James LaRue - myliblog

My first trip, a State Department grant, happened back in 1994. Nancy Bolt, then State Librarian of Colorado, teamed up with a former legislator in Iowa to arrange for a series of workshops and travel exchanges. Back then, Bulgaria was still throwing off the Soviet influence. Libraries had been tools of the state: a mechanism for the distribution of propaganda. Perhaps as a consequence, they did not enjoy a lot of public use or support. There was also a parallel institution: the chistalistes. Think "culture center" - a place to celebrate the folk programs and activities of a country very rich in history. The purpose of that first visit was to present a model of library as community information center. We talked about helping libraries begin to consciously collect and promote their collections to distinct market segments. We tried to encourage our colleagues to become not just passive distributors of state literature, but active, engaged, and visible "players.&qu

I get sick very seldom. But after a recent drive over to the Western Slope of Colorado, I found myself dropping off to sleep one night (in a straw bale casita made by my friend Paul) - then was suddenly very awake and unwell. Unwell here just means knife-stabbings inside the throat when I swallowed, a fever, and headache. A cold, I guess, or rhinovirus - maybe this respiratory thing that has been flying around Denver. So I drove back home the next day so as not to infect the various people I'd been hoping to consult with. The trip wasn't bad, what with the glorious Colorado landscape, and even the rain was nice, like  driving through Scottish hills, migrating clouds, and mist. And I managed to wrap up the "Order of the Phoenix" CDs. Ms Rowling is a compelling storyteller, even when you know it comes out. When I got home, Suzanne had made chicken soup (she's been brutalized by all this for a week or more), and I was in bed by 6 or so. And slept through till aft