Unlike some of the stories that I've covered before, the lesson here is clear and easy to understand. There's appears to be no deeper analysis then the simple concept that your wants shouldn't outstrip your means. You got the nice house now be happy with it instead of demanding more. Having said that, and now that I think about it, perhaps there is a deeper, less pleasant lesson here, about how the poor should be happy with whatever bits of largess they receive and not entertain dreams of rising above their station.
Author: Dr. Elizabeth Headrick
Librarian | Podcaster | Writer
#FolkloreThursday: Sing a Song of Sixpence…
Most of us are familiar with this nursery rhyme, right? It's one of those rhymes that you just seem to know, and maybe you wondered why there were birds in a pie but it didn't take up too much of your thought, right? Well, it should have been taking up your thoughts because depending on what source you look at, there are layers upon layers of suspected meaning here.
Redefining and Redesigning the Practice of the Reader’s Advisory
Libraries exist in a unique place in our culture and they have the ability to set cultural standards simply by the books that they offer and display, and the ways in which they speak with their patrons about their reading choices. Due to the implied authority of librarians, young readers especially will be influenced by the suggestions that are being made. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. It really just depends on the librarian.
#FairytaleTuesday: The Journey of the Straw, the Coal, and the Bean
A straw, a coal, and a bean came together and wanted to take a great journey. They had already gone through many countries when they reached a brook without a bridge and couldn’t cross. Finally, straw came up with a good idea.
#FolkloreThursday: Headless Horsemen
The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannon-ball, in some nameless battle during the Revolutionary War...
Seriously, Y’all… Get Out of the Library
So, the policies, services, and collections are in place, but that isn't enough. As we've discussed before, not everyone that you are trying to reach is a library patron, yet. They need to know that these services and collections are there for them so how do we do it?
#FairytaleTuesday: The White Snake
Intention is what matters and we can't allow ourselves to think beyond our intentions in the moment, even if our intention is to buy a princess and improve our own social standing. And really, no one is ever completely altruistic in their actions. We will all, at some point, act in our own self-interests. It's just a matter of the compromises you're willing to make to get what you want.
#FolkloreThursday: Goatman’s Bridge
In the 1930s there was an Black goat farmer named Oscar Washburn who lived in the Denton, Texas area, near Old Alton Bridge. Washburn was an incredibly successful and popular farmer who was known for miles around for the quality of the meat, milk, cheese, and hides that his farm produced. Washburn became so well know, in fact, that he hung a sign near the bridge that said "This way to the Goatman," the better to direct people to his farm.
Addressing the Problematic Nature of Cataloging and Collection Development
Weirdly enough--or maybe not so weird--the specific use of "illegal immigrants," a term used to dehumanize and deny agency, was a very large sticking point and on July 10, 2016, the LOC was ordered to continue using that subject heading. Many libraries across the country began creating their own subject headings to bypass this and, as of today, right now, the term is still very much in use within the LC Catalog.
#FairytaleTuesday: Herr Fix-It-Up
Fix-It-Up had been a soldier for a long time. When the war came to an end, however, and there was nothing but the same old things to do every day, he resigned from the army and decided to become a servant for a great lord. There would be clothes trimmed with gold, a lot to do, and always new things happening
Bluestocking Writes... 