May | 2012 | Librarian Lifestyle

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Advanced Style

In Fashion, Jewelry on May 29, 2012 at 7:14 pm

If you are familiar with Ari Seth Cohen’s blog Advanced Style, you’ve already seen the photographs and interviews he’s done with older women (and some men) who have loads of style, panache, elegance, and wit. Most of the photographs were taken in New York City, which does seem to have an abundance of fabulous dames. (He’s also got some recent shots of Italians, and plans to branch out to other areas.)

If you haven’t seen the blog, the book Advanced Style is a great introduction to the concept of having style throughout your life. Ranging from flat-out elegant (think Grace Kelly, Lena Horne, Lauren Bacall) to wild and colorful (think Betsey Johnson), these women really know who they are. In a society that worships youth, it’s really inspiring to see women dress and age on their own terms. One of Cohen’s subjects, Ilona Royce Smithkin says, “If you try to imitate too much, you will look like nothing. Never compare. You are you!” Another quote, from Lubi, is “Some might see it as gray hair, age, genetics, stress, etc. I see if differently. I see it as platinum elegance.” Oh, me too!

There is also a terrific interview at the end of the book between Dita von Teese (elegant cabaret artiste) and Ilona Royce Smithkin. Their discussion about fashion and style bridges the age gap, with both of them talking about personal style and how it influences their lives.

My all-time favorite book is Auntie Mame, a character who epitomizes the idea of individual style and flair at any age Really one of the most fun books ever written (I’m not so wild about the movie versions). I’m also a huge fan of RuPaul, who personifies “eleganza” and fabulousness. I am still working on my own style, and trying to be less conservative and have more flair. Or at least a bit more elegance.

I hope you’ll pick up a copy of Advanced Style and/or check out the blog. I think you’ll love it! I leave you with one of my favorite shots of my grandmother Lee, in her late 70s, on a cruise in 1960.

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active learning activity with smart phones, library instruction sessions, library instruction with smart phones, orientation session, technology

Smart phones + Self-Discovery = Engaged Students

In Library Instruction on May 25, 2012 at 8:03 pm

Tired of seeing your students look like this during your library instruction session?

Photo credit: Jason Scragz

Try this active learning activity with smart phones!

I teach all of my library instruction sessions in classrooms where students have no access to individual computers. I knew that they would never remember most of things that I showed them, and I struggled with creating engaging instruction sessions. So, one day last summer I had a brilliant idea. Why not create a learning activity that involved the students using their own smart phones to search library resources? That simple idea has transformed my teaching.

Every year I teach an orientation session about image resources to graduate students in the art history, studio art, art education and design departments. I thought that this would be the perfect time to try out a learning activity involving a smart phone. In the event that not everyone had a smart phone, I asked them to work in groups of two or three. Then, I let them select a slip of paper, which contained the name and URL of a digital library. My plan was that the students would search this digital library, answer a set of questions about it, and then present this resource to their colleagues.

I gave them the following questions to answer.

1)What resource are you evaluating?

2)How many images does it have? What subject area(s) does it cover?

3)What great features does this site have (if any)?

4)What is the quality of the images like? Can you download them? If so, do you know what size you can download?

5)What are three reasons why this could be useful for this class and/or the study of art?

What I saw was magic. The students were engaged in searching the resource they selected. They were talking to each other. I heard them saying things like “cool”, “I didn’t know that existed”, and “This is great”.

After approximately 15 minutes of searching, I asked them to present the resource to their colleagues. I pulled up the resource’s homepage on the classroom computer, and I navigated to all the things they talked about. I engaged the group by asking them questions as they talked about the resource and about their search experience. Instead of me lecturing to them, the students were able to both learn from and teach their peers about a new resource.

Over the last year I have modified this exercise. I no longer ask students to answer specific questions. Instead, I ask them to develop a list of 5 things about the database to tell their classmates. I also ask them to select a resource from a group of three databases that I have choosen for this exercise. I find that this allows them to be more creative and it gets them to think on a deeper level about the resource. It also gives me a chance to correct any misconceptions they have about how the database works. One of the best parts for me is that I usually learn something new about the resource too, since I am seeing it from a different perspective.

Outcomes

I have had great feedback from faculty. One faculty member told me that while doing the learning activity with their smart phones, the students were the most engaged they had been all semester and this was reflected in their grades on this assignment.

It is widely touted that handheld devices are the future of computing. According to the Pew Research Center report entitled Nearly Half of American Adults are Smartphone Owners, approximately 67% of adults aged 18 – 24 have smart phones. By doing a learning activity involving smart phones, you will be able to promote the mobile capabilities of your library resources and give your students a new framework for thinking about library resources.

I have had great success with this learning activity and I encourage anyone who teaches in a classroom without individual computer access to try it. Contact me at librarianlifestyle@gmail.com and let me know how it goes. I’d love to hear about any modifications that you’ve tried.

By Karen Holt, Communication Librarian at The University of Texas at Austin and Editor-in-chief of Librarian Lifestyle. Karen tweets @karenholt. This blog post was based on a presentation that she gave on May 18, 2012 at the Atlanta-area Bibliographic Instruction Group Conference.

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librarian travel, riga, riga bookstores, riga coffee, riga food, riga libraries, riga markets, riga shopping

A Librarian’s Guide to Riga

In Travel on May 17, 2012 at 3:06 pm

So why visit Riga, capital of Latvia, voted the most beautiful country in the world?

It seems to be the top destination for librarians and library lovers this summer, with the World Library and Information Congress being just a stone throw away, a satellite meeting in the very heart of the city and the amazingly crazy Cycling for Libraries passing through!

So while you’re here, I suggest putting on your walking shoes and exploring the city. It’s small enough to be conquered on foot and big enough to never run out of things to do.

What to see? Or rather – which areas to explore?

Riga Old Town
Overcome your fright in height by climbing the St.Peter’s church and map your Old Town route from above. The area dates more than 800 years back and is a proper cultural mash-up.
While you’re up the tower, catch a glimpse of the newly built National Library building just across the mighty river of Daugava.

Republic of Miera street
Literally it stands up to it’s name (Miera iela= The Street of Peace). This little district offers plenty of cafes to choose from for lazy brunches and creative shops and galleries to fill up your day. At night it transfers into lively buzz for all tastes of music and drinks.

Art Noveau
Riga’s centre is considered to be one of the most important Art Noveau (New Art, Jugendstil) districts in Europe. It consists of over 800 houses to capture on camera, be prepared!

What to eat? Where to do that?

Coffee!
Coffee matters and the place to go is the Coffee Inn. Get a take-away or make use of the free of charge wi-fi . Make sure to bring your travel plugs. We use the European style with 2 pins here. And by the way, my absolute favorite is chicory coffee with a dash of blueberry syrup!

Pastry
No doubt you’ll be in need of a sugary treat after all that sightseeing. Grab an authentic French croissant at laid-back Cadets de Gascogne. Opt for traditional cinnamon buns at the elegant Kanēļa Konditoreja. Or indulge in one of the [truly believed] healthier cream cakes at Kūkotava.

Drinks
The Recipe of Riga Black balsam is said to be one of the best preserved secrets in the world. We Latvians believe its unique magical qualities. It tastes great in various cocktails no matter hot or chilled. And where’s a better place to sample them all than B-Bārs where most of the best bartenders in the country can be met?
Also, a must try is the selection of local stouts and ales. You can do that at one of the many outdoor beer gardens open late April to early October. Many of them, especially Egle and the ones on Livu and Dome’s squares feature live music every night.

Food
There’s a saying that Latvia is best enjoyed slowly. So is the food here. The usual visitor’s package consists of piragi, dark rye bread and cabbage soup. All of that and much much more can be sampled at one of Lido’s restaurants (the most local food you could possibly find!). For gourmands I would suggest to go for something contemporary, organic and fresh at Kitchen or 3 Chef’s Restaurant prepared by the funkiest chefs in the country.

Where to shop and what to look for?

Riga’s Central Market
It is by far the largest and probably the most famous food market in the Northern part of the Europe. You can find everything from meet delicacies to freshly smoked fish and gourmand cheeses here.
Feeling adventurous? Try the Latgalīte flea market – no matter if it’s trash or gems you’re looking for, this bizarre little place has everything from antiques to iPhones.

Souvenirs
The trademarks of Latvia are amber, pottery and wooden crafted objects. Explore old Riga for a mobile stall every here and there. Turn to the open air craft-fair for complete paradise of handcrafted goods to take home!

Local masterpieces
There’s a whole range of shops you can visit for some locally manufactured goods. Knitwear both for winter and to dress up your bicycle at Hobbywool; Latvian meadows bottled in natural cosmetics from Madara (highly recommended) and variety of honey products (within a beautiful store!) at the Honey Room.

By the way, it helps to know that the Latvian currency is lats (LVL, Ls) that is divided into 100 santims. 1 EUR would be approximately 0.70 LVL.

Bookstores and libraries

¼ Satori Birojnīca
Birojnīca is a bookstore [slash] officeria. It’s a known place for artsy type freelancers and selected high quality literature. But what’s most important, it offers facilities for remote work and high bandwidth connection for a mere 3 Ls per day (coffee and water included!). Can you imagine your Prezis being created here?

Robert’s Books
This is an English language second hand bookshop with comprehensive selection of cheap gems. Truly – anything can be found here!

Jāņa Sēta
By far the most extensive selection of maps, travel guides and books in the country. Local and international publishers can be found here as well as some unique USSR army maps etc.

And last, but not least … Libraries!

I already mentioned the new building of the National Library of Latvia (NLL). Visual proof of why we’re so impatient about it, are the several NLL locations scattered all over city. The recently renovated Riga Central Library is largest public library in Latvia. As for academic libraries, probably the best equipped is Riga Technical University Library. The library folk here are as friendly as anywhere, and you’re welcome to pop by anytime!

Enough of the city? Well, there’s plenty to offer in Latvia with more than 500 kilometers of white sandy coastline, countryside meadows, pristine forests, scenic lakes and swift rivers.

Pictures are courtesy of my talented friend Silva.

Written by Sanita Maleja, an active new library professional living, working and studying in Riga. You can also follow her on Twitter and say hi when visiting.

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eShakti, librarian style, professional style

Librarian Style Profile: April Kessler

In Fashion on May 11, 2012 at 4:47 pm

Welcome to Librarian Lifestyle’s Style Profile Series! Each month, we highlight a fashionable information professional and study their style philosophy. This month, our series features University of Texas Business Librarian, Librarian Lifestyle contributor, and Bizologie Co-Founder and blogger, April Kessler.

Great style seems to come naturally for April Kessler, the Business Librarian at The University of Texas. Her design sense extends from her diverse collection of dresses to her beautiful mid-century modern home furnishings. In the following interview, April gives us an insight on how she puts it all together.

Peggy or Joan?

How would you characterize your style?

I like to think of it as classic with a little retro flair. I do like bold color and I like to wear solids, but I try to mix in a few prints. Love the Mad Men style of the 50s/60s, and I’m a cross between Peggy and Joan.

What’s your favorite, or go-to, clothing item in your closet?

A dress is always my go-to so I don’t have to figure out separates. My favorite is a black and white faux wrap dress. I splurged on this dress, but it’s machine washable and I’ve had it for 5 years. Worth every penny — looks brand new. I can wear it in the fall with boots or in the summer with pumps.

What’s your secret for transitioning seamlessly from day to night?

I wear dressy jeans and a cute top on Friday so I can just swap out the dress shoes for flip-flops and hit the town for Happy Hour.

Do you have any style icons?

I would love to have access to Reese Witherspoon’s closet. Her red carpet looks are always classic and she also looks adorable and put together in her casual wear.

Does your profession have any influence on your workplace style? How do you maintain your sense of style in the library?

The cardigan is a staple for me, but that is because I’m always cold. I learned early that you dress for the job you want not for the job you have. So even as a student I was wearing nice, professional outfits to work.

What spring and summer trends are you looking forward to?

Color blocking is always a favorite of mine, so I’m glad to see it as trend. Stripes are great. I usually like bold colors, but I’m giving pastels a try this season.

Black and white, accented with a fun, green belt

Are there any librarian style “stereotypes” that you purposely avoid (i.e., cardigans, cat sweaters, Danskos, etc.)?

Well, I love my cardigans, and everything I put on instantly has a little dog hair on it, but you’ll never catch me in a cat sweater. No appliques of any kind really. I love the idea of glasses as accessories, but I still only wear my contacts.

Max, one of the (adorable) sources of the dog hair

Where do you like to shop, both locally and online?

I love a good deal, so I hit up the outlet malls, Target, and DSW. I have tried buying shoes online without much success. Still keep trying though. My new favorite online store is eShakti. They will make you a custom dress for around $60. That is hard to beat and the styles are so me.

A custom eShakti creation

Do you have any personal style rules that you live/dress by?

My one personal style rule as I age is: If I wore the style the first time it was trendy, I’m not allowed to wear it again. So you won’t catch me in the neon trend this spring. I rocked it hard during the 80s and now it’s time for me to put it away.

April’s Closet

Many thanks to April for the insight into her closet and style tenets. Check back next month for our next Librarian Lifestyle Style Profile!

By Arianne Thigpen. Arianne is the Reference/Serials Librarian at Concordia University Texas in Austin, Texas. She received her MSIS from The University of Texas at Austin. Her interests include reading, style, cooking, fitness and nutrition, classic films, and emerging information technology. She tweets @arilib_atx.

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Madrid bookstores, Madrid cafes, Madrid cultural sites, Madrid markets, Madrid shopping, travel

A Librarian’s Guide to Madrid

In Travel on May 9, 2012 at 4:56 pm

Madrid is a great city to enjoy! The weather is usually nice at any time of the year, so walking through the streets is a pleasure. I recommend that you spend time wandering through Madrid, because discovering cute places by yourself is one of the best things to do when you’re travelling around.

These are some places that I go to in my spare time. I hope you like them too!!

Shopping

Serrano, Ortega y Gasset and Velázquez - These three streets house Madrid’s most luxurious boutiques, with brands such as Hermès, Dolce & Gabanna, Chanel, Giorgio Armani or Loewe. There, you can also find the shopping centres ABC Serrano and El Jardín de Serrano. (Metro: Serrano, Colón and Velázquez).

Fuencarral street has been considered the gold mile of the capital. Fuencarral’s market, located on this street, is home to the most daring and original shops. Make sure to visit it! (Metro: Tribunal, Gran Vía and Chueca).

El Rastro flea market: this traditional street market takes place every Sunday morning. The Cascorro square and its surroundings is full of small stands in which you can find almost everything, from clothes and accessories, to antiques or traditional snacks. El Rastro is a must-see market for all tourists. (Metro: La Latina, Puerta de Toledo and Tirso de Molina)

Bookstores

Casa del libro (Gran Vía, 39): This is one of the biggest bookstores in Madrid. You can find any book you want, and if they don’t have it, you can ask and they’ll order it for you.

Cuesta Moyano: This is a popular and charming street market, with wooden stalls lined up along Claudio Moyano street. You can find second hand books and also new titles. Its location next to the Retiro Park means you can go and enjoy your book in one of Madrid’s best-known parks.

San Ginés Bookstore (Pasadizo de San Ginés, 2): With books outside the store, this is an old temple of books. It’s a little and charming place where you can find treasures at a good price. It’s located in a little alley near a café serving hot chocolate as a speciality, what else you can ask?

Cafés and Restaurants

Mercado de San Miguel (Plaza de San Miguel, 2): If you want a fast meal to continue visiting the city, this is your place. Built in 1916, this market is a temple to gastronomy. It’s home to 33 stalls selling mouth-watering products and select ingredients, and they offer food to take home or to consume right there on the premises.

Café Gijon (Paseo de Recoletos, 21): founded in 1888, you can have a coffee at the same place where spanish authors of the “generación de ’98″ and the “generación de ’27″ used to meet here for “tertulias” — intellectual roundtables.

Casa Lucio (Cava Baja, 35): Gastronomy has always played an important part in the life of Madrid, as can be seen from the number of restaurants in the city that have been serving traditional local dishes. Since 1974 Casa Lucio is one of those restaurants where you will always have a good meal. Don’t miss the scrambled eggs with fried potatoes, famous people all over the world come to eat this!

Cultural Sites

Puerta del Sol is a great point of reference for anyone visiting Madrid, since a number of important roads diverge here. Its location has made it a popular meeting point for hundreds of years, now with modern markers like the neon “Tío Pepe” sign and Madrid’s most emblematic statue, “El Oso y el Madroño” (the Bear & the Strawberry Tree). On New Year’s Eve, Puerta del Sol is the equivalent of New York’s Times Square. Thousands gather to count down to the chimes of the clock above Casa de Correos and eat a grape for every toll. Head westward on Calle Arenal and you’ll reach the Royal Theater & Palace.

Huertas is also known as “El Barrio de las Letras,” literary Madrid. This is where Spain’s most celebrated Golden Age authors – Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca, Tirso de Molina – lived during the 17th century. The streets radiating off its core, Plaza de Santa Ana, are packed with tapas bars and disco-pubs, popular as much among Spaniards as with an international crowd. And of course, the Paseo del Prado holds the magnificent Prado Museum.

The Retiro Park & Salamanca neighborhood lie east of the city’s main north-south boulevard, the Paseo de la Castellana (Metro stops in this area: Banco de España, Colón, Velázquez, Goya, Retiro, Príncipe de Vergara, Atocha). East of the Paseo del Prado the green area of the Retiro, is perfect for practising some sport, rowing a boat or, simply, relaxing under a tree and reading your favourite book.

Written by Marisol Herrera, a librarian living in Madrid and working at the University Carlos III.