#colorourcollections

Adult coloring books are all the rage, and in one of my hyper-capitalist moments I conceived the idea of a coloring book composed of the fine binding covers that I have been sharing on Instagram. It seems like it should be a fairly straightforward process, selecting covers with interesting but not overly complex designs then using photo editing software to...magic it into being outlines? It was the in-between step that I struggled with, so I enlisted my tech consultant, namely, my mother. (Hi mom!) She did excellent work, as she always does, but it is unfortunately not as easy as I had hoped.

It is, however, a shame that I have allowed mom's efforts to languish, so I'm going to post them here for people to use if they want. I was inspired by Color Our Collections, a great event being hosted by the New York Academy of Medicine - where you can find official Huntington coloring pages, among many other institutions.

 

Cataloging: The End

Today I said goodbye to Union, the headquarters of the Kemper-Newton Regional Library system. I waited until all of the ladies were in, and reminded them that for the next decade they are free to blame me for any and all issues at the library. "I'm sorry ma'am, but there was this lady here from California and she just messed everything up!" They joked about finding another system in the area that's in need of a new director so they could keep me here, but I could never do what Meredith does. I'm nowhere near polite enough, and I'm way too much of an outsider - I would guess that they're suspicious of Meredith here (or were when she started), and she's only from Georgia. Also I've been doing a very good job of maintaining silence on political subjects (the mantra worked, mom!) but I would not be able to sustain that for any length of time. I'm glad I'm going to be gone long before election season gets really intense.

In 11 days of work I've cataloged 822 titles, and I have a pretty good idea that this project could be replicated elsewhere. Not necessarily by me, mind you, though it would be an interesting undertaking. After all, I am Kate C. Peck, Librarian* at Large.

(*degree pending - until Saturday!)

Cataloging: Day 13

Today's observations: I ended up with one more cart of books today because Gregg couldn't get to our long-distance cataloging experiment, but it didn't take too long. The cataloging is officially done!

Surrounded by Scooba books, with a whole bunch of discards on the counter

It feels a little anticlimactic, but it is really nice to be done. I had set aside around eight items that I couldn't find records for in my initial run through the collection. It turned out that only one of them needed original cataloging, and of course it was a DVD, not a book. I'm not sure how many people will be looking for music by Mary J. Blige on DVD, but they will now be able to find it at the library.
I'm finishing up my paper for Professor Yates (Hi Professor Yates!), which will be an odd amalgamation of rural library research and practical advice for future cataloging projects. Given how many books I was able to get through in such a short amount of time, I really think that this type of project could be replicated elsewhere with some success. You might be thinking that there can't be THAT many other libraries that are without an automated catalog, but according to one source there are almost as many as 600. My guess would be that most of them are in situations similar to Scooba, supporting a poor, rural area that has never been able to afford a professional librarian on even a part time basis. Perhaps it should be a goal for ALA and state library commissions to seek out these small libraries and help them. Something else to include in the paper.


Titles cataloged today: 54

Titles cataloged total: 822 (plus another 148 by my cataloging comrades, bringing the final total to 970!)

Audio entertainment during the drive: More talking with Meredith, though there was some Bowie, Beatles, and Led Zepplin in the background.

New Southern discovery: When I heard someone refer to a "combo meal", I thought they were talking about the kind of meal that you would get from McDonalds - burger/chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink. Turns out, this is a combo meal:

Meredith and I had lunch at S & A Fine Food Restaurant a couple of times, and the above meal cost $7.00. That's chicken, rice with gravy, fried green tomatoes, a roll, dessert, and a drink. For $7.00. I told them on the way out that I would miss their food, and although I would try to find fried green tomatoes in Los Angeles, there was no way that they would be as good or as cheap. They seemed to find that amusing.

Something I miss from California: I miss Filemaker Pro. Database management software isn't the most exciting stuff in the world, but those stupid spine labels are infuriating.

Cataloging: Day 12

Today's observations: I'm so close to reaching a stopping point! I think that if I had another week I might have been able to get through the last few sections, Easy Reader and Juvenile Nonfiction, the latter of which is due for a thorough weeding. Alas, I must move on, but I trust Rita (or whoever draws this fun task) to finish what is left.

The last full cart!

I discovered today that children's books are considerably more difficult to find appropriate records for, because they are in so many different editions. I will be perfectly happy to never see a Hardy Boys book again in my life. Their more recent adventures, by the way, have gotten considerably more dramatic than they used to be. There are spies and kidnapping and amnesia... I don't think that Nancy Drew's new adventures are quite as exciting, but I could be wrong.


Titles cataloged today: 88

Titles cataloged total: 768 (plus another 148 by my cataloging comrades, bringing the final total to 916!)

Audio entertainment during the drive: Talking with Meredith. We discovered that our movie tastes diverge considerably once you get past Fried Green Tomatoes and Inglourious Basterds. Although I was not in the car at the time, I also started listening to the audiobook of The girl who loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King. Some people collect Pokemon, I collect Stephen King. To each their own.

New Southern discovery: The guys who direct traffic in construction areas are referred to here as "flagmen". I have always just called them "guys who direct traffic in construction areas".

Something I miss from California: Byron, the black bear, who lives on our couch and watches movies, tv, and sports with us. Eleanore did this fabulous drawing of Byron as Speed Racer. (Also, she's a really good artist and you should check out her work here.)

Cataloging: Day 11

Today's observations:

What a wildly productive day!
Today we welcomed librarians from another Mississippi library system to help us get through the many carts of uncataloged books. Phillip (in the photo on the right) is the Director of the Lamar County Library System and Terry is Head of Technical Services for the same, and they were kind enough to make the long drive from Lamar County, which is about 2 hours to the southwest of Newton. Meredith even got in on some of the cataloging action!

I think I've hit my stride when it comes to cataloging at high speed, so I feel pretty good about being able to finish the rest of the juvenile fiction before I go. At that point I will have cataloged adult fiction, adult nonfiction, juvenile fiction, and a good chunk of young adult. Not bad for two week's work! All that will be left is juvenile nonfiction (what little remains after it's weeded) and the easy readers books.
There are a lot of factors that have contributed to the success of this project, though most of them stem from Meredith's passion for improving the libraries in her care. She did her best to show her staff that I was here to help, not to tell them how to do their jobs, and their involvement in the project has been crucial. Without Brenda and Rita's help we would still be sifting through books at Scooba, trying to decide which ones are worth cataloging. And Linda, Eliana, Maxine, and GiGi have all been encouraging and helpful. Times are tough for all libraries, especially in Mississippi, and Kemper-Newton has taken some deep cuts, but everything I've seen here confirms the survey results that I've read about in the library literature: rural librarians tend to have extremely high job satisfaction, in spite of the many frustrations they face.



Titles cataloged today: 150 (I beat Gregg!)

Titles cataloged total: 680 (plus another 148 by my cataloging comrades, bringing the final total to 828!)

Audio entertainment during the drive: Duel - Richard Matheson; Throttle - Joe Hill and Stephen King (both short stories are on the audiobook Road Rage)

New Southern discovery: I found it! The holy grail of unsweetened iced tea:

I realize that iced tea is everywhere in the South, but finding it in bulk isn't easy, and most gas stations don't make it fresh (they also rarely have bottled unsweet tea). Today Meredith brought this treasure for the cataloging marathon, and it was perfect.

Something I miss from California: Missing my friends at the Huntington, especially Jessica, Catherine, and Krystle. I hope something has come in the mail for you guys.

Cataloging: Day 10

Today's observations:
I took a break from cataloging today so that I could accompany Meredith to the very last Summer Reading event of 2016. I even helped, inasmuch as arranging fruit, crackers, and Capri Sun into neat rows is helping!

I think I can safely say that, while I enjoyed it, I am not suited to public librarianship. Meredith killed it, because she's awesome, and gave an appropriately short speech about the importance of reading and using the library. Then I got to see a political master in action. State Senator Terry C. Burton is President Pro Tempore of the Mississippi Senate, so I certainly have some serious ideological differences, but watching him was a lesson. He exudes charisma and can handle a crowd like no one's business. Additionally, he was instrumental in getting the local internet provider to supply quality internet connections to the three libraries in Newton County, one of which was still running at dial-up speed. Terry C. cares about his community - which is more than you can say about some politicians - and is aware of technological shortcomings across the state. He is rather intimidating looking, and reminds me a bit of Churchill, with the bald pate, lack of neck, and intense gaze.

Before the event Meredith and I stopped for lunch at Hibachi Japanese Express restaurant in Newton for carryout. I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I got reminded me of the "Chinese" food that we used to get at Randhurst back in the day. It wasn't quite chicken teriyaki (the sauce looked a bit more like thousand island dressing to me), but it was definitely reminiscent of the generic Asian food we would get at the mall back in the late 90s. Apparently the restaurant is the object of suspicion on the part of some locals, and Meredith pointed out that it was an odd decision on the founder's part to choose central Mississippi as the location for their new business.

Titles cataloged today: 10

Titles cataloged total: 530

Audio entertainment during the drive: The Final Rip Off - Monty Python; At the mountains of madness (audiobook from Hoopla!) - H.P. Lovecraft

New Southern discovery: This might be a rural thing, rather than a Southern thing, but there are long stretches of road where all the mailboxes are on the same side, regardless of which side the houses are on. It makes sense that a postal worker isn't going to be driving back and forth along the same long stretch of country road, but it's not something that I've encountered before.

Something I miss from California: Our couch. I know it's not super nice when it's hot (it's leather), but it is so comfortable. The sofa at the cabin seems to have lost some of its structural integrity, so sitting on it causes you to lean towards the front of it.

Cataloging: Day 9

Today's observations:
I did not catalog any books today, which is slightly disappointing, but I did print and attach labels to three full carts of books, which was probably more than 200 volumes. The mechanism for printing barcodes is just as cumbersome as it was before, but I figured out how to create a list on a book by book basis, rather than a big batch. I was trying to find the clear plastic adhesive that is placed over the spine label to keep it in place, and because the remaining roll was running low I poked around in the supplies until I found what is called book tape, but what looks like glorified packing tape to me. Brenda and I both kind of gave it the side eye before she decided to order more of the pre-cut kind.

Part of why I slowed down is that I am slightly concerned about having enough material for our cataloging marathon on Saturday. Our guests are very graciously donating their time, and it would be embarrassing if we ran out of things to catalog. Just to be sure we have enough, I went over to Scooba and grabbed all of the juvenile fiction and the uncataloged adult biographies. That should keep us busy, I think.

Juvenile Fiction, after I pulled uncataloged titles

After work, Meredith and I were trying to figure out where we could go for dinner. Philadelphia is our best bet, since it's sizeable enough for multiple restaurants and along both of our homeward drives, but she doesn't often stop there for food, so I made a suggestion. Thus, my first barbecue of this trip was from Dickeys.

The meat was pretty good, but I honestly think the Pasadena location is better. The soft-serve ice cream machine sounded like it was about to throw a gasket, and I don't even know what a gasket is.


Titles cataloged today: 0

Titles cataloged total: 520

Audio entertainment during the drive: Abbey Road - Beatles; Under the Iron Sea - Keane

New Southern discovery: These are slightly mysterious contraptions that I noticed on the way to Union today.

 On the side of the road, at the end of many driveways, there are homemade receptacles of various shapes and sizes. In the picture on the left there is a wire cage, while the one on the right has a pair of suspended oil drums. My theory is that they serve as garbage bins, since it was clearly garbage day today and there were bags in some of them. I'm not sure what their exact purpose is, though, because not all of the driveways have them. Are they supposed to keep the wildlife out? Are they used because they're sturdier than rolling garbage bins? Why doesn't everyone have them? So many questions.

Something I miss from California: My car. The rental I have is nice enough, but it would be fun to drive the Volkswagen on all these open roads. I'm also curious what kind of mileage it would get. It's probably a good thing it's not here, though, since I suspect it would be really easy to fly past the speed limit without even noticing.