Comedy of errors

My life this morning has been a comedy of errors. Except I'm not laughing. From a shortened post-shower routine (no mascara, no body lotion, hair not dry) to baby bottle washing and drying (not done last night) to not dry laundry (that sat overnight) to massive spit up (with no time to change the crib sheet) to an interrupted breakfast (no second cup of coffee) to last-minute outfit change (key garment not clean), I was 15 minutes late leaving the house. And of course, when I finally get to campus and try to park, the only two spots open in the staff lot nearest the library not yet full are too small for my car to fit in. So after trying yet another staff lot that is also already full, I wind up in the commuter student lot at the bottom of the hill. After trudging up the hill and into my office, I discover that the trash that hadn't been emptied since last Wednesday still wasn't emptied. I also have email in my inbox that was sent last Tuesday but only delivered this morning, and other emails that are responses to inquiries I sent last week that don't answer my original question. And when I finally get around to taking my first baby bartender break, I'm interrupted *twice* by housekeeping staff finally coming to empty the trash. Sigh.

My ideal OPAC

In thinking about what I'd wish my local public library OPAC to be should I stumble upon a magic wand and have the power to perform an instant makeover, I've realized that what I want isn't far-fetched or technically impossible, as I've experienced most of these features elsewhere. What really is blocking my vision for a sparkly new catalog from becoming a reality are the constant foes: money and inertia. The catalog of my dreams just might be out there in some form or fashion, but as it isn't *here* yet, I'll go ahead and share my wish list with the hope that somewhere, someday I'll experience something close. Mind you, these aren't solutions, merely wishes, so I have no clue how to go about pulling them together. If I did, I wouldn't' be talking about it, but doing it!

• drop menu auto-fill for author, title and keyword searches, a la Amazon
• both a reserve/hold list and a TBR/wish list; I want to be able to track books I know the library has (or can get) within my sparkly new catalog without having to put in a reserve request, as I might not be ready to read it yet; also one-click shift from TBR/wish list to reserve/hold list
• email or text alerts to renew/return books, movies and music, where I set the default alert time frame
• user tagging
• user reviews
• browser button to both search availability of titles at my library when browsing non-library sites (Amazon, AbeBooks, LibraryThing, etc.), and to add to my TBR/wish list
• cover art
• TOC for essay and poetry collections
• "Find newer edition" link/button
• "If you like..." suggestions
• faceted and visual browsing; while I don't particularly find these useful, others do, and although this is my own sparkly new catalog vision, I am willing to think of others!
• internal profile that links to other social networking profiles (LibraryThing, Goodreads, Facebook, etc.) so I can easily track and share what I read, watch and listen to
• an internally created collection of items previously checked out, with information (titles, authors, subjects, dates borrowed, call numbers) gleaned from circulation records to which I can add tags and reviews
• author and subject alerts that tell me when the library orders and receives books, movies and music by my personal favorites; could also tie into "If you like..." suggestions

I'm sure other features will occur to me as I ponder this further, but these are my immediate desires. Anything that comes to mind beyond this will likely be great additional features, but not essential. And last but not least, my final wish is for us to determine a better name for my sparkly new catalog than OPAC or catalog (even though that's what I've been using). While I know what a catalog is in library terms, I sometimes wonder if others don't; or if there is a better descriptive term out there we could appropriate. Maybe not. Maybe, if all my dreams come true, what we call the catalog won't matter so much, as the features' sparkles will be dazzling enough to jazz up the rather tired-sounding name "catalog."

Trademark circus

The former director at MPOW is a huge fan of the circus. He's such a huge fan, in fact, that he's currently traveling with the circus, donning a white shirt, red bow tie and black suspenders every evening in his role of ticket collector. So what happens when the ringmaster has a copyright question? Why, call up the trusty copyright specialist at the ticket collector's former medical library, of course! As it turns out, the ringmaster's question actually concerns trademark, not copyright, law, which is not an area with which I am familiar. However, as a dutiful librarian, I will do my best to help him. Besides, it isn't every day that I get a phone call from the circus... See how my job is interesting?!

Breaking free from the mold

I spent this past weekend in the mountains at a women's conference where I was encouraged to ignore the squeeze that accompanies forcing ourselves to fit into society's molds: beauty, sex appeal, home decor, career, recreational pursuits, fashion. Margot Starbuck Hausmann suggested that we completely disregard the molds in favor of embracing the freedom of being beloved daughters of God. Perhaps I have taken her message to heart a little too literally - then again, maybe she just gave me the butt-kicking-into-gear I needed; either way, I have since dispensed with half my normal makeup, opting for the [almost] bare essentials: concealer and mascara. I have also decided to go with glasses permanently, liberating myself from the itchy, eye-watery, squinty look that accompanied my weighted contacts. Both of these actions are ones that have been in mind for a while, but little miss indecisive here needed someone else to affirm these moves before I had the gumption to follow through. Time to break the need to please others mold, eh?

One mold I can't seem to break is that of retail therapy. In most areas (shoes, jewelry, handbags, sweaters) this is no longer a serious problem, but when it comes to books...let's just say the tingly feeling I get walking in a bookstore is reminiscent of sugar-fueled, Agatha Christie mystery Barbie doll reenactment, homemade Ouija board, all-nighter sleepovers from middle school days. I simply cannot stop. As of today, I have 84 books that I already own tagged TBR. Can we say addiction? If it were a case of being fearful of not having anything to read, then I could be the founding member of a local A[bibliophobi]A support group. Alas, my desire - need? - for books runs deeper than that, though I know not to where. All I know is that while I embrace the new and improved glasses modeling, minimalist makeup me, a book (or two or three...) won't be far out of hand.

Basketball Religion

Not sure what kind of fan I truly am if I'm launching a blog during the first match-up between Carolina and Dook this season, but at least it's providing good fodder for my inaugural post. (Welcome to my blog, by the way...) Due to my geographic proximity to the Triangle, ESPN's coverage has been blacked out in favor of local coverage. While this does spare me from Dick Vitale and his comeback "babies", I am instead treated to the noxious musings of Billy Packer - UGH. It frustrates me that I only have one cable option for watching the game. Yes, I realize that local broadcasters should have their fair shot, but when that means that I am forced from the lesser evil of Dick Vitale to the pure agony of Billy Packer, I think it's time to adopt a habit of my father's: mute the TV and pick up Woody on the radio. Sure, he's just as biased as the other two, but at least Woody's bias is in favor of the Heels. I'll never claim to be partisan when it comes to college sports, although I have embraced cheering for a second ACC school as it is MPOW. Nevertheless, my true allegiance will always lie in Blue Heaven - GO HEELS!