The CLA Experience, Part 2

After the presentations that I went to on Saturday, I went to a library student mixer and a reception held by my program department. Normally I hesitate to socialize when I know virtually no one (I can be a shy little mouse at times), but I'm very glad I went--and this can stand as an example of why I should socialize, especially at a conference. I got to meet a lot of students that are also in my program at the same school, including a couple that are graduating very soon and several that are starting their program in the spring. At the reception, I got to meet some of my instructors face-to-face including one I currently have (so nice to put a face to the name on the screen and the voice in my lectures!), and one who is the outgoing CLA president (we have a lot of really incredible people on our faculty). I was able to reconnect to my adviser who I really like and work with on one of the school committees. I even met the director of my MLIS program. All these names that I see all the time in email messages, class pages, and online discussions and never have physically met. That is certainly one downfall of an online program--the isolation not only from students, but in some way from faculty--but perhaps it made the in-person meetings all the more enjoyable.

The Sunday presentations were also enjoyable, highly informative, and very interesting. I don't think there was a single presentation I went to where I didn't come away with several ideas to try and implement and lots of useful information. One I attended on online learning actually had a faculty member from my program's department as a speaker, and she provided a very interesting dialog of the instructor's perspective of the classes within my program. I would definitely say that this conference was worth what I paid in attendance, gas, and parking (which all came out of my own pocket). I would love to try and attend 1-2 conferences a year (did I mention that already?) so that I can keep learning about new and fresh ideas to help revitalize my library.

With my first conference over, I have some practical advice for any new conference-goers (ALA Midwinter is coming up fast!).
1. If you live local to the conference (meaning you are not staying at a nearby hotel), get there early! Parking can fill up fast and you may be stuck trying to find parking and be forced to miss activities and presentations you hoped to attend.
2. Bring a resume and business cards, even if you don't think you'll need them. There will be librarians in all kinds of positions that attend, including those that may help with their library's hiring. Who knows if you might meet someone that has a position open? Also, networking becomes a lot easier if you are able to give your card to those you connect with (I traded a cards with a lot of people myself).
3. Bring water and keep it with you! The conference organizers were thoughtful enough to provide water at many locations around the conference, but that might not always be the case. Plus, it would be a pain to have to step out of a presentation to get water.
4. Dress in layers. The A/C in some of the rooms was working full-blast, which is nice for a meat locker but not so much for people sitting in a presentation. Bring clothing that you can take off and put back on if it gets too hot or cold.
5. Explore the exhibition area. There are lots of freebies, and the companies and organizations there are willing and wanting you to take them in the hopes that you will return to them for future business or contact--so don't feel bad about taking them. On a side note, a conference for librarians seems to mean that some of those freebies are books! Scooter sighed at me a couple of times because of the stack of free books I brought home (which included novels, an anthology, and a non-fiction book).
6. Attend social events. I don't think I can emphasize this any more than my comments above already did.
7. Scope out the layout of the presentation rooms so you know where they are. The conference actually took place in two connected buildings and the signage left something to be desired (they could learn something from libraries!). I found my initial walk-through to note room numbers to be very useful.
8. If you enjoyed a presentation, go up and talk to the speakers. They won't bite, and normally they seem to expect and welcome those attending to approach and talk to them. That's how I managed to get a contact for a possible virtual internship next semester (which I really hope will work out!).
9. Bring pen and paper. This may seem obvious, but I'm embarrassed to say that I forgot to do so my first day (I had to resort to taking notes on my phone, which worked better than I thought it would).
10. Follow-up with any contact you make at the conference. You have their business card, so send them a quick note on how much you enjoyed talking to them. You can even connect with them on social media (especially LinkedIn) if they have a profile.

And so ends my very first professional conference--definitely fun, definitely want to do it again!

The CLA Experience, Part 1

I am attending the CLA (California Library Association) conference this weekend and figured this would be an excellent topic to write about, especially since this is my first professional conference ever.

When I first got here yesterday, it was a bit overwhelming. Even just after the first day, it was obvious that I was in the midst of many librarians with a lot of experience, a lot of skills, and a lot of creativity. It is hard for a conference newbie not to feel intimidated by the vast ocean of talent to be found here. There is a lot to learn from everyone, and I really hope I can get over my initial shyness and take advantage of the networking opportunities. I've already come away with lots of good ideas, some that I think can be adopted as is and some that may need some adaptation but I think they would be worth it.

I also got to volunteer at my program department's booth. This was absolutely fabulous. I got to meet a lot of current students, from the very brand-new to the almost-done, and alumni and faculty. The time flew by and I ended up staying longer than my shift because I was having so much fun. The two members of the administration complimented me on how I interacted with those who visited our booth. Definitely a boost to overcome my shyness and start building confidence for the conference.

As I write, I am waiting for my first session of the day to start...

And now that it's over, I have come away with lots of ways to improve how I use social media at work. There's a lot more that we can be doing right. I hope my boss has a nice block of free time when I return on to work on Monday. If this is any indication of things yet to come, we'll need a few hours to debrief! I'm hoping that what I take away from this whole experience benefits the library and campus where I work enough that they will want to send me to other conferences.

My head will be very full by the end of the day.

A Great Cold-Weather Recipe

I know that I am long overdue for posting a recipe. So here is one that Scooter and I used to make dinner for us last night (and leftovers for a few days). It's perfect for the dip in the weather we had last week. The original recipe comes from a cookbook titled Cooking With Beer; the recipes do a good job of proving that beer is good for more than just drinking. If you're in the mood for warm food for cold weather, try this Irish Lamb Stew.

What you'll need:
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3 lbs. of boneless lamb stew meat OR 3 1/2 to 4 lbs. small chunks of lamb meat, bone-in
3 Tbs. vegetable oil (I prefer olive oil)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 15-oz. can stout (we used Guinness, which worked perfectly)
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbs. Worcester sauce
1 lb. small new potatoes, washed and quartered
1 lb. carrots (a 1 lb. bag of baby carrots already peeled and washed saves time)
1/2 c. water
1 c. frozen peas
1/4 c. chopped fresh Italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste

What you'll need to do:
1. Wash the lamb and pat dry. In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, 1 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Quickly mix together; dredge each piece of lamb in the flour mixture and shake off any excess flour.
2. In a medium dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Brown the pieces of lamb on all sides; work in batches so as to not crowd the meat. Set browned meat aside.
3. Add 1/4 to 1/2 c of the stout and the chopped onions to the dutch oven to de-glaze the bottom. Scrape up any browned bits and let cook for about 10 minutes until onions are well-softened. Add the lamb back to the dutch oven, as well as the remaining stout, brown sugar, thyme, Worcester sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. If necessary. add enough water to just cover the lamb. Bring the liquid to a steady simmer, then cover and let cook for about 1 1/2 hours. Lamb should be tender.
4. Add the potatoes and carrots and the 1/2 c of water. Again, bring the liquid to simmering and let cook for about 30 minutes until carrots and potatoes are tender.
5. Add the frozen peas and parsley, and stir everything together. Let cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot with a fresh loaf of rustic bread and a full-bodied red wine.

To me, this is comfort food. A nice hot stew on a cold day tastes incredible. I don't know how the temperature can affect flavor, but I swear that it does. And I'm not kidding about the bread and wine. A thick slice of bread can help soak up the last bit of juices from the stew, and the wine will compliment the flavor of the lamb nicely. (Listen to me sounding like I actually know something about wine! I don't know much, but I'm starting to learn what flavors go well together.) I hope you get the chance to enjoy this recipe sometime this winter--maybe with a hot apple pie for dessert!

What's in a name?

I know that this is ever so slightly off-topic, but it is something I was mulling over as I was munching on breakfast this morning. I'm currently reading Stardust by Neil Gaiman (who is, by the way, an incredible storyteller), and I got to thinking about some of the themes in the book--and by the way, forgive me if I use the wrong terminology as it's been quite awhile since I took an English literature class. And I started mentally exploring the idea that there really are no truly unique themes in books nowadays.

In Stardust, we come across several themes: that of the realm of Faerie (a word which has several spellings), a young man who believes himself in love with a young lady, and a quest for an item. The realm of Faerie--or Fairy, Fairie, Faery, or simply Fae--is a concept that has been around for centuries, even before Shakespeare wrote his Faerie-bespelled characters into A Midsummer Night's Dream. The theme of the young lovers goes back centuries as well, and was incorporated into the myths and legends around the world. Cupid and Psyche from Ancient Rome, Savitri and Satyavan from Hindu legend, and Osiris and Isis from Ancient Egypt are only a few of the stories that blossomed in long-ago times and centered around a love match. Quests are just as old: the Holy Grail, the Golden Fleece, and Gilgamesh's quest for eternal life, just to name a few.

After exploring these themes in Stardust, I wondered how some of the other books I've recently read would perform. The Elemental Masters series by Mercedes Lackey? Yep, it has a strong theme of magic and casters--both of which go back many centuries and existed in many forms in cultures around the world. In Native American culture, the caster was the medicine man. In European fairy tales, they were witches and sorcerers. In the British Isles, they were the Druids. In Egypt they were the priests, given power by their many gods. OK, what about something outside of the fantasy genre? In The Blue Bistro, we see yet again a strong theme of love, but this time with the challenge of love lost and regained--not unlike the Grimm's version of Rapunzel and tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon.

So what does this mean? This whole exploration put me in mind of my senior thesis I wrote as part of my undergraduate degree. It was a discussion on the idea of cultural memory and how things from our human history don't go away because our culture "remembers" them, and we continue to recognize them on some level as a result. The themes that I've explored here in a way seem to support this idea of cultural memory, but takes it even further. They are reflections of the human experience and while the stories and legends I've mentioned here most likely didn't happen the way the tale goes, they are a part of our cultural memory and part of our cultural roots, and we identify with these themes every time they surface. For us, these themes hold a certain truth and a clue to what it means to be us, to exist, to suffer, to love. Authors will continue to find different ways to explore the same themes over and over, borrowing from our cultural memory of the distant past, and our interest will not disappear.

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P.S. Bonus points to someone that can tell me where the title of this post comes from.

CD and Censorship

As I progress through this latest of my classes, my program continues to be a source of new knowledge and enlightenment. The topic of collection management and development is almost overwhelming in its complexity, and there is so much exposure to things that I had never before considered--one of which is how collection development (CD) can consort with censorship, even unintentionally.

Time and time again, I see the same message filtered through my classes and class material: "Libraries should provide the information that its community desires. Librarians should not withhold material from anyone just because the information is controversial or otherwise seen as 'inappropriate.*' " This concept is so important, it makes up the first part of the Library Bill of Rights. That's why, when it comes to CD librarians need to be careful in their selections, both to make sure that the information needs of the community are being met and to ensure that their own biases are not affecting their decisions.

As a previous post alluded, CD is how a library creates its collection of resources. Decisions on what to get, how to get it, how much to pay for it, and even when or how to get rid of other items all falls under some part of CD. Librarians that make some or all of these decisions have a lot of power in that they directly affect what will reach the hands--and computers in the case of electronic resources--of the patrons served by the library. Can you see where I'm going with this? A librarian with a strong bias can be a dangerous thing when mixed with CD, and some self-reflection may be necessary to ensure that the librarian can remain neutral when it comes to deciding on items (physical and digital) to add to a library's collection. Otherwise this bias can act as a form of censorship. Choosing not to include a resource--if the reason is NOT related to the suitability of the item to the library's community--is an insidious form of censorship simply because the library patrons don't even know that it's happening. Their access is being restricted and they aren't even aware of the fact to advocate for themselves. So being self-aware, neutral, and keeping the library's community as the focus (not the item itself) is incredibly important for librarians.

There's a number of other topics that CD touches--including Open Access, digital ownership, and the Digital Divide (not just a buzzword, but a real problem in many urban areas). I hope to explore more of these topics further in future posts.

*Please note that there is a difference between "inappropriate" and "illegal."

Weeding the Books: My Personal Challenge

Already in my collection management class, we're exploring topics and issues that are really making me think. One of the latest topics brought up in our class discussion is the necessity of weeding as part of collection management. For those who are not librarians and are not very familiar with the terminology, weeding is the act of removing those items that are no longer "useful" from the collection. The reasons for weeding can be 1) the item is out of date and the information is no longer correct, 2) the item has not been checked out or used for some time, which argues against its continued usefulness, or even 3) the item has been replaced by other items more suited to the service population (the people that come and use the library). Or it could be for another reason not mentioned here.

Weeding is an important part of collection management policy because it keeps a collection relevant to those who use the library, and it helps to make space for newer materials that patrons want. However, I think that this particular aspect of collection management will be the toughest for me because I cringe internally every time I think about getting rid of a book. Even with my own collection (which, funny enough, has more items in it than the collection of the library I work in), it is SO DIFFICULT to get rid of anything--including old textbooks that I haven't picked up in years. As I mentioned in a reply to a classmate's comment, "It's not just that they're books--they have a value that I think librarians and avid readers inherently understand, but others seem to overlook. There is knowledge there, [not] just factual, but cultural, emotional, and psychological." The most that I'm ever able to do is pack old books into a box and put them in storage for that day I finally have enough space to give my books their own room (one day...one day...).

So with my tenacious hold on my own volumes, I don't know how I'm going to address the conflict within myself to effectively weed in a library's collection. Is there a training program for that? I suppose this is where the collection policy comes in. A well-written policy will contain guidance for what materials to weed when and why. My personal collection will continue to remain unweeded (though it continues to grow), but the collection at the library I work at definitely needs to be weeded--no matter how much I would like to avoid it. My hope is that I will be able to formulate a policy and procedure for weeding and determine items that can be discarded--especially since I will desperately need the space to put in new materials we will need to purchase for several new programs we will be introducing to our campus. For this, I will, I must put my personal desires aside for the sake of my library's collection. Even though it will be hard.

One of my classmates posted a link to this blog entry with a realistic and humorous approach to weeding: http://perfectwhole.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/i-cant-believe-youre-throwing-out-books/ I can understand and appreciate many of the points the author makes, and maybe I can use the author's attitude as a model for my own approach to my library's collection.

Collection Management

One could argue that a library isn't a library without the resources (in whatever form they come) used to provide patrons with the information they desire. Nowadays, more and more of these information resources are digital, and it is common for even smaller libraries to subscribe to at least one online database. But determining the resources a library should choose to provide falls under the ongoing task of collection management.

In public libraries, you'll see a significant portion of the collection dedicated to fiction items--as this is what patrons often want to borrow from their local library--as well as non-fiction items. University library collections (at least from my observation) tip the scale to be heavily in favor of non-fiction in order to support the research community they serve. To my understanding, special libraries seem to be much more specialized and focus on a much more specific range of topics in order to serve whatever group of people rely on their resources. The library in which I work, while it does serve an academic community, is more specialized than the norm in a college or university library because the programs here are so specialized. So in that regard, it would have more in common with a special library.

And now I have to consider some long-term development for the collection. This campus has not had a change in the programs offered here for some time. However, within the next year, there will be some programs added to those we currently offer, which means that the collection will have to reflect these additional programs as well. It's a challenge especially since space is at a prime and I will need to do some serious weeding in order to make room. Not only that, but I will need to consult with the faculty on both items to weed and items to add since I'm no expert in the programs here (which are all mechanics and trade-based). I have learned quite a bit since I started working here, but I know that the instructors know their trades far better than me, and I bow to their many years of experience in their chosen field.

So it is rather well-timed that I have registered for a Collection Management class for this upcoming semester of my program. I have many questions: How do you successfully elicit input on materials from faculty? Should students also be consulted for recommendations and how would you collect such recommendations? How do you determine what percentage of the collection should be given to each subject area? How often should you update your materials? How often should you weed out older materials? How old is too old? How do you budget for your collection and anticipated materials requisitions? It will be incredibly useful to find out how to successfully manage a collection right when I need to utilize those skills in a real-life work experience.

I know that I have some posts to catch up on--and some recipes too! I will do my best to post a new recipe this week.

The Importance of Multicultural Libraries

A recent post in a mailing list within the profession that I subscribe to noted a book, Beyond Article 19: Libraries and Social and Cultural Rights, that was published in 2010 [1]. The book is organized into chapters that address various social and cultural issues as they manifest within libraries and the profession, which often refer to the Declaration of Human Rights. I was lucky enough to find that my university provides electronic access to this book so that I could delve deeper.

Have you ever actually read through the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights? It’s a set of thirty articles outlining all rights that are considered “universal” and are theoretically guaranteed to every individual (though this doesn’t always happen in practice, as we see in many international news stories—like what’s happening in Syria). For those of you that have not read the actual articles in this document, anyone who has read our country’s Bill of Rights and the Constitution would see a lot of similarities in the Declaration of Human Rights. Most people would recognize Article 19 from its language alone, if not by its name: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” [2]. There are also some things that are spelled out very clearly there that we might not think of, simply because we are lucky enough to live where a lot of the social and cultural oppression does not happen. Some of these other mentioned rights include having “freedom of movement” within your country of residency [3], the right to marry with free and full consent [4], the right to “form and to join trade unions” (yes that is specifically mentioned and puts an interesting twist of some of the anti-union activity happening in various parts of the US) [5], the right of “rest and leisure” [6], and the right to “freely…participate in the cultural life of the community” [7].

One chapter in particular, “Cultural Rights and Language Rights in Libraries” caught my eye [8]. It connects the right to freely practice a culture with language rights. If you think about it, language is vital to the social, religious, creative, and other types of activity within a culture. It is how people within the same culture not only communicates with each other but also shares and celebrates parts of the culture with each other, and how those outside the culture can come to know and understand the various aspects of the culture. Say you wanted to learn--really learn--about Italian culture. A logical place to start would be by learning the language because that would allow you to better understand things like the songs, stories, traditions, food, and society of that culture. So one can argue that by guaranteeing the right to practice a culture, you also guarantee the right to know and speak the language of that culture. You can even go a step further by saying such guarantees also secure the right to equal information access in that language. And this is where libraries come in.

Libraries have reincarnated themselves into different forms during different periods of our recorded history. However, one underlying theme has always been libraries as the source of information resources (which themselves have also taken many forms). Nowadays, libraries and librarians seem to provide a much more varied selection of services than during any other time of the libraries’ existence; but the libraries’ role of information source is stronger than ever. So if they are to successfully cater to those that rely on the services they provide, they must become multicultural and multilingual especially in those areas of the country and the world that are particularly diverse. And, as the author of the above chapter notes, we must realize that with the extreme changes in technology which continue to redefine and reconfirm our global and pluralistic society that libraries are no longer only serving those within physical proximity. They can just as easily field questions from individuals located hundreds or thousands of miles away.

So what must libraries and librarians do to ensure that cultural, language, and information access rights are ensured? The author of this chapter suggests that it means including resources of other cultures and organizing them in ways that are culturally appropriate (thereby increasing accessibility). It means making libraries truly multicultural not just in resources, but in programming and staff as well [9]. These are ideas that, while not new, are seemly gaining more attention and momentum--as evidenced by the ALA weekly newsletter that is emailed to me, as well as trends in topics I see on blogs, discussion boards including those on LinkedIn groups, and conference offerings.

The final lines of the above chapter are quite poignant: “A human rights approach [to libraries] acknowledges that all cultures are valuable and all cultures produce, often in their own languages, knowledge that contributes to our understanding of humanity. Our collections need to restore people’s beliefs in their names, in their language, in their environment, in their heritage of struggle, in their unity, in their capacity, and ultimately in themselves” [10]. I don’t know if libraries as a whole can yet be considered truly multicultural based on this excerpt, but they are certainly moving in the right direction. And to ensure cultural, language, and information rights, it is vitally important that they do.

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[1] Edwards, J. B. & Edwards, S. P. (Eds.). (2010). Beyond Article 19: Libraries and social and cultural rights. Duluth, MN: Library Juice Press.

[2] United Nations. "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights," Article 19. Retrieved July 3, 2012 from http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

[3] United Nations. Declaration of Human Rights, Article 13.

[4] United Nations. Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16.

[5] United Nations. Declaration of Human Rights, Article 23.

[6] United Nations. Declaration of Human Rights, Article 24.

[7] United Nations. Declaration of Human Rights, Article 27.

[8] Albarillo, F. (2010). Cultural rights and language rights in libraries. In J. B. Edwards & S. P. Edwards (Eds.), Beyond Article 19: Libraries and social and cultural rights (pp. 85-111). Duluth, MN: Library Juice Press.

[9] Albarillo, F. Cultural rights and language rights in libraries, p. 104.

[10] Albarillo, F. Cultural rights and language rights in libraries, p. 111.

Books Are Inspiration

I saw an article with this video and felt compelled to share it. It's a simple idea, but really speaks to the power of books and the written word.

Seafood Pasta

For those of you that like seafood (I personally LOVE it), here's a really easy recipe for a good seafood pasta. Scooter and I made it up for dinner last night, and I must say it turned out wonderful!

What you'll need:
2 small or 1 medium white onion
1 1/2 to 2 Tbs. olive oil
1 head of garlic, peeled and chopped fine
1 to 2 lbs. seafood*
1 jar of vodka pasta sauce
1/4 tsp. brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. pasta, cooked (your choice of type)
grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

What you'll need to do:
1. Chop the white onion into small pieces. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and the onion. Cook the onion, occasionally stirring, until softened. Add the garlic and cook, still stirring, until the garlic first starts to turn a golden brown.
2. Add the seafood and continue occasionally stirring. Cook for about 5 minutes, longer if you have thick chunks of fish. Add the pasta sauce and bring to a boil.
3. Once the sauce mixture is slowly boiling, lower heat to medium-low and let simmer for another 3-4 minutes. Add the brown sugar, stirring it completely into the sauce. Taste for salt and pepper (you may not need either--Scooter and I didn't).
4. Remove pasta sauce from heat and serve immediately over warm cooked pasta. Sprinkle with the grated cheese if desired.

*Whatever tickles your fancy. Scooter and I used a bag of uncooked frozen calamari, clams, imitation crab meat, and shrimp that I found in the frozen food section. If you buy frozen seafood, thaw it overnight in your refrigerator. For food safety reasons, do not leave seafood on your counter top to thaw!

You can be the decider of whether you want to eat the sauce with penne, linguine, macaroni, or any other type of pasta. To make this even more the bee's knees (if I may borrow a term from decades ago), eat it with garlic bread--it's so good!

One last thing for today (and rather off-topic it is): I submitted my application for a grad award offered by the school where I'm taking my MLIS program. I give another sincere thanks to the instructors that provided me with letters of recommendation and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I get the award. A special thanks to my boss who has also supported my decision to apply for the award!

An Italian Repast

I know that it's been quite a while since I last posted a recipe, so I'm rectifying that with two more. These are both dishes that I've posted recipes for before, but the recipes below add a little extra something to the flavor of the dish. The original recipes were from a wonderful Italian cookbook, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan; of course they were changed a bit to get what you see below. So I bring to you, revamped and delicious, veal scaloppine with Marsala and cream, and risotto with asparagus. Let's start with the risotto.

What you'll need:
1 lb. fresh asparagus
Salt
3 c. meat or vegetable broth
3 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, chopped fine
2 c. Arborio rice (or other short-grain rice)
Black pepper, freshly ground
1/4-1/2 c. freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped fine*

What you'll need to do:
1. Clean the asparagus and cut off the bottom part of the stem where the moist, tender part of the stalk begins. Take a large skillet that is big enough to allow almost all of the asparagus to lie flat and add enough water to fill the pan about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep. Add about a tablespoon of salt, cover and put over high heat until it boils.
2. Once the water is boiling, add the cleaned asparagus and recover the pan. Once the water returns to boiling, lower the heat to simmer and cook for 4 minutes. Asparagus should still be firm. Remove asparagus from the pan and reserve 3 cups of the water.
3. After the asparagus has cooled, cut off the spear tips and set aside. Cut the remaining parts of the stalks into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces.
4. Add the broth to the reserved asparagus water and bring to a simmer in a saucepan on a burner near where you'll be cooking the risotto.
5. In a deep pan or a broad pot, add 1 tablespoon of the butter, the olive oil, and the onion. Put over medium-high heat and saute until the onion becomes soft and partly translucent. Add the cut-up asparagus (minus the spear-tips) and cook for a minute until the asparagus is well-coated.
6. Add the rice and stir thoroughly to prevent sticking. The rice grains should be well-coated and slightly golden.
7. Begin adding the broth-water mixture a ladle or two at a time to the rice. Let the moisture absorb almost completely before adding more. Continue adding broth and letting it absorb until rice is tender, but still firm to the bite. Rice should have enough moisture remaining to be slightly runny.
8. Remove the rice from the heat and add the asparagus tips, ground pepper to taste, and remaining butter. Mix well, then add the grated cheese. Stir everything together until completely mixed and the cheese has melted. Add salt to taste if desired. Mixed in the parsley and serve.

This recipe is hearty enough that you can have it alone. However, it also makes an excellent side-dish for any meat recipe--like this one.

What you'll need:
1 Tbs. olive oil
2-3 Tbs. butter
1 lb. veal scaloppine or thinly sliced veal cutlets (both will work equally well)
Flour
Salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 c. dry Marsala wine
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream

What you'll need to do:
1. Put the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter into a large skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Once the butter foam begins to go away, put the flour in a dish and dredge the veal. Shake off any excess flour and put the meat into the pan.
2. Brown them quickly on each side; because the pieces are so thin, you should not need to cook them more than a minute on each side. You may have to cook the veal in several batches; if this is the case, dredge the pieces of veal in flour only when you're ready to add them to the pan.
3. After each piece has been browned, remove them with a slotted spatula or cooking tongs to a warm plate.
4. Once the veal has all been cooked, turn the heat on to high and add any juices the veal may have shed on the plate. Add the Marsala and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. After the wine has cooked down, add the cream and stir until it has been assimilated into the sauce.
5. Reduce the pan heat to medium, add the browned scaloppine, and turn all the pieces to coat them with the sauce. Remove all the pieces to a platter, pour any remaining sauce over the veal, and serve immediately.

The only thing about this recipe is that you don't get a lot of sauce out of it. If you prefer more rather than less, I would recommend doubling the Marsala wine and whipping cream amounts.

These were the two recipes Brother Dear and I made the last night I was visiting him. Apparently, NY requires that any kind of alcohol--beer, wine, hard liquor, etc.--be sold in stores that are specifically dedicated to that kind of merchandise only. In other words, you can't go to your local supermarket and pick up a bottle of wine for dinner. So it was even odds that the Marsala wine (which is used really only for cooking but I've seen it in liquor sections in stores around here) would be with the other cooking wines at Wegmans. Luckily, it was there and we didn't have to go hunting elsewhere for it.

*Can substitute with 1 tsp. dried parsley, but fresh is best

Illegal Immigrant vs. Naturalized Citizen

Forgive the perhaps disjointed writing here. This is a complex issue (with roots that go much deeper than the level of discussion here), and one perhaps I'll explore more in future posts. For now, please bear with my jumbled thoughts.

As librarians, I'm sure most of us recognize that our libraries are nothing without the communities they serve. Our goals, our purpose, our reasons for being guides to the vast information resources (and other things) that our public requires and requests would be for naught without the individuals that make up our communities. And these communities come in all shapes and sizes, rural and urban, predominantly one ethnicity and greatly multicultural, rich and poor, haves and have-nots. Immigrants from a large number of countries are found in many of these communities, and many libraries don't make any bones about their immigration status; they are given the same access to resources as the rest of the community. So it is in this spirit of brotherhood (for lack of a better term) that I was happy to hear about President Obama's declaration on the hold of young illegal immigrant deportation. 

The issue started to make me think about what an illegal immigrant is. If you really examine this "class" of person (as it seems they have become), there are not a whole lot of differences between them and naturalized citizens other than a piece of paper declaring them American. Both illegal immigrants and naturalized citizens come to this country hoping for a better future for themselves and their families. In some ways, I think that some illegal immigrants may want this ideal future (the American Dream) more than those that become naturalized citizens. Many illegal immigrants work jobs that "regular" citizens would never consider, even in a state of unemployment, but these people do it because they don't see another choice--and maybe even such work is better than they would have had in their native countries. (This puts me in mind of an article I read awhile back looking at agriculture in Alabama and the response farmers had to the ban on illegal immigrants passed in that state last year.)

I find it sad that only the government's declaration of "legal" or "illegal" can create such a social gulf between "us" and "them" and essentially put them in a social caste that is considered the lowest of the low. It seems that "illegal immigrant" is synonymous with "having no basic human rights." These are people, even though many of us would dismiss them. They deserve consideration at the very least, especially when our eyes would glaze over and and our gaze purposely slide over them. How did this group of people become so stigmatized? When did that seemingly unanimous unspoken decision happen? I'm trying to put myself in their position and find I can't even come close to imagining what it would be like to be told "you're not wanted; you don't belong here" my whole life.

And before you stand up and say "No, agreeing with Obama's executive decree is wrong!" please remember that President Obama is providing young illegal immigrants--those who were brought here by their parents--this option his declaration describes, as long as they have conducted themselves as law-abiding citizens. Personally, I would rather have these people here contributing to our society in valuable ways than many of the naturally-born miscreants that participate in violent crime. How does it make sense to keep the latter (and spend public money on those that find their way into the penal system) and throw out the former? I would ask everyone to remember that our country was literally built on the backs of immigrants, illegal and legal alike--from the Africans forced to work the fields in the South, to the Chinese and Irish given back-breaking work building the railroads. Heck, even the Pilgrims immigrated here. We are a nation of many people with many backgrounds and cultures. We are virtually just as likely to see celebrations for Cinco de Mayo or Chinese New Year as we are Independence Day (and I don't hear people decrying their un-Americanness).

So, in closing, I guess my feelings about this issue can be summed up in two words: have compassion. Many of the "illegal immigrants" here are just trying to make the most out of this Land of Opportunity, as are we all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author Note: This was first written last week in the initial wake of President Obama's declaration. I've added more of my personal reflections since.

The End

A piece of real meteorite at the pillar for the Asteroid Belt

Today was much warmer than it has been the rest of the time I've been here. And for whatever reason, I thought it would the perfect day to walk to the Sciencenter (as they spell it). The plan was to walk the path of the solar system from the Commons. The solar system is marked by stone pillars for each planet, the Sun, and Asteroid Belt for a total of 11 pillars that are spaced according to their actual relative differences in our solar system.

We started off okay, and got all the way to Uranus. Then things started going awry. The pillars have arrows pointing to the next pillar traveling inward and outward. However, the arrows are rather vague and point in a general direction. So after Uranus, we took a wrong turn and walked...and walked...and walked without seeing the next pillar. In short, we lost the path. Not good on a hot day when we didn't think to bring water. And my phone proved that it is living up to the name Worthless Piece of Crap because the map app I have refused to work (despite having a full signal and full web access). We finally backtracked and found the Sciencenter. Sadly, it wasn't like what I thought it was. I was expecting a Lawrence Hall of Science-type museum; it was more like Dora the Explorer meets Mr. Wizard--definitely for a much younger audience. So we walked back to the car, but it was much easier to get back.

The Ithaca Wegmans store

We made a stop at Wegmans for some stuff for dinner--we were going to make Italian: risotto with asparagus and veal scalloppini with Marsala. And because that wasn't enough, BD pulled out a can of real fois gras. He even made us toast points. Mom, you would have been so proud of our spread.

Now, I'm just relaxing after such a fine meal and listening to NPR. I've had so much fun on this trip, but I will be glad to get home to Scooter, my family, and my kitties. This will be my last post from my trip. Ithaca has certainly gained a place in my heart, and I hope not to have to wait too long before returning. If you have been following this one of my adventures, I hope you've had as much fun reading as I have had writing about it. Regular blog topics will resume next week.

Wining and Dining

Once again, I was too tired to post anything last night about yesterday's adventure. I think all the wine yesterday put me to sleep. And no Mom, I was not driving drunk, or even buzzed--I would never put Brother Dear or myself in that kind of danger (that was my disclaimer).

Yesterday was Chinese Buffet for lunch. It was very good, I have to say, and there was quite a selection. It's good to know that there is tasty Chinese to be had here. BD says that other than Swedish and Mexican, you can get any other kind of food here and it will be good. The only Swedish to be had is Glogg wine (already spiced), the cracker bread that comes in large rounds (I don't know how to spell the Swedish term), cheese, and only a couple of canned and jarred fish things that I would classify as "fake Swedish." Poor BD; I know he likes the Swedish stuff. I told him I would send him a care package. If I were to actually move here, I would have to ask my parents to do the same for me.

The tasting room at Americana Winery

After lunch, we headed out of town for wine tasting on what is known as the Cayuga Wine Trail. There are quite a few wineries along the Cayuga Lake, one of the finger lakes in this area (BD says there are about 5 finger lakes all together). BD and one of the people at a winery we went to said that the specialty of the area are white wines and sweet wines, and BD says they are well-known for both. Unfortunately, everything is about Napa Valley when it comes to wines back home, so I haven't had the pleasure of sampling wines from this region yet. Well, prior to yesterday anyway.

It was quite a different experience from Napa. In Napa, there are fields upon fields of vinyards as far as the eye can see and there is no question that you're in wine country. To make it even more apparent, the wineries have sometimes very lavish entrances with granite stones, fountains, flowers, and really big signs proclaiming that they are there. They're also all on the main highways. Here, you sometimes forget you're actually in wine country. There are some fields of vinyards you can see from the road, but they are interrupted by large swaths of forested areas, and they are smaller in size than their Napa counterparts. A lot of the vinyards are away from the roads and you don't even see them. Also, some of the vinyards aren't even visible from the main road and the only thing to guide you is a small sign that can be easy to miss if you're not watching for it. It's like you have to be in the super-secret cool kids' club to know where all the good spots are, or at least know a local.

The first winery we went to was the Americana Winery. It is one of those not visible from the road, and we almost missed it. When we turned off the main road, we actually passed some private homes before getting to it (how cool to live next to a winery!). It was very cute and charming, and there were a couple of dogs (possibly chocolate labs) running around. Inside, we were greeted by a very warm lady who assisted us with some wine tasting. (By the way, every place we went to only charged $2-$3 for anywhere from 5-8 wines. Not bad at all!) I got to taste some wonderful wines of the region and ended up leaving with 2 bottles.

Buttonwood Grove Winery 

The other three wineries we stopped at seemed to follow suit. We tasted some excellent table wines, and there were a couple that were so sweet and had so much residual sugar that you couldn't taste the alcohol at all. I told BD that he may have to go back to some of them and get a bottle of those and ship it to me. I had to keep remembering that I have to take everything I buy back home--otherwise I would have gotten quite a few more bottles. The third winery we stopped at, Buttonwood Grove, was set back from the road towards the edge of a large field. There was a pond with an arbor across the field from the tasting room, and an enclosure on the other side of the drive with two goats and a Scottish highland cow (I think that's her species) named Melody. You can buy food in the tasting room to feed them, which we did. It was a beautiful spot with lots of birds chirping and fluttering around. It also had a beautiful view of the lake, and would be a perfect place for a picnic lunch.

The goat that came to eat the treats we had at Buttonwood Grove.

Melody, the Scottish highland cow

The front of the Antlers restaurant

We finally got back to Ithaca when the afternoon was almost over. We spent some time relaxing at the apartment before going to a place called Antlers for dinner. Thursday is Lobster Night, where they have a good deal on Maine lobster--a whole lobster for $16. It was soooooo good. Lobster is actually not that unhealthy, it's the butter that goes with it that adds about a million calories and tons of fat. Oh well, it was really good. I finished the meal with some creme brulee. When we left, we could hear crickets and frogs in the trees surrounding the restaurant parking lot. I was ready to call it a night.

Today, my last day here, will be fairly low-key. We'll be hopefully going to the Science Center and cooking dinner at home. I leave bright and early tomorrow.

So...high...up...

Today I went hiking and it was a grueling hike. But before that, we went to the Waffle Frolic. It's a cafe-type place in the area of downtown Ithaca known as The Commons. It's one place that Brother Dear hadn't been to before. Prior to it opening, the location had been a Mexican burrito place that was rather sub-par according to BD (Brother Dear). Much to his dismay, there has been no good Mexican place to be had in Ithaca. I guess that's one benefit of living in California, something I really take for granted. But Waffle Frolic, the place there now is quite good. The waffles are huge and very tasty, and there's quite the selection of toppings to go on them. Needless to say, it was a really good brunch.

After we ate, and as we walked back to the car, BD pointed out some stone pillars in the courtyard area of The Commons. The one he pointed out is the one pictured here: Mercury. It gives some information on the planet, including a description and some basic stats. BD explained that it was part of a model of the solar system built to scale. The pillar representing the Sun was nearby, as were the other "inner" planets. Jupiter was several blocks away, and Pluto--now stripped of its planetary status--is located at the Science Center (which we may go see on Friday). It was a cool thing for the city to have and a testament to the value the community seems to place on education.

Finally we drove out to Buttermilk Falls. The falls are part of a local state park (how cool is that to have a state park practically outside your back door) that also has a campground area. The falls themselves are not a single waterfall, but a long series of falls along a creek just south of Ithaca. To see them all, you have to hike up and along one side of the gorge the creek runs through. There are many, many, many stairs to climb and I had to catch my breath many times. Despite the walking I've done so far this week, I'm far from being fit.  So this climb up Buttermilk Falls was a real test of my willpower to stay upright as I huffed and puffed my way up the gorge.

The base of the falls

The falls cut through the rock lining the gorge.

The falls cascade down the incline and are broken by pools of water.

We're getting near the top of the falls here.

Despite my mild grousing, it was well worth it. Every turn of the trail led to new discoveries of beautiful waterfalls, pools of water, and rock (which BD said might be shale). There was so much water in the surrounding ground that parts of the trail were wet because of the excess water dripping down tree roots, moss, and exposed rock. I was so hot from the climb and the water in the creek looked so inviting that only the danger of the rushing water kept me from getting my feet wet.

On the way back, we took a different trail that ran parallel to the creek on the other side, but further in so we were surrounded by trees. I was able to hear bird calls and the rustling of woodland creatures much better away from most of the loud roar of the waterfalls that was a constant companion on the way up. We saw a doe browsing in the trees, as well as several birds, and even a milipede making its slow way across the path. The path down was quite steep in places, which is easy on the lungs but hard on the legs and ankles. I was glad to see the car when we made it back to the parking lot.

Dinner was at Uncle Joe's, a bar that also serves some food. It's the only place I've been to where I was able to get a truly rare burger. They buy high-quality beef so they can make burgers with lots of red in the middle--and it was delicious and juicy and flavorful. I like my meat to moo, even better if it tries to jump off the plate. Uncle Joe's officially has the best burgers.

So just a list of wildlife I've been able to positively identify so far on my trip:
Deer
Eastern Cottontail
Chipmunk
Common Grackle
Blue Jay (a bird only in the Eastern US; Western US species jay that is similar is the Scrub Jay)
Centipede
Millipede
Slate-colored Junco
Cedar Waxwing
Mourning Dove

I wish I knew birdcalls better than I do. I hear so many of them when I'm out and can never figure out what bird is making them.

Tomorrow BD and I are going wine tasting and possibly star-gazing. The sky at night out where there are no lights is supposedly amazing.

Braving the Falls

Yesterday I walked to Canada. Sounds impressive, doesn't it? What if I was at Niagara Falls when I did it? Not as impressive. With everything my brother and I did, I was too tired to post last night. I ended up going to bed early. So as I get ready for another day, I'm posting now to make sure I don't forget anything.

We got an early start so we could get there at a reasonable time. From Ithaca, the drive is about three and a half hours. I was enchanted by the scenery and wished I wasn't driving so I could enjoy it more. The countryside in upstate New York is absolutely beautiful. So many green fields and open skies. Even the houses were pretty. I could tell we were driving through Amish country, especially when we saw a horse and buggy with a gentleman and his daughter in the front seat. But we were past them too quickly for me to see more than a glance.

One of the things that I don't know if I could get used to would be the toll roads. To be allowed to drive on one of the highways we had to take, we needed to pay a toll. We got a little card that showed where we got on the freeway and we paid where we got off. It ended up being about $9 for the round trip. Oh, and the bridge was an additional dollar in each direction--which is still cheaper than bridge toll at home.
We finally got to Niagra Falls shortly before 11:30. We could see the rushing rapids leading to the sharp drop-off as we drove to find parking. My brother and I ate the lunch we brought--a sandwich we got at Wegmans yesterday for the trip--at the top of the falls where we could see the water flowing over the edge. The water was loud!

Public access area at the bottom of the eastern (?) side of the falls.

Niagara Falls observation tower

We took the Maid of the Mist tour which took us around the river at the base of the falls. But before we got on the boat, we went up to the observation deck to see the falls. And it took my breath away.

Have you ever seen something so beautiful that you almost want to cry? Niagara Falls was like that for me. Every view of the falls just filled me with this sense of wonder and awe. To be able to live in a world where such a place exists, it's almost easy to believe that the world is inherently good. It was almost a religious experience.

And then we got on the Maid of the Mist and it got even better. As we approached the falls, the thunderous sound of the cascading water drowned out the boat's PA system that was trying to tell us about the falls. I wouldn't have been able to pay attention anyway because the falls had so completely arrested my attention. I must have taken dozens of of pictures of the falls; I'm only showing a small fraction of them here. The cliffs and the rocks between the two sides of the falls were covered with birds; there were literally thousands of them there and flying around in the air. I think they were nesting there.

The sun came out as we were exploring the public area at the bottom of the falls.

The Canada side skyline

After the boat ride, my brother and I walked around the public areas near the base of one side of the falls, then headed to Canada. One of his roommates told us the view is much better on the Canadian side, so I wanted to get some pictures at the very least. Canada's Customs was very lax. We were asked who we were and why we were there and if we had any firearms. And that was it. When we came back into the US, we had to stand behind a locked door until we were called, and were asked several questions while they examined our passports. Oh, and get this. We had to pay 50 cents each to leave Canada. My brother was outraged by the concept.

Niagara Falls view from Canada

The drive back to Ithaca was long, but we stopped by a service area that had a Starbucks so I could get something to perk me up for the rest of the drive. We finally made it back home, and I was feeling tired but elated.

Dinner that night was barbeque. A chipmunk came by to say hello but quickly scurried off when there was no food to be found, at least for him. My brother grilled some hot dogs that we ate outside right at the barbeque pit as the last rays of the sun were streaming through the trees, creating a green halo of light. It was a perfect end to an already spectacular day.

Today will be breakfast out and hiking south of Ithaca to buttermilk falls.

A (Somewhat) Quiet Day

Today has been a somewhat quiet day. We got a bit of a late start and so skipped breakfast in order to be able to do justice to our planned lunch, which was fine with me. We finally headed out around 11:30.

My brother is definitely one smart cookie. He knew that I wanted to walk through the Cornell campus to see the university, so he planned for us to walk through the campus to get to our lunch spot. It was a perfect way to achieve both objectives, and the walk (about 4 miles) definitely did me some good. Plus, I think the best way to see anything is to take your time about it; rushing through a place won't let you appreciate all that it has to offer. So as the clock tower in the middle of campus struck the time, we were strolling through the Arts Quad heading towards the clock tower itself. On either side of the quad stand two statues, one of Ezra Cornell and one of Andrew Dickson White, both founders of the university. Legend has it that if a virgin crosses the Quad at midnight as the clock tower chimes the hour, these statues will come alive, walk to the center of the quad, and shake hands "on the chastity of the university." Of course, there are no accounts of this happening but it is a fun tale to tell.

After we passed through the Quad, we came to the two main university libraries, Olin Library and Uris library. I couldn't help taking this picture of Uris Library. The brickwork on the building and the style struck me as art in itself. Many of the buildings--most of which I suspect were built not long after the university was founded--are made of brick with colors and styles to really make the buildings beautiful. We would never be able to have such things on the West Coast because the unsettled earth (earthquakes) would cause such buildings to crumble and collapse. There are much more modern buildings--including the Physical Sciences building that was just completed last year--but I find the quiet dignity of the old ivied buildings to be so much more suited to the university. It's almost like they're made of knowledge, not bricks.

I poked my head into each of the libraries to see what they were like. It's been awhile since I've been in a large university library. I noticed some things that I probably would not have thought about if I wasn't in a Master's program, like how the space is organized, electronic versus print resources, and pathfinder materials. On our way out of Olin library, my brother took me up a set of stairs that led up one side of the building near the front door. At the top is a wide tiled walkway. He asked me to kick one of the rocks we saw scattered around on the tiles. I was a little confused at his request, but did anyway. As the stone hit the tiles, the tiles rang almost like music! You can see and hear what it was like in the video. 

Finally we made it to lunch, a Japanese restaurant where we got a boatload of sushi--literally. We had spicy tuna rolls, two other rolls I couldn't exactly identify but were very yummy, nagiri, and sashimi. By the time we finished, I was stuffed. My brother was getting through his faster than I can keep up. But it was sooooo good. Other than Scooter, I don't have anyone else I can go have sushi with. My family and friends back home are not the biggest fans. So yay for sushi!

Then we made our way back home on foot to grab the car and go to Wegmans. Boy is that store impressive. It puts every Lucky's and Safeway I've been to to shame. It seems like it gets just as much traffic as many of the Costco stores back home. Their produce section is larger than some grocery stores, and the meat and cheese section is just as big. So much of the food is locally grown or made, including Wegmans' own fresh-squeezed orange juice. I ended up getting a few spontaneous buys, including a gourmet soda, some special cheeses, fruit for the Niagra Falls day trip, and porsciutto. I would get very spoiled by all the good things I could buy if I lived here.

Remember when I said that Ithaca is earth and water? Well I saw that even more clearly today. Until now, even when it did rain I didn't really need an umbrella much. Mostly it's been a light mist, with maybe an actual light rain off and on. Up until Wegmans, we had barely gotten mist, although I did see a more substantial rain while we were pigging out on sushi. When we came out of Wegman's, it was raining cats and dogs, the kind of rain we only see during a good winter storm back home. And the bad thing was, we didn't bring the umbrella and the car was not parked close. My brother and I grabbed our shopping bags and left the shopping cart "because it would slow us down" as my brother explained. We sprinted to the car, quickly shoved the groceries into the trunk, and used our ninja speed to get in the car and out of the sudden downpour as quickly as possible. The heavy rain stayed with us most of the ride back to the apartment. We were a bit soggy around the edges when we finally made it back inside.

The rest of the afternoon was mellow, and I'm glad for the slower day. Tomorrow is Niagra Falls and I can't wait to get some pictures of it. But for now it's away to bed so I can get up in the morning.