LSA News

No. 101, November 2009

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U of O Libraries on Assignment: In Search of the Mole People
by Tiffany Thornton

The author and colleague Michelle Williams explore UO's tunnels.

On X-Day, September 14, 2009, a team of intrepid explorers from the University of Oregon Libraries braved a grueling and dangerous journey to search for evidence of the elusive Mole People (homo talpidasis) thought to reside in the underground tunnels that wind beneath the University campus. Although ostensibly constructed to allow Facilities Services employees access to critical building functions, we suspect the tunnels are also prime habitat for the Mole People, and that they may have been built upon previously existing structures originally constructed by the Mole People themselves.

When we arrived at base camp, we were sternly warned by our guides to be wary of oxygen deprivation, scalding pipes, gigantic rabid rats, unpredictable live electric wires, and marauding swarms of cockroaches while in the tunnels. Duly impressed, we could only ponder at the exquisite adaptations the Mole People must require to survive in this environment. Clad in hard hats and armed with flashlights, we entered the tunnels through a narrow stairwell in the lower levels of Physical Plant, with two guides to escort us. Although bewildered by our eagerness to enter the tunnels, they proved to be wise, experienced, and most stupendous.

Our trek through the tunnels required us to crawl through narrow passageways, squeeze around and underneath obstacles, and clamber up large pipes with no climbing equipment. At certain points, we were directly beneath busy streets. We felt the danger keenly, but we persevered and were successfully able to navigate the treacherous tunnels using teamwork. Although we failed to spot any of the Mole People, we made note of markings and metal debris that to an untrained eye would appear to be graffiti and trash, but that are, in fact, evidence of the presence of the Mole People. At the end of our expedition, we emerged from the bowels of McKenzie Hall with a new appreciation of these mysterious creatures. We believe the search for the Mole People will prove fruitful, and hope to continue with a new expedition in the future.

Gourmet No More
by Rose Layton

I've been reading a lot of food writing over the summer months, but putting my own thoughts into words to write this article has proven elusive. Thoughts about what I'd write have entered my mind and exited it just as quickly. Those ideas written down on paper have been promptly scattered and lost. But with the October 5, 2009 announcement that Gourmet magazine would be ceasing publication along with three other Condé Nast magazines, my thoughts became sharply focused upon the culinary hole that will be left in the wake of this major decision.

Gourmet magazine, which began publication in 1941, had been the forerunner of food magazines and food writing for sixty-eight years. Condé Nast, citing the magazine's low advertising revenue and that the magazine was losing money, shut down publication with the November 2009 issue. The website Gourmet.com will continue to be available for a transitional period. And access to Gourmet's treasure trove of recipes will also remain available via Epicurious.com (Gourmet and Bon Appetit's sister site).

Condé Nast's announcement left those who work at Gourmet stunned — including the editor-in-chief, Ruth Reichl. Then, Ms. Reichl had the foresight and wisdom to immediately lock up Gourmet's expansive library to preserve the collection for future donation and archiving. This announcement unleashed a firestorm of vocalizations of sadness by loyal subscribers, interviews by those involved in the food industry on podcasts, posts (both for and against the decision) by food bloggers, and eulogies by the media.

Being someone who routinely works with serials and subscriptions, it deeply saddens me that Gourmet — which was core to the documentation of America's food culture for almost seven decades — will no longer be available to current or future readers. A cultural icon has abruptly gone — without any opportunity for us all to have given it a proper "goodbye". A search in OCLC's WorldCat already shows the publication as "ceased with November. 2009 issue?" (Note the question mark). Yes, the economy is down and budgets are tight, but I hope this is not a trend and other magazine favorites are not on their way out of existence too.

I will admit that my ownership and knowledge of Gourmet was brief. I was not one of those subscribers who have subscriptions going back decades or the mountainous stack of magazine issues with which to consult. My oldest issue goes back to September 2005, but it is also my favorite: "The Music Issue" intertwines the cultures of food and music with recipes for Elvis Presley's favorite pound cake and his hot peanut butter and banana sandwich, a culinary road tour through the Mississippi delta (home of the blues), and a dinner menu themed along the rhythms of jazz. I can remember getting that issue and being absolutely blown away that someone had thought to marry the two subjects together.

My November 2009 Thanksgiving issue arrived in the mail just this weekend. I opened the plastic wrap, looked over the cover with a beautiful, brown turkey on the front, then slowly proceeded to turn the pages and indulge my senses one last time. An insert teases me with the option to "give the gift of Gourmet for only $4" to my friends and family. Then it proceeds to give me recipes for a vegetarian Thanksgiving spread, a Thanksgiving spread from rural Pennsylvania and a travel tour to the Adirondack Mountains.

Gourmet magazine showed me the possibilities of what else was out there for a foodie like me: literary food writers that are both my favorite reading genre and my guides for how I would make my own scary leap into food writing, my personal art gallery of beautiful, full page food photography that taught me to eat with my eyes first, and my personal navigation system that took me on travels that I will likely only be able to make in my dreams and fantasies. I will miss Ruth Reichl's "Letters from the Editor", that bared her soul to all who paused to read them and made me feel like she was my friend and mentor.

Those of you who will miss Gourmet magazine will be able to see a new TV show, "Gourmet's Adventures with Ruth", shown on PBS this fall. A new cookbook, Gourmet Today, brings together over 1,000 new recipes for how we eat today. And, Ruth Reichl promises to author a memoir of her editorial years with Gourmet in the future. With an archive going back to the 1940s issues on the Gourmet.com website, I hope that Condé Nast have the decency to maintain that website intact while we all mourn properly (albeit remotely and electronically). I have begun my own browse through the Gourmet.com website and I will hang on to the remaining print issues that I have in my possession.

And, Gourmet, dear, if I'd had some advance warning of your leaving, I would have thrown you a huge blowout party with plenty of champagne and all of those great recipes that I know you liked best.

No favorite recipes for me, though. They were all my favorites.

'09
by Risa Bear

The fall rainstorm has arrived. We had been reading about it on the weather sites for a week, and knew from the way they posted a weather alert and warned travelers to dress warm and consider the possibility of snow above six thousand feet, that this one would arrive more or less on time. It poses a hazard to our tomatoes, blackberries, drying-on-the-vine bean pods, to our dehydrating schedule, and to anything left lying about outside which we'd be happier to have brought in.

So we got busy after work on Friday and harvested every red (or orange) tomato in sight, along with French beans, filberts, zucchini, eggplant, apples, and all the blackberries we could see in the gathering dusk.

The weather came in about 4:30 in the morning, and Beloved awoke to listen to the big raindrops hammering on the roof and pouring onto the parched earth. I, the deaf one, slept through it all, as usual.

Today, Saturday, Beloved has to work all day and so I am the housewife du jour, baking oat-rye-spelt bread, roasting a duck, canning applesauce, cracking filberts and freezing them in batches, and putting up dried apples in jars. Everything is labeled with what it is and the year — '09. The first jars we ever labeled had the year '77. Thirty-two years of 'putting food by'!

Oh, my. And I still sometimes find a canning lid dated from the 70s and 80s; it's like archaeology.

We did a lot more of this sort of thing then, as we were real homesteaders and worked as either migrant labor or seasonally in the valley where we lived. We were proud of our shelf upon shelf and rows upon rows of canning jars, our five-gallon buckets of grains and beans, and the venison in our freezer. Having food ahead made a lot of sense to us, with our irregular income.

(story continued)

Digital Newspaper Projects Underway At UO Knight Library
by Jason Stone

A team in the Metadata Services and Digital Projects department is currently engaged in implementing a new, large-scale project to digitize pages of historic Oregon newspapers. Currently preserved on archival microfilm, the periodical pages will be scanned and converted to a keyword-searchable digital file format, with the goal of greatly increasing public access to the documents.

The Oregon Digital Newspaper Program and the National Digital Newspaper Program are distinct but closely related projects. Through their combined efforts, Oregon history from 1860 to 1922 — as chronicled by representative newspapers from throughout the state — will be digitized for public access. The program has raised over $590,000 to date. Although substantial, these funds will only begin to scratch the surface when it comes to digitizing the wealth of historic newspaper content we have in Oregon.

About The Program

Beginning in the 1950s, the UO Libraries in association with the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association started the Oregon Newspaper Program. The ongoing goal has been to microfilm all of Oregon's newspapers for long-term preservation.

The new digital project took root earlier this year under a Library Services & Technology (LSTA) grant of $79,883 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered through the Oregon State Library. The LSTA grant provides staffing funds to employ a project manager, with the aim of supporting general outreach efforts and a particular focus on promoting the final product for pedagogical use in K-12 Oregon classrooms. (A second year of LSTA funding application has been submitted.)

This past summer, the University of Oregon was awarded a $365,393, two-year National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in conjunction with Library of Congress (LC) to digitize 100,000 pages of historic Oregon newspapers.

The Oregon State Historic Preservation Office and Oregon Heritage Commission through the Oregon Cultural Trust awarded $145,000 to the program as matching funds for the NEH grant, to build local infrastructure and to digitize additional newspaper pages — primarily from periodicals that hold a special historic significance for the state of Oregon, but do not fall within the scope of NDNP. This program will add to an already "long history of collaboration with the ONPA," said Karen Estlund, who will head the statewide Oregon Digital Newspaper Program.

(story continued)

This Year's Gonzo Fit for a King
by Jen Lindsey

King John sits in his throne

If you’ve been a long-time reader of the LSA News, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of Gonzo. One never knows what to expect, as the library’s annual variety show always brings a hodgepodge of talented acts splashed with a tiny bit of crazy. This year’s show was no exception. Emcee John Russell, in his third year of hosting, opened the show by doing the usual bit of introductions, including announcing the new LSA Chair, Kate Burns. He then promptly (well, for John anyway – it took about 5 minutes of proclamations) declared himself King of the Library Realm. His Worshipful Company (which consisted of most of the Program Committee) then garbed and crowned His Majesty in his royal vestments (bathrobe and toilet plunger, topped with two tiaras). He then retired to his throne in the back of the room, and his herald, Chris Tweeter, announced the acts for His Majesty’s enjoyment.

The Portland Bunch

Bruce Tabb and his accompanist Nathalie Fortin started the afternoon’s festivities with two lovely duets. Bruce’s masterful flute playing, combined with Nathalie’s piano prowess, made magic on the stage. A bit of comic relief in the form of Bruce receiving an ill-timed phone call from his mother cracked up the audience, and their offering was deemed worthy by His Majesty. At this point, several members of the audience stood up and gave their scores of the act. These ranged from “*****” to “Ham” and were charmingly unexpected.

Victoria Mitchell and her accompanist Lynn Kane were next up on the stage. They performed a piece from Victor Herbert’s operetta “The Enchantress,” titled “Art is Calling for Me.” Victoria’s masterful portrayal of a spoiled princess who believes she’s destined for the stage delighted the audience, whilst Lynn’s comedic stylings as her bored pianist brought many laughs.

Victoria sings a song from "The Enchantress" while her apparently bored accompanist (Lynn Kane) passes the time.

The next selection for His Majesty’s amusement was a short film presented by Elizabeth Peterson. “Adaptive Behavior of Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrels” is part of the UO Libraries’ collection of 16mm films. Despite having no sound, the film resonated with the audience, and many laughs were had. We then had a short break, in which His Majesty bestowed pastry confections upon his subjects. The chocolate and vanilla cupcakes were enjoyed by all. Snacks were followed by a multimedia presentation by Dan Cogan (assisted in the programming by Betsy Cogan). The presentation, which included a wheel of answers, was well received by the King and his people.

Finally, the Portland Library and Learning Commons staff contributed presentations via the magic of videoconferencing. Their introduction of the staff, done to “The Brady Bunch” theme, was unforgettable. Dvora Robinson then read a dramatic poem, “The Windhover,” to the sweet sounds of downtown Portland. It was hard to hear over the jackhammers and power saws, but I think that was the point! At this, the festivities were at a close. Luckily, the King loved all of the revelry in his honor, so we were all safe to Gonzo another year!

The World Around Us
An Autumn's Tale
by Rosemary Nigro

Fall is the perfect time for telling scary stories — the days are shorter, the nights cooler, and there is something strangely satisfying about being just a bit scared in the comfort of our own homes. Our Halloween tradition of dressing up in costumes is said to originate from a Scottish custom meant to ward off demons and devils. There is also the Yuletide tradition of telling ghost stories — Dickens' A Christmas Carol is just such a tale.

I have always been a fan of fantastic tales. As a child, there was nothing I loved more than sitting together in the dark with my brother and listening to my mother's terrifying stories, learned from her grandfather in El Salvador when she was a girl. What made these tales especially spooky was that they were all true, or so my great-grandfather claimed. They always involved a distant cousin, or the neighbor of a friend of a friend. Over the years, I've heard many fantastical stories from friends and relations, all based on real life experience. With this in mind, I offer a very brief overview of the more colorful characters from Salvadoran mythology, and hope you do not have the misfortune of encountering them on a dark night…

La Siguanaba

La Siguanaba is a shape-shifter — at first glance, a beautiful young woman who later reveals her hideous nature once she's trapped an unsuspecting victim. She is frequently found near bodies of water, especially rivers and lakes, where she lies in wait for her favorite prey — unfaithful husbands and boyfriends. She is always described as horrible to look at, with long, tangled hair, and yellow, talon-like fingernails that she uses to raked her victims. Men who have encounters with her are often overcome by a strange, feverish illness, and if they survive, their minds are never quite the same.

El Cipitio

El Cipitio is the son of la Siguanaba, and is known for his short stature, his wide brimmed hat, his protruding belly, and his backwards-facing feet. He only appears at night, and is known as a trickster and mischief-maker. He enjoys pelting pretty young women with small stones and fruit pits, laughing loudly, and leaving a trail of dirty footprints that lead his pursuers in the wrong direction, misled by his backwards-facing feet. Although he is a nuisance, he is generally considered harmless.

La Carreta Bruja

La Carreta Bruja is a haunted wagon that wanders the countryside at night, accompanied by a loud, piercing wail. The back of the wagon is filled with human bones that clack and rattle as the cart makes its way through dark, lonely passages. The driver is a headless skeleton who cracks his whip at the unseen forces that drive the cart forward, howling and cackling as he goes. Those unfortunate enough to have encountered la Carreta Bruja claim that sometimes la Siguanaba can be seen riding in the back of the wagon, gnawing at bones.

All Souls Night, a Cautionary Tale

This is a story I heard a long time ago from my mother. There was once a woman whose curiosity always got the better of her. On All Souls Day, it is customary to visit the graves of friends and loved ones to clean off headstones and to bring flowers and food to the faithful departed. But make sure you bar your windows and doors after dark, because on this one night, spirits are free to wander among the living.

One All Souls Night, Olga found herself unable to sleep. It was sometime after midnight when, bored and restless, she peered out a window. The night was quiet and dark, with just a few stars, and the street was empty. It seemed that the whole world was sound asleep. Just as Olga was about to go back to bed, she heard a knock at the door — soft, barely audible. Although it went against her better judgment, she could not help but wonder who might be knocking at such a late hour. She opened the door and found a very young girl standing there who asked if she could come in and rest for a while. Being polite (and extremely curious), Olga invited her in. The girl was carrying a small, tapered candle, which she blew out and put on the table as Olga showed her into the kitchen. She sat for a while, and explained that she was on her way to visit an older sister, that she had been traveling a long time and was very tired.

After a few minutes, the girl thanked Olga for her hospitality, and went back out into the night. Olga noticed the candle on the table while she was clearing up dishes — she had offered the girl a bite to eat. She shrugged and figured the girl might come back for it the next day. She turned out the lights and went to bed.

The next morning, when Olga went into the kitchen, she found a slender finger bone where the candle had been…

Staff come together to participate in "X-Day"

The aeronautical engineers put their skills to the test. digital still by Andy Kirkpatrick

On September 14, approximately 145 library faculty and staff members set aside their normal work routines to participate in "X Day," UO Libraries' first experiment in offering a staff development conference for its entire permanent work force. The event was sponsored by GOLD, whose purpose is to "provide programs that enhance overall organizational effectiveness, workplace satisfaction, opportunities for advancement, skills development, diversity awareness, and recognition for all groups of employees." According to the official report submitted by GOLD, reviews from staff members who participated in the day-long activity were quite positive, and this might become an annual event.

Keri Aronson, Kirstin Hierholzer, Rosemary Nigro, Rose Layton and David Baker rock out photo by Terry McQuilkin

Unanticipated complications with a floor installation project forced participants to bypass the main lobby in Knight Library, and staff had to scramble to change meeting rooms at the last minute, but organizers managed to take care of the logistical problems in time to allow the events to proceed on schedule. UO Libraries closed for the event, and staff gathered in the Learning Commons beginning at 8:30 a.m. to enjoy coffee, oatmeal cookies and fruit, then proceed to the Browsing Room to hear Register-Guard columnist Bob Welch give the keynote speech. Welch talked about doing the research for his book, Pebble in the Water, and how important libraries and library staff have always been to him as a journalist and an author.

Following Welch's talk, participants were able to choose from 18 different presentations and activities that were offered in four different session times. Faculty members and administrators from outside UO Libraries gave several presentations, and one of the best-attended was a session on Oregon's growing Latino population given by Charles Martinez.

Bob Welch, keynote speaker for X-Day, autographs a book for Judi Byrum photo by Terry McQuilkin

More than half of the presenters were from within the ranks of UO Libraries, and attendees had many positive things to say about Ed Teague's talk on "Vanishing Campus Buildings," and Duncan Barth's presentation on Information Security. "Inside Special Collections," presented by Normandy Helmer, with James Fox and other Special Collections and Univeristy Archives staff helping out, also got some enthusiastic comments.

Advance sign-up was required for a tour of UO's underground tunnel system that was offered by Facilities Services (see Tiffany Thornton's report, above).

Some sessions allowed staff to have fun interacting with one another, while learning something about some of UO Libraries' collections. Nearly 20 people rocked out, bowled or played another video game in a session sponsored by staff in the Science Library. Music Services gave participants a change to "Name that Tune." And Joshua Kielas presided over a paper airplane "eXtravaganza" in the mezzanine of Knight Library.

No Tricks, But Plenty of Treats

On Friday, October 30th, the LSA Program Committee distributed treats to the faculty and staff members of the libraries on campus. Pictured below are committee members Elizabeth Duell and Kate Burns preparing to embark on the activity. Elizabeth is "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed" and Kate is the dreaded Swine Flu.

From the Fact File
by Terry McQuilkin

Personal Space

This month we have a visual Fact File for you. As we all know, many people like to personalize their desk, cubicle or office by adorning it with signs, works of art or knickknacks. Each photo below shows just a bit of the personal work space of one of your colleagues. See if you can determine whose work area we're showing. To help you out, see the clue appearing to the right of the image.

Even with the clues, we expect this to be a challenging contest this month, and we'd be astonished if anyone gets all of them correct. All of the people alluded to in our clues are current staff or faculty of UO Libraries, and are listed in the directory, so we encourage you to take a guess for any answer about which you're unsure.

1. When asked to provide a clue about her, the staff member above whose desk these balloons hover told us just three words: "Swim, swim, swim."

2. The staff member whose desk is near the friendly pooch to the left worked in four other departments on campus before landing in the library 21 years ago.

3. The staffer in whose office the objet d'art shown here sits told us that she is "visualizing flat shelving for all oversized materials in the UO Libraries."

4. The poster at the left, in the words of its owner, "overlooks a royally messy desk."

5. This sign, left, hangs just outside the cubicle of a longtime staff member. She and her husband have just made their first batch of wine from their own grapes.

6. The owner (not the same one who bites in the picture above) of the dental cast shown here received an MLS degree last May.

7. The longtime staffer whose cubicle is home to the creatures seen at the left was one of the original members of the library's softball team — the Knightcrawlers.

8. At the left is a poster that appears just outside one staff member's cubicle. His interest in royalty includes a local (albeit sluggish) dimension.

9. What you see at the left is found in the cubicle of a staff member who has impeccable taste in fashion, knows a thing or two about Russian rock music, and can be recognized by her good-natured, infectious laugh.

10. This tambourine, left, once belonged to Eddie Vedder, lead singer of Pearl Jam, the favorite band of the staff member in whose cubicle it hangs.

Readers whose main workplace is outside of Knight Library can stop here and submit their answers (see below for the e-mail link). Those whose main work site is in the building are asked to respond to one more clue:

11. What you see on the left hangs above the desk of a staff member who has served on several LSA committees, and has a reputation for loving chocolate.

All staff and faculty of the UO Libraries (even those whose work spaces are featured) are invited to submit their answers to Fact File by November 25. The reader whose submission contains highest number of correct answers will receive a gift certificate worth $10.00 toward purchases at the UO Bookstore, courtesy of the Library Staff Association. In the event of a tie, a single winner will be selected by lot.

Announcements

Thanks to Tiffany Thornton of the Documents Center, who has agreed to be the Vice Chair of the Library Staff Association when she is not out hunting for homo talpidasis.

Events of Interest

As well as featuring upcoming LSA events, we'd like to get the word out about events staff are involved in that might be of interest to co-workers. If you'd like the world, or at least your co-workers, to know about something cool coming up, please email Harriett Smith or lsaweb.

LSA EVENTS

Tuesday, November 17, 2009: The LSA Holiday Sale will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Knight Library Browsing Room. Shoppers' checks will be held until after payday on November 30. The Sale features just about anything library staff and faculty care to make and bring in to sell. Food items large or small are always welcome! There is also a rummage table. No books, please, unless they are hand-crafted blank books or your own small press printings.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009: The Library Staff Association Holiday Potluck features a "diversity" theme this year. The Social Committee is encouraging us to bring dishes from another culture or country (don't forget to label them if they're vegan or vegetarian dishes). The Potluck will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Knight Library Browsing Room, and LSA will provide coffee, tea, and punch.

People in the Library

Welcome:

Congratulations:

Congratulations to Miriam Rigby from Knight Reference, and Michelle Batchelor, formerly of Access Services, who were selected as ALA Emerging Leaders for 2010.

Goodbye: