Just a Sunday Blogger

Sunday seems to be the best day for me to catch up on a few things around the Library and to relax long enough to do some blogging. This could become an enjoyable habit. And judging by the number of Library ghosts that I've uncovered with just a bit of research, I could be blogging long after "23 Things" is officially over.

I'm slowly catching up with my weekly "Thing" assignments and enjoying them thoroughly. This past week it was RSS Feeds and Google Reader. Marvelous inventions! It's great having the information that I regularly look for delivered at one site with no effort on my part. I'm utilizing RSS feeds at home, too. I'm a bit of a yoga nut and visit several yoga blogs on a regular basis but it's a slow process. Living in the country, I'm restricted to dial-up internet, which can be painful at times. What a time saver my Google Reader has become!

And now, without further delay...



This week I thought I would introduce you to a ghostly gal who haunts one of our sister institutions, the Illinois State University Library. Her name is Angeline Milner and she was the first Librarian at Illinois State over 100 years ago. Click on Angie's image below and you'll be taken to her fascinating story.





Putting Myself Out There

Well, I finally registered my blog. Being a fairly private person, it took a fair bit of courage to actually post my first entry. But I decided to have fun with this, so I finally thought "why not" and hit the "Publish Post" button. I am expecting each posting to become a bit less stressful as I become accustomed to having a 'public voice'.

Time will tell if anyone actually every reads my blogs, but as mentioned in my first posting, I plan to introduce readers to a different Library ghost or haunted Library each week. Perhaps others will find these spectral patrons as fascinating as I do and this blog may take on a life of it's own!

This week, may I present for your consideration, the Ghost of the Grey Lady, said to haunt the Willard Public Library in Evansville, Indiana. And she's not a solitary spook, it seems. To quote the fans of the Willard Library website, "According to Para-Vision Investigations, who investigated the Library in October of 2000, there are likely 9 ex-persons haunting those Hallowed Halls (or what Para Vision calls "non biological entities"). Various CamWatchers have reported at least one man, several children - both male and female (one appeared to be a young black boy), and at least 2 different women".

 Yes, Willard Library takes its spectral inhabitants so seriously that it has installed a number of  throughout the Library. Click on the image of the Library above and you'll be taken to their website. So until next week...Happy Ghost-hunting!

Working to Catch Up

Yes, I've been a bit slow to begin, but I hope to make up for lost time.

I signed up for "23 Things" because, while far from being a techie, I do love my computer and I am fascinated by new technology. And, well, in my life-away-from-work, I have little time to explore and learn about what's out there. Would you believe my 25 year old niece just taught me how to send text messages about a month ago? Always wanted to learn...never had the time.

My first project was, of course, setting up my iGoogle page. I found many useful gadgets that may be handy tools on the job. And some fun stuff, too. I love my virtual hamster, but I'm thinking of setting him free. It drives me crazy that the poor little guy is confined to a 2-inch square cage on my desktop. And I'm forever forgetting to feed him! I guess I don't "get" virtual pets. Oh well.

And now for some fun! As an after-hours denizen of an often silent, sometimes eerie U of S Library branch, I've developed an interest in other, less worldly, creatures who may choose to call Libraries home. It's no secret amongst the night-time workers in this building that strange things have been known to happen when the journal stacks are quiet and few witnesses are about. I began to wonder....


To my delight, I have discovered that Library Ghosts are not uncommon. Some are even quite famous. For instance, do you recall the 1984 hit movie "Ghostbusters" starring Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray? The very first ghost they encounter is none other than the deceased New York City librarian Eleanor Twitty, an odd little ghost with an inclination to make piles books in mid air...

...and a tendency to become a bit grumpy when the stacks in disarray!



For for the next few weeks, as I muddle my way through the remainder of my 23 adventures, please join me in a bit scary good fun as we go.