Library Distractions (They're Fun, I Swear)

Hey guys, super quick post because I'm leaving the library for the day... (woot!).

Anyway, today I have been in the library all day (Did I mention that?). While I was here I had to pick up some pretty old books which I didn't want to mark up with sticky notes. Instead of this, I had to grab some old card catalogue cards. For you students who probably don't know what a card catalogue is, it is a system that used to be used to organize libraries. Most libraries use computers now to put things in the right spot, like Mrs. Walton does at RGNS. Anyway, big libraries like Alderman have a SURPLUS of old cards for cataloguing. Here at Aldy, they use the cards as scratch paper or bookmarks. I love picking these things up when I go look for books-- just to read them. They catalogue and sort all kinds of things from all kinds of places They are like historic fortune cookies. You can get a really neat idea of something just by reading its bibliographical info. Plus, they've all been typed by a typewriter, which is kind of cool looking-- especially when they are old and book-smelly and turning yellow (not kidding). Here are some of the cards I picked up today (they were in alphabetical order, hence the Ns and Os):

NC!!: "North-Carolina magazine; political, historical and miscellaneous. v.1, no.1l August 1813."

From the French Revolution... In French: "Opinion d'un ami de la constitution, sur l'enlevement du roi. Du vingt-cinq juin 1791."

From England in the 16th c?? (LOOK AT THE SPELLING): "[Openshaw, Robert]
Short questions and answeares, contayning the summe of Christian religion... London"

Also, as a really quick side note, if you ever get a chance to go into a big university library, go to a periodicals floor. You can find some pretty neat stuff down there. For instance, you could pick up a periodical like the old Saturday Evening Post or Life. Though documents like these are really helpful for research, they can also just be interesting to browse through. When I need a break from reading for work, I like to look at the old advertisements to see what people were buying or how much stuff cost. And, it's just awesome to look at things like this in their actual original form, too! I like to read and pretend that someone, say back in the 1950s, picked up this exact copy at the newsstand. More on this later... I've found some neat stuff I want to show you all.

Off to the swimming pool to teach some swim lessons.

Miss P, Out.

Quick Note

Right now I am combing the Internet for some material which I need to read, archive and then digest and comment. As a tiny distraction, I thought I would post a quick list. Here are some of my thoughts before another big post.

1) WT Stead... I'm reading about this man William T. Stead. He is a pretty interesting guy. An editor in late 19th century London, Stead, who was deeply spiritual (he didn't like the idea of being called religious), changed the face of social activism while also developing something called the "New Journalism" (Matthew Arnold named it this) at his Pall Mall Gazette. What a fellow... more later!

2) You can go to the beach in Delaware! Growing up in Tennessee, I assumed wrongly that America's Atlantic Coast Beach Adventures spanned the near-Gulf waters of Florida to North Carolina's Outer Banks and then jumped to New Jersey. I did not know of the land known as Delmarva. Delmarva is the peninsula where parts of Delaware, Virginia and Maryland all reside. And, not only does it have a cool name, but it has equally fun beaches. I just got home today from Bethany beach. So much fun!

3) Bodo's Bagels. This summer, I want to create a list of the best things to do while in C-ville. Obviously, visiting the University, its libraries, exhibits, sites, etc. is a must-- as is Monticello. But, I also want to add Bodo's Bagels. This is the quintessential C-Ville watering hole. I am currently eating a Bodo's Everything with Cream Cheese. It's a good thing!

4) Alderman Library. Alderman and the Scripps Library are my new homes here in C-ville. In the next few days I want to take you all on a photo-tour (exciting! <>) of these libraries. They actually have some neat and eyebrow raising stories.

5) Biking. I am involved in an eco-initiative of sorts and biking around C-ville. Luckily, C-ville is a very bike-friendly town, so I won't get squished by cars. I'm pretty excited. My biking days are far in the past... I'll keep you posted on this.


I'd love some comments. How are you guys???

Dora the Explorer

One of the great things about being in C-ville this time around is that I do not have to live near college kids. College kids can be loud. They also keep weird hours, let alone put indoor furniture outside (this always bothered me). I know this because I was a college kid just a little bit ago, and I was loud and kept weird hours (but all of my indoor furniture stayed indoors). I also have two lovely brothers in college who are loud and keep weird hours (they share my concern about those silly couches). Let me reiterate how happy I am that I don't live near students at the University.

Haha...

That being said, I have been very lucky in that I have some friends who have a wonderfully luxurious home, and they have been kind enough to extend their guest bedroom and den to me. My friends are great in that they let me live near the school (1.5-2 miles away by bike) but away from the wahoo hullabahoo. They are also great in that they have wonderful children who keep me thoroughly entertained. These guys are little, and as I am thankfully well-versed in Playhouse Disney, Nick Jr. and Discovery Kids, we have some very heated and exciting discussions.

For example, yesterday I came home from the library and was asked, "Hey Sarah, what'dcha do today?"
To which I replied, "Looked for some sources... you know, homes for lost quotes."
"How could quotes miss their homes? They don't live in places, they're just said by people." (Confusion. But, you have to admit, these guys are smart... what was I talking about?)

....And that's when I told them I essentially did the job of an academic Dora the Explorer. Let's jump to the explanation of the analogy, shall we?

Yep, with my own helpful backpack, brimming with books, my Dell Latitude and my cell phone, I navigate UVa with my best buddy Boots, aka Alderman Library and its incredibly talented research librarians.

Okay, so it's a stretch, but it's a fun one. And, sometimes I really feel Dora-esque when I use the electronic card catalogue and finally get a clear map to my source material. This feeling ends at the singing and dancing. I don't do either. They would kick you out of a library for that! :)

Happy almost weekend everyone!
I will be in Delaware at beautiful Bethany Beach on Saturday and back in the stacks on Sunday for some reeeeeeeeeeeessseaaarch.

Ciao ciao.


PS I am reading a book about WT Stead, the renegade newspaperman of 19th Century England. He is such a cool, wild zany guy. More on Stead later, but if you're reading this, check him out. I would be curious to know what you all think about him.

PPS HEY STUDENTS, what are you guys up to? What are you (cough, cough) reading? How are those summer reading books going? Miss you all!!!

Welcome to C-ville

Dear Blog Readers,
I want to start with an apology. Sorry for the delayed posting. I arrived in Charlottesville Monday morning, and I more or less hit the ground running.

As this is my inaugural post, I thought I might need to structure it a little so as to cover all the basics. For my students out there, this set up might seem reminiscent of some outlining we've done this year (humor me!):


I.Introduction: Welcome to the blog.
A. Apology
B. Set-up


II. A little about me.
A. Who am I?
B. What am I doing this summer?


III. Charlottesville/UVA
A. Some history


IV. Conclusion: Come back and see us sometime!

Welcome to the blog! I am really excited about this. Though I read a number of blogs and online periodicals, this is my first venture into the blogosphere. As you may have noticed, this blog is entitled "Footnotes." This is a little English/History joke. As you guys who are my students know, many people use the MLA rules for citations. When you get into higher academic work, you have a few more choices depending on your field of interest. Generally, English papers still use MLA formatting. History, however, uses something called the Chicago-style. With the Chicago-style, you cite not in-text but in foot or end notes. As this blog will hopefully work to cite and source all of the fun and learning I will do this summer, I think the name fits. Overall, my overarching goal for this blog is to illustrate some really exciting academic pursuits out there for those interested. I also want to use this to keep up with my colleagues and former students. Again, apologies for the delayed post, and I also promise that future posts will be a little more exciting than this one...

So, who am I? Currently, I am an English teacher at Rabun Gap, and I am so excited about coming back next year! I teach eighth grade English and Upper School American Literature (11-12 graders). In the winter, I am also an assistant swim coach, and I live (when in Georgia) in Anderson Dorm.

In 2008, I graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in History and English. This summer, I am back in Charlottesville working as a research/editorial assistant for a few professors in the Corcoran History Department as well as volunteering at the Miller Center for Public Affairs. Basically, that means that my job description is reaaaaaaaaaaalllly fluid. It could include anything from hunting for source material for professors to updating websites to reading and summarizing texts. In all, it's a great job for anyone who loves history, digging through archives and reading. Namely, me.

Though I love Rabun Gap and I miss the lower Blue Ridge mountains, Charlottesville is near and dear to my heart because it was my home for four years. That is one of the reasons I'm back! For those of you haven't been to Charlottesville, it's a great place. Not only is it the home of my beloved Wahoos (one of the names for UVA's mascot, though we are officially the Cavaliers), but it is also the home of Thomas Jefferson. Actually, Thomas Jefferson was the founder of the University. Here, we call him Mr. Jefferson. UVA lore goes that Jefferson hated his alma mater William and Mary so much that, when he decided to create a university, he made it as different from the college in Williamsburg as possible. Personally, I don't really know why Jefferson would hate William and Mary. Regardless, in the early 1800s, Jefferson purchased land from his buddy James Monroe. Jefferson's basic idea for the school was to have an "academical (He made this word up, and it is something UVA students often quote.) village." Basically, at that time, the center of your town would be the church, in Jefferson's village the library, the Rotunda, would be the center. From there, he had teaching pavillions and rooms for rent for students. All of these buildings faced inwards to the Rotunda. This area is called the Lawn. When students came to the school for commencement, they faced the Rotunda. When they graduated, their chairs would be turned out into the world, or so Jefferson said.

Jefferson was very involved in the construction of the school. He could actually see the school from his house with a telescope, and he would spend a great deal of time watching construction. Moreover, he actually designed each of the buildings and accompanying gardens for the Lawn. In fact, when Jefferson eventually died, he was in huge debt due to the constuction of the school. Speaking of which, another story we tell around here is that three days before he died, Thomas Jefferson rode down from his house named Monticello, pulled a chair from one of the residence halls and sat in the middle of the Lawn-- sat there and stared out into the mountains. He stayed like this for about three hours. Finally got up and left. People say that he knew he was going to pass, and he wanted to spend his last moments in the place he loved best. Whatever the reason, when designing his tombstone, Jefferson famously wrote that he wanted to be remembered for founding UVA, writing the DOI and creating the Virginia religious statute.

Okay, back to the books... more later! Please read and comment. I would love to hear from ya'll!!!

Miss P