A day to remember

Today is a very special day for me. A day to remember, it has been two years since you are gone.

I miss you, Monkey - terribly - unbearable. In the past two years, I experienced:

Got lay-off twice
Hit by the deer
Someone broke into the house while I was at work
Two big trees hit by the lightening - one is your favorite.

All those cannot compare the feeling of missing you. I am just wondering...
Do you miss me?
Do you remember me?

Lessons from the death

There are so many books and resources of "how to" deal with grief, losses, trauma in our lives. Nothing would work EXCEPT "you" are the one who know "how to". It's so painful and words do not have the ability to describe it - the emptiness and unreal feeling, the pain in the heart and emotion.

Librarian is supposed the one who is well-educated and is a "smart" and "tough" human being. The truth is that ... it is quite the opposite. Things I learned from death:

You only want the pain goes away
You only wish that the death is only a bad dream
You only wish that you have option A not the option B
You only want to disappear
You only wish that people around you do not say, "I am so sorry for your lost."
You only want your heart gets lighter

International Day of Happiness 2017

It is supposed to be a "happiness" day for the year. Well, quite the opposite... our college officially announced that the college will be closed on September 22nd. When the college goes, so does the library.

Why did the college five the bad news on the International Day of Happiness? I only wish that they waited for another day to make the announcement. Oh well, what's done is done.

Another academic library is going to close.

Saving libraries!

Around the world, libraries are facing many challenges; one of those is how to avoid being closed - in UK, in France, in the US. Many people contributed ideas how to save the libraries particularly the community libraries.

It is said that in UK, almost 350 libraries have closed in Britain in the last six years, with 174 transferred to community groups and volunteers, and 50 handed over to external organizations.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/13/saving-libraries-from-cuts-is-crucial-say-uk-readers-in-survey

In France, libraries are facing similar situation, Many people suggested that libraries should transform the libraries to the hub of the communities - workshops, events, exhibitions, training courses and encouraging public participation in their management have become part of libraries’ roles.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/02/france-libraries-social-workshops-meeting-hub

In the US, some opinions even took a little farther - they cried out for saving the libraries BUT NOT the librarians (????): "Libraries do not serve the egos of librarians; they serve the people. And in the information age, serving the people requires evolving and innovating."
http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2011/11/saving-libraries-but-not-librarians-blowback.html

Learning to do good with deeds

It is a very inspirational conversation from Pope Francis:

"Learning to do good with deeds, not words."

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/03/14/pope_conversion_-_learning_to_do_good_with_deeds,_not_words/1298514

When the college is closing... so is the library

Our college is closing in a few months. With a heavy heart, I start the process of contacting the community and other libraries to take in our library materials. It is very hard to keep your chin up and it gets harder and harder as the days go by.

Everyone in the college is emotional distressed. I always have a positive attitudes for my job in the past years. My second thought is... well, how many librarians have the work experience to closing down the library in a "positive" ways? Not too many and I am going to be one of those.

In fact it is the second time in the two years that I witnessed library being closed. First in January 2015, the University of Kansas Regents Center Library was closed. None of the library staff saw that's coming. I had been there since 2003 and it was rare to see any library staff left. So we had been together for 12 years. When the library closed, most of my colleagues took early retirements. But for me, unfortunately... I am too young to retire but too old to start over.

I thought I was lucky to land a job in a month after KU Regents Center Library closed. Then the college announced its closing. I must be a cursed librarian. But I am not going down without "a fight" and I determined that I started my job in a good standing and I am going to end in a positive spirit.

Knowledge and wisdom

Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 48:

To attain knowledge add things every day.

To attain wisdom remove things every day.

老 子:  「道 德 經」 :  第 四 十 八 章
為 學 日 益 ， 為 道 日 損 。
損 之 又 損 ， 以 至 於 無 為 。
無 為 而 無 不 為 。
取 天 下 常 以 無 事 ， 及 其 有 事 ， 不 足 以 取 天 下 。

Radical change in Catholic priesthood?

In the past decades, the number of Catholic families has been dropping. Many Catholic boys and girls schools became co-educational institutions. Then a couple days ago, Pope Francis expressed that he is considering to accept married men to Catholic priesthood. That would be a big reformation in Catholic history.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/10/europe/pope-married-men-priests/index.html

Tao Te Ching - The way of life

Translated work by Raymond Blakney (1955).

Chapter 33: Wisdom and enlightenment

It is wisdom to know others;
It is enlightenment to know one's self.

The conqueror of men is powerful;
The master of himself is strong.

It is wealth to be content;
It is willful to force one's way on others.

Endurance is to keep one's place;
Long life it is to die and not perish.

老 子:  「道 德 經」 :  第 三 十 三 章
知 人 者 智 ， 自 知 者 明 。
勝 人 者 有 力 ， 自 勝 者 強 。
知 足 者 富 。
強 行 者 有 志 。
不 失 其 所 者 久 。
死 而 不 亡 者 壽 。

An inspirational quote

"In the shoes of the other, we learn to have a great capacity for understanding, for getting to know difficult situations."

http://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2017/02/28/pope-francis-says-give-homeless-dont-worry-about-how-they-spend-it-lent

International Women's Day March 8

Today is International Women's Day.

The theme for this year is "Women in the changing world of work: Planet 50-50 by 2030".

http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/international-womens-day

I am sure that many of us love the classic female writers such as Jane Austen, Emily Dickinson, Christie Agatha. But for this International Women's Day, try something different - read one of these books that would enlighten your day:

(1) Rise of the rocket girls: The women who propelled us, from missiles to the moon to mars

(2) Hidden figures: The American dream and the untold story of the Black women mathematicians who helped win the space race

(3) Women of vision: National Geographic photographers on assignments

(4) The girls of atomic city: The untold story of the women who helped win World War II

(5) Wonder women: 25 innovators, inventors, and trailblazers who changed history 

(6) It's what I do: A photographer's life of love and war

(7) Half the sky: Turning Oppression into opportunity for women worldwide

(8) Rad women worldwide: Artist and athletes, pirates and punks, and other revolutionaries who shaped history

(9) In the company of women: Inspiration and advice from over 100 makers, artists, and entrepreneurs

What makes a life worth living?

Most people believe that you would be able to get an answer to the above-mentioned question after reading this book:

Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air.

Most readers expressed that they found inspiration and hope from this book. On the contrary, I only feel the sadness and the unfinished business of life from the pages. It is simply because the young neurosurgeon's experience reminds my late husband - the sudden unexpected challenging of facing death.

"I can't go. I'll go on."

Something about libraries and librarians

(1) Librarian by any other name.: https://librarianhats.net/

(2) The argument: The library is not dead: http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/01/09/in-the-magazine/argument-library-not-dead.html

(3) Not dead yet: Libraries still vital, pew report finds: http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jan/22/entertainment/la-et-jc-pews-report-on-libraries-is-upbeat-20130119

(4) Do not go to library school. Librarianship is a dying profession [?]: https://hiringlibrarians.com/2014/01/14/do-not-go-to-library-school-librarianship-is-a-dying-profession/

(5) Are reference librarians dead? http://www.richardkong.com/2011/04/are-reference-librarians-dead/

(6) The beautiful librarians are dead: http://gwallter.com/libraries/the-beautiful-librarians-are-dead-academic-librarians-and-the-crisis-in-public-libraries.html

A very informative documentary - must-see

Documentary film: Frontline: United States of Secrets

It is very informative and chilling Frontline documentary. Here are my intakes of this film:

(1) It is a very disturbing; the ugly history of the US
(2) It is the "pre-Snowden" events
(3) It should be a "must-see" documentary for journalists and journalism students
(4) Inside the US government, there are still a few good men/women who have the courage to speak out and stand up for justice
(5) It is surprised that President Obama carried on the "NSA Program" - when he had the chance to change.  - is it the logo of Obama's presidency?

BBC Hard Talk with Singapore Prime Minister Lee

I couldn't sleep last night and listened to the BBC overnight program. It is very unusual (particularly for a very conservative society, Singapore) that PM Lee discussed gay rights Section 377A. What surprised me is that I have no ideas that if any gay person openly admits she/he is a homosexual person, she/he would be jailed a maximum penalty of two years in prison. What Prime Minster Lee explained that the section 377A is a law which was "handed" from British era - 1938 and it is not actively enforced.

Then... why get rid of it? We are now in the year of 2017! Prime Minister Lee said that he is "prepared to live with it until social attitudes change".

(1) http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/pm-lee-discusses-gay-rights-and-succession-planning-on-bbc-s/3558610.html

(2) http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/pm-lee-on-bbcs-hardtalk-most-would-back-retaining-section-377a-if-a-referendum-was-held

(3) http://www.pmo.gov.sg/newsroom/pm-lee-hsien-loongs-interview-bbc-hardtalk

We, the lucky Americans, are still enjoying our freedom and constitution rights.

My Alma Mater University of Wisconsin Madison has a LGBT Campus Center Library since 1998. The library is part of UW libraries system providing LGBT studies and theory and as well as popular film and documentaries.
https://lgbt.wisc.edu/library.htm

Your complicated digital life

Who can access or own your digital life after your death? It seems to me that the digital era has made our lives more complicated; but that can be done "properly".

Here are some of the interesting articles:

(1) "Who own your iTunes library after death?"

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/08/22/digital_assets_and_death_who_owns_music_video_e_books_after_you_die.html

(2) Your digital life after death:
http://ideas.ted.com/your-digital-life-after-death/

(3) Who gets ownership of your digital life after you die?
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/who-gets-ownership-of-your-digital-life-when-you-die/

(4) What happens to your digital life after death?
https://www.1life.co.za/blog/digital-after-death

(5) Digital life after death:
http://www.tgdaily.com/social/172521-digital-life-after-death