How to Make the Most of a New Semester

Posted on January 20, 2014 by frankvitaleiv

As the spring semester begins at colleges and universities across the country, students are beginning to apply to jobs and internships for their summer breaks.  This can be a confusing and uncertain process, especially for those who have not navigated through the process in the past.  These tips and tricks will hopefully help anyone lost in the process of looking for summer experiences in archives and libraries.

1 – Look Everywhere

Sometimes, the best opportunities can be hidden in plain sight.  Most archives, museums, and libraries will not post “help wanted” signs in their windows, even though they may be in need of a few extra hands.  Outside of job listservs, such as ArchivesGig or the ALA job list, repositories often list internship, job, and volunteer opportunities on their own websites.  Searching on the websites of organizations in your area can often be fruitful, especially for those looking for experience in smaller libraries or places that are off the beaten track.  Although not all locations will offer stipends for interns or an organized internship program, most will openly welcome anyone willing to lend a hand.  These institutions are often willing to create internship projects or schedules for interested students as well.

2 – It Never Hurts to Ask

Just because an organization does not have a listing for volunteers or interns, does not mean that they do not need one.  In my experience, archivists are more often than not willing to host a student interested in their field, especially in smaller operations.  A quick email or phone call can open up a world of possibilities at an institution that does not advertise open positions.

Help Wanted! via Wikimedia Commons

Help Wanted! via Wikimedia Commons

3 – Seek New Experiences

Playing it safe by working at a repository where you have already worked in the past can be beneficial, depending on the situation.  However, it can be much more valuable, if given the opportunity, to take a position at a new institution.  Diversifying your work experience helps grow professional networks, hone previously learned skills, and learn new on-the-job skills.  This is especially valuable early on in the stages of professional growth, as it opens doors for future opportunities and allows for a greater variety of workplace experiences.

4 – Apply to Everything That Interests You

It is quite easy to get pessimistic when searching for internship and job opportunities, especially when looking at big-name institutions and world-famous repositories.  The saying “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” is especially applicable here.  While internship programs, both paid and unpaid, at well-known institutions are often quite competitive, it never pays not to apply to a position, even if you may be under-qualified.  This is true for undergraduates especially, who are often dismayed by the words “graduate students only” that appear on many job posts.

On this point, a word of caution.  I have personally found that it is best to contact a hiring manager or internship coordinator directly if you are apply to a position for which you may be under-qualified, especially concerning education level.  While some repositories may be willing to consider an under-qualified applicant, others may not for various reasons.  By contacting the organization in advance, you prevent yourself from devoting energy to an unachievable end, and prevent possible embarrassment in the future.

There is a world of opportunities out there for undergraduate and graduate students interested in libraries and archives.  With persistence, confidence, and drive, aspiring professionals can experience the limitless possibilities available in the LIS community.

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A Story & A Permaculture Principle

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Ema Williamson

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The fourth permaculture principle has been on my mind lately. 

It seems pertinent, since this is January, the month of resolutions. I prefer “apply self regulation and accept feedback” to making a list of goals and aspirations. Why not begin by collecting some feedback, addressing issues already present, rather than adding something new?

You can read here about how David Holmgren applies the concept in classical permaculture. One way it can be applied in gastronomic permaculture is being aware of your own self and applying due self regulations.

If you like, you can read more about the permaculture principles and how we apply them to gastronomy. 

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That sounds rather abstract and clinical. So, I’ll tell you a story. It’s my story. (It has a happy ending, I promise.)

Two years ago, in January no less, I started having pain in my chest after ever time I ate. The only way I can describe it is that it felt as if food was getting stuck en route to my stomach. It wasn’t heartburn. It baffled everyone, including myself. Neither the family doctor nor the gastroenterologist could come to any solid conclusion. The suspected perpetrators: stress, acid reflux, gastroparesis, or something wrong with my various internal organs (liver, kidney, etc.). None of the EKGs, blood tests or ultrasounds I had yielded any answers. I even had a test in which I ate eggs cooked with radioactive (but harmless) compounds so that they could be monitored as they moved through my gastrointestinal system. After months of visiting hospitals and doctor’s offices we still had no clue what was wrong with me.

I experimented with my eating habits and found that easily digested foods – white flour muffins, smoothies, soups, banana, yoghurt – didn’t cause pain the way denser foods did (and that’s what happened to be the cornerstone of my diet): i.e. oatmeal, raw vegetables, apples, nuts. That was something. To a degree, I learned to manage my symptoms. Then emotional gobbledegook started cropping up: I knew I wasn’t thinking clearly, I got weepy, I was morose.

The gastroenterologist was bemused. After a slue of testing he could give me no certain answers and there were no more test to schedule. 

But I was doing research and my mother was doing research. Somehow, we both hit upon the idea that I might not be getting enough vitamin b12 in my diet. By that point in time, I was very nearly a vegan, having cut out fish a few months before. I was consuming zero sources of b12, which is necessary for brain, nervous system and blood health. 

Within several weeks starting to take 1000mg of b12 a day all of my symptoms cleared up. I was eating normally, sans pain, by the beginning of the next semester.

I visited my family doctor again a few months ago and mentioned that I was taking a b12 supplement and that my gastro problems had vanished. She asked which doctor had figured that out. No doctor, I said. I figured that out myself. (And I must admit it was rather satisfying to tell her so.) Never at any point had a doctor considered nutrition; despite all the tests I had, my vitamin and mineral levels were never checked. I now take b12 daily and recently added vitamin d (after more research and a blood test). 

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I’ve been recalling this incident recently. Because I listened to my body – accepting the (unpleasant) feedback it was giving me – and communicated what I heard to my mother, I figured out how change what I was doing – applying regulation – and solve my problem on my own.

Similarly, when we were talking not long ago, Tim explained how he’s aware of how different liquids affect his perception. I’ve never heard such an in depth analysis of why and why not to drink certain beverages. For him, coffee and some teas increase how much information he can take in and the clarity of that information. Less so with peppermint tea. He said when he’s at school he sometimes consumes less caffeine than when he’s at home because his college is in a busy town – there’s more to take in then when he’s at home in the country. 

And lately, here in the depths of a Pennsylvania winter, I’ve noticed my energy levels have decreased. Or perhaps I’m stressed. Or perhaps I’m not quite getting what I need nutritionally. Or I’m not active enough. Or…hormones? I’m in the process of doing more research and experimentation.

To be clear, I’m not recommending you ignore your family doctor or anyone with a stethoscope around their neck and a collection of letters at the end of their name. 

I am saying that you should know yourself better than anybody else. You body is constantly giving you feedback. Listen up. 

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Tim and I both return to university soon.  

But we have found ways to work our own projects into our academic studies. Check in next week – we’ll be announcing a new, rather large but thoroughly exciting project of ours. Our second manifesto point post will appear on February 1st. Keep your eyes peeled. 

And you can continue to keep tabs on us through facebook, twitter and instagram.

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I Woke Up Late So This Is What I Ate

Posted on January 16, 2014 by melaniesinger

I’ve stated this before, but I’m going to have to state it again…brunch/ breakfast, whatever you prefer to call it is my favorite meal of the day. I always find that the options can be endless. Have some Greek yogurt with granola and berries, or an omelet with an assortment of vegetables wedged into it, it’s up to you on what you want to eat.

So, I might have woken up a little late one day over break (12:00 PM, judge me), and went straight into my brunching mode. I was feeling more adventurous though, no pancakes, waffles, or plain eggs and omelets, this brunching meal was going to be an avocado toast. I’m a huge fan of avocado. Avocado by itself is a great source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. Half an avocado has approximately 160 calories, and the fats that the avocado contains are all healthy.

But lets be real here, avocados are almost impossible to get just right. One day it’s too hard and suddenly the next day it’s way to soft and mushy for you to consume. I’m unsure if I’d prefer a super mushy avocado or a relatively hard one. Unfortunately, I was too set on the avocado toast idea for brunch that the avocado that I cut opened could have used another day to ripen more. So, I cut the avocado in half and put one half in a zippy bag and into the fridge it went as it was my attempt to save that half for another time.

I got out 2 small pieces of whole grain bread and while I cut up half of the avocado, the bread went into the toaster. There’s something quite satisfying about bighting into toast and hearing that crunch as your teeth bite down into the toast.

Once the bread was lightly toasted, and the avocado was taken out of it’s skin and cut into small pieces, I spread the avocado across the toast. Adding a little more flavor to this creation, I sprinkled red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. It was overall a great brunch and very satisfying.

Recipe:

-Half an avocado

-Bread (any kind you prefer)

-Red pepper flakes

-Salt

-Berries to add to the meal

Click to view slideshow.

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Eight Kinds of Nut Butters

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Ema Williamson

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One day, while wandering the aisles of a grocery store, we got unusually excited about the idea of multiple kinds of nut butter. And so – after months of dreams and cravings – we finally did it. 

We made butter from pecans, almonds, peanuts, cashew, pistachios, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds (yes, we realize that’s not a nut) and walnuts.

This medley isn’t exhaustive. I’m sure there are all kinds of other nuts that could be made into a creamy spread. Tim isn’t crazy about brazil nuts, so we skipped those. Macadamia nuts could not be procured in time for our experiment, unfortunately. I’m also interested in trying pumpkin seed butter and chestnut butter. Another time…

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Peanut butter is the standard, the classic, but it is not the end of the story when it comes to nut butters. Almond and cashew butter are pretty common nowadays and can be found at most grocery stories (but I will say, they’re usually more expensive than peanut butter). Some places – like natural food stores and Wegmans – even have machines that allow you to personally grind your own butters on demand. Sunflower seed butter/sunbutter can be procured pretty easily too. However, things like hazelnut butter or walnut butter are more difficult to come by. Which is ok, because they’re not hard to make. 

A word about sunflower seed butter, aka sunbutter: Sunflowers don’t have the some of the allergenic properties sadly bestowed upon tree and groundnuts – peanuts in particular. So, many people use sunflower seed butter as an alternative to nut butters. This is all well and good. However, be aware that there is a difference.

  • First, the taste. The taste is very, very, very different. You might like, you might not (we don’t really). 
  • Secondly, when you bake with sunflower seed butter things go a little crazy. As in, sunflower seed butter cookies will turn green on the inside (and on the inside only). This isn’t the end of the world – you won’t die if you eat one of these cookies (I can vouch for that). It’s just the chlorogenic acid, which is totally natural and not something to freak out about. 
  • And three, a small percent of people who have nut allergies are allergic to sunflower seeds too. 

Making Nut Butter

Making nut butter is not difficult. It’s simple really.

 

Nuts

We purchased all of our nuts in bulk, so we could get as much as we wanted or as little. 

You can either roast your nuts or leave them raw.

Oil

You can use coconut oil, peanut oil, walnut oil, canola oil, or ghee (clarified butter). We suggest starting with just a little oil and adding more as you go. More oil will give you a creamier end result. 

Salt

We recommend sea salt. And start with a little – add more as you go.

In the belly of a food processor, process all of the above. You do not need to measure anything. Eyeball it. Trust yourself. Continue to process the nuts, scraping down the bowl from time to time. Add oil and salt to taste.

 

And then you have options:

Spices

Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, chili powder, cayenne…Experiment. Trust your own tastebuds.

We put cinnamon and nutmeg in the cashew butter and sunflower seed butter, cinnamon in the pecan butter and cinnamon and clove in the walnut butter.

Sweeteners

Honey, molasses and maple syrup are our favorite options, but sugar or sucanat could also be used. 

Vanilla extract

This provides a nice, rich undertone. We added it to our pistachio butter, sunflower seed butter and cashew butter. 

Continue to process until everything it’s creamy. We suggest storing it in mason jar, in the fridge, or at the very least out of direct sunlight. We suggest licking the bowl and spoon when you are done. No waste.

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The varieties we made:

Walnut

Un-toasted nuts yielded a chunky (but not unpleasant) end result. It was spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and sweetened with honey. This was Tim’s favorite and my second favorite. 

Sunflower Seed

Our least favorite. It had similar texture to the walnut butter: it stayed on a spoon rather nicely. We added cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and honey but were over all unimpressed. Even roasting the seeds didn’t improve the flavor much. 

Hazelnut

Our hazelnuts were roasted, briefly. Thick when cooled, a bit goopy at room temperature and would separate. No spices or sweeteners were added; just nuts, coconut oil and salt. Tim wasn’t crazy about this one, leading me to believe you really have to like hazelnuts to enjoy this butter. (Also, hazelnut butter is one half of Nutella, in case you were wondering.)

Pistachio

The raw, green nuts produce a green-brown paste. Again, no spices here, but we did add honey and vanilla. The pistachio was Tim’s second favorite. 

Cashew

The fat in cashews yielded a creamier blend than the walnut or sunflower seed butter. We added a little cinnamon to ours, but have previously made it with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and honey. 

Chunky Peanut Butter

Our peanuts got toasted a smidge too long. Personally, I didn’t mind. No spices or sweeteners were added. A good bit of salt was used. Once the base had been created, we went back and added more whole nuts for crunch, but you could leave it smooth too. 

Almond Butter

We toasted our almonds and added honey to the blend. This was the runniest of the butters we made but next time that can be amended by not adding as much oil. And keeping it in the fridge will keep it thick. This was my personal favorite. 

Pecan

We call this the “dessert butter.” We toasted the pecans and then processed them with molasses (later realizing that maple syrup would have been a lovely combination) and cinnamon. The texture is thick and rather heavy. 

Mixed Nut Butter

Yep. It can be done and it’s not a bad idea either. We’ve done walnut/cashew/pecan and cashew/almond. But I’d like to try walnut/pistachio. 

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Left to right:

Pecan//Almond//Peanut//Cashew//Pistachio//Hazelnut//Sunflower//Walnut

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Airing of (Profession-Related) Grievances during #librarianfestivus [Part 2]

Posted on January 13, 2014 by frankvitaleiv

As the second part in a two-part series on the #librarianfestivus debate, this post analyzes the “effectiveness” of the Airing of Grievances during the Festivus holiday.  The first part of this series, on the comments shared during the debate itself, is found here.

As discussed in last week’s post, the Festivus holiday season gave way to a large session of the traditional “Airing of Grievances” by librarians over Twitter, using the hashtag #librarianfestivus.  During the whole event, one of the most remarkable topics discussed was, in an intriguing turn of events, how ineffective #librarianfestivus is as a communication tool.

As goodinthestacks noted, one of the prominent issues in the Festivus debate was the fact that, as my first post alluded, people complain about their jobs and overall profession a lot, especially on social media sites such as Twitter.  This is in addition to the general griping that occurs within the workplace itself, between friends and colleagues.

The #librarianfestivus debate did come off as rather whiny, in my personal opinion.  This was especially because of the lack of any kind of substantive suggestions on how to improve the general state of the LIS profession.  Further, the debate was dominated by a handful of vocal individuals, which made it difficult to distinguish valid comments from general workplace gripes.

Librarianry, in my opinion, hit the nail on the head with his post, which came days before the day on which Festivus is actually celebrated.  Whether his comment focuses on the general state of affairs in the LIS community, or the specific instance of #librarianfestivus, his point rings true.  Often, discussions on problems rarely cover any kinds of solutions, and the same was true of the #librarianfestivus discussion.  This was one of my main disappointments with the holiday.

My second disappointment was a general lack of coverage of the “Feats of Strength,” another part of the Festivus tradition.  Now when I say this, I am well aware that wrestling is generally not possible over the internet, nor generally condoned among professional librarians.  However, the idea of sharing grievances could have been supplemented by a sharing of successes within the world of LIS.

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These modified “Feats of Strength” could have taken many forms, from librarians sharing their newest projects to discussions on such topics as the Emily Dickinson Archive, featured in a past blog post.  No matter what the feats would look like, they would have added to the general dynamic of #librarianfestivus, and could have made the whole event much more successful and effective.

Ultimately, #librarianfestivus provided a new and interesting look into the state of affairs in the LIS profession.  However, the general nature of the “Airing of Grievances” did not lend to any kind of constructive problem-solving, creating an ineffective dialogue that seemed to be more of the same complaining experienced generally.  Hopefully, future celebrations of Festivus by librarians will be more constructive, and will display both the bad and the good things happening in the world of LIS.

Related Blog Posts:

http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/a-libraryland-festivus-miracle-edition/

http://beerbrarian.blogspot.com/2013/12/how-librarianfestivus-explains-states.html?spref=tw

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It’s Alive! (Kombucha)

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Timothy Hegberg

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This semester, I brewed kombucha under my bed in a college dorm room.

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Starting from at beginning of this story, I took a kitchen chemistry class this semester (yes, I go to a liberal arts school). At the start of the semester we were told that we had to chemically and biologically examine a recipe and explain how it worked in scientific terminology. With all this time, I decided to create a beverage that I had fallen in love with over the summer. Kombucha.

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For the uninitiated, kombucha is fermented tea. If you drink rum, wine or any other fermented beverage, you now officially lose the right to say, “Ewww”. It’s sour, tangy, refreshing and absolutely fantastic during the summer. Over winter, you can warm it and sip it like hot cider. The really fantastic thing about kombucha though is how great the stuff is for you. Loads of B vitamins, probiotics, other delicious things. It’s like an energy drink, but without the caffeine and nagging guilt from the energy drink (ok, it’s not actually strong enough to be an energy drink, but it’s still something). So it’s good for you, it’s delicious, I’m pretty sure it saves starving martians on Venus or something.

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So how does this kombucha-y thing work? There’s actually a really simple explanation with lots of non-essential things to learn. The actual process is very simple: sweetened tea is fermented for 10 to 12 days using a culture to acidify the tea and give it a delicious, fizzy tang. There are a lot of other variables involved, but that’s the gist of it. If you want to learn all about making kombucha and all the interesting variations you can create, check out Kombucha Kamp which was an invaluable resource during my research. The Art of Fermentation is also a fantastic book if you’re interested in creating all kinds of delicious tangy foods. For now though, I’ll include a short explanation of why to choose certain ingredients with the recipe.

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Kombucha

– Compounds – Ingredients –

3 quarts filtered water

It’s best not to use chlorinated water. Chlorine is meant to kill bacteria and viruses and other nasty things, but it’s kind of like cleaning your carpet with a flamethrower instead of a vacuum. Sure, you’ll get rid of all the bad things, but you’ve also gotten rid of the good things as well. Distilled water also isn’t a great choice since it’s really just pure water without any minerals or delicious things. Filtered water still has some of the good stuff left but doesn’t have the nasty chlorine chemically stuff.

1 cup organic sugar

You can use white sugar, it tastes crisp and clean. Personally, I’m a bigger fan of Sucanat (unrefined cane sugar). It still has the vitamins, minerals and molasses compounds that are normally removed and once it’s fermented gives a fantastic complex flavour. Other things that work? Maple syrup is delicious but expensive. Using honey also gives a really nice flavour, but as some on Kombucha Kamp will tell you, it doesn’t always work so it’s best to use half sugar/half honey. Stay away from artificial sweeteners and stevia, they don’t work at all. Rule of thumb: If it isn’t made of sucrose, it probably won’t work.

4 organic tea bags

Black, green or white tea only. If you want to add herbal teas, add them in addition to the 4 tea bags. “Real” teas come from Camellia sinensis and will provide nitrogen for the kombucha mother/mushroom/SCOBY/squishy thing. I recommend you use organic, but I did just fine with Twining’s English Breakfast tea for a month. When picking your tea remember, black tea will create the strongest brew, green will be smooth and white will be delicate. If you want to be creative, try combining 4 “real” tea bags with two herbal ones. Two chai tea bags with four black tea bags is delicious in the winter and two mango herbal tea bags with four green tea bags in the summer is fantastically refreshing.

1/2 cup kombucha from a previous culture

You can get this at any local store that has plain kombucha. Or you can order some online. This doesn’t matter as much as long as it doesn’t have fruit juice or other things mixed in.

1 kombucha mushroom or starter culture

Best case scenario? You have a friend who will give it to you for free. Next best case scenario? You have connections with the weird hippie people at your farmer’s market. Worse case? Order online.

– Procedure – Instructions –

(Non-bolded procedure for science-y people. Bolded instructions are for the rest of us.)

  1. Heat 3 quarts of filtered water in a vessel of appropriate size. Bring to 100ºC/212ºF.
    1. Make 3 quarts of water boil.
  2. Sanitise the vessel that will contain the ferment.
    1. Wash a large glass or ceramic jar.
  3. Pour the heated water into the vessel that will contain the ferment
    1. Pour the water in your kombucha jar.
  4. Combine sucrose compound with heated liquid. Stir until dissolved.
    1. Mix your sugar with your hot water. Make sure it’s mixed in and isn’t settling on the bottom of the container.
  5. Add your four samples of Camellia sinensis to the heated water. Remove the samples once the water has dropped to ~21ºC/~70ºF.
    1. Add your four tea bags to the hot water. Take them out of the hot water when the hot water is not hot anymore.
  6. Combine the sample of tea ferment from previous experiment with the liquid.
    1. Add the kombucha from the store to the tea.
  7. Gently place the Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeasts (SCOBY) into the liquid. Cover with a sterilised cloth and keep in a dark location with regulated temperature for 10 to 14 days.
    1. Name your kombucha mother/squishy pet. Carefully add your pet to her new home and then cover the jar with a towel (rubber bands hold it in place pretty well). Keep out of direct sunlight as kombucha doesn’t tan well. It also prefers to stay at about 70ºF, though it won’t complain as long as it’s within 20ºF of that. Try to keep it cooler than 90ºF and warmer than 50ºF. Actually, it won’t complain at all. It doesn’t talk.
  8. After fermentation cycle is complete, remove SCOBY sample from fermented tea, making sure to reserve enough tea ferment to cover the SCOBY. Pour into containment vessels and store in a reduced temperature environment for up to a week.
    1. Once your kombucha is tangy and delicious, take the mother out and store her somewhere safe and clean with enough kombucha to cover. Pour your kombucha into jars and store them in the refrigerator. Try to drink them before the week is up because it will continue to get stronger (all those probiotics keep working even after you’re finished brewing).
  9. Consume beverage. Repeat process if more tea ferment is desired.
    1. Enjoy your kombucha. If you want to make more, then just start over from the beginning, since you should have all the ingredients again.

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Airing of (Profession-Related) Grievances during #librarianfestivus [Part 1]

Posted on January 6, 2014 by frankvitaleiv

As the first part in a two-part series on the #librarianfestivus debate, this post analyzes many of the views shared during the Festivus holiday celebration of the Airing of Grievances.  In the second part of this installment, commentary on the event itself will be discussed, as well as any new developments on the subject.  Stay tuned!

Most people know about Festivus, the now-popular secular holiday introduced by Seinfeld.  Most people also know that Twitter, as is the case with most social media sites, is often used as a forum for complaining.  Members of the greater library science community recently combined the two, using the hashtag #librarianfestivus to create a virtual “airing of grievances,” as per the holiday’s tradition.  The whole timeline can be viewed below.

Quite a few professionals took to the Twittersphere over the last two weeks of December to address their problems with their profession as well as their colleagues collectively.  Although complaints and gripes are often detrimental, a handful of tweets using the hashtag highlight current issues and trends within the world of library science.

Complaining About Your Job

One of the most striking commonalities in the grievances was that some people seem to dislike their jobs, or even their professional career as a whole.  Both Samantha Hines and Michelle commented on this phenomenon, and Michelle went so far as to assert that plenty of professionals would be willing to take a position currently held by a complainer.

In general, I would agree with both Michelle and Samantha that someone should not work at a job they do not like, if they have any choice or say in the matter.  Unfortunately, neither Samantha nor Michelle explore any of the common problems aired by complaining professionals, which may show trends within librarianship that would be worth addressing.

The Profession of the Future

Even more interesting, in my opinion, was the commentary offered by numerous tweeters on the future of the LIS profession.  In particular, the changing role of libraries and issues with diversity in the LIS profession were especially powerful topics of discussion, and show, similar to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, what the future of LIS is if changes are not made.

Rebecca Snowman’s comment on the lack of diversity in the LIS profession was quite shocking to me at first.  However, in light of the most recent Placements and Salaries data from Library Journal, Recebba’s comment is not unfounded.

In my experiences regarding the search and application processes for internships, it is surprising that the majority of positions are unpaid.  By my most recent count in my current search, only 5 of the 23 repositories which I have investigated offered some sort of payment or stipend with their internships.  It goes without saying, then, that these institutions seek increasingly more competitive applicants, who are attracted to the rarity of some sort of work remuneration.  Especially for those living far away from major cities for archives (read “major cities on the West and East Coasts”), moving for an unpaid position is often impossible, even under the best financial circumstances.

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One of the first images under a Google search for “librarian.”

Another point, and one which extends into many sub-fields of LIS such as archival science and records management, was the judgment of those in non-traditional roles.  The stereotype of the strict, old librarian shushing every talking patron still penetrates society’s view of librarians.  However, as Library Journal asserted in their analysis of “databrarianship,” the LIS profession is in the midst of drastic changes, driven by emerging digital and Web 2.0 technologies.

On this point, I believe that the LIS field will have their current social face redesigned over time, as professionals continue to embrace new forms of social media outreach and as educational institutions of the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels come to rely more and more on the digital side of librarianship.  In many areas, this shift is more clearly defined than in others, due to differences in funding and educational concentration.  This will be rectified over time, I predict, because of the inevitability of the embrace of digital technologies in classrooms across the nation (That, however, is a discussion for another day).

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A Year New, a Kombucha Treat and the Manifesto

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Ema Williamson

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Welcome to 2014. It’s a fine time to start some new projects, don’t you think? 

We have quite a few surprises up our sleeves. Firstly, for the next year we will be exploring each of the twelve points of our manifesto. During the first week of the month, expect a post devoted to each of the points. 

And the other projects that are on the way? Well, you’ll have to be patient for those – but we promise they’re worth it. Hint: we’re fitting a kitchen into a box.

Our manifesto was constructed over several months, with a bit of inspiration from Keri Smith. Every idea was carefully refined; not a single word was left untouched. But this year, to become even more acquainted with the principles of gastronomic permaculture, we’re going in depth with the manifesto. 

And so, the first point.

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We declare that gastronomic permaculture integrates ourselves, our food, our community and our earth. It recognises that every meal Is accomplished in an ecosystem, and it is the convergence our three basic needs: nourishment, security and love.

In true permaculture fashion, we begin with Zone 0. We begin with the central point of gastronomic permaculture. Really, we think it’s the central point of cooking and eating in general: nourishment, security and love.

When you eat (you see, we’re assuming you’re not a zombie or otherwise undead creature), you are participating in an ecosystem of activity. There is the natural system – the soil, the water, the air – and the human system – the farmer, the store keeper, the people you are cooking with and feeding. There are pre-existing conditions; there’s no getting rid of them. Gastronomic permaculture works to integrate every zone of interaction.

Every meal you make begins outside of your kitchen and ends outside of your kitchen. The vegetables you saute may have been grown in your garden, or down the road in the neighbour’s garden, or hundreds of miles away. The olive oil in the bottle on the counter might have come from multiple countries; the salt from seas you haven’t seen. There were hands aside from your own that crafted the food you cook with; there might be hands aside from your own that prepare the food you eat. Hopefully, there are other hands you can break bread with. The things you discard might go to a landfill (via your waste bin) or you will find a way to remake some of them – as stock, maybe. Or perhaps they’ll go to a compost pile (either your own or that of a local farm), where they will rejoin the soil from whence they came.

Every meal is one stop in a cycle. And in every meal is an echo of our three basic needs: nourishment, security and love.

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To send out the old year and bring in the old, we concocted an experiment. Probiotics meet sweet treat. A kombucha float.

Kombucha itself is an ecosystem of nutrients. And once you have a mother grown, you can produce kombucha as long as the mother remains healthy. It also give you an opportunity to settle the faint of heart, but that’s a post for another time…

We’re pretty big fans of kombucha. We’ve tried to sample every flavour we can get our hands on and Tim even did his final chemistry project on the fermented tea beverage. Somewhere along the way we got the idea to make a kombucha float. We created an “ice cream” from yoghurt and coconut milk, and Tim brewed a jar of kombucha. Given the contents of both, it’s a veritable festival of cultures.

It’s a good way to ring in the new year. Something sweet and snazzy. Something with a dose of good stuff in it.

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Kombucha Float

Liquify a 1/2 cup honey (we suggest you use a pot on the stove). Combine with 2 1/2 cups Greek yoghurt and 1 cup full-fat coconut milk. Either connect the whisk attachment to your mixer or grab a whisk. Combine and whip it a bit.

Pour into any kind of dish that can be put into the freezer. Then, obviously, put the dish into the freezer. Every 20 minutes to 1/2 an hour, stir/scrape the frozen/freezing mixture until it is thick.

Scoop the frozen, creamy mixture – “ice cream,” if you will. Place in a glass (or a wine glass, if you want to be fancy, or a mason jar, if you don’t want to be). Open kombucha flavour of your choice and pour over “ice cream.” Make as much as you want, or as little. Sharing is recommended. A straw might be a good idea. Regardless, enjoy.

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Also, you can find us on instagram now, if you’re into that kind of thing.

 

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Motivating Green Building Around the World

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Jaime

Sustainable design has been a major buzzword this year. Everyone is attempting to hop on the green craze to make their business responsible, forward thinking, and up to date. Whether those are legitimate efforts or throwing around unregulated words like “natural” and “sustainable,” depends on the business. But, one of the good things to come…

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Sunday Exercise

Posted on December 29, 2013 by ashmontera

If you celebrated Christmas (or even if you didn’t), what gift would you give back? What would you ask for in return? Be as honest as possible. For example, I would love to give back that pair of pajamas I know my grandmother has re-gifted, but, in return, I would ask that she know I don’t need presents at all feel how much she loves and respects me.

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