has basically been his long-time hobby. He was the one that we all called whenever we had a question about, well, pretty much anything computer or technology related. My poor HTML skills were like the kitten to his jungle panther. And now it seems that I am following (albeit at a much slower pace and in one area rather than all) in his computer-skill footsteps. He has blazed the trail that I seem to find myself on since starting this web development class--something that even two or three years ago I would not have considered to be in my future. Now I seem to be doing what my brother was doing years ago and I could only see as a kind of magic then. I guess this merely illustrates the truism that we cannot predict where we will end up.

So since I've had a lot of fun in both my reference class (which was last semester) and my web development class, I think I'm going to concentrate the rest of my classes in these areas. And I finally found something that I don't like. The cataloging class that I'm also currently taking has merely illustrated to me that I do not want to pursue cataloging as part of my career. It's been very challenging, and while I have managed to do well academically (at least so far), I've struggled with a lot of the concepts and really have not felt the same joy as I have with reference and web stuff. Despite the difficulty, I am glad that I took it if for no other reason than I will have a better idea of source location when I'm on the reference desk (and it helped give me a clearer vision of what I want to do).

As I'm coming up on the halfway mark of my program (I will officially be halfway through upon completing my current classes), I've definitely come a long way. I certainly have a much better grasp of the profession and its many facets, and many of the issues that define and challenge what librarians and libraries do. I have a defined goal, not just "I want to be a librarian" but "I want to be a librarian that specializes in reference and web development (and perhaps in the public sector)." I hope to be taking two classes in the fall that will further this goal: JavaScript (because of both my personal inclination and the recommendation of my current web instructor) and an advanced reference class (which is being taught by the instructor I had and loved last semester).

Just a brief note that I know I'm overdue to post a recipe; one will be forthcoming by week's end (Scooter and I had chicken and dumplings earlier in the month when it was cold and rainy).

A tribute to Gramma

Forgive both the time since I last posted and the content of this post. It is off my normal range of topics and I will try to keep it short.

Yesterday was the five-year anniversary of my dear grandmother's death. I was close to her and she was the matriarch of our family, so her passing was a great blow to all of us. It was sudden and unexpected despite her venerable age at the time and we hardly got to say goodbye before she was gone. In honor of this great lady, I wanted to write a brief tribute to her.

She had a strength that many admired. She must have gotten it from her father because he too possessed an inner strength that none could shake. She was well known for her cooking, her candy, and her obsession with hummingbirds. Her entire house was filled with knickknacks displaying hummingbirds--if the little creatures were anywhere on an item (no matter how much in poor taste), she had to have it. She always called the little hummingbirds with the red throats "Ruby."

She loved all of her family dearly. To her, there was nothing more important. Her grandkids and great-grandkids were especially special to her. She never forgot a birthday or holiday for any one of us. And she always spent every holiday with the family, even when she lived a few hours away. When she moved closer, Christmas was always at Gramma's and we would cram two long tables in her living room so the whole family could sit down and eat together.

She loved being in her garden. It didn't matter where she lived, her garden was always beautiful. She showed me how to grow zucchini and that the blossoms are delicious when fried up. She railed against the deer because they ate her plants and the squirrels because they chased her birds away. She brefriended a Scrub Jay and named him Scrubby; she had him eating peanuts out of her hand.

She went clamming on the coast in the summer, even when she was in her 70s. She loved dancing, especially the polka, and she had quite the millenium party on December 31st of 1999--she even danced the polka then too. She grew up during the Depression and Prohibition and had tales to tell about both that were like stepping into history as she told them (and they were quite unique because of the role her father played during both eras).

She always spoke her mind and was never afraid of what others thought of her. She raised three girls, for awhile by herself which at that time was probably considered a bit of a scandel and just "not done" (especially since she divorced her first husband when that was also "not done"). She loved, laughed, and lived with a vengence and she was an amazing lady through and through. Even five years later, it's hard for me to believe that she is truly gone. She is and always will be loved and missed dearly.

We love you Gramma! 1919-2007