My birthday last week was not really celebrated. The only amusement was a chocolate cupcake I bought myself. That same day I went with a colleague to the storage to do some minor projects and to shelve. We got some things done but both of us injured our right hands in this process. She got more problems than I, my hand is better now but she still has hers bandaged. I also have back problems. It's the same as usual and I have made an appointment for Monday at the chiropractor's place.
Wednesday was the funeral for my mother's eldest brother in the home parish church. I did not attend it. I hadn't met him in many years.
Thursday evening I got a very surprising phone call - from Denmark. I have never met the woman who called but it didn't take many seconds before I understood who she was. She was not so interested in family history 20 years ago when I visited her brother and sister in Copenhagen but now she had started on it. We are related, however it's distant. We have common relatives in Australia and that's what she was mostly asking about. It was possible to understand her, even though she spoke Danish. She had actually found a clue for a lost emigrant in that family. Her call got me started on this research again and I spent time at work today to search for more information.
At work we got one more employee who started last week in the stacks. It was not necessary to teach her anything because she is the one who replaced me during my illness last year. She was already familiar with the job. We are very happy to have her back. We were really struggling to cope with our tasks. Many people have also been ill (all sorts of flus and colds) and some days we had to ask our boss and other staff members for help. The piles with returned books were gigantic and we lagged behind with everything. This past week we also got two students to help out by shelving both in the stacks and the open collection. The situation is better now, thankfully.
Yesterday I gave a short speech at a review regarding our new database system, which will be implemented in June. We have open meetings for all librarians once every two weeks so that they can come and ask questions and get news on the progress. It is a very big project. I discovered a bug in the new system (this was not really what the technicians hoped for but rather now than afterwards). They took it seriously and discussed it at length, before deciding to fix it during the migration in June. My speech was about this bug and how and why we need to fix it.
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Easter
Last week at work was hectic with five meetings in three days plus lunch with a colleague from the History Museum. It turned out to be a longer week than I had planned on because a colleague was sick. I had to take her desk duty on the Thursday also. That evening I went to the summerhouse for the Easter weekend. My mother and her boyfriend were already there and my sister with family arrived the next day. Even though the weather was wild and crazy with lots of snow and high winds we did some excursions. Over Easter there are art exhibits everywhere in Skåne. Artists keep open houses and show their paintings, sculptures, photos and other things. We made it to Simrishamn one day to look at some pieces of art. It was bitterly cold so the visit didn't last that long but it was still nice. Easter is also about food and naturally there were some eggs consumed. On the Sunday we were invited to my father's place for a big meal. Herring, salmon, turkey, cheeses and Janson's Temptation for instance were served. Very tasty.
The large amount of snow meant some outdoor activities. My niece and I spent quite some time in the back yard (where there was 30 cm of snow) making a snowman and throwing snow balls. Great fun!
I had taken two days off this week so I left today to go home again. Of course the weather has now changed and it's spring weather instead. Sunny and much warmer. Before I left Kristianstad I spent several hours at the city library to do some research in their local collection. I found some more clues for my history projects in books we don't have at my library.
Monday last week I had a doctor's appointment. It was the one year check-up after my illness was discovered. It was a rather unusual visit. It lasted one hour and 20 minutes. (Normally they want you out of there in less than 15 minutes). The doctor was very talkative and when she heard that I had found a supplement in the health food store that is helping to ease the side effects of both the chemo and the medicine I'm on now, she wanted to know more. She was very meticulous and asked me lots of questions. We concluded that my situation was nearly acceptable but I was offered one more medicine (which I said yes to) and she wanted the surgeon to take a look at my scar. Only three days later I was sent a note from the surgeon, with a date for that check-up. There are many bad things you hear about the Swedish health care system but personally I can't complain. They have always taken me 100% seriously and have made sure I'm ok. There are always issues like waiting times and one or two people not really having the right job but in all I'm impressed by the fact that the health system actually functions.
The large amount of snow meant some outdoor activities. My niece and I spent quite some time in the back yard (where there was 30 cm of snow) making a snowman and throwing snow balls. Great fun!
I had taken two days off this week so I left today to go home again. Of course the weather has now changed and it's spring weather instead. Sunny and much warmer. Before I left Kristianstad I spent several hours at the city library to do some research in their local collection. I found some more clues for my history projects in books we don't have at my library.
Monday last week I had a doctor's appointment. It was the one year check-up after my illness was discovered. It was a rather unusual visit. It lasted one hour and 20 minutes. (Normally they want you out of there in less than 15 minutes). The doctor was very talkative and when she heard that I had found a supplement in the health food store that is helping to ease the side effects of both the chemo and the medicine I'm on now, she wanted to know more. She was very meticulous and asked me lots of questions. We concluded that my situation was nearly acceptable but I was offered one more medicine (which I said yes to) and she wanted the surgeon to take a look at my scar. Only three days later I was sent a note from the surgeon, with a date for that check-up. There are many bad things you hear about the Swedish health care system but personally I can't complain. They have always taken me 100% seriously and have made sure I'm ok. There are always issues like waiting times and one or two people not really having the right job but in all I'm impressed by the fact that the health system actually functions.
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Book sale
This Wednesday evening I went with two colleagues to listen to a lecture on DNA genealogy. I might have mentioned before that it's the latest in the world of genealogical research. The lecturer was the author of a book on the subject and he knew basically everything. It was a very interesting lecture and he mixed anecdotes and facts in a good way.
The most crazy day at work was suprisingly enough Friday. The madness started at 8 AM when it was clear that three people were off sick. I had desk duty and couldn't help much and in addition to this we hosted a study visit from a Croatian librarian. I basically gave her a pile of requests, pointed in the right direction and told her to find the books. There was no time for a lengthy introduction. Luckily, those call numbers are numbers, so it's relatively easy to give that job to a non-Swede.
Saturday there was a secondhand book sale arranged by Amnesty in Lund. I went with a colleague and also met one other colleague there. All three of us admit to being nerds in the field. We all look for books for ourselves but we also try to find books missing at our libraries. My purchase was the smallest, only four items (mainly relating to emigrants). We ended the visit in Lund by going out for a salad lunch.
The most crazy day at work was suprisingly enough Friday. The madness started at 8 AM when it was clear that three people were off sick. I had desk duty and couldn't help much and in addition to this we hosted a study visit from a Croatian librarian. I basically gave her a pile of requests, pointed in the right direction and told her to find the books. There was no time for a lengthy introduction. Luckily, those call numbers are numbers, so it's relatively easy to give that job to a non-Swede.
Saturday there was a secondhand book sale arranged by Amnesty in Lund. I went with a colleague and also met one other colleague there. All three of us admit to being nerds in the field. We all look for books for ourselves but we also try to find books missing at our libraries. My purchase was the smallest, only four items (mainly relating to emigrants). We ended the visit in Lund by going out for a salad lunch.
Monday, March 19, 2018
Furniture
I continued to be a patron for a few hours last week and had another go at the hard-to read letters. Thanks to two other colleagues we cracked some of it. I especially wanted a letter mentioning an old manuscript deciphered and we managed that.
The week at work was as busy as ever. I had desk duty two days. The usual meetings are unavoidable, of course.
This Saturday my father and his girlfriend came to visit with the motor home. This was because I wanted to buy some pieces of furniture. I got a head board for my bed at one place and then we drove towards Malmö. There was a long wait on the freeway because there had been an accident but we made it to Ikea after a while. It was very crowded. We started out by having a very nice lunch. Then we opted for the somewhat shorter round and picked up a few things. I got a bedding set, a large bouquet of tulips and a rectangular footstool in blue color. At my apartment my father helped me with some minor repairs also.
It's still pretty cold here, it was 6 below zero this morning. The wind has calmed down a bit and the sun is shining so it's not that bad.
The week at work was as busy as ever. I had desk duty two days. The usual meetings are unavoidable, of course.
This Saturday my father and his girlfriend came to visit with the motor home. This was because I wanted to buy some pieces of furniture. I got a head board for my bed at one place and then we drove towards Malmö. There was a long wait on the freeway because there had been an accident but we made it to Ikea after a while. It was very crowded. We started out by having a very nice lunch. Then we opted for the somewhat shorter round and picked up a few things. I got a bedding set, a large bouquet of tulips and a rectangular footstool in blue color. At my apartment my father helped me with some minor repairs also.
It's still pretty cold here, it was 6 below zero this morning. The wind has calmed down a bit and the sun is shining so it's not that bad.
Monday, March 12, 2018
Praised bookservice
The article I wrote for the local historical society publication gave no response whatsoever but I guess not everyone is as interested in old archive material as I am. I wrote about a newly scanned archive series available online at the Riksarkivet website. I found my great grandfather's farm listed there, it stated how many cows he owned in 1917 and what kind of crops he grew in the fields, among other things.
At work I spend a lot of time weeding the reference collection. The current subject is Geography.
We have received much praise for our bookservice. One patron was just ecstatic about the fact that we were able to locate a unique book for her at the storage. She travelled from Blekinge province for this book and she sent a long thank you-note afterwards. She even sent this note to the newspaper, asking to have it published somehow. It feels rather odd to get such a response for doing one's ordinary job.
Last week I took one afternoon off and became a patron instead. I asked to have a volume from a manuscript archive retrieved. It contained over 300 letters written in the early 19th century by the owner of the Strö manor house to his nephew. There was a valuable book collection placed at Strö manor house 1785-1845 and I want to research this. It turns out that both these people had a handwriting that is extremely challenging to read. The manuscript librarian told me the nephew (who was of noble family) was famous for his illegible handwriting. I have 30 years experience and have to say not much was understandable. The last 20 letters or so were not possible to understand at all, the author was 87 years old by then and the letters were written with bad ink. Still, it was interesting to see the material and I could conclude that they did not discuss book-related issues in these letters.
At work I spend a lot of time weeding the reference collection. The current subject is Geography.
We have received much praise for our bookservice. One patron was just ecstatic about the fact that we were able to locate a unique book for her at the storage. She travelled from Blekinge province for this book and she sent a long thank you-note afterwards. She even sent this note to the newspaper, asking to have it published somehow. It feels rather odd to get such a response for doing one's ordinary job.
Last week I took one afternoon off and became a patron instead. I asked to have a volume from a manuscript archive retrieved. It contained over 300 letters written in the early 19th century by the owner of the Strö manor house to his nephew. There was a valuable book collection placed at Strö manor house 1785-1845 and I want to research this. It turns out that both these people had a handwriting that is extremely challenging to read. The manuscript librarian told me the nephew (who was of noble family) was famous for his illegible handwriting. I have 30 years experience and have to say not much was understandable. The last 20 letters or so were not possible to understand at all, the author was 87 years old by then and the letters were written with bad ink. Still, it was interesting to see the material and I could conclude that they did not discuss book-related issues in these letters.
Sunday, March 4, 2018
More research
Another busy week at work. I had to attend five meetings. I'm trying to learn the new database system we will install in June. The problem is that it is not near finished. Three of the meetings had to do with this new system. It's a pretty big challenge to create a teaching module for a system which is still being developed. We don't really know what the end result will look like. Or even if it will function, for that matter.
This past week there was a big misunderstanding between me and a colleague. She was sick Monday and we decided to switch desk duties so she would take mine on Friday instead. She forgot about it. Incredibly enough, no one noticed until about 1 PM, when the books from the storage round were still on the desk. We both rushed to get the tasks done and I hope the patrons didn't notice any of this. This week there were terrible problems with the trains and roads due to heavy snowfall and very high winds, so the number of patrons was rather low. Personally, I was lucky with the trains but several of my colleagues have been snowed in the entire week. Some people were able to work from their computer at home but not all.
I must have been one of very few people who still had a land-line phone but that is now cancelled. It was my phone company that decided to quit offering this kind of service so I decided it was time to let go. Now I only have the cellphone. It is for work but the subscription means free calls so I'm allowed to use it for private phone calls also.
Recently, I have engaged in quite a lot of research of various kinds. One research request and one article for the local historical society publication were finished a few weeks ago. I'm now gathering material for another (longer) article, relating to a book collection. At the same time I'm working on the bibliography for Norra Strö and have extended the search area to include also the nearby parishes. It's all incredibly interesting and I wish there was more time for these things.
This past week there was a big misunderstanding between me and a colleague. She was sick Monday and we decided to switch desk duties so she would take mine on Friday instead. She forgot about it. Incredibly enough, no one noticed until about 1 PM, when the books from the storage round were still on the desk. We both rushed to get the tasks done and I hope the patrons didn't notice any of this. This week there were terrible problems with the trains and roads due to heavy snowfall and very high winds, so the number of patrons was rather low. Personally, I was lucky with the trains but several of my colleagues have been snowed in the entire week. Some people were able to work from their computer at home but not all.
I must have been one of very few people who still had a land-line phone but that is now cancelled. It was my phone company that decided to quit offering this kind of service so I decided it was time to let go. Now I only have the cellphone. It is for work but the subscription means free calls so I'm allowed to use it for private phone calls also.
Recently, I have engaged in quite a lot of research of various kinds. One research request and one article for the local historical society publication were finished a few weeks ago. I'm now gathering material for another (longer) article, relating to a book collection. At the same time I'm working on the bibliography for Norra Strö and have extended the search area to include also the nearby parishes. It's all incredibly interesting and I wish there was more time for these things.
Monday, February 26, 2018
Sports
This past week it was sports break for many people. A few of my colleagues went off somewhere to go skiing or engage in other winter sports. The flu season is even more noticeable now, two people were absent from my department. I unexpectedly got desk duty today because of this. Not what I had planned for.
Last week there were some difficulties with the trains. In fact it was so bad Tuesday evening that I turned around and went back to work to borrow the storage round car overnight. I understood it would take hours to get the trains back in action so I decided it was best. It happens once or twice a year that everything fails like that. I have general permission to borrow the car in those cases. I did of course make use of it and went for groceries on the way home.
The Olympic Games turned out to be the most successful ever for Sweden, with 14 medals in total. One of the more unexpected gold medals was in women's curling. The athletes did very well in biathlon and downhill skiing also.
It's cold here. Down to 10 below zero and winds from the north. At least it's light out when I leave home in the mornings now. The darkest times have passed.
Last week there were some difficulties with the trains. In fact it was so bad Tuesday evening that I turned around and went back to work to borrow the storage round car overnight. I understood it would take hours to get the trains back in action so I decided it was best. It happens once or twice a year that everything fails like that. I have general permission to borrow the car in those cases. I did of course make use of it and went for groceries on the way home.
The Olympic Games turned out to be the most successful ever for Sweden, with 14 medals in total. One of the more unexpected gold medals was in women's curling. The athletes did very well in biathlon and downhill skiing also.
It's cold here. Down to 10 below zero and winds from the north. At least it's light out when I leave home in the mornings now. The darkest times have passed.
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