Book Review: New England White...3.75

New England White by Stephen L. Carter is a fascinating mystery set in an old New England town with very new New England money as the heroine. I found it to be a great and easy read and if you are looking for a book that will take you away from the conundrum of everyday life, I would definitely pick this book up.

Here is what a reviewer from Amazon.com had to say about it:

After Emperor of Ocean Park, I could hardly wait for a second book from Stephen Carter. I even emailed him once to find why it was taking so long (no, he didn't respond) and so when I found out his new book was coming out last week, I rushed to my local bookstore (coupons in hand) and started reading. Once again, Carter has delivered an intriguing mystery while providing juicy tidbits about life in the rarified atmosphere of rich black intellectuals. However, as much as I loved reading all 556 pages (whew!), I found that about halfway through the book, I started getting lost in all the details. There is just so much information he includes that after a while they start to detract from the story. More than once I thought "And who is this again?" Not that any of that stopped me from reading, it's that with so many characters, so many events, so much repetition, I was relieved to finally get to the big reveal. Yes, it was worth it find out whodunnit and why, but there is another message Carter delivers that members of both the darker nation and the paler nation will likely find themselves admitting, even if to no one other than to themselves. My favorite scene in the book? When Julia finds herself in an unfamiliar neighborhood, knocking on doors and understanding that it's race, not money/class/privilege that people see first. And that truth is not lost on her.

Nebraska Library's Must Be Really Hard Up For Employees

I have never seen a public service announcement promoting library jobs. I guess, in my area, library jobs are pretty hard to come by.

Nebraska seems to have taken their shortage of library workers to a whole new level with this PSA.

Book Review: Raising the Bar: Integrity and Passion in Life and Business: The Story of Clif Bar & Co.

As a rule, I usually do not pick up self help books. i tend to think that they are filled with feel good attitudes that do exactly that, make you feel good, but giving little information which I could not figure out on my own.I am still convinced that the secret of life will never be found located between bound leather, but after speaking with friends, I have come to realize that some insight to life issues can be found printed in Black and White.

Still sceptical, I set out to locate a published work that would live up to my friend's promises.Raising the Bar by Greg Erickson was the first book that jumped out at me. Bar was writtten by the owner and creater of Clif Bar & Co., a line of fitness bars and energy drinks which came out of nowhere and took the industry by storm.Bar caught my eye for two reasons:

1. This book documents the success story of a small business who's healthy and eco-friendly business practices is the main readon for its prosperity

2. It documents a product that I have grown to love over the years, The Clif Bar.

If you are interested in learning how grow your business WITHOUT worrying about the economic bottom line, I would definitly recommend this book. Though containing some business theory and accounting mumbo-jumbo, it is still light and jovial enough to take on vacation with you or being considered a "light read".

Library Elf's Rating=======3 points (Rating based on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best)

Happy Easter!

Violatiotion of Copyright

For obvious reasons, I can not post what the Journal of the Canadian Health Library Association says about HS Librarians and Web 3, but if you are interested in reading their article, pick it up and tell me what you think.

Jews & Blacks: A Review

Jews & Blacks: A Dialogue on Race, Religion, and Culture in America, by Michael Lerner and Cornel West chronicle the similarities of and differences in the struggles that both Jews and African-Americans have faced here in the United States.

Chapter by chapter, these two academic leaders in their perspective societies take on specific issues that have been of concern in both societies and give their unique and collective perspective of the societal concern.

In addition to introductions of the two intellectuals, some of the issues covered in this book include (but not limited to) Black and Jewish Nationalism, Jewish Racism/Black Anti-Semitism, and economic conflicts hindering/helping the two societies.

As an African-American, I have always known the struggles of the Jewish in the United States have paralleled those of Blacks, but this book gives me a greater perspective of the similarities and differences in the two society’s struggle for equality and inclusion.This is not light reading and I would not take it if I was going on vacation, but you are giving a speech on either two societies, I would definitely use this as a reference.

The race is on!

Well, its not really a race.

I have decided to throw my hat in and become a full fledged librarian.

I have done some research on MLS programs, and being stuck in the Midwest, there are only 3 programs close to me, and each one is exactly 100 miles ways.

UGH!!!

Luckily one MLS program has a satellite program at a university just a few miles away. Albeit, i will not be able to take ALL off my course at the closer school and several times a semester I will have to make that dutiful 100 mile trip for a presentation of a seminar, but I guess it is better than nothing.

I will keep you posted and wish me luck!

Google goes Medical?

During this year's Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Annual Conference in Orlando there was a presentation by the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Google.

During this presentation, an initiative sponsored by Google was presented intending to provide access to personal health records. It seems to include content from information providers such as Epocrates and ADAM.

If you can watch the whole thing, and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTZKNcx9sBA

Library Organizations: Are They Worth It?

For years I have worked in a library, most of it in a public library but recent years have seen me dip my cap at academic and special librarianship.

All the while, I have never had the interest in becoming a part of the major library associations. They only time I was vaguely interested in these huge conglomerates were when National convention rolled around and they were being held in a city in which I would like to visit like the case with the ALA a few years back when they had their convention in The Big Easy.

My interest has sparked again this year with the Medical Library Association (MLA) holding a convention in Chicago during May 2008.

I would love to participate, but would like to do so for the right reasons and not for a free trip to Chi-Town.

Since, I am now working in a special/medical library; the MLA may be an association which I would like to become a member of. I will be doing some more research on this organization and let you know what I decide.

Any advice would be helpful as well.