Three Forbidden Topics of Discussion in the Workplace or Why I'm Glad the Election is Over

My staff and I share a workspace with another department. When we talk among ourselves, we don't touch on the three celebrated forbidden topics of polite conversation: sex, religion, or politics. But the staff sharing our workspace 5 yards away from us, has- since we started sharing workspace- has talked politics for what seems like eons (since election talk never stopped after the last presidential election). They all seemed to share the same views but -if a staff member had an opposing viewpoint, I think he or she would be hesitant to join the discussion. It's distracting when we're trying to concentrate on our work or trying also to listen to customers on the phone. However, there's another consideration-- the door to their public area is always open. If we can hear them, the public also gets an earful. Should we have to put earphones on and block the noise- also blocking hearing colleagues that are trying to get our attention for work-related reasons?

It may affect me more than others. I've seen seemingly strong long-standing friendships and relationships fall apart over politics and witnessed that heartbreak at close quarters. Time and again I've seen politics get in the way of good government and good public service. I always looked as voting as voting for issues, voting for people who can make a positive difference- not voting for a party. In the past, when I've complained about the invective-laden and uncivil political discourse in the workplace, it's been assumed that I was objecting because I disagreed with the views being expressed- not because I thought that the discussion of politics had no place in the workplace. So, people incorrectly assume that they know what I believe. And they don't. Not - I suspect- that they're even curious.

Joys of ILL, Part 1: Explaining Why We Can't Get A Book

My Interlibrary Loan Borrowing staff (and I- since I help out with that) have a high success rate in getting books customers want that are eligible for ILL. A small percentage a Because there are so many ILL Management Systems (like ILLiad) out there, there are a handful of one-to two word reasons that come through for NOT filling an ILL request. Some are direct and to the point: NON-CIRCULATING. Some are a bit more elusive: BRANCH POLICY. Some are downright evasive: OTHER. There used to be one called UNSPECIFIED but OCLC killed UNSPECIFIED off earlier this year- but ILLiad users won't see OTHER and UNSPECIFIED gone until the next upgrade. So- for the time being-in ILLiad-land, the UNSPECIFIED reason gets transmorgified into OTHER.

I'm glad it's soon to gone. Glad, I tell you, glad, glad, glad! BWAHAHAHA! Its use gave rise to many an unproductive conversation with customers:
ILL: "They wouldn't lend the book to us."
Customer: "Why?"
ILL: "They wouldn't say."
Customer: "They wouldn't say? What does that mean?"
ILL: "The reason they gave was 'Unspecified'."
Customer: " 'Unspecified'? What is that supposed to mean?"
ILL: "They wouldn't say."

I think that 'Unspecified' was -at times- a way for the lender to say:"We could tell you, but then we'd have to kill you." But I may be wrong. After all- they really wouldn't tell us why. "They wouldn't say."

Encouraging the Heart:In praise of stickers

I've been having some problems with the computers I work with (my laptop is still spending quality time in IT), so I've been camping out in the workroom so I get some computer time. It's given me an opportunity to observe what's going on. Staffers troop in with ILL Lending fills and -if they found everything we asked them for- I often heard the phrase: "Don't I get a gold star?" Well, I thought, why not? But gold stars are just so early 20th Century, y'know? So, I got a bright idea. I'd been putting smiley faces on the stats spreadsheet every time everything was found. Why not smiley face stickers to celebrate staff finding everything we asked for? I thought that they would be easy to find considering the rampant 70's nostalgia out there. It wasn't as easy to find them as I thought it would be. Starting in September, I began handling them out.

It's been interesting seeing the reactions of staff. Some staff seek me out to get a sticker. In one department, it's an excuse to brag (and -according to one staffer- rub it in to other staff that had bad luck finding fills) . One staff member displays the stickers on her book truck like WWII fighter pilots displayed "downed enemy plane" counts. A tiny minority of staff aren't enthused.

It's been an interesting exercise. I wonder how they'll react to the smiley stars I'll be handing out in December.

Maimonides' Day

If you go to the U.S. Capitol, you will see twenty-three marble relief portraits over the gallery doors of the House Chamber depict historical figures noted for their work in establishing the principles that underlie American law. You'll recognize only a few of the names. Among them, you'll find portrait of Moses Maimonides (1135-1204).

Maimonides was a physician, a philosopher, a theologian, a commentator, etc. --a Renaissance man whose life pre-dated the Renaissance. (Would that make him a pre-Renaissance man?) One of the books he wrote which is still being read today is A Guide for the Perplexed. (Wonderful title! It could be used today as a subtitle for a wide number of books on any topic. The Internet: A Guide for the Perplexed. Modern Life: A Guide for the Perplexed)

A few years ago, I came across the text of a letter Maimonides wrote to a scholar who sought an audience with the He wrote the letter to dissuade him from making the trip to old Cairo to meet him. Instead of merely saying "I just don't have time to meet with you", he tells the scholar about his day. You can find the text of the letter at: http://www.jpi.org/rambam.htm - scroll part-way down to see the part I'm referring to. His day is so jam packed full of the demands others have for his time. He manages to squeeze in some study and write. He barely has time to eat. Part way through the letter, he states: "When night falls, I am so exhausted that I can hardly speak. " Even as night falls, his studies are interrupted patients and visitors. The Sabbath brings little relief. He died when he was 69 - a ripe old age, I suppose, at the time. If all his days were as chock-full as he describes, it's a miracle he lived that long!

I think of Maimonides' letter when I feel there are too many demands on my time and energies. It puts my experiences into perspective. As a child, I heard adults complain about the stress of the modern world and a longing for the "good old days". I don't think things have changed so much through the ages. There's always something new, some change that causes us concern or distress. Even when the good stresses that add sweetness to our lives come our way, they leave their marks on us. At times. it seems that the only humans who always embrace change are babies- and that's just when the change involves their diapers! The trick to dealing with stress seems to be discovering how to handle it, finding out what matters most, and benefitting from lessons learned.