First post

Concluded my volunteer work at the Friends of the Houston Public Library booksale at George R. Brown convention center today. I had been assigned as a "re-stock" person, but ended up being a "sorter" instead, taking all the unwanted/unsorted books and tossing them into category bins to be sent back out to the shelves (tables) to be re-stocked. It was kind
of like impromptu cataloging, in an abstract sense. Had to make a lot of snap decisions about "aboutness" and toss in the appropriate bin.

It was fun mental exercise, as well as a decent physical workout. In between I answered patron's directional questions, including where to look for certain kinds of books, etc. --Did some of that yesterday too. I told a few people today that I actually am a real librarian in
"real life", albeit an unemployed one at the moment. (*sigh* a librarian without a library is a rather sad creature, though; a doctor without a hospital is still a doctor, but can a librarian say the same thing...? Maybe, but not as convincingly perhaps.)

Anyway, it was good to put in the community service, chit chat with some of the organizers, and help people. I really do think I will transition back over to Reference work someday, as much as I like cataloging. In cataloging you kind of have to accept on faith that what you do does ultimately help someone on down the line. As a Reference librarian, you have more direct, more immediate confirmation that you're helping, in very concrete ways. That, I have to admit, is
very emotionally gratifying.

I heard back via email from the HR person at AIG; they want me to
start as soon as possible. So it looks like I got my old corporate
gig back after all. It's good news, of a sort, but the job's just not
as fun as it used to be...not the least because it long ago ceased to be
about helping people and become more and more about protecting the
insurance company's bottom line at the end of the day. Like my past 2
times working for them, my decision to rejoin them now is being driven by
the same basic motive--economic necessity. Period. I still think
they could use a corporate librarian to organize their information
better, but they're totally unwilling to spend the money on something
like that.

Anyway, maybe deeper involvement with HPL friends might look good on a
resume and help me in landing my next library job--who knows?