“The Librarian, whose job is to heal ignorance, to keep life safe for poetry and to put knowledge smack dab in the middle of the American way.” (From The Philadelphia Inquirer, 9-20-03)

wanderingbooknut at gmail dot com

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

Poster created for me by Doug Johnson

My name is Jacquie Henry. I am a retired librarian who spent most of her career at Ruben A. Cirillo High School in Walworth, New York. I started this blog to talk about library issues.  When I started, I made this statement:

As time goes on, I may discover even more reasons to blog. Or I may discover that I do not have the time or inclination to make the necessary commitment. I may wander off in another direction completely – so the title “Wanderings” is probably quite appropriate….

Well – guess what?   I am “wandering off in another direction.”

Why?  Well – I certainly found my 40 year career to be very exciting, and still follow library related issues with interest. However, since retiring, I have struggled with the direction this blog should take.  Web 2.0 technologies (now and antiquated phrase) change a school library’s mission on a daily basis. Also – with the advent of Common Core, I am not as in touch with education needs as I used to be (or should be) to write effectively on library issues.  

To add to that, I now struggle with a chronic disease every day.  Being periodically incapacitated encouraged me to explore the world of social media more closely.  I enjoy socializing on Facebook to keep in touch with friends when I am housebound.  I find many thought provoking  posts – but also many that make me angry….. quick and dirty (not to mention superficial) analyses of current issues.  So – I have made a new resolution that I hope will help revive this dormant blog.

You can read about my resolution here: My Facebook Resolution

So – I hope to keep my lifelong passion for writing alive.  Whenever I encounter something new, I find that I have a strong NEED to write down my thoughts.  I have done this since I was very young.  Reading and writing have been my passion, and blogging was absolutely made for me.  No wonder I went into the library profession!  Anyway – please bear with me as I wander off into the future and “think out loud” – which is what writing is all about.

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Notes from a lifelong library lover:

Being a librarian has always been fun. But Web 2.0 technologies make library jobs more exciting every day.

But wait a minute – isn’t the internet a threat to librarians? Now that everyone “Googles” – who needs librarians? Whenever someone says this, I wonder if the person has been inside a library lately. Libraries are busier than ever.

Librarians have always been guides in the print world. We are “idea people”. Our mission is to bring people and ideas together. It does not matter whether those ideas are in the form of a book, a video, a web page, an electronic database, an ebook, a blog or a podcast.

Mostly, librarians CARE about people. Yes – technology is fun, but sometimes it can get in the way. Bottom line – librarians understand that no matter how cool the technology is – it is worth nothing if “real” people can’t use it. So we create road maps to help folks access and understand the information they need – regardless of which tech highway they happen to be on at the moment.

Why Did I Start This Blog?

1. As a “hands on” way to learn about blogging
2. As a way to communicate with teachers
3. As a way to share ideas with other librarians
4. As a way to “think out loud!”

Why Did I Name It Wanderings?
As time goes on, I may discover even more reasons to blog. Or I may discover that I do not have the time or inclination to make the necessary commitment. I may wander off in another direction completely – so the title “Wanderings” is probably quite appropriate…..

Jacquie Henry, MLS

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