“Diversity and the MLS” was written for Library Journal in 2008. It argues that one of the major reasons few people of color become librarians is the expense of obtaining the Masters of Library Science degree that almost all professional jobs require. Library Journal told …
“What not to buy” is an academic study that resulted from a short sabbatical. Since many books in academic libraries are never used, I wanted to see if those books shared characteristics that buyers could keep an eye out for and only purchase carefully, saving …
What Not to Buy: How to Identify Books Likely to be Unused Before Purchase Read More
This is an analysis of an experiment I led at Portland Community College library to see if having all required textbooks available on reserves was a workable project. The short version is that, with some adjustments, yes. This was my most successful scholarly article, receiving …
All Textbooks in the Library! An Experiment with Library Reserves Read More
When I first started volunteering with the Refugee Settlement division of Catholic Charities, one of the things I did was get set up as a driver. The fellow who tries to supervise me is a young man from Chile, and he doesn’t have a license, …
Adventures in Volunteering III: Driving Afghan Refugees Read More
After retiring, I wanted an activity that would keep me on the streets. Since the Covid plague coincided with my departure from the workplace, a lot of volunteer activities shut down. Retired people are a big part of the volunteer workforce, and many of them …
Adventures in Volunteering, Part II. Meals on Wheels. Read More
Since walking away from the working world, I’ve been dabbling in various volunteer efforts, including being a delivery driver for Meals on Wheels, and working with Catholic Charities on help for refugees, Afghan and otherwise. Yesterday evening I took the light-rail train to the airport …
Adventures in Volunteering: Meeting Afghan Refugees Read More
North of Santa Fe, in the mountains, is the town of Chimayo. There is a Catholic church there that is the site of pilgrimage of people for two things. One is the site (they believe) of the discovery of a crucifix buried in the earth, …
July 1995. Mark Wilkerson, trombone picker and memoirist. The Great Circus Parade in Milwaukee has been a favorite trip for all of us at The Army Band. We fly out on Saturday, have a free evening, march in the parade on Sunday afternoon, and fly …
About three years ago, Torie, a colleague at the campus library I worked at suggested that in April we use a white board on the foyer of the library to put up a poem a day. April being National Poetry Month, that was a no …
On May 20 I wrote an essay on my efforts to get public records from the Oregon State Police and the FBI. I’ve had now, some success with the State Police. On July 6 they sent me the two reports (93 pages) that I got …
The Quest for Public Records, Part II. State Police Reports. (July 13, 2021) Read More
