Yes, there are books out there that need time and patience, and this one definitely tested mine. First, it's a f'ing gorgeous book. Sebald is unique in the way he writes because he tends to incorporate beautiful pictures. Sort of like the surrealist story
Nadja, and Sebald even did the same when he wrote the introduction to
The Tanners, which is how I decided to read Sebald. That in itself is its own novella.
With this book in particular, he writes without chapters or paragraphs or quotations, although the entire story consists of an on going conversation with traveler and a fellow he meets on the way named Austerlitz. So one can easily imagine how this story can drag and test one's patience because unlike other books, the climax is hard to detect and honestly, if Sebald did format this with quotes and paragraphs, it would look the Austerlitz here is a mere rambler.
Through the perspective of the traveler, we learn that Austerlitz is on a journey to discover his whereabouts. As a child he was adopted by a couple who practically lived in the church, however through the steps he traces his original name, then his parents, then finds the person who can tell him about his mother, while he yet still has to learn what happened to his father. As he digs deeper, he finds that as Hitler and the Germans imposed their power in Prague, Austerlitz was sent away, while his mother, once a famous opera singer, was trying to find a way out of the city, except to be sent out with thousands of others to internment. The charm of this book is in its composed, meditative temper; the curiosity of Austerlitz and his interest in architecture and purposes of structures, like a fort; the genial relationship that the traveler and Austerlitz share as they cross paths time after time, and in each instance we learn more about Austerlitz's personal journey; and lastly the keen insights that are interwoven throughout, for instance:
"The only animal which has remained lingering in my memory is the raccoon. I watched it for a long time as it sat beside a little stream with a serious expression on its face, washing the same piece of apple over and over again, as if it hoped that all this washing, which went far beyond any reasonable thoroughness, would help it to escape the unreal world in which it had arrived, so to speak, though no fault of its own. Otherwise, all I remember of the denizens of the Nocturama is that several of them had strikingly large eyes, and the fixed inquiring gaze found in certain painters and philosophers who seek to penetrate the darkness which surrounds us purely by means of looking and thinking."
"...there is really no reason to suppose that lesser beings are devoid of sentient life. We are not alone in dreaming at night for, quite apart from dogs and other domestic creatures whose emotions have been bound up with ours for many thousands of years, the smaller mammals, such as mice and moles also live in a world that exists only in their minds whilst they are asleep, as we can detect from their eye movements, and who knows, said Austerlitz, perhaps moths dream as well..."
The best thing of all is that its all autobiographical... a beauty.
So if you can't tell I passed my e-port!!! Yes, that means I am graduating, and even though it is in a job market that stinks... I can honestly and genuinely say that I at least enjoyed every bit of what I studied and I think its one of the best choices I could have made. Yes I will sleep well at night. So I guess here I will share a part of it, especially once I look back in a year and wonder what it all means.
Professional Philosophy
My professional philosophy is rudimentary to my interests in libraries and to the access of information, and it reflects my beliefs, values, and attitudes regarding the profession of librarianship. The basis of my professional philosophy stems from my studies as an undergraduate, as well as my job and volunteer experiences within and outside the information field. As some are quickly able to discern the occupation that they wish to dedicate their lives to, it took me awhile to come to terms with a profession that could incorporate my wide range of interests from visual design to methods of classification to social behavior. As my educational background are in the schools of Mass Communication and Journalism, as well as in Sociology, this has stirred my passion for studying the behavior of people in a media laden environment. I realized that I had the natural creativity, knack for catching onto trends, and reveled in conducting social research. I have seen that these have become assets while in the program and they have incited my interests even in traditional librarianship.
Prior to enrolling in a graduate program, I learned that using my time and energy to fuel profit driven business left me unfulfilled, however it was in working for a digital assets company that a coworker of mine suggested that I should consider working in a library. Since then, I have found that librarianship allows me to stick to my ideals, thrive intellectually, as well as serve my community. As libraries adhere to all classes of knowledge and librarians must often take on a variety of roles, in the Spring of 2009, I finally was able to recognize that my professional fulfillment lay in the constant stimulation and altruistic nature of public librarianship. My professional goal and focus in the program has been to work as a reference librarian for a public library, which is constantly affirmed through my occupations as a bookseller, library aide, tech helper, and student assistant for a special library.
Before I enrolled in SLIS, I left my office job to work at a used bookstore, which I currently am employed by today. As Recycle Bookstore serves as a bibliographic institution for the city of San Jose, here I have been able to thrive in providing reference, connecting books to their readers, and sustaining an ongoing relationship with those in our community. It is in this position that I was first able to apply one of the fundamentals of what I believe the profession stands for, which is to facilitate the ease of access to information and satisfy the information needs of users. The concept of facilitating access and satisfying information needs relies on the service aspect of reference, which is defined in Competency I. I firmly stand by the importance in not only conducting an adequate reference interview, but in the approachability of any professional or staff who represents the library. It is in this concept that I believe requires empathy, friendliness, and acknowledgment of the user's needs. As a bookseller, I have had the opportunity to apply these concepts that I have learned in my courses by being proactive in helping patrons, as well as utilizing our materials and other bibliographic resources for their needs. The ability to conduct a proper reference interview is crucial, as it aims to pinpoint the objective of one's information search, and ensures relevance and efficiency with one's efforts. The respect that we must have for users, I feel is ingrained in how we treat them and the extent they feel they can rely on the library to serve as a functional and humanistic resource in their lives.
In addition to working at Recycle Bookstore, I have also spent my time working as an aide for Alameda Free Library, and have volunteered at the Berkeley Public Library as a tech helper. In these positions are where I emphasize my second fundamental value to unbiasedly serve library users, and strive to provide free and equal access. This belief is expressed in my values and professional ethics that are emphasized in Competency A. In order to unbiasedly serve patrons and provide equal access, I feel that this must surpass ideas in terms of race, age, and class, but also consider the unique abilities and perspectives of how information can adequately reach all library users. This value also aims to promote intellectual freedom, as well as resist censorship by dismissing judgment, respecting privacy, and adhering to the confidence of others.
Finally my experience as a student assistant for the Information Technology (IT) department at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has provided me with experience working in archives and records, and currently in a special library. It is in these experiences where I have been able to apply my professional attitude to guarantee efficient and relevant information for the entertainment, education, and enlightenment of all people in the community. This idea is further emphasized in Competency F where developing collections includes aspects of determining the needs of users, acquiring relevant materials, remaining up to date with interests, and various preservation practices so materials are suitable for use. Although my long-term objective is to work in a public library, my experience ay LBNL has given me insight concerning the preservation of information, as well as how to find information for the specific research needs of our clients through our electronic journal databases and acquiring resources through interlibrary loan.
As my MLIS is close at hand, I feel that attaining this degree is only the starting point of my profession in libraries and the information field. As many may perceive that the ambition to become a librarian stems from a natural love of reading and books, this is only partial to what I have come to understand as pertinent.
Contribution to My Community
As a reference librarian, I plan to contribute to the cultural, economic, educational and social well-being of our communities in a number of ways. My experiences working and volunteering in a public library has reaffirmed my beliefs that the library is a principle institution that disinherits notions of class, gender, status, and background, as well as exists to provide programs and services that subscribe to information literacy, self-education, and quality resources for those who may not have other institutional means of access to them.
My responsibility as information professional, and in my future prospects as a reference librarian for a public library are in line with my intrigue to the theories of sociology. As we live in a diverse society, I feel it is important to recognize the needs of others and adhere to the perspectives of each individual in the community. In order to contribute to the cultural well-being of my community, as a reference librarian I will consider the diverse perspectives of the role of information in each individual’s value system, as well as promote and facilitate access to the materials and services that reflect all cultural and ethnic perspectives that are represented. This includes maintaining an incessant knowledge and collection of resources that are native to the countries represented, as well as those that adequately support the various viewpoints of groups in the population. Adhering to the public library’s mission of equal access, I will strive to ensure that programs and resources are visible and obtainable, as well as foster the diversity that persists.
The value of public libraries to society are immeasurable, however it is in this economic climate that those in the profession must constantly work to keep library doors open through the marketing and advocacy of the public libraries' free resources and services. As a public library strives to ensure free and equal access, I feel that I am responsible for the methods and principles in which libraries can provide services and resources to better the lives of all individuals in the community. I strongly believe that power of information lies on those who can uninhibitedly use it to express themselves, communicate with others, and attain knowledge to grow within them. As my work and volunteer experiences have provided me with the opportunity to incorporate these fundamentals, I feel that my professional objective of public librarianship will directly contribute to the creation of opportunities for others and the welfare of society.
Cheers!
As a later work of Nabokov, this 100 or so pager felt more like a test of comprehension...oh how awful. The story itself is actually pretty good, but Nabokov was obviously flexing his dexterity as an established writer at that... I guess the awful part about it is the after effect of how I will honestly admit that the I didn't understand the damn meaning of it all. It starts off somewhat comic, Hugh Person (pronounced Parson) is checking into a hotel in Switzerland where he is to meet with the author R. and go about editing his new novel. Hugh is sort of a clumsy character with a livelihood that is far from exceptional, but he goes through the typical motions of self-consciousness from his father's tendencies and falling in love with Armande, a woman who all of a sudden gives him her hand in marriage, which seems to originate from nothing more than pittance or a sudden knock in the head. In an abrupt and somewhat non-sequential line of events, his life gradually turns mad as he murders his wife, retraces his past, and becomes insane. It's hard to imagine how two decades and four different trips are supposed to fit in this slim thing, but Nabokov does do it seamlessly... chapter by chapter it flies, but at the same time it takes awhile to realize what hit. I still don't know what it all means...I also don't think it really matters.
