Style Post

Last week (or possibly earlier) I began writing a scholarly, informative, and interesting post on the trials and tribulations of effectively utilizing student workers in an academic library.

That hasn't gotten very far yet, and any focus I had on the topic has been quickly set aside by a near-tragedy at the library where I am currently working. There will be an entire post about that later, most likely after the campus is re-opened and the extent of what could have happened vs. what did happen is fully assessed. For now I will say that our north-eastern state experienced a very unusual weather pattern which led to a situation which could have been much worse, but that everything important on our campus was luckily left intact and undamaged, with no one being injured.

For now, on a completely different track and in the interest of keeping myself in the blogging mindset, I present the first Style Post. My style is a morale booster, and a confidence booster for me. I don't feel at my optimal self if I'm not wearing the clothes that I feel most comfortable in. From time to time I will be posting pictures of my favorite work outfits to share a little bit of my own quirky style with you. This first outfit shows off just the basic building blocks of one of my most-worn outfits.

The skirt and over-the-knee socks are by Japanese brand Innocent World, and the print on the skirt features several books, along with chess pieces, pocket watches, and keys. Ever one for coordination, it was obvious to me that this skirt would do very well in a library setting. The blouse also features antique gold-colored rose buttons, and the socks have an argyle and ribbon pattern woven in, as you might be able to see below (in which the items are more true to color). In order to mix up the outfit, I will wear it with different hair accessories and jewelery each time, sometimes adding a black fitted vest over the blouse, or a ribbon tie for a girlier look.

I love that this outfit is old-fashioned yet refreshing and looks cute but still elegant, especially with a nice pair of basic, low-heeled dress shoes (rounded toe and simple embellishments preferred).

Innocent World has many other old fashioned, refined items that would complement a library setting. You can check out their website here.

Cute Library Item of the Day

It always seemed like most of my librarian co-workers or internship mentors wear either glasses or contacts. As I've never needed to wear glasses, I start to feel left out sometimes when most of the people around me are wearing them. Especially when the stereotype is so strongly in favor of librarians wearing glasses.


When I found this necklace I decided it would be just the thing to make me feel more legit, in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way. At only $1.50 a piece, I probably should have gotten two...

 

Mythology

One of my first tasks as an academic librarian was to create a LibGuide on Mythology to coincide with a course being offered this fall. As I was in the middle of reading Nancy Farmer's The Sea of Trolls when my supervisor asked me to create the guide, I was quite excited to be asked to put it together.

In creating the Guide itself I tried to make it an overview or introduction instead of trying to offer the students a Spark Notes version of their class. It literally is a guide on how to search for books on mythology with a list of some of the reference works that our library holds and a few websites that could be used to find reputable information on the subject. As there are several mythology pantheons to choose from, I wanted to have something to show from a few different ones because in my experience while most people have at least heard of Greek mythology, many people don't realize that Egyptian, Native American, and African theologies are considered mythology as well. I used amazon.com to link a photo of the covers of the reference books I featured so they would be more eye-catching. My library's head of Public Services has helpfully setup a template of database search boxes so that I can embed those directly onto the Guide as well, making it more likely that students will actually do the recommended searches since the input field is right there. Lastly, I added a page with a list of modern novels inspired by mythology to (hopefully) get the students more interested in the subject, and give them a place to go if they find they really enjoy the subject and want to read more mythology-centric things (you can find the list of titles at the end of this blog post).

In searching the internet for good web sites to feature on the Guide, one of the most exciting things I found is a blog about Norse mythology. Simply titled The Norse Mythology Blog, it is written by Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried, a professor of Norse myth at Loyola University Chicago. The blog consists of descriptions of major Norse gods and stories, interviews with artists and authors whose work is heavily inspired by Norse mythology, and interviews with the heads of religious orders that practice the old Norse religious rites. Among other things. It also features historical articles about the Nordic religion's clash with Christianity, articles on current scholarship, and interviews with Swedish metal bands. I was delighted to find it, because it covers such a broad range of topics, and integrates so much of modern art, music, and Norse culture into the study of Norse mythology. I'm hoping that someone will be led there from the mythology guide and find it as intriguing as I do.

All of this reading and researching in the mythology subject area made me curious what types of mythology-themed items are out there. Here are a few things that I found:

 

Pegasus cell phone charm. 

A little sweeter than Bellerophon's old pony, and perfect on a cell phone.

  Loki Moon Bun.

Made by *MoonYen on deviantArt, this amigurumi mixes bunnies with Norse mythology. Check out her gallery to see other Moon Buns.

Minotaur plush.

Crafted out of felt, and one of many Greek mythology-themed plush by ~deridolls on deviantArt.

Medusa Pony.

Artists are turning My Little Pony figures into just about anything, including characters from mythology.

My tastes, of course, run toward the cute side, but Zazzle, Etsy, and CafePress have hundreds of mythology-themed items for every taste and style. Try a What Would Loki Do? t-shirt, or an I ♥ My Kerberos mug.

List of novels inspired by mythology:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer

Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint

Nine Gates by Jane Lindskold 

The Summoning by Lynne Ewing