#library studies

[hurglewurm]

old men yaoi. no this isn't any fandom, these are prominent academics in my field (and the field adjacent). the two in the comic hated each other a lot but those are real quotes or paraphrases that they said about each other. i will not apologize

[dimsunsstuff]

I love my major. I'm literally writing a thesis on how I would make the Magnus Archives actually work as a proper archive to pass a class what the hell

[thespookylibrarian]

It's been hard to make time for a little update here—lots of stuff going on, some of it not so great, but we're pushing through.

Summer semester was a LOT of work and I was grateful that my information ethics professor canceled our final paper at the last second. I don't think I would have made it through all three classes with A's otherwise. Overall, I did enjoy the assignments I had though!

For ethics, I got to interview my supervisor about information ethics in our academic library, which was enlightening to say the least. I also loved the professor and how she included current events in each lecture.

The graphic novels course I took was suuuuper chill, mostly a readers' advisory sort of class. My final project was an info graphic on LGBTQIA+ paranormal graphic novels, which I had so much fun with. (I have lots of recommendations if anyone is interested!)

As for the research class...I really didn't mesh with the professor's teaching style at all. Still, I convinced my group to write our research proposal on how Florida's K-12 book challenges are affecting incoming college students and had a blast putting that together. I don't know how great of a researcher I would be (not in love with the science aspects), but it would be really cool to put this proposal into action.

My graduate assistantship with the library got extended through graduation! Incredibly grateful for that. I spent the summer redesigning the library's open publishing website and working on some instructional materials (WordPress tutorials, copyright, etc). I've also led a couple of consultations with researchers who are looking to build websites using our hosting platform—a little nerve-wracking, but I'm getting the hang of it.

Anyway, that was pretty much the summer. Will do a separate post on the fall semester at some point.

[wedarkacademia]

[plainselfraisingflour]

Someone got a bit of whimsy while writing this one

[jakeperalta]

I'm curious. what job would you do if money was no object (you just automatically had an income you could live comfortably on)? including work like volunteering, studying etc. please share in the tags :)

[juliaxyn]

surviving on caffeine and novels. ...

[academia-lucifer]

@academia-lucifer

[academic-vampire]

𝔩𝔢𝔱’𝔰 𝔰𝔱𝔲𝔡𝔶 𝔱𝔬𝔤𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔥𝔞𝔲𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔩𝔦𝔟𝔯𝔞𝔯𝔶 🪶

[violinfantasy]

when the academic article is so good it has you giggling and kicking your feet

[moodyacademic]

a hidden bookshelf door would heal me

[louisa-gc]

how to start reading again

from someone who was a voracious reader until high school and is now getting back into it in her twenties.

start with an old favourite. even though it felt a little silly, i re-read the harry potter series one christmas and it wiped away my worry that i wasn't capable of reading anymore. they are long books, but i was still able to get completely immersed and to read just as fast as i had years and years ago.

don't be afraid of "easier" books. before high school i was reading the french existentialists, but when getting back into reading, i picked up lucinda riley and sally rooney. not my favourite authors by far, but easier to read while not being totally terrible. i needed to remind myself that only choosing classics would not make me a better or smarter person. if a book requires a slower pace of reading to be understood, it's easier to just drop it, which is exactly what i wanted to avoid at first.

go for essays and short stories. no need to explain this one: the shorter the whole, the less daunting it is. i definitely avoided all books over 350 pages at first and stuck to essay collections until i suddenly devoured donna tartt's goldfinch.

remember it's okay not to finish. i was one of those people who finished every book they started, but not anymore! if i pick up a book at the library and after a few chapters realise i'd rather not read it, i just return it. (another good reason to use your local library! no money spent on books you might end up disliking.)

analyse — or don't. some people enjoy reading more when they take notes or really stop to think about the contents. for me, at first, it was more important to build the habit of reading, and the thought of analysing what i read felt daunting. once i let go of that expectation, i realised i naturally analyse and process what i read anyway.

read when you would usually use your phone. just as i did when i was a child, i try to read when eating, in the bathroom, on public transport, right before sleeping. i even read when i walk, because that's normally a time i stare at my screen anyway. those few pages you read when you brush your teeth and wait for a friend very quickly stack up.

finish the chapter. if you have time, try to finish the part you're reading before closing the book. usually i find i actually don't want to stop reading once i get to the end of a chapter — and if i do, it feels like a good place to pick up again later.

try different languages. i was quickly approaching a reading slump towards the end of my exchange year, until i realised i had only had access to books in english and that, despite my fluency, i was tired of the language. so as soon as i got back home i started picking up books in my native tongue, which made reading feel much easier and more fun again! after some nine months, i'm starting to read in english again without it feeling like a huge task.

forget what's popular. i thought social media would be a fun way to find interesting books to read, but i quickly grew frustrated after hating every single book i picked up on some influencer's recommendation. it's certainly more time-consuming to find new books on your own, but this way i don't despise every novel i pick up.

remember it isn't about quantity. the online book community's endless posts about reading 150 books each year or 6 books in a single day easily make us feel like we're slow, bad readers, but here's the thing: it does not matter at all how many books you read or what your reading pace is. we all lead different lives, just be proud of yourself for reading at all!

stop stressing about it. we all know why reading is important, and since the pandemic reading has become an even more popular hobby than it was before (which is wonderful!). however, there's no need to force yourself to be "a reader". pick up a book every now and then and keep reading if you enjoy it, but not reading regularly doesn't make you any less of a good person. i find the pressure to become "a person who reads" or to rediscover my inner bookworm only distances me from the very act of reading.

[literarydesire]

The sort of work that feels like play

[wedarkacademia]

[optimistic-nihilist]

[plantsonplutoart]

Moonflower study dates! Because it’s possible to be both academic rivals and the best of friends 🌙🪷😌

James and Sirius are definitely sitting across the table drooling over them