Daily Thoughts 9/11/2009

Idealporträt des Johann Faust (oil on canvas, 117 x 88 cm), Anonymous German Painter

Daily Thoughts 9/11/2009

This morning, I finished reading Graphic Novels Now Building, Managing, and Marketing A Dynamic Collection by Francisca Goldsmith. Francisca Goldsmith is a young adult librarian at Berkeley Public Library in California. It was an enjoyable quick read. The summaries of concepts on graphic novels were well done. I also liked the internet site lists for graphic novels. I rather like http://www.artbomb.net/home.jsp Artbomb, and Grovel http://www.grovel.org.uk/category/review/ .

The book includes places to find sample collection development policies, an index, a short selection list, and some excellent simple descriptions on the basics of what a graphic novels are. It is a nice introduction for librarians who are starting to add graphic novels to their collections. It is also short, being 114 pages in total.

Today has been a solid predictable day. I did more weeding in the 800s, selected some fiction to order, and had a meeting with a publisher this morning. It was rather interesting. They published political books on the left of the spectrum. There were some books on Africa, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and other places which I don't think I could have gotten anywhere else. We try not to endorse a particular political viewpoint.

There is something almost stoic in having to include a variety of different viewpoints which you may not agree with in fact which you can be in direct opposition with. Epictetus is very good for understanding phhilosophical detachment. It is almost fundamental to understand the idea of understand your opponent so you can overcome them. I sometimes take a minute to read philosophy when it gets to be a little bit much. Marcus Aurelius seems to be good for this, so do things like the Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tzu, or Rumi. It distracts you and takes you away from things.