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This website is an informal communication forum for staff members of the University of Oregon Library Staff Association. Contents and opinions expressed herein or on linked personal or external pages are those of individual authors and do not represent official statements, policies, or positions of the Library, the University of Oregon, Oregon University System, or State of Oregon.

People, including my husband, tell me all the time that I really should get my kids more involved in playing sports. Sports, after all, teach all sorts of valuable life lessons about sharing, teamwork, practicing and perseverance, and so on, and too, it would be good exercise. While I agree in principle with all of this, I have two things to say: one is that my older child, who is of the age to participate in organized sports, is very non-athletic (the one try at soccer was an exercise in frustration for everyone associated with him); my younger child is too young for these programs anyway. And, most of the valuable lessons I have ever learned from sports, of which I do think there are a few, have come to me as an adult, not due to any playing I did or didn't do as a child. For instance, from basketball I have learned that two minutes of brilliance can change your whole day (for the better or the worse, depending on whose brilliance we got to witness), and that you definitely want to pass the ball to the player with the hot hand. From football I have learned that when you need to attain ten yards of progress, well, nine yards, two feet, eleven inches will not do; in many things close is good enough, but sometimes close is just not it. Knowing when close won't count is important.

An aside: I am aware there are lots of posters out there entitled, "Everything I need to know about life I learned from (something)," all sort of based on the one about kindergarten. I shall try not to Fulghumize too vigorously in the area of sports. If you have read my writing before you may have thought just now that this wouldn't be possible anyway because succinctness is not one of my more well-formed writing skills. And anyway, I don't think I've learned everything I need to know about life yet anyway, from sports or anything else. But I digress.

The other day I sat down to watch a baseball game. I am in fact one of those die-hards that likes to watch (or have on and listen to) the entire game, but the ones that start at 10am Pacific tend to mess with my head, and I failed to realize it was on until past noon, so when I turned it on, it was the top of the 8th inning. It was tied, three all. My Mariners failed to score in the top of the inning so up came the Devil Rays for the bottom of the frame. And they hit a home run, and they walked, and walked again, and got another hit or two; eventually I lost track because I was mostly too shocked to pay attention; it's not that often that a team sends 14 guys up to bat in the same inning. Anyway.

The Mariners' pitcher clearly was just not having a good day. He only got one out by the time six runs had scored, so the manager, Lou, wanted to have someone else pitch. However, since this was the fourth pitcher of the game already, he didn't have all that many guys left to use-in baseball, once you play and then someone else subs in for you, you are done for the game. So he looks over in the dugout and finds John Mabry, a left fielder, and beckons him over. John is thinking Lou is going to tell him he'll be hitting first in the next inning or something, but no, Lou wants John to go in there and pitch. Now if you watch major league baseball, you may be aware that this is highly unusual--in the Mariners' 25 years, this is in fact only the second instance of a position player (e.g., a guy who usually isn't a pitcher) actually going in to pitch during a real game, so Lou's first hurdle here is to convince Mabry that actually he is not kidding.

That accomplished, Lou goes out to the mound and gets the pitcher out of the game and out jogs John. His role will be trying to just get two more outs any way he can without hanging out all night or setting a new major league record for total number of batters to appear in one half of an inning. We all know the game is probably a loss, and the fact that a left fielder is pitching is the manager's way of saying he knows it, too. So here it is something like 10-3 with a couple of guys on base, and John is out there chucking the ball toward the plate trying to not actually hit any batters, not miss the catcher entirely, and remember what exactly the sign for a fastball is (not, you understand, that he can throw anything else particularly well; left fielders typically have not spent much time cultivating their knuckleball).

And here we are at the life lesson: as I was watching this disaster of an eighth inning, I was thinking that you know a guy is really, really a team player when he goes on out there to try his hand, in front of a paying crowd no less, at something he actually doesn't really know how to do, hasn't practiced doing, and never in a million years expected he would be called upon to do. Now that is a worthwhile lesson to learn from sports: sometimes the circumstances change in the middle of the game and you find yourself out there on the mound, shaking your head, trying to just get the job done so you can all go home. And you try not to make too big an idiot of yourself while you do it, and try to have a little grace about the whole thing, initial surge of disbelief (I'm pretty sure that's what that expression on Mabry's face was; it might have been sheer terror) notwithstanding.

Now I just have to figure out how to impart this lesson to my kids...

--Lara N.

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COME ONE, COME ALL, don't you know,
It's time to prepare for the Gonzo Show!
It's easy, it's fun, we all have a good time,
We range from the ridiculous to the sublime!

It's easy as pie to sign up your act,
Just contact Salli-Jo as a matter of fact!
She's now taking calls at 6-1889,
Or email of course if that suits your time!

Watch out for the GONZO Talent Show, happening Wednesday, June 14, 2000, from 1 to 3 pm in the Knight Library Browsing Room. Please include a brief description of your act, its title if any, and who is involved, so that she can create an accurate program for the show. The deadline for acts to be submitted is Friday, June 9! Gonzo is sponsored by the Library Staff Association.

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LAST CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!

 It's your last chance to sign up for a Staff Association committee and be recognized for it at the Gonzo (June 14). Why wait any longer?

Please select one or more of the following categories:

• Organize a variety of programs, such as the Gonzo Review and the campus tree walk. See our events page for more examples. We could use some new ideas--what sort of programs would YOU like to attend?
• Report on library and community events for LSA News. Learn how to use a digital camera! Or how about contributing a column? Some web publishing experience is helpful.
• Welcome new employees to the Library (The coffee's on us!)
• Join our whirlwind Knight staff lounge cleaning parties, and follow up on the recent lounge survey
• Conduct our annual dues drive and help us keep track of our money

Send in your choice now! Operators are standing by!

Workshop

All Library faculty and staff are invited to attend a workshop on "Cross Cultural Differences" to be held Tuesday, June 6, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in the Knight Library Browsing Room. The workshop will be led by Magid Shirzadegan from the Office of International Education and Exchange, and is designed to allow participants to explore some of the challenges that can arise when people from different cultures come together. The Library, as you know, employs many international student workers, and often serves international students and faculty at its public desks. This is a unique opportunity to reflect on our services and our training methods.

If you are interested in attending, please sign up ahead of time by contacting Laine Stambaugh at lastamba@oregon by ***June 2***. We would like to know how many to expect so that we can set up the room accordingly. This workshop is co-sponsored by the Library Diversity Advisory Group, so we hope to see as many of you there as possible!

LDAG Hosts UO Museum of Art Tour for Library Staff

On Thursday, May 11, 2000, the Library Diversity Advisory Group (LDAG) sponsored a guided tour of the UO Museum of Art. Approximately 30 Library staff members attended the tour, under the expert guidance of Charles Lachman, Professor of Art History.

Highlighting the museum's outstanding collection of Asian art, Professor Lachman gave a brief history of the Museum-with an overview of the acquisition of the foundation of its' Asian art collection from Gertrude Bass Warner. Starting in the Chinese Imperial Throne Room in the second floor gallery, Professor Lachman pointed out the history of the museum's collection of Imperial objects from the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), including the opulent textiles, furniture, glass, jewelry and ceramics of the period. Later, we roamed among the Museum's smaller galleries that contain collections of Japanese traditional woodblock prints, painted screens, Buddhist sculptures and Chinese funerary ceramics.

The new renovation has not only restored the building to its' original stateliness, but many of the displays have been redesigned and pared down to present the various artworks more effectively.

If you missed the guided tour, take a walk over to the Museum on your lunch break. But make it soon, because the Museum is currently in the planning stages for a major expansion and is expected to close for construction starting September 2000. Their hours are:

Thanks to Prof. Lachman for leading us on a fascinating tour. If you'd like to find out more about the Museum's upcoming expansion, visit their website at http://uoma.uoregon.edu/more/campaign.html

---submitted by Rosella Thomas

Been to an interesting conference? Send us a brief report for publication in the next newsletter. Thanks!

Kudos!

Prestigious Awards:

Producers Michael Majdic, Media Services, and Denise Matthews, Journalism and Communication have won an Award of Distinction from the Videographer Awards 2000 and a "Gold Camera" award from the US International Film and Video Festival for "Roll on Columbia: Woody Guthrie and the Bonneville Power Administration."

Renascence Editions has been selected by Scout Reports for review and recommendation. Click here to view the new award logo. Congratulations (again and again), Richard Bear!

Promotions and Appointments:

Erik Dahl accepted an appointment as Manager, AAA Library (Officer of Administration/Manager) effective May 8, 2000.

Cara List accepted a permanent appointment as Architecture & Allied Arts Reference Librarian beginning May 8, 2000.

A Gardener's dream home is the latest entry in the LSA classified ads. Homeseekers, take a look!

Fitness Corner

Check out this month's review:

Staff profiles: