Making the big move from Adult Reference Services to Youth Services was not supposed to be a big deal because I’ve been a children’s librarian for most of my career, but after working with adults for 10 years, this may take some getting used to... Instead of people asking about how to save a document … Continue reading Simple Switch, Right?…Not as Easy as “ABCs”
Books
Scandinavian Noir: Bleakness and Joy
The most famous work of Scandinavian Noir is Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Of course the artistic genre we now call Noir was not called such in Shakespeare's day, but Hamlet shares many Noir characteristics. I, personally, enjoy Wikipedia's definition of Scandinavian Noir: "a genre of crime fiction written from a police point of view. The language is plain … Continue reading Scandinavian Noir: Bleakness and Joy
Calling all Nerds! – Healthy Escapism 101
I am a proud, card-carrying nerd. While I am not a stereotype, I enjoy and appreciate all things geek (I do, after all, work in a library). Over the years, my inner geek has taken a back seat to jobs, school, moves, and financial constraints, however, the geek is and will always be around, waiting … Continue reading Calling all Nerds! – Healthy Escapism 101
Georgiana, Maisie, and Amory: Detectives All, Part 2
SPOILER ALERT! Sometime ago I introduced the readers of this blog to three of my favorite mystery authors: Jacqueline Winspear, Rhys Bowen, and a librarian turned author, Ashley Weaver (the first two authors are native Brits who live in the United States). All three have women as their main characters. Winspear's Masie Dobbs started out in … Continue reading Georgiana, Maisie, and Amory: Detectives All, Part 2
National Parks and Recreation Month
Hi Shelf Life Readers! Happy National Parks and Recreation month! I am writing to you from the Jackson County Public Library but if you tried to find me during the summer months from 2012 to 2015, you would’ve had to look deep in the wilderness of either the Sumter or Chattahoochee National Forest, where I … Continue reading National Parks and Recreation Month
The (Irresistible) American Museum of the House Cat
We love cats, right? (Right, mom?) A month or so ago my sweetie pie and I visited the American Museum of the House Cat in Sylva. We’d actually just moved to Sylva and I figured out how to give directions to our new house using the museum as a landmark (the directions make no sense … Continue reading The (Irresistible) American Museum of the House Cat
Hike with Pride this month!
June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month as well as Great Outdoors Month and so this blog will be about both! LGBTQIA+ is an acronym that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and the plus is for gender fluid people - people whose gender identity changes over time or per situation. Queer is a … Continue reading Hike with Pride this month!
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
I made my first trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1975 when I was in graduate school at UTK in Knoxville. Three years later, forty years ago, our family made our first hiking trip, when we participated in a church sponsored outing, which included a walk up Mount LeConte. Since then, we've … Continue reading Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Number 18 in ‘18
This blog is my eighteenth. It’s also my last one for Shelf Life in the Mountains. (Long story short: moving out of state) I did my first one almost exactly 2 years ago, so I’ve done about nine a year since then. Rather than tout some favorite books or videos or music, as I’m wont … Continue reading Number 18 in ‘18
Libraries Rock this summer!
This summer the Summer Learning Program theme for children and teens is "Libraries Rock!" What a great way to think about libraries. They do rock, especially today, when the era of the silent library and the Shushing Librarian is firmly in the past. Mind you, most libraries offer quiet spaces for those who want or … Continue reading Libraries Rock this summer!
