A day to remember - Library of Congress established!

It has been two hundred and seventeen years since Library of Congress established - April 24, 1800. I was fortunate enough to serve as a Volunteer for the Library of Congress for one semester.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/literature-and-arts/journalism-and-publishing/libraries-books-and-printing/library-congress

Where are you? My hubby who left this life loving me very much

When we were in Sweden...

Love never dies. Miss you dearly...

Miss your so badly, my darling husband.

Looking for him in the crowd

Words cannot describe the heavy heart feeling when I think of my beloved hubby. A poem I learned when I was a little girl always comes to my mind when I was "lost" in those moments.

《青玉案 元夕》 辛棄疾 (1140-1207)

眾裡尋他千百度。
驀然回首，
那人卻在，燈火闌珊處。

In the huge crowds, I must find him!
I search and search for countless times ...
Suddenly ...
Turning my head, (it seems) he's there... where the lights glow dimly.

Poem: Alone in this world

前不見古人，後不見來者；
念天地之悠悠，獨愴然而涕下。

Where are the generations before me that have gone?
Where are the generations behind me coming?
I think of the unlimited and endless heaven and earth,
And I am all alone in this world; my tears fall down silently.

Poem: Thoughts of the Deceased Life

This is a poem written by a Tang Dynasty poet, Yuen Zhen who traveled Wu Mountain; On the surface, he depicted the beautiful mountain scene, but in fact he expressed his tremendous passion and longing for his wife.

《離思》元稹 ("Thoughts of the Deceased Life")
曾經滄海難為水，除卻巫山不是雲。
取次花叢懶迴顧，半緣修道半緣君。

No other waters could impress me for I have crossed the vast  seas;
No other clouds could please me for I have viewed majestic mountain peak.
I will never glance again at other flowers;
For my destined love is half for you, and half for the Taoism.

Challenges in the librarian world

Many young/future librarians ask me about the future and challenges of being a librarian. Oh boy where to start? Many of my friends even express that the job of librarian is "gone". The librarianship is definitely very different from when I was in library school. No more librarian jobs? Well if you have thought through prior entering the library school. - and you do not expect to land a job immediately after your graduation, you might find a job in the library world. According to unofficial statistic data, it takes about two years for a new librarian to land a professional position.

If you want to be a librarian, you have to be "specialized" in a particular area - School media specialist (school librarian), cyber security manager, archivist, library conservation, health science librarian, STEM librarian. Those special areas require additional degree (plus MLS). The school media specialist in general requires a teaching degree (licensed teacher), archivist position would require an advance degree in art history, health science librarian and STEM librarian positions require an advance degree in science. To be a generalist librarian, you need to know somebody to land a job. To make the matter worse, it is not what you know but rather who you know (sadly).

Librarians might find themselves working pleasantly or unpleasantly with library board members, college administration. A librarian position can be very "political" (sadly).

We weep when death renders us apart

死別已吞聲，生別常惻惻。
江南瘴癘地，逐客無消息。
故人入我夢，明我長相憶。
君今在羅網，何以有羽翼。
恐非平生魂，路遠不可測。
魂來楓葉青，魂返關塞黑。
落月滿屋梁，猶疑照顏色。
水深波浪闊，無使蛟龍得。

 

Life is just .... memory

When life are suddenly shattered into a million pieces, what is still in memory?

How to pick up the pieces and move on after loss?

Your only hope is that life is shattered but not destroyed.