In two successive evenings, I had dinner with Sophie and Dr. O'Brien and I watched three of five episodes of Library Wars. As a result of that and sleep deprivation, I am now even more determined to be a combat librarian. Okay. I don't think I'm going to be supertall and specialize in Goes Fast and Hits Hard. But I do think that I can be a combat librarian, and I really do have that kind of fanatical commitment to the written word that's humorously featured in the show. Also, maybe if I'm a librarian, I will be able to figure out the provenance of my Mysterious Byron Book, which is an off-and-on mission to find something that's not listed in WorldCat. I explained it to Sophie (drunk) (on the Metro) (loudly). I love books. The idea that another Cotton collection fire or another bombing of "that one monastery in Germany, you know, the one with all the manuscripts" could happen is a thing that I'd like to fight against. Especially since one of the manuscripts I worked with was actually colored with green ink (it was an herbal manual) and the copper used to make the green was burning through the vellum. It boggled my mind that books made out of cowhide could just melt away if no one bothered to check on it. And there was that one time I was looking up something ridiculous (a collection of 18th century correspondence) in my college's library, and discovered mildew on the pages. Yuck!

I was very impressed with Iron Man. Tony Stark is the kind of deranged but socially brilliant genius that I can really relate with. Yeah. That's what I want to be when I grow up. He reminds me of Ariana Huffington, a lady whom I really respect not only as the founder of The Huffington Post, but also because she's beautiful, charismatic, outspoken, and most importantly uses her powers for the good of the people.


Honestly? I'm sick and tired of being shushed. We have talk shows that feature books or book authors. People form book clubs. You can't have a class about literature without a discussion component. So why is it that when we go into a library, our concept of "respect" is being as quiet as possible around people? Sure, you respect the PEOPLE by shutting up. But you respect the author, the book, and the culture of literature itself by talking about it. Literature is nothing without literary discourse. It's the ultimate, geeky popularity contest. I think libraries should be social places. If people want to go into isolation about their reading, they can leave or we can have sound-proof cubbies.

So here's my idea. I want to create a social venue, like an afterschool daycare kind of thing, but the main focus will be media. I want to have computers for people to do homework on, but also computers that people can try out games on. The point of having an inner-city afterschool program is having a place that people will want to go to, with people to make sure that they aren't getting into gangs, drugs, or violence. I want to have a place where people can do their homework and talk about it, but also do fun things that will make them want to come. If they happen to think that it's a good time to take care of some homework, we'll have reference books and people on staff willing to help.

But I also want it to be a social place where people can indulge in geekery. Look at a library reading room. It's well lit, everyone can see each other, and there are power outlets at every workstation. It's the perfect place to have a LAN party, or tabletop game sessions. It's already a place where you can have events, so a small gaming competition or even a convention isn't out of the question.

I am secretly hoping that I will come into a large pile of money and actually be able to do this. I'll have a silent partner whom I'll reveal at our first big gaming convention, Mr. Vin Diesel, who will not only talk about how libraries and gaming have inspired him to do great things, but also will run a first ed. D&D game for some of the kids. :> But not only would I want experienced DMs/GMs on staff, I'd also love to have people who are really enthusiastic to read, so kids will be inspired. So kids who aren't encouraged to excel in school can see reading in a circle or reading a classic novel as a fun activity, rather than as a chore that won't help them in life. So maybe like a storytime. For the little kids, something like The Hobbit or Watership Down would be great, either having someone read it aloud, or having the kids act it out. Who doesn't want to be one of the dwarves at the beginning of The Hobbit? Or for middle schoolers, having someone like Sophie just describe the plot of the Iliad, book by book, so they can see that it's not just boring poetry that someone makes them read, it's a sweet war book that other people are really into.

And not just that. But people who are crazy enough to make comparisons to modern day things. Like how the Marcus/Dom relationship in Gears of War is humorously similar to the Achilles/Patroclus relationship. Or seeing Batman as an Odysseus. Or watching League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and imagining Dorian Gray as a superhero.

Anyway... yeah. That's my daydream.