When cataloging an item for a library, you're not just creating a description of its physical and intellectual contents, you're also establishing access points for a library patron to find that item. A large chapter of the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR2 -- we're on the second edition) is dedicated to selecting the access points for any ( Read more... )

so last night the Hillel acapella chorus ("U of I's premier Jewish acapella vocal group!") held its mid-year auditions. As part of the audition, we asked people to sing a song of their choice...so one girl decided to sing Mary Magdalene's solo "I don't know how to love him" from Jesus Christ, Superstar.

...I got nuttin, man.

Recent phonecall I just fielded:

She: "could you help me find articles for a paper I'm writing on female characters in the Mahabharata?"

Me: "um....I think you wanted to call the english library, not engineering."

So I'm putting my bike up in the garage after riding across town and back, and I hear an ice-cream truck rolling down the road. As it's rolling past, the song changes to some bouncy tune in a minor key that sounds awfully familiar....and then it strikes me. The ice-cream truck is playing Dona, Dona, a mournful Yiddish song from the 19/20C ghettos ( Read more... )

yes, my avid and eager readers, I am back, and mostly moved into my new digs here in Urbana. Music Thing will probably be done tomorrow, once I find a suitable vid, but for now, I'm going to share with you the story of how my move has gone.

( first, they came for the furniture, but it was too early so nobody spoke out )

The Bureaucratic joy that is University Housing strikes again ( Read more... )

Went to a different synagogue for services back on friday night. Rather than the almost-orthodox place around the corner from me, I went to AA, the ginormous fairly-liberal conservative synagogue not far from my office. It's...interesting. Ahavath Achim (and now you see why we all call it "AA" instead) has transformed from being a little ( Read more... )