Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Afternoon Thoughts, Evening Thoughts

Sandro Botticelli


Afternoon Thoughts

I have been reading more of The Sound on the Page by Ben Yagoda. What separates this book from almost every book I have ever read is the extraordinary ability of the author to quote people at exactly the right time. He has quotes from original interviews as well as past quotes.
A quote which I particularly enjoyed was:

Benjamin Disraeli, "It is style alone by which posterity will judge a great work."

On a more pedestrian note, I have been ordering annual reports. Sometimes requesting these things is one of the worst most interminable things to do. This is especially true if you get a customer service person who does not want to transfer you, but puts you on endless hold. Then you have to search around the company website for an email to investor relations.

I have found that internet forms to fill out requesting annual reports are often far easier to handle than secretaries. You simply fill out the forms and pray that they send you the annual report. For some reason, they are more often likely to do this than if you talk to the investor relations person who sometimes loses your request.

Most of the company reports for publicly traded company annual reports I request are either very local in the surrounding counties, or are the biggest companies in the state of New York. The majority of the time people request paper annual reports is not for reasons of finances, but to read about the company for a job interview. This is the main reason we still keep the paper annual reports drawer. The majority of people who are looking only at finances will just look the SEC report online.

I am going to anger you now, with an account of deeply boring tedium. I spent a bit more time weeding today. I have also been replacing some of the older titles with new editions.


I also spent some time replacing the looseleaf pages in the law books. This is supremely boring to do. It is so boring it is almost meditative. It does require accuracy, however. Sometimes, it requires when the window is open you block the area off so the the thin pages don't fly away as well.


Laws must be constantly updated because of the continuous arrival of new cases. At the same time, it is very hard to let go of anything because law is based on precedent. Thus every law collection I have ever seen in a library, unless it is mostly online has run out of space.


Evening Thoughts


My goal is coming to fruition and rising to a head. My immediate supervisor recommended me as the person with the most knowledge of books in the library for collection development to the new director. I was a bit surprised today that he did this. It is one step in a slow crescendo towards a goal.


This gives me two recommendations in step towards what I want to get. We are having the collection development meeting that was cancelled tomorrow. Also, the director said that my goals were in line with what she was seeking in changing the collection. I will have to talk specifics very soon. I am thinking it out carefully right now. I will have to be very careful about what I say. I like to be methodical about these things.


Right now, I am trying to outline a strategy in my mind before I do anything. Of course like everything, it will change from what I am thinking about. This blog has helped me focus on the issue. I know, I know it is one of those things which is not deeply fascinating to you, but it helps me focus.

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