So, what should you read next?

William Claspy wrote:

On 4/5/06 10:47 AM, in article , "Conan The
Librarian" wrote:

That's Claspy's area. I just catalog them. What happens to them
after that is no concern of mine. ;-)

Refreshing to see a cataloger say out loud what everyone knows :-)

Refreshing to see a reference librarian who doesn't buy into the
stereotypes about catalogers. ;-)

Hey, if you haven't seen this one, it's pretty funny:

http://librarianavengers.org/?p=90

Great stuff, thanks. I've forwarded it to the appropriate library
personnel. :-)

I thought of you when I saw question #3:

"I am obsessive enough to appreciate the difference between 345.065 and
345.605."

Er ... that was question *4*, Bill.

Oooops, was that a trick?

As for picking what to read next, I've never been disciplined enough to use
anything but the dart. Although I *have* been encouraged by discussions
with other readers, annotated bibliographies that come my way from various
corners of the globe at irregular intervals... hint, hint!

I assume you're referring to our friend the wannabe librarian. :-)


Chuck Vance (he should be along any minute now)

On 4/5/06 11:33 AM, in article , "Conan The
Librarian" wrote:

"I am obsessive enough to appreciate the difference between 345.065 and
345.605."

Er ... that was question *4*, Bill.

Oooops, was that a trick?

Well, lets just say that I don't need to know your score, mi compadre. :-)

And you can feel free to show off your knowledge of DD by explaining the
above numbers, if you'd like. It had me stretching- "three hundreds
are...um... And then three-sixty would be..." Living in an LC world and
having taken but one cataloging class many years ago makes that stuff a bit
of a stretch for me!

As for picking what to read next, I've never been disciplined enough to use
anything but the dart. Although I *have* been encouraged by discussions
with other readers, annotated bibliographies that come my way from various
corners of the globe at irregular intervals... hint, hint!

I assume you're referring to our friend the wannabe librarian. :-)

Well yes, as well as others. He's been slacking of late though, some lame
excuse about "other interests" and "not enough time to read". pfeh

I'll mention a book that is on my "what to read next" list: Thin Ice:
Unlocking the Secrets of Climate in the World's Highest Mountains, by Mark
Bowen (!) (New York: Henry Holt, 2005) A scientist (astronomer) friend of
mine with whom I've had several discussions about climate, and particularly
climate change, has said he is not recommending this book to me, but rather
demanding and insisting that I read it. Good to have friends like that. :-)

Bill

William Claspy wrote:
On 4/5/06 11:33 AM, in article , "Conan The
Librarian" wrote:

Er ... that was question *4*, Bill.

Oooops, was that a trick?

Well, lets just say that I don't need to know your score, mi compadre. :-)

Do you mean the score I got by answering honestly, or the other
score? :-)

And you can feel free to show off your knowledge of DD by explaining the
above numbers, if you'd like. It had me stretching- "three hundreds
are...um... And then three-sixty would be..." Living in an LC world and
having taken but one cataloging class many years ago makes that stuff a bit
of a stretch for me!

Er ... I'm afraid I'm not gonna be much help with Dewey, mon frere.
The last time I had any extensive exposure to it was in cataloging
class *mumble* *mumble* years ago.

I assume you're referring to our friend the wannabe librarian. :-)

Well yes, as well as others. He's been slacking of late though, some lame
excuse about "other interests" and "not enough time to read". pfeh

I hear he's got thousands invested in musical instruments, so he's
trying to get his money's worth out of them.

I'll mention a book that is on my "what to read next" list: Thin Ice:
Unlocking the Secrets of Climate in the World's Highest Mountains, by Mark
Bowen (!) (New York: Henry Holt, 2005) A scientist (astronomer) friend of
mine with whom I've had several discussions about climate, and particularly
climate change, has said he is not recommending this book to me, but rather
demanding and insisting that I read it. Good to have friends like that. :-)

Sounds too much like my professors. :-)

Most recent reading: _Strangers in high places : the story of the
Great Smoky Mountains_, by Frome, Michael, and _The wild east : a
biography of the Great Smoky Mountains_, by Margaret Lynn Brown.

I thought it would be fun to immerse myself in them before our
little jaunt to the mountains.


Chuck Vance

"Conan The Librarian" wrote in message
...
William Claspy wrote:
On 4/5/06 11:33 AM, in article , "Conan The
Librarian" wrote:

Er ... that was question *4*, Bill.

Oooops, was that a trick?

Well, lets just say that I don't need to know your score, mi compadre.
:-)

Do you mean the score I got by answering honestly, or the other score?
:-)

And you can feel free to show off your knowledge of DD by explaining the
above numbers, if you'd like. It had me stretching- "three hundreds
are...um... And then three-sixty would be..." Living in an LC world and
having taken but one cataloging class many years ago makes that stuff a
bit
of a stretch for me!

Er ... I'm afraid I'm not gonna be much help with Dewey, mon frere. The
last time I had any extensive exposure to it was in cataloging class
*mumble* *mumble* years ago.

I assume you're referring to our friend the wannabe librarian. :-)
Well yes, as well as others. He's been slacking of late though, some
lame
excuse about "other interests" and "not enough time to read". pfeh

I hear he's got thousands invested in musical instruments, so he's
trying to get his money's worth out of them.

I don't know WHAT the hell you guys are talking about........but that's
pretty much my cue to butt into a conversation. So, here I am!

I'll mention a book that is on my "what to read next" list: Thin Ice:
Unlocking the Secrets of Climate in the World's Highest Mountains, by
Mark
Bowen (!) (New York: Henry Holt, 2005) A scientist (astronomer) friend
of
mine with whom I've had several discussions about climate, and
particularly
climate change, has said he is not recommending this book to me, but
rather
demanding and insisting that I read it. Good to have friends like that.
:-)

Once again, coincidence rules the world. Exactly a week ago as I type this,
I was at a local independent bookstore listening to an author flog his new
book. Tim Flannery is not only a very successful author, he is also the
director of a prestigous museum (I don't remember which, but I figure anyone
else can google it as well as I) in Australia and a highly respected
biologist. I read his "The Eternal Frontier", which I very much enjoyed,
about a year and a half ago, and "Throwim Way Leg", which was o.k., during
last year's first annual UPYERS. His new book "The Weather Makers" is about
global warming. As I said to him when I went up to have my copy signed, I
don't often pay full price for books, but I figured it was worth a shot.
Haven't read it yet, but I'm sanguine......about the read, if not
necessarily the consequences of the subject matter.

Sounds too much like my professors. :-)

I'm reminded of an old expression (of disremembered provenance) that went
something like: "She ain't as pretty as she looks." Likewise, professors
ain't always as dumb as they sound.

Most recent reading: _Strangers in high places : the story of the Great
Smoky Mountains_, by Frome, Michael, and _The wild east : a biography of
the Great Smoky Mountains_, by Margaret Lynn Brown.

I thought it would be fun to immerse myself in them before our little
jaunt to the mountains.

Having recently gotten back in the saddle myself, I'm also immersed in a bit
of local history, "A Question of Loyalty: Gen. Billy Mitchell and the
Court-Martial that Gripped the Nation," by Douglas Waller.

Wolfgang

Wolfgang wrote:
"Conan The Librarian" wrote in message
...

I hear he's got thousands invested in musical instruments, so he's
trying to get his money's worth out of them.

I don't know WHAT the hell you guys are talking about........but that's
pretty much my cue to butt into a conversation. So, here I am!

I was wondering if you were ever going to tkae your cue. :-)

Once again, coincidence rules the world. Exactly a week ago as I type this,
I was at a local independent bookstore listening to an author flog his new
book. Tim Flannery is not only a very successful author, he is also the
director of a prestigous museum (I don't remember which, but I figure anyone
else can google it as well as I) in Australia and a highly respected
biologist. I read his "The Eternal Frontier", which I very much enjoyed,
about a year and a half ago, and "Throwim Way Leg", which was o.k., during
last year's first annual UPYERS. His new book "The Weather Makers" is about
global warming. As I said to him when I went up to have my copy signed, I
don't often pay full price for books, but I figured it was worth a shot.
Haven't read it yet, but I'm sanguine......about the read, if not
necessarily the consequences of the subject matter.

Sounds too much like my professors. :-)

I'm reminded of an old expression (of disremembered provenance) that went
something like: "She ain't as pretty as she looks." Likewise, professors
ain't always as dumb as they sound.

Yeah, my dad was a prof, and in retrosepct, he was quite a bit
smarter than I thought at the time. :-)

Most recent reading: _Strangers in high places : the story of the Great
Smoky Mountains_, by Frome, Michael, and _The wild east : a biography of
the Great Smoky Mountains_, by Margaret Lynn Brown.

I thought it would be fun to immerse myself in them before our little
jaunt to the mountains.

Having recently gotten back in the saddle myself, I'm also immersed in a bit
of local history, "A Question of Loyalty: Gen. Billy Mitchell and the
Court-Martial that Gripped the Nation," by Douglas Waller.

I didn't realize Mitchell was a cheesehead. :-)


Chuck Vance (not that there's anything wrong with that)

"Conan The Librarian" wrote in message
...

... I didn't realize Mitchell was a cheesehead. :-)

Living in Milwaukee, one sometimes has to remind oneself that most of the
rest of the world has no idea who he was.....or any good reason to care. As
a matter of fact, I just did a quick survey here in the lab and discovered
that only two of five people recognized the name.....and this despite the
international airport here being named after him. One of them, after a
moment's thought, asked, "Wasn't he a general or something?"

Chuck Vance (not that there's anything wrong with that)

Still, it isn't talked about much......in polite company.

Wolfgang

Wolfgang wrote:

"Conan The Librarian" wrote in message
...

... I didn't realize Mitchell was a cheesehead. :-)

Living in Milwaukee, one sometimes has to remind oneself that most of the
rest of the world has no idea who he was.....or any good reason to care. As
a matter of fact, I just did a quick survey here in the lab and discovered
that only two of five people recognized the name.....and this despite the
international airport here being named after him. One of them, after a
moment's thought, asked, "Wasn't he a general or something?"

I must have been confusing Mitchell with someone else (Doolittle
perhaps?). But thanks to you mentioning him, I'll be sure not to make
that mistake again. He was quite the rabble-rouser, no?

Chuck Vance (not that there's anything wrong with that)

Still, it isn't talked about much......in polite company.

It could be worse. He could have been mistaken for being Texan.


Chuck Vance

"Conan The Librarian" wrote in message
...
Wolfgang wrote:

"Conan The Librarian" wrote in message
...

... I didn't realize Mitchell was a cheesehead. :-)

Living in Milwaukee, one sometimes has to remind oneself that most of the
rest of the world has no idea who he was.....or any good reason to care.
As a matter of fact, I just did a quick survey here in the lab and
discovered that only two of five people recognized the name.....and this
despite the international airport here being named after him. One of
them, after a moment's thought, asked, "Wasn't he a general or
something?"

I must have been confusing Mitchell with someone else (Doolittle
perhaps?). But thanks to you mentioning him, I'll be sure not to make
that mistake again.

Hm? You were right about Mitchell being a cheesehead. Sorry if I left the
impression that you were wrong.

Anyway, that whole bunch of WWI-WWII military high brass.....Doolittle,
Mitchell, Eisenhower, MacArthur, Patton, Arnold, etc.....were thick as
thieves. It's pretty much impossible to tell them apart without a
scorecard.

He was quite the rabble-rouser, no?

Yep, that's exactly what got his ass in a jam. His views on the future of
military aviation were controversial enough for their time when he started
making loud noises, but there can be little doubt that everybody concerned
would have seen the light within a couple of years. In fact, the light was
already pretty much impossible to miss when Mitchell made his major point
emphatically and dramatically with the sinking of the Ostfriedland four
years earlier.

Chuck Vance (not that there's anything wrong with that)
Still, it isn't talked about much......in polite company.

It could be worse. He could have been mistaken for being Texan.

Yeah, he spent some time down there. But I was speaking more generally.


Wolfgang

Wolfgang wrote:

"Conan The Librarian" wrote in message
...

I must have been confusing Mitchell with someone else (Doolittle
perhaps?). But thanks to you mentioning him, I'll be sure not to make
that mistake again.

Hm? You were right about Mitchell being a cheesehead. Sorry if I left the
impression that you were wrong.

No, that's probably just poor communication on my part. When you
first mentioned his name I was thinking he was from South or North
Carolina, and had been a pilot in WWII. So obviously I was confusing
him with someone else.

Hey, at least I got the pilot part right. :-)

Anyway, that whole bunch of WWI-WWII military high brass.....Doolittle,
Mitchell, Eisenhower, MacArthur, Patton, Arnold, etc.....were thick as
thieves. It's pretty much impossible to tell them apart without a
scorecard.

That's as good an excuse as any for my brain fart. :-)

He was quite the rabble-rouser, no?

Yep, that's exactly what got his ass in a jam. His views on the future of
military aviation were controversial enough for their time when he started
making loud noises, but there can be little doubt that everybody concerned
would have seen the light within a couple of years. In fact, the light was
already pretty much impossible to miss when Mitchell made his major point
emphatically and dramatically with the sinking of the Ostfriedland four
years earlier.

So he was basically trying to show the brass the superiority of air
warfare?

Thanks for bringing up his name. It's prompted me to delve a bit
further into his life. Anyone who made the powers-that-be nervous is
worth learning about. :-)


Chuck Vance

"Conan The Librarian" wrote in message
...
...So he was basically trying to show the brass the superiority of air
warfare?

That was his broader agenda through much of his career. To his credit, he
had a lot working for him.....he was very smart, very courageous, and more
than a bit prescient (his prediction of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
18 years before the fact was eerily precise in many of its details).....and
lucky. On the other hand, he was most definitely not the army's idea of a
team player.

He would be little more than a footnote today had it not been for his
writing a 6000 or so word diatribe against the military high command (most
of it justifiable.....but that sort of thing just isn't done) after the
crash of the dirigible U.S.S. Shenandoah killed a couple dozen of it's crew,
including the skipper, Zachary Lansdowne. It was this document that
precipitated the court-martial.

Thanks for bringing up his name. It's prompted me to delve a bit
further into his life. Anyone who made the powers-that-be nervous is
worth learning about. :-)

He actually had a lot of supporters, as well as detractors, among the powers
that be. He also inspired intense loyalty among many of his peers and
subordinates......as well as intense loathing from many others. Probably
his greatest asset though, was that the public (at a time when military
heroes in general and aviators in particular were very sexy) adored him.
Personally, his unquestionable competence and correct stance on the issues
notwithstanding, I think he was pretty much a self-absorbed patrician
asshole.

Wolfgang