What I'm Reading now - The Meditations

What I’m reading Right Now:

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, the Penguin Classics edition from 1964, translated by Maxwell Staniforth

 

Stoic philosopher, Roman Emperor

Why I’m reading it:

A friend of mine who teaches classics at a local private school suggested that I read it. 

Theodore Roosevelt on Athletics, Study and Character

From a letter labeled “A Preaching letter”
to his son Kermit; Oct 2, 1903
    “I was very glad to get your letter. Am glad [sic.] you are playing football. I should be very sorry to see either you or Ted devoting most of your attention to athletics, and I haven't got any special ambition to see you shine overmuch in athletics at college, at least (if you go there), because I think it tends to take up too much time; but I do like to feel that you are manly and able to hold your own in rough hardy sports. I would rather have a boy of mine stand high in his studies than high in athletics, but I could a great deal rather have him show true manliness of character than show either intellectual or physical prowess; and I believe you and Ted both bid fair to develop just such character." 

image source: Wikimedia Commons

Bonus: as a reminder, this is PRESIDENT Roosevelt writing these letters.

From a letter labeled “Japanese Wrestling”
To his son Kermit; March 5, 1904
    I am wrestling with two Japanese wrestlers three times a week. I am not the age or the build one would think to whirled lightly over an opponent's head and batted down on a mattress without damage. But they are so skilful that I have not been hurt at all. My throat is a little sore, because once when one of them had a strangle hold I also go hold of his windpipe and thought I could perhaps choke him off before he could choke me. However, he got ahead.”

To his son Ted, April 9, 1904
    “I am very glad I have been doing this Japanese wrestling, but when I am through with it this time a am not at all sure I shall ever try it again while I am so busy with other work as I am now. Often by the time I get to five o'clock In the afternoon, I will be feeling like a stewed owl, after eight hours' grapple with Senators, Congressmen, etc. ' then I find the wrestling a trifle too vehement for mere rest. My right ankle and my left wrist and one thumb and both great toes are swollen sufficiently to more or less impair their usefulness, and I am well mottled with bruises elsewhere. Still I have made good progress, and since you left they have taught me three new throws that are perfect corkers.”

So You Want My (Library) Job - from the Art of Manliness

     I've been a reader of the AoM blog for several years now, and have also acquired several books from the site for our collection. So here they repay the favor (in a manner of speaking) with an entry in their "So You Want My Job" series. Nate Pedersen is a librarian at a public library in Bend, Oregon, and gives his view on getting into the library field, which historically has been a female-dominated profession. 

 This is not Nate Pederson. This is James Billington, former Librarian of Congress.

 I'd put the photo of Pederson from AoM up here, but there's that copyright thing.

I like his response to one of the questions: 

 What is the best part of your job?

"The fact that every single day I go home from work having made someone’s life just a little bit better. That can be as simple as finding a good book to read or as complex as helping someone finally land a job after hovering at the edge of homelessness."

     As an academic librarian, I don't get to help people recover from unemployment and homelessness, but I do get to help students get un-stuck when their research process grinds to a halt, or when they can't find a resource they remember hearing about, but they don't know what it was called.  That's a good feeling. It was among the reasons why I decided to get involved with the Roaming Librarian initiative - bringing our skills to bear right where the students are.
     I'm responsible for placing orders to replace books that have been lost from our collection (and boy does that happen a lot); and while the process is tedious, it is a satisfying feeling to know that books which our patrons want are getting back on the shelf to be used. Directly or indirectly, every day I make research possible - the research that turns our students into educated degree-holders ready to go out into the world and make a difference. 
     I agree with his thoughts about the library continuing to be a vital part of a community (public or academic) and successfully navigating the ever-changing world of information technology. Heavens, in my working life we've gone from databases on CD-ROM (remember those?) to multi- or unlimited user access databases online with decades of journal backfiles; and all of these can be accessed with a 1 pound tablet computer, as opposed to the desktop dinosaurs that were the best thing going when I was in library school. Despite the popularity of e-books, and their seemingly ever-increasing accessibility, print books aren't fading away.  But whatever form the book takes; an old library director used to call that the 'can', while the information was the 'tomatoes'; librarians will be able to connect people with the knowledge they seek.

Art of Manliness - TR on Integrity

A nice short 'manvotional' today from the Art of Manliness site. Since it quotes Theodore Roosevelt, who is much admired here at Deep in the Stacks, I present it for your consideration. 

From the speech, Citizenship in a Republic, 1910 By Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt On Integrity in Private and Public Life

Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest, "Theodore Roosevelt", accessed 15 Oct 2012, http://quest.eb.com/images/115_2248833