I was especially impressed by the setup of the children’s section. The circular bookshelves create little private areas with sofas and cushions so parents can comfortably read to their children, or children can read to themselves with little danger of being interrupted. I mentioned the book labels earlier; the labels on the children’s books are adorable. There’s a ghost sticker for scary stories, a wizard’s hat for stories about magic, and so on. And fiction books are intershelved with nonfiction books, something that’s rarely done in the United States. Everything seems to be arranged to help kids easily find the kind of books they’re looking for, and maybe even find some they’re not looking for.

After seeing just one library here, I’m not going to proclaim Dutch libraries superior to U.S. libraries. After all, we do have some really great libraries in the U.S., too. But if I keep seeing this kind of quality at other libraries I visit, I’ll definitely be a convert.

Technology does, in fact, change the ways we communicate. Look at the front page of a newspaper — any newspaper you like. Now look at the website of the same newspaper. What stories are given prominence on the printed page? What is the first thing you notice on the website? Every once in awhile, there may be some overlap in top story choice, but often you’ll notice and read completely different stories. The newspaper company uses the technologies (yes, I consider the printed word technology) differently to communicate news to readers. It has to. Newspapers have tried to replicate the printed page experience online, but it doesn’t translate.

Paul explained that there are four perspectives on ICT:

• conservative – ICT as a neutral container
• pragmatic – ICT as a tool
• critical – ICT as technology of control
• radical – destabilizes importance of ICT by deconstruction

All perspectives, Paul claimed, are important and useful.

Going back to my newspaper example, I think it would be short-sighted to claim that ICT is a neutral container, especially in the communication of news. The technology used partially shapes how communication takes place, which changes the reader’s experience in receiving information. Newspapers definitely take the pragmatic perspective: They use ICT as a tool to convey news (and ads — gotta make money). I’ll have to think a bit about how critical and radical perspectives could be taken on newspapers’ use of technology. I may come back to that.

One other quote from Paul that I really liked: “We like to stick ICT into the chicken coop and see how the chickens behave.”

Once our appetite for frites was sated, we walked to Begijnhof, a home for single Catholic women who didn’t want to take the vows to become nuns. The women worshipped in a small, hidden church in the courtyard in the middle of the houses. Begijnhof houses are still reserved for women. Apparently we still needed some churching, because then we went to Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder, or “Our Lord in the Attic” church, and Sint Nicolaaskerk (St. Nicholas’ church). According to Lonely Planet, the church was built in 1661 during the Calvinist era. At the time, it was illegal for Catholics to openly attend a Catholic church, so a wealthy businessman built a chapel in the upper stories of his home. Amsterdam officials turned a blind eye to Catholic worship as long as their church didn’t look like one. Sint Nicolaaskerk most definitely looked like a church, though. I’ll have to look up a little more history to see why it was OK. It was nice to sit quietly inside the chapel before going to our first group dinner as a class.

Greta and I waited at Koffiehuis van den Voksbond for about half an hour because someone *cough*Trent*cough* led the rest of the class horribly astray from Centraal Station. It was actually kind of nice to have a chance to enjoy the funky decor before the rest of the group got there. Supposedly the coffee house (no, not that kind) began as a charitable eating place for dockworkers. It has an ever-changing menu of really good food (some people said amazing, but I wouldn’t go that far). I started my meal with a smoked mackerel, grapefruit and avocado salad that was a perfect balance of smoky, salty and tart flavors. It was the best course of the meal. My main course, asparagus risotto, was nearly perfect, but the rice was just a touch too crunchy. Other than that, everything was cooked perfectly, and the flavor was fantastic. I finished up the meal with cardamom creme brulee, which could have been wonderful. I’ve had too many good creme brulees, though, to be impressed by something that was a little too runny and wasn’t topped with properly caramelized sugar. It was OK, I’ll give it that. Overall, though, I was pretty satisfied with the day.

• My family. Two parents, seven siblings, 15 and counting nieces and nephews. It’s a whole host of people who will be my best friends for the rest of my life. I’m so glad I get along well with all my brothers and sisters. I think it’s sad when people dread family visits — I don’t think that will ever be me. It has been extremely gratifying seeing everyone pull together to help each other through the hard times we’ve had this summer.
• The gospel. Losing a sister is the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. I know some people would say I’m weak for believing that we’ll be together again as sisters after this life. Then yes, I’m weak. But I’ll never give up the strength that the gospel gives me in times of trial.
• Losing my job. The second-hardest thing in my life has been watching my mom go through chemotherapy for colon cancer, but I’m thankful I could be there to help her through part of it. I have some great memories from the four months I spent with her in Joseph City. The timing of the P-I’s closure couldn’t have worked out better for me.
• Climb Ev’ry Mountain. The Hunt family singers all got together to perform for the first and last time at my mom’s farewell concert when she retired from Joseph City Elementary. I still cry every time I watch the video, but what a memory.
• The drive to Mesa. After my mom’s concert, the whole family went to Mesa for Josh’s baby blessing that same weekend. I rode down with Celia and her two oldest girls and then stayed at Celia’s house Saturday night. I’m thankful I had the chance to spend a few more hours talking and laughing late into the night with one of my best friends.
• Friends. Early in the summer I asked my dad if he felt a little like Job in the Old Testament. His reply was “Our friends haven’t forsaken us.” The love and support I’ve felt from my friends has been amazing. Thank you.
• The Holbrook pool. It was difficult getting up at 5 all those mornings I went swimming with my mom, but I’m grateful I could watch the sun rise over an outdoor pool while my mom got heaps of healing fresh air, exercise and sunshine. My mile will be faster next summer, Mom.
• My bike. I love it. I’m not even close to being on track to accomplish my mileage goal this year, alas. But riding is such a release for me. Hooray for two wheels!
• Grad school. I haven’t started yet, but I’m thankful I got into grad school. And I’m thankful I got into UW. I can’t imagine how stressful it would have been to move across the country to Syracuse with everything else that has been going on. Thanks for accepting me, UW.
• Books. Hooray for words on paper between two slabs of cardboard! So much more than the sum of their parts.

So, this isn’t by any means a comprehensive list. Maybe I’ll add to it from time to time. What are you thankful for?

After spending a couple of days in Syracuse, I went to New York City to play for a few days. I actually liked the city a lot more than I thought I would. It’s definitely an urban jungle, but I loved walking around Central Park, and I’d like to scoop up Broadway and Times Square and transplant them into Seattle. I did a TON of walking – my toes were an unrecognizable mass of blisters by the end of my trip. I didn’t take very many pictures this time around, but here’s a glimpse of what my trip was like.

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I applied to grad school in the beginning of January. I’m planning on getting a master’s degree in library and information science. The highlight of my application process was doing an interview with Nancy Pearl, my librarian hero. I listen to her podcast, and I have a deluxe action figure of her with shushing action. A little dorky, I know. So far, Syracuse has accepted me, and I’m waiting for decisions from the University of Illinois and the University of Washington. I’m going to  visit Syracuse in a couple of weeks and then spend a few days in NYC. Anyone want to join me?

The other big event was on January 9. Steve Swartz, the Hearst head of newspapers, came to the P-I and told us that Hearst is tired of losing money publishing the newspaper, so the company was going to try to sell it. If a buyer isn’t found within 60 days, Hearst will close the P-I. The 60-day mark is next Tuesday, so we’ll see what happens. You can probably get a pretty good idea of what we’re going through at the P-I by watching the video on the Rocky Mountain News website. It’s sad to see newspapers dying, especially with the up-close and personal view I have.