Library News

My vacation in Brazil

Greetings everyone, I have returned from my vacation in Brazil. It is winter down there so I have once again experienced the shortest day of the year on earth December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere and June 21in the southern Hemisphere. Fortunately, Sao Paulo winters are not as cold as Boston winters. The weather was mostly dry and overcast. However, the smog and the Traffic has gotten progressively worse. Sao Paulo is one of the top five largest mega cities in the world. Here is a link to wikipedia with more information: Sao Paulo Traffic in the city is so bad that the city government passed a law prohibiting cars with license plate numbers that are odd from being on the road during rush hours (8am-10am and 4pm-8pm) Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. Cars with even numbers have a similar prohibition on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Most working people need to own two automobiles with different license plate numbers just so that they can drive to work 5 days a week. Of course there is always the bus and the subway…I have ridden on both during rush hour and it makes commuting in Boston seem easier. Riding the bus in Sao Paulo can physically challenging since the bus drivers drive very fast through the city’s narrow and twisting roadways. Pedestrians do not have the right of way on the city roads. So the Bostonian way of walking will get you killed or severely injured since motorists have the right of way. As for the subway during rush hour… the trains are packed and you need to literally push your way through people just to get out of the train because people will not step aside for you. So if you like having lots of personal space don’t ride the bus or the subway in Sao Paulo because you will be in very close proximity to strangers. Traveling hassles aside, I enjoyed spending time with my in-laws, who are very nice. I got quite the mental workout while I was there speaking and listening Brazilian Portuguese. I am glad to be back.

Bill Gates as usability rabble-rouser

A Seattle Post-Intelligencer blog posted this email sent by Bill Gates to various Microsoft employees in which he details, with clear irritation, the usability issues he encountered in trying to download and install some Windows software.  Aside from the clear amusement factor, the email and Gates’ response is also fascinating in providing a glimpse of someone who views his job, as The Man in Charge, to advocate for usability. Strangely enough, this is part of what I think librarians do, too.  We advocate to all those companies that make all those fancy databases to keep the end user in mind.  (The end user being, in our case, everyone that comes into Snell and tries to find an article in, say, Lexis-Nexis.) So if something is hard to use, let us know.  Sometimes research is complicated, period.  I daresay that will never change.  But sometimes research is complicated because the tools are poorly designed.

Summer Reading–Rebecca

I think Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier typifies the perfect summer read.  It’s atmospheric and has one of the most famous opening lines: “Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”  It borrows liberally from past gothic plots (most obviously Jane Eyre) and also manages to make more over the top, an already pretty over the top genre.  It’s chock-full of romance, secrets, jealousy and revenge. 

 

This book is one I’d recommend checking out from Snell Library to read over the summer, and it’s also featured in the Summer Staff Picks exhibit on the first floor of the Library.

Summer Staff Picks

Looking for a good book to read or movie to watch over the summer?  Visit the exhibit showcases on the first floor of Snell Library—in the front of the Library and also in the display case by the first floor elevator.  Northeastern University Libraries staff members share their recommendations.  Browse their selections and settle on a first-rate title to enjoy this summer!  

Italy, Multiculturalism and Libraries

Italy Italy, (along with most European countries), has experienced an influx of immigrants in last few years, and with that there have been some ongoing (and escalating) tensions down racial and ethnic lines.  This has also been reflected in the election of an increasingly conservative government.   While this recent New York Times article certainly demonstrates a mixed outlook, I was pleased to see that the reporter interviewed two Italian librarians who were trying to promote cultural diversity in their country and the ways in which libraries and art organizations are uniquely positioned to do that.