I’m at a library conference right now, and I’m seeing a lot of cardigans. Librarians are mostly women and conference centers are often too cold, so this is unsurprising. Cardigans are also considered stereotypical parts of the librarian’s wardrobe – along with sensible shoes, glasses, and pencils through our hair buns. Most of those stereotypes aren’t true (minus the sensible shoes) but the cardigans really do hold up. Seeing all these cardigans on my colleagues got me thinking, why do librarians wear so many cardigans? First, they are comfy. One can never knock the comfort of an item of clothing. Next, they are warm but not too warm. Libraries are often public spaces and have to follow OSHA standards - that means things can be chillier than you’d like. Or your reference desk shift is slow and, since you’re moving less, things get cold. A cardigan can keep you warm. But library spaces and library work are also highly variable. Sometimes spaces are just hot. Sometimes you’re shelving or pushing a book cart and the exertion makes you warm. Cardigans can be unbuttoned or you can roll up the sleeves with ease. If things are really hot, they come off easy and the rest of your outfit is still work appropriate. Plus, cardigans offer more freedom of movement than, say, a blazer. In a single workday, I’ve had to do squats to clear a copier paper jam, I’ve stood on my tippy-toes and reached to get books on top shelves, I’ve contorted myself to set up exhibits in weird spaces, and I’ve crawled under desks to deal with power plug issues. Blazers are more restricting. I need the ability to bend and stretch at will. But I also still need to look presentable at meetings. Also, cardigans are not so precious that you’re worried about something happening to them. Mine have been covered in red rot, toner, dust, and coffee spills. They’re easy to toss in the laundry to clean. I don’t need to worry about adding a trip to the dry cleaner to my to-do list. Finally, I think wearing a cardigan helps reduce the vocational awe that happens with librarians. It can help us come across more like Mr. Rogers and less like a business tycoon. It can be hard to walk up to a librarian and ask a question. If that librarian is wearing a business suit, that hurdle is even higher. Something about a cardigan makes us less intimidating.
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On Friday, I flew out to Portland for a conference. It took two long flights for me to get across the country. While the first flight became nap time (I was up at 4:30 AM), the second flight presented a decision I encounter every time I travel for work. On the plane, do I get work done or do I relax? I never quite know what the right choice is. On the one hand, I am travelling on the company dime with my company laptop. In theory, there are plenty of things I could be reading, reviewing, or editing. If I pay for Wi-Fi, I would even have full access to all our systems. On the other hand… I don’t wanna. I’m stuck in a small space for several hours, tired, and generally not able to concentrate on actual work things. Before the days of laptops and on-board Wi-Fi, this wouldn’t even have been a possibility. I could watch a movie or read a book without any feeling of guilt. It's only as technology and access have grown that we've encountered this dilemma. What are our work boundaries when in transit? Ultimately, I split the difference. On the second leg of my journey, I enjoyed lunch while watching The Imitation Game and, then, I brain dumped some work stuff into a Word doc while half watching Top Gun: Maverick. How do you choose to spend your time while travelling for work?
This post is going up later than usual because I had to fly out to the west coast. I might have been up at 4:30AM to catch my flight, but at least they day was easy. No issue with my first flight, plenty of time to catch my connection in Dallas, and only a small delay with the second leg of my journey. These days, that's the best you can hope for. Here's what else was good this week:
I read a lot of books with my kiddo. Kid Reads is a biweekly look at what we've enjoyed recently.
*Books shared here may be affiliate links for Bookshop.org
It's mid-May and I have the space heater running full blast. That's partly because it's chilly and dreary and partly because my office's HVAC temperatures can swing wildly between seasons. When we move into our renovated space (hopefully this summer), the space heater is coming with me. I don't care that we'll have working HVAC. Offices are always too cold. Here's what I've been working on:
I heard about this books via a podcast and a newsletter. Both sounds incredibly interesting. You can see my complete TBR list on Pinterest.
*Items featured here are Bookshop.org affiliate links. This week, I finished reading Fourth Wing. It was the first book in a long time that had me staying up past my bedtime to read. In fact, I went to bed earlier so that I could have more time to read. I have not deliberately carved out this much time to read a book in a long while. Now, I'm sad. Book two is out, but I don't have my hands on it yet. I have to wait for my turn on the library holds list. Then, I have to wait for book three to be published and the rumored books four and five to be written. I'm in this for the long haul, but I'm not looking forward to the wait. The problem with a series like this is the not knowing. Not only do I not know what will happen to the characters, but I don't know if the author will be able to finish the series in a satisfying way. While many series have great endings, some are real clunkers. (Looking at you Divergent series.) It would probably be better for my psyche to only read complete series, but I'm not that patient. The anticipation is part of the fun. When it comes to book series, do you wait to read them until they're finished?
I'm writing this while sitting in on a faculty union meeting. These sessions are always chaotic and the only way I get through them without screaming is by multi-tasking. Thank goodness I can vent with my library colleagues on internal chat. It feels like we're in this together. Here's what made me smile this week.
Fourth Wing Rebecca Yarros I am one night of binge-reading away from finishing this book. And it has truly been a binge read. Every night this week, I've had to force myself to close the cover and go to bed. I have not vibed like this with a book in a very long time. I now get all the hype. This is like Harry Potter meets the Hunger Games and is just compulsively readable. Is the writing the best? Heck no! But I don't care. I just want to know what happens! *Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org This day feels like a complete disaster. Two of my colleagues are battling HR on a years long issue that just exploded, my kiddo said her tummy hurt at school (but then was fine?), and I just got a boil water advisory alert. I'm going to need things to calm down a skosh. Here's what I've been working on:
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