Libraries, Printers, and Sigma News

Let's preface this by saying that it's well after midnight and I just started working on the diss around 11. I have completely resigned myself to the knowledge that I am a nightowl. My official writing hours will be 10pm until 2-3am. During the day--reading, researching, and maybe outlining (oh, and maybe blogging)--along with working on aforementioned publication and teaching portfolio goals. But at night--only dissertation. This is when I will write from now on (unless the Spirit otherwise moves and I find productivity and inspiration at additional times of day as well). My sorors will be thrilled to know that my away message won't be up perpetually all day.

Sidenote--I really appreciate my friends, sorors, and loved ones who actually read my away messages and don't bother me when it says I'm trying to write.

That being said. It's turned from a stressful start to the week to a very bright day.

I met perhaps the world's greatest librarian this week. She's a reference librarian at the main public library here in town and she's just FABULOUS--here to known as Ms. Wonderful. I met her on Monday when I was in search of the ever elusive Lelia Smith-Foley-Davis (we finally figured out the triple name score mystery). Ms. Wonderful was immediately immersed in my dectective work with me and as a result, she immediately shared my frustration. We did some searching on Monday to little avail, but alas the fierceless Ms. Wonderful would not give up. So I get an email from her later on saying that she had found a great lead that I might want to look at. She left some materials for me at the reference desk, but since she did not work again until Wednesday I let her know that I would wait until she returned to visit again. So today she introduced me to perhaps one of the world's best, least known reference materials for African American subjects:

In Black and White - A Guide to Magazine Articles, Newspaper Articles, and Books Concerning More than 15,000 Black Individuals and Groups, by Mary Spradling (circa 1980--3rd edition)

This wonderful periodical index is one of the best works of recovery I've ever seen. I know I'm a nerd, but for the first time ever, I considered buying an index--it's that good and its one of those things you just know is going to disappear from all the world's libraries one day. What makes it special is not just that it had listings for my subject :), but that it indexes a lot of old Black periodicals like Essence and Jet for those early dates (you know those dates right before databases like ProQuest pick up). So anyone doing research on Black subjects, especially civil rights era, should check this out. Back to the story, when I arrived, Ms. Wonderful has copied for me the page that has listings for my subject. We take a trip over to the microfilms and she pulls a couple of the articles for me (because she's already read a few) that she thinks I'll find interesting. Well, I soon realized that my short library trip was becoming lengthy and by the time I read through the reels she had pulled, the time was up on my parking meter (yes the public library has very limited public parking). So I let Ms. Wonderful know what I had found and casually mentioned that I would be back to look up the remaining listings right after I fed my meter. Folks, in the time that it took me to go downstairs, stuff in some change and come back up, Ms. Wonderful had pulled the remaining 4 or 5 reels for me and had already loaded the next article (in chronological order) into the reader for me. As if that's not enough, during all of this time, she continued searching for me and found the death record of my subject's mother. In short, I am now completely spoiled and don't know if I'll ever be able to visit another library again.

In other news--I got my new laser printer. It's a cute little printer from Best Buy (my other home)--hopefully it will live up to its 3000 page billing because goodness knows the inkjet wasn't cutting it.

AND...

My beautiful sorority that I love so dear, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Innnnnnncorporated, has named me one of the Top 20 members under the age of 40. The recognition is completely undeserving but much appreciated. I just love my sorors--they always know how to brighten a sister's day when she needs it most!!

Back to work Mon.