James LaRue - myliblog

Today I picked up a pair of re-soled and re-sealed work boots. I have worn these boots for an incredible 37 years . I bought them in Bloomington IL, right after college. At the time (1978), I was a truck driver in central Illinois, delivering produce (green goods) through what turned out to be one of the most brutal winters in a century. Later, I wore them through my hitchhiking around the country. Most recently, I find them to be the perfect boots for Rocky Mountain trails. Not to be too sentimental about this, but these boots KNOW my feet. They are molded to my bones. We have known each other longer than I have known almost anybody. They have 10 eyelets, so I suppose are about 8 inches tall -- I only thread seven of the eyelets, then run the laces around the boot for a secure fastening over the ankle. They have a double-lined leather interior. The outside leather is dyed GREEN . The soles (my second ever) are Vibram. These boots were made by Supreme - a company I cannot now l...

My first few days of "retirement" seemed to involve me working harder than ever. But then, it was never "retirement." It was the Next Chapter. One of my key projects was to update my website . I had to recast what wasn't much more than a set of bookmarks and CV files, to a presentation to the world about how I hope I might be able to help other libraries (and not just libraries) move forward. There are three ways: through speaking , through writing , and through consulting . I have to say that I really don't like most of the websites I see. I find myself inclining toward a minimalist aesthetic in many areas of my new life. To me, that means an understanding that the most precious resource on our planet is attention . I really don't want to be shunted around 16 panels, 42 photos, 6 Flash videos, 4 Next Pages, and pop-ups. Who has the time? After a whole lot of thought, I whittled jlarue.com down to 8 pages. That feels ... about right, especially sin...