Turns out it was a good thing I decided to host “Book Review Summer.” I was too busy to do anything else! Here’s why.
The school year wrapped in mid-May and I had about two weeks of calm before things went crazy. In June, I went on 9 interviews! Most were out-of-town. And for each I did my research. Several also required creating a presentation. Concurrent to this, my grandmother-my dad’s mom-had a bad fall and was in and out of the hospital before finally being placed on hospice.
“Sepia toned photograph of young woman in early turn of the 20th century dress, seated at a desk in front of windows, white blouse, dark skirt, chignon. Table and chair to the right. Backside has “Derry Public Library” written on it. Caption: Elsie Gaskin, Librarian 1911″ from Derry Public Library via a Creative Commons Image Search.
On the last day of June, I finally received word I had been long awaiting: my first professional job offer! My acceptance meant rushing around to find an apartment in my new city and packing, all while house- and cat-sitting for family friends. Then on the day I moved-everything was loaded into the U Haul the night before-my grandmother passed. As the move only occurred a handful of days before starting the job at the start of August, I had to focus on setting up the apartment instead of immediately turning for home to attend the funeral after unloading everything. Yes, it was a tight timetable. And an emotional time.
Now to satisfy curiosity, a bit about my new job. As mentioned, it is a masters degree-required library job. No more long hours for little pay! Not to say I disliked substitute teaching, but an income that allows me to be independent is very welcome. And by welcome I mean making more in three months than the last three years combined It definitely helps that the position is in the field I chose to study. However, I do miss some of my former students and I know two miss seeing me. At least those two are my best friend’s nephews; I’ve known them since they were babies and will likely see them at some point when I am home. In summary, my job has three aspects: cataloging, outreach, and reference. Unlike most libraries, my library has a special focus to help and provide specialized materials for the visually and physically impaired. In my short month on the job thus far, I have attended several outreach events as an observer; cataloged a couple hundred audio and braille books; and dealt with a wide range of reference questions. I also wrote articles for and edited the next newsletter!
Also, if you have been following Amy’s Scrap Bag for a few years, you may have noticed I did not write an anniversary post at the start of August for the blog’s third anniversary. WordPress changed the way it collects and shows the statistics rendering the old stats-filled posts impossible to create without hours work. I’ve been viewed in approximately an additional 12-20 countries than prior to August, 2014, but I can no longer easily get an exact count. I can confirm that I have in the last year slightly more than doubled the number of views from the last two years combined. “Using Boolean Search Operators with Google” remains both my most viewed post overall with over 8,000 total views. Be default, it is also my most popular tutorial. The most viewed history post remains “Understanding History through Fiction: Fort Apache.” My book review for A Fifty-Year Silence, posted in January, is by far my most read review. Also, my reviews for When Treetops Glisten, The Mapmaker’s Daughter, and The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach all had significant author interaction, some on WordPress, others on social media, and some on both. Other reviews had lesser interaction. Lastly, I was asked to review two non-fiction titles by a book publicity firm (Killers of the King and Big Science).
So the old posting pattern returns: a mix of reviews, tutorials, informational, and short articles. Let me know if there is a topic you would like to learn more about and I’ll see what I can do. I hope everyone had a more peaceful summer!
Amy's Scrap Bag: A Blog About Libraries, Archives, and History 