The New Minneapolis Public Library

I am still miffed by my hometown (suburban Minneapolis) Hennepin County Public Library's firing of national library leader Sanford "Sandy" Berman. He was an early mentor to me when I was an undergraduate student thinking about becoming a librarian.

The city library downtown in Minneapolis though has something to celebrate. My friend Rae passed on a link of a Christian Science Monitor article about its new building, which will open in May. You can also check out the Library's "MPL Sneak Peak." They are trying to make the library more of a community center. As they used to say, Right on!

Here in Hawaii, Manoa Public Library received legislative support for an expansion study. I keep hearing good news about this on the Friends of Manoa Public Library.

OK, back to grading...

Super Grading Weekend

This weekend I am busy reading my students' papers...



I just finished reading the philosophical position papers for my introductory course. I was truly impressed by a few. Many were so well persuasively written, well organized, and researched that they were a pleasure to read. This is not always the case.

I took a break to do a few errands (haircut and auto inspection), but have been plowing through papers otherwise. I am now working on the Collection Management Project papers (seen above).

Before closing, I want to mention great news I heard from two students. Caitlin just had an article accepted for publication in an LIS journal. She started the paper in my Library History course, so I'm doubly proud. Marie also e-mailed the very good news that she received a highly competitive IMLS scholarship to attend the ACRL/ RBMS Conference on Libraries, Archives, & Museums. Great job you two!

Kayo Hatto / Yamanaka Film (with Janel)

Those of you in the LIS Program should check out a film that one of our students, Janel, helped to worked on. It is a short film by Hawaii director Kayo Hatto, and is based on a Lois-Ann Yamanaka novel. She e-mailed that Fishbowl will be on PBS this Thursday at 8pm. She also passed on a reference. Hatto directed one of my favorite films, Picture Bride, which starred Mifune as a benshi.

Upcoming Event: Japanese American History

From Another e-mail Announcement:

"Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i program, The Fortunate Exception: Hawai‘i and the Internment of Japanese Americans During World War II, on Wednesday, May 10; from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., on the JCCH fifth floor. Co-presented by the JCCH, the Hawaiian Historical Society and sponsored by the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). ADMISSION IS FREE. For more information, call the JCCH at (808) 945-7633 or email info@jcch.com.

This panel discussion brings together two academic authors on the Japanese American internment experience in Hawai‘i, Tetsuden Kashima, Ph.D., and Greg Robinson, Ph.D.; and veteran filmmaker and historian, Tom Coffman, who will focus on the anomaly of the Hawai‘i experience and the factors that contributed to the different treatment of―and the eventual shift in the U.S. government’s decision to not intern―the majority of the Japanese community in Hawai‘i during World War II. Guests will view segments of Coffman’s The First Battle―his newest documentary about the inter-racial community effort that, in spite of intense pressure from Washington, prevented the mass imprisonment of the Japanese community in Hawai‘i and secured their right to military service."

More Upcoming Events: Common Book @ Windward Community College

Brian Richardson just e-mailed that "Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat” and Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Nickel and Dimed” will be the focus of a community-wide Common Book project coordinated by Windward Community College in Käne‘ohe.

The project, which gets under way this fall, will encourage people to read and talk about both books. Public events such as movies, lectures and discussions that connect to various themes in the book will be held at WCC.

The events will begin in September 2006, and run until April 2007. Teachers will also be encouraged to talk about the books in their classes. Check here for Details.

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Ehrenreich’s “Nickel and Dimed” is a modern classic. It was great to hear her at campus last year.

Beta Phi Mu Xi Chapter 2006 Initiation Ceremony

Except for 4 alumni (whom I need to check e-mail addresses) I am pleased to say the e-mails have finally gone out to current students and LIS alumni from summer and fall 2005 who qualify for Beta Phi Mu. Please be sure to check your old UH e-mail account.

For those invited (and former/ renewing members), our Xi Chapter 2006 Initiation Ceremony (for students graduating in Summer and Fall 2005 and Spring 2006) will take place on Sunday, 21 May 2006, at 3:00 p.m. at the fourth floor conference room in the Queen Lili'uokalani Center for Student Services on the Manoa campus. This year's program will be followed by refreshments and music by guitarist Shoji Ledward.

Please check out the Beta Phi Mu homepage for details. Please RSVP by 10 May 2006, to Suzanne Uratani with a cc to me.

I am grateful to our board members this year, but am always amazed how much time it takes to put this on. I never would have dreamed that someday I'd be helping to run an honor society. I still have mixed feelings about grades; however, I think Beta Phi Mu has great potential, so I am happy to be part of the team. It will be good to see some folks in May.

ALA-SC of the Year Reception @ ALA Annual in New Orleans

If you will be at the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans this summer and want to celebrate the University of Hawaii at Manoa ALA Student Chapter, please join us at the NMRT award ceremony reception at:

Sunday 25 June
6:30-7:30 pm
SHER Napoleon BR B3

Aloha attire is optional.

Listening to "Fired! - Tales of Jobs Gone Bad"

If you have a good internet connection at home and time (like while folding laundry), download the BBC World Drama: Worldplay: Fired edited by Annabelle Gurwitch. I don't usually enjoy stand-up comedy, but this urban monologue is worth the price (free).

This weekend I volunteered a few hours for Hawaii Literacy at the Hawaii Book and Music Festival. I watched over the HL bookbmobile (seen below), enjoyed a little bookbuying (including a signed copy of Woman Warrior), browsing -- and even a Gordon Biersch lunch.



The weather on Saturday morning was just perfect, so I treasured a pleasant bike ride. I haven't biked downtown in far too long. I felt so alive, stopping only to take photographs. (The rain on the way home wasn't quite as ideal, but the return trip was OK thanks to the bus bike rack).

I can't believe the semester (and academic year!) is almost over. I am being buried alive in student papers, but that is fair since I assigned them...