There hasn't been much writing here, unfortunately. This time of year is very hectic at the library. All the students hand back the borrowed books at the end of the semester. It really wasn't that bad this year, I have to say. One more person has been employed temporarily to help out during the time I have to work with the book move. It has turned out to be a rather demanding job to supervise the movers. Recently they have done some pretty amazing mistakes, and after the third major incident I started laughing (instead of crying, which probably would have been more correct). They are struggling with the complicated call numbers in the stacks, and I can't blame them. I arranged for lemonade & cookies yesterday, more as consolation than anything else. They have had to move the same 150 shelfmeters of books twice, since they forgot to load 100 meters that were supposed to have been placed there first. I'm sure there will be more mistakes.
June 5 we had a picnic with boules in the Botanical Garden in the afternoon. It was cold weather, but about 20 people showed up for it. We had a good time. June 6 is our national holiday, and I celebrated this by going abroad. I spent the day shopping in Denmark (the stores were open there). It was fun, but tiring. I was away about twelve hours, and came home with some very nice tops and decorative items. Last weekend I visited my mother at the summer house. We got a visit from two of her cousins. It was the second time I met them, ever. We had lunch at Furuboda and then we walked along the beach.
This week the activity level has been low at the library in general. The opening hours are shorter and staff members have started to take vacation. Even so, I have had a lot to do, because I have to do other people's jobs too. This time of year we also get the patrons who are not here normally. People with projects (usually family history or local history-related) come in and ask for books and other documents. They require a lot of help, since they don't know how to place requests and are generally confused. Yesterday I got a four-page list of material that someone wanted - no call numbers anywhere. I still haven't found all of the books he wanted.
The upcoming weekend is the Midsummer holiday, and I'm going to visit my mother again.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Interesting seminar
Just a few days after the last posting, the weather changed again. It has been 10-12 centigrades with high winds, so not so pleasant outdoors. Working in this climate is very nice, however. I feel a little sorry for the people having student parties and other gatherings at this time of year, because it's pretty cold. Very unusual weather for June.
Last week there was a seminar on e-books. From the description of it, it didn't seem to be that interesting, but I was proven very wrong. I never come across the concept of e-books in my work (I work only with the printed books), so this was a new thing to me. One scholar had analyzed the e-book and tried to define it. It was surprisingly difficult, because it doesn't really exist until someone downloads it. The tax on printed matter is 6% here. Just because an e-book cannot be clearly defined, the taxes are the same as netmagazines, i. e. 25%. The scholar also complained about some libraries having the books in numerus currens-order. It means that they are not in subject order or alphabetical. The books are given a number as they arrive, and placed on the shelf in number order. It's difficult, or really impossible, to browse a collection by subject if the books are placed like that. The stacks are for the most parts in number order, but our open collection is by subject (luckily). Another scholar had tried to write his own e-book. He wasn't quite finished with it. He complained about the standards and the legal problems, because he had to use a program from a commercial company. But he was happy to say that a book like that can easily be up-dated with the latest information. Two professors also spoke of the usefulness of having online tools for the students. It was a project with ipads. The teacher could distribute lots of information and articles online, and also communicate with the students more easily.
The movers are working hard at emptying the stacks on the 3rd floor of the library. They manage a lot by themselves, but there are still some things I have to supervise. I was photographed for the staff magazine earlier, so the photo of me with full book carts appeared in the latest issue, along with a short note describing the book move.
I'm very sorry to say that one of the Minnesota-relatives, Evelyn Loomis, has passed away from illness. She was one of the organizers of the Nelson family reunions, and I have met her several times during my visits. She was so sweet and kind, and she will be missed very much.
Last week there was a seminar on e-books. From the description of it, it didn't seem to be that interesting, but I was proven very wrong. I never come across the concept of e-books in my work (I work only with the printed books), so this was a new thing to me. One scholar had analyzed the e-book and tried to define it. It was surprisingly difficult, because it doesn't really exist until someone downloads it. The tax on printed matter is 6% here. Just because an e-book cannot be clearly defined, the taxes are the same as netmagazines, i. e. 25%. The scholar also complained about some libraries having the books in numerus currens-order. It means that they are not in subject order or alphabetical. The books are given a number as they arrive, and placed on the shelf in number order. It's difficult, or really impossible, to browse a collection by subject if the books are placed like that. The stacks are for the most parts in number order, but our open collection is by subject (luckily). Another scholar had tried to write his own e-book. He wasn't quite finished with it. He complained about the standards and the legal problems, because he had to use a program from a commercial company. But he was happy to say that a book like that can easily be up-dated with the latest information. Two professors also spoke of the usefulness of having online tools for the students. It was a project with ipads. The teacher could distribute lots of information and articles online, and also communicate with the students more easily.
The movers are working hard at emptying the stacks on the 3rd floor of the library. They manage a lot by themselves, but there are still some things I have to supervise. I was photographed for the staff magazine earlier, so the photo of me with full book carts appeared in the latest issue, along with a short note describing the book move.
I'm very sorry to say that one of the Minnesota-relatives, Evelyn Loomis, has passed away from illness. She was one of the organizers of the Nelson family reunions, and I have met her several times during my visits. She was so sweet and kind, and she will be missed very much.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Long weekend
The Ascension Day weekend was spent doing very little. We had Thursday-Sunday off. I went to a mall and got some small things. Apart from that, not much happened. The weather became noticeably warmer Sunday, and it was nice to sit on the balcony. We have summer now, and it was a long wait. The flowers on my balcony are still alive, but I have to water every day. I don't think I have ever had as many flowers there as now. I bought a corner shelf made of metal to have some of the flowers on, and it looks very pretty.
The change in weather meant that people are complaining about the non-existing air conditioning at the library. It usually takes a few days before you notice the heat indoors. My office windows face south, so I work in a hot climate in the summer. It's not that bad yet, it's about 24-25 centigrades outdoors.
The move is progressing. The young and strong guys continue their efforts to move our books. We got more carts today (the moving company had some), so I hope it makes the waiting times shorter. This is the time of year when the students return many of their books. We are very busy sorting and shelving right now, and it will go on through mid-June. I drove the storage round twice this week, and it was a challenge to retrieve books from the newly moved collection. There are no lists on the bookshelves (yet) indicating what books they contain. It's a guessing game. I work a lot in the old collection, but I don't know exactly in what order the call numbers are there (it's not alphabetical or numerical).
The change in weather meant that people are complaining about the non-existing air conditioning at the library. It usually takes a few days before you notice the heat indoors. My office windows face south, so I work in a hot climate in the summer. It's not that bad yet, it's about 24-25 centigrades outdoors.
The move is progressing. The young and strong guys continue their efforts to move our books. We got more carts today (the moving company had some), so I hope it makes the waiting times shorter. This is the time of year when the students return many of their books. We are very busy sorting and shelving right now, and it will go on through mid-June. I drove the storage round twice this week, and it was a challenge to retrieve books from the newly moved collection. There are no lists on the bookshelves (yet) indicating what books they contain. It's a guessing game. I work a lot in the old collection, but I don't know exactly in what order the call numbers are there (it's not alphabetical or numerical).
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Weekend at the summer house
The trip to Holland was unfortunately cancelled. My mother was not feeling well, so we couldn't go. She travelled down from Borås, so we took the train and bus to the summer house on Thursday instead. She was supposed to have moved there right after the trip anyway. We engaged in work in the yard (mowing the long grass was a challenge). We got the lawn furniture out and got the house ready for summer. Saturday we went by bus to one of the fleamarket stores in Åhus, and then we met two of my mother's friends there, who drove us home. We took the opportunity to go grocery shopping also, since they gave us a lift. My mother sold her car last year, so she will have to make it without one now.
Sunday I returned home. This is a short work week (3 days), but several things have already happened. Today the movers contacted me and said that they couldn't use the loading door because of asphalt work. They got stuck in the wet asphalt and couldn't reach the door with the truck. So now all seven of them are working at the main library, with some small projects. A few collections will be moved to other floors of the same building.
Yesterday was the first visit I made to the new storage since the start of the move. I actually haven't had time to see it before. The first thing I noticed was the fact that it needs cleaning. The floors were very dirty. This is because of the carts being transported back and forth in the corridor. The move seems to be going well. There are waiting times in between deliveries, but there isn't much to do about that. They were running low on bookends (a very important detail), so I packed three boxes when I got back to the main library. I had a meeting with the one in charge of economy and budget here, and he gave me a chart with numbers on. Very high numbers. It's apparently very expensive to hire movers for such a long time as we have to. Not to mention all the extra costs (new carts, ladders, office supplies and so on) we have had. But he was happy to report that the rent for the new facility is lower than the rent for all the old storages combined, and that was good to hear. When the move is done the old storages will be empty, so we will no longer rent those buildings.
Sunday I returned home. This is a short work week (3 days), but several things have already happened. Today the movers contacted me and said that they couldn't use the loading door because of asphalt work. They got stuck in the wet asphalt and couldn't reach the door with the truck. So now all seven of them are working at the main library, with some small projects. A few collections will be moved to other floors of the same building.
Yesterday was the first visit I made to the new storage since the start of the move. I actually haven't had time to see it before. The first thing I noticed was the fact that it needs cleaning. The floors were very dirty. This is because of the carts being transported back and forth in the corridor. The move seems to be going well. There are waiting times in between deliveries, but there isn't much to do about that. They were running low on bookends (a very important detail), so I packed three boxes when I got back to the main library. I had a meeting with the one in charge of economy and budget here, and he gave me a chart with numbers on. Very high numbers. It's apparently very expensive to hire movers for such a long time as we have to. Not to mention all the extra costs (new carts, ladders, office supplies and so on) we have had. But he was happy to report that the rent for the new facility is lower than the rent for all the old storages combined, and that was good to hear. When the move is done the old storages will be empty, so we will no longer rent those buildings.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
New exhibit
Friday afternoon there was a new exhibit opened in the library entry hall. Some of my colleagues had worked with the displays for months. The theme was the 1980s - the superficial era of pastel colors, MTV, hairspray and the end of cold war. There were lots of things to look at: pop magazines, newspaper headlines, a walkman, the first mobile phone (weighed almost 5 kilos), the first home computer (with a memory of totally 5 kB), heavy metal album covers, popular books, Star Wars memorabilia, computer games and pink plastic earrings & sunglasses. I was a teenager during the 1980s and there were so many flashbacks in this exhibit. The main news items from this decade included the assassination of our Prime Minister, the tearing down of the Berlin wall and the explosion of the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl. Almost everything else about the 1980s contrasted against these headlines. It was all about appearance. The fashion was, in retrospect, appalling with enormous shoulder pads and sharp neon colors, but back then it was completely normal to wear a bright orange top, headband, shiny tights, lace gloves, knitted leg-warmers/tube-socks and pumps (all colors had to clash). Rhinestone jewelry and extremely colorful make-up added to the look. What an era.
Saturday there was a local spring market, where the societies and clubs had their bake sales and tombolas to raise money for their activities. Also the political parties and the businesses participated. Didn't get anything, but had lunch with a colleague whom I bumped into in the main street. Sunday I was at the closest mall, and did some shopping. I needed a bigger pot for one of my house plants, and that has been very difficult to find. Finally bought one there.
This Thursday I will go on a four day trip with my mother. We are going with a bus company to see the tulips in Holland. I'm sure we will see some other things also.
Saturday there was a local spring market, where the societies and clubs had their bake sales and tombolas to raise money for their activities. Also the political parties and the businesses participated. Didn't get anything, but had lunch with a colleague whom I bumped into in the main street. Sunday I was at the closest mall, and did some shopping. I needed a bigger pot for one of my house plants, and that has been very difficult to find. Finally bought one there.
This Thursday I will go on a four day trip with my mother. We are going with a bus company to see the tulips in Holland. I'm sure we will see some other things also.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Weather change
The four days off work I didn't do much. That's probably why I have back problems now.
The weather changed from Sunday to Monday, so it's pretty warm and sunny. I finally brought the winter coats up to the attic after a very long, but not so fierce winter season. I spent some time on the balcony, admiring the green and blooming yard (and flower box). There is a very high level of pollen out, and that has affected also me, even though I'm not allergic. Several colleagues have colds, but I'm still doing ok.
The first working day was Wednesday and I went with the movers to a storage to retrieve the books on botany (120 meters). They were moved to the new facility pretty quickly, and then they started with books on economy, back at the main library again. The movers are managing quite well, it's at the breaks between collections when they need assistance. My boss had opinions about my time report for April, but it has really been necessary to work that much. I was able to leave early Thursday, so I went shopping in town.
The weather changed from Sunday to Monday, so it's pretty warm and sunny. I finally brought the winter coats up to the attic after a very long, but not so fierce winter season. I spent some time on the balcony, admiring the green and blooming yard (and flower box). There is a very high level of pollen out, and that has affected also me, even though I'm not allergic. Several colleagues have colds, but I'm still doing ok.
The first working day was Wednesday and I went with the movers to a storage to retrieve the books on botany (120 meters). They were moved to the new facility pretty quickly, and then they started with books on economy, back at the main library again. The movers are managing quite well, it's at the breaks between collections when they need assistance. My boss had opinions about my time report for April, but it has really been necessary to work that much. I was able to leave early Thursday, so I went shopping in town.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Long weekend
This week at work was challenging, especially Friday. The movers finished moving a section from the main library at lunchtime, and we didn't think it was any use starting on the next section, because it was at a storage. Instead, I had them work on a project in the stacks. The big move means that we also have to make rearrangements in the stacks. It's three minor collections that will get new locations on other floors. We had time to move part of one, so we will continue another day. Next working day is Wednesday. Tomorrow is Walpurgis Night, and May 1st is always a holiday (it's our Labor Day). I'm happy to get leave a few days, because this project has meant very hard work. It has been problem solving at a completely new level. It's interesting to see what my capacity really is. During these weeks I have also held the annual social club meeting and done the taxes for it. Did my own taxes also, but that was a lot easier. I have research requests, but they don't get much attention right now.
Since my 8-year old cell phone no longer transmitted any calls, I was given a new one. It's not a fancy one, but it seems to be pretty tough. Almost waterproof, scratch-proof glass, extra dust resistant and close to impossible to break. According to the manufacturer, at least. It has a lot of gadgets that will take forever to learn. The 80-page handbook was pretty useless. It had sentences like "adjust the settings", but it didn't say how. You can probably tell I'm not fond of changes. At least not if it's about technology.
I might have written here that my computer at home has quit functioning, but it hasn't. What I meant was that the blog-site has upgraded the interface so that I no longer can post any blogs from home. I don't feel like spending money on such an old computer, so I will write from the library instead.
Since my 8-year old cell phone no longer transmitted any calls, I was given a new one. It's not a fancy one, but it seems to be pretty tough. Almost waterproof, scratch-proof glass, extra dust resistant and close to impossible to break. According to the manufacturer, at least. It has a lot of gadgets that will take forever to learn. The 80-page handbook was pretty useless. It had sentences like "adjust the settings", but it didn't say how. You can probably tell I'm not fond of changes. At least not if it's about technology.
I might have written here that my computer at home has quit functioning, but it hasn't. What I meant was that the blog-site has upgraded the interface so that I no longer can post any blogs from home. I don't feel like spending money on such an old computer, so I will write from the library instead.
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