Seven Principles to guide your life

I believe that --
-Each person is important

1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person 

-Be kind in all you do

2. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations

-We're free to learn together

3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth

-And search for what is true

4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning

-All people need a voice

5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process

-Build a fair and peaceful world

6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all

-We care for our Earth

7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part

Don't you agree? 

Disagree?

Nonfiction Monday - The Port Chicago 50

I'm going to restart posting occasional reviews for Nonfiction Monday again.

First up:

Sheinkin, Steve. The Port Chicago 50, Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights. New York: Roaring Book Press, 2014.   (available now)

           (Boston Globe/ Horn Book 2014 nonfiction award winner)

                        Sheinkin continues his excellent nonfiction technique of detailed research and storytelling that captures the reader’s interest from page one with the attack on Pearl Harbor and the awarding of the highest Naval award for the first time to a negro sailor. The plight of negroes (this is the term used at this time period and Sheinkin keeps his language firmly in that time period) in the navy is emphasized by the final sentences of the chapter when this hero then returns to the only position allowed for negroes in the navy – working with the laundry as a mess attendant.  

The meat of this book explores one of the other few jobs allowed to negroes at this time – loading explosives onto ships, with no training plus the poor leadership by the white officers.  Sheinkin’s storytelling piles example upon example contrasting the differences of treatment and assumptions about white and black sailors without ever making the reader feel that these are data dumps, all of which culminates with the trial and imprisonment of the men who refused to return to load explosives after a disastrous explosion.  

(Diversity factor –  about African Americans in the Navy.)

What is normal?

Thought for today.

After I retired from being a children's librarian in a public library, I happened to be getting books for my own reading and ran into a child, a 'slow' reader that I had helped for many years find books that he would could read and enjoy  

He wondered where I had been. When I told him that I had retired he looked so sad and said,  "nobody else treats me like I'm normal -- like you do."

Made me feel like I'd been successful with at least one person there.

ALA in June

I just found the information I had meant to post about my adventures in Las Vegas with the American Library Association last June.  (I tend not to post about vacations while they are happening)

I ran into Soooooo many Vermont College of Fine Arts people at ALA that weekend (last June). Some at banquets, some at presentations, and so many more seen in the exhibits aisles and at events! This is one of the reasons I love going to ALA -- besides all the books, books, books, and masses of book people.

And here I was thinking that Las Vegas was so huge that I wouldn't see anyone I knew.  But before I even got onto the bus that would take me to the convention center, I ran into retired school librarian and book speechifier extrodinaire --Judy Freeman!  Hugs! She was so excited because her brother was in one of the Cirque du Soleil shows in town and that I MUST go see it. 

Walked a little bit of exhibits then returned to my room at Caesar's Palace. Unfortunately the early show of "O" was sold out, so I went to Judy Freeman's Brother's show -- Zarkana.   I arrived late. I apologized to the ticket person and explained that my friend's brother was in the show and that my friend had insisted that I Must See the Show, and could I possibly still get into the show?  No problem.  He sold me the cheapest seats, then printed out tickets for the most expensive area of the theatre !!!  Yes, the show was great.

Saturday

These casino hotels are huge. I must have walked 10 miles today, in the Exhibits,  in Caeser's, and to and from the publishers party (Holiday House)  in the Bellagio.   I very foolishly walked home from it.  (It's only a block -- how far can that be?  Pretty far, it turns out.)

I'm tired.   

Sunday 

Attended the Corretta Scott King breakfast this morning and got to sit at a publisher's table. That was fun.  One of the Vermont College faculty, Rita Williams-Garcia, had been awarded the Coretta Scott King Medal. It was fun to see her dance her way to the podium to receive it and give her speech. (you=all know how she is when she gets excited.)

Both Coe Booth and Trent Reedy were great at their Reader's Theatre. 

Sunday evening I attended the Newbery/ Caldecott Banquet at the Paris Hotel and accidentally got to sit with the Calkins Creek/ Boyds' Mills Publisher's table.  How did this happen?  I was looking for a seat and was amazed at how many tables were Marked Reserved for publishers and groups. I had just about given up finding a seat anywhere close to the front when people in a table in the third row invited me to join them -- only to discover it was an unmarked publisher's table!

The two authors at the table were excited to learn that I wrote under the pen name of C. W. Bowie. (a pen name for three authors writing together.)  One of them, Anna McQuin, had talked about our two picture books -- Busy Toes, and the companion book, Busy Fingers -- during her speech that afternoon as the best example of an outstanding book using Diversity showing a universal subject that will never go out of style-- or hopefully out of print..  Of course I was thrilled to hear this.  Here is a link to a picture of her speaking.  Of course I had to TEXT this information to my co-author.

Monday 

In the morning I had breakfast with two other authors --   Christine Rhodeback Kohler and Alexis O'Neill and then (so sad) had to fly back home.   It had been lovely to enjoy the over 100 degree heat compared to the usual 60 and 70 degrees here in San Diego.

Do you remember the Card Catalogue?

This was me in the 1960s, complete with the long hair.

The only way we underclassmen could access the ten story tall college library was to use the card catalog, write a request slip, and send a page to find the book.  No browsing allowed.
But when I took some library science courses I was allowed in the inner domain -- and could browse.
As a grad student I was allowed in, no question.
And then I took a part-time job at the archives. What fun, spending all day working with Civil War Documents and running up and down the different levels of the stacks.

When I finally graduated with a masters in library science, Baltimore County public library was on the cutting edge --they had Book Catalogs. (but they kept the card catalogue as back-up.) What a pain. It was out of date the minute it was printed and we ended up searching through the main book and three supplements before the next year's catalogue was printed.

Then Microfische catalogues -- in a long strip a foot wide, instead of individual microfiche cards. Suddenly there was this huge machine between us and the person needing help. We turned a huge handle and they could see that we were working hard to find what they wanted.
That quickly morphed into reel to reel microfiche. To move the microfiche to find the catalog information, all we needed to do was press a little button. Less work than the larger machine, but the patrons couldn't see that we were searching and complained that we were sitting there doing nothing to help them.
 (and the teens would sit at the public catalogs, racing each other to see who could get to the end of the reel faster -- making it jump off the reel and we had to call for repairs.

Then the original first computer was placed in the library (300 baud)  It was meant only to be a check out system, but we librarians grabbed it, pointed out that it was perfect to help us find books and library material, and computers as search tools in the library was born.  The year later we got a faster computer catalog -- 900 baud. That was when we discovered that 300 baud was slow. (it had seem so speedy to us, compared to the microfiche.) Every year or two the computers became faster and faster.

Somewhere along in here the catalogue department decided that it would finally be okay to get rid of the card catalogue, which had been used as back up all this time.  Each library branch then used all those old cards as scrap cards -- to write the computer information down and carry with us to the shelves to help patrons find the material they needed.
What a shock 10 years later when we finally ran out of old catalogue cards and had to (oh no) cut sheets of paper into catalogue card size pieces for our scrap cards.

S0 -- do YOU remember the card catalogue?