personal reference
By me • May 6th, 2008 • Category: library tidbit, today's blog 365 postMy new job is manning the reference desk at an academic library. And part of that job is being able to answer questions and point people to information you know absolutely nothing about. So while I may specialize in the fine and performing arts and know exactly where on CAMIO to find some great examples of 18th century textiles (because, geek that I am, I’ve spent some of my free time pouring over the beautiful high res images so I can put them on my desktop - and Michigan residents, you have no reason not to be doing it as well, get your butts over to MeL.org); I better damn well know how to find NAICS codes, stock information, come up with odd census data, and direct people as to where to find the latest lists of ongoing clinical trials as well. Mind you, I don’t need to actually understand all the information I find, I just need to know enough so that it’s relevant to the patron’s needs. Which is actually still a lot, but let’s not talk about that because it just makes me feel overwhelmed.
This is where I’m asking for your help. The only way I’m going to be able to do all this comfortably is with practice. So now is your chance to use and abuse me.* Have a hobby you need information on? Some weird obsession you’ve been researching and exhausted your public library’s resources long ago? Is Google just not bringing up enough for you on a certain subject? Just want to stump me? Bring it on.**
Currently I am attending a large research university and have access to 1000s of astronomically expensive journals in just about any subject imaginable. How expensive you ask? Take a look at this little presentation illustrating the cost of a few science journals, keeping in mind that they pay this money only for digital access to the journals. Even though the university I attend shells out 8.3 million dollars each year for electronic journals (not kidding, I’m in a collection development class being taught by the guy that oversees it all) the school owns nothing, once they stop paying the subscription fee the information is gone. And you wondered why college tuition is so fucking expensive. Blame the academic journal publishers, I am.
Now is your chance, use me as your personal reference assistant. Ask me anything, just email your questions to stereotypicalsinglewoman@gmail.com. Make me do some research, I will get back to you with articles and links you wouldn’t normally have access to. Because of class and work I may not get back to you immediately, but I will get back to you. And, if I have your permission, and find something really cool, I’ll post it for everyone else to see.
*but please, I’m begging you, don’t be this guy. Or that guy. I’ll still try to answer your question, but there’s also a great chance I’ll mock you mercilessly at every party I attend for the next 30 years.
**I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to find everything, but I’ll sure as hell try.
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$8.3 million?! Wow. I wonder how much my university pays. I wonder how much more it would pay if it had a few more of the journals I wanted….
I’ve got one! The topic is Marjorie Hillis. She was the author of one of my very favourite books, Live Alone and Like It (1936). It was a best seller at the time, and I understand you couldn’t open a newspaper without reading about Ms Hillis. She was the editor of Vogue and had a very witty and personable writing style, as well as lots of good suggestions. Hemingway is reported to have based one of his characters (Dorothy Hollis) on Marjorie Hillis. However, despite all this media attention at the time, not much comes up when you Google her name.
I would be very interested to read some of Ms Hillis’ newspaper columns or Vogue editorials from the 1930s, if any still exist. Any ideas?
Are you kidding me? Seeing this is like having the bells of heaven start ringing just for me. I’m going to assume that this is an offer that goes beyond just say, today, and possibly is ongoing? I might have to have a woman crush on you for that.
The social networking sites were awesome, btw.
The new project I’m working on? 527’s. Political ads. Responses to negative political ads. And any literature on politics in the digital age - candidates blogging, etc. - but specifically any studies that are effects studies of them using this new media.
Harvard is sick of it; Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) yesterday unanimously approved a motion that would compel faculty to deposit their research in an open access (OA) repository managed by the library to be made freely available to anyone via the Internet.
Yea! It’s ridiculous that faculty write papers on the university’s dime, get them published, and then the university has to buy access to the articles. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out with copyright law etc.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6531991.html