Category: Experience

No Slow Time

The campus is so quiet on this rainy Monday, as if I could hear the petals falling off the magnolia trees by IKBLC. Solving a mystery of a series with messy bib records as soon as I walked into the library, turned out it’s a call-back set from Surrey storage. This reminds me several recent reference requests, the Three-year Plan and a new in-depth research season.

Just confirmed with Katherine on new Forestry students’ orientation in July, still owe Bronwen the DigitalProjectApproval forms this week, and would love to develop my online course when Caroline is here to help.

Dr. Cheng, Prof. Gu and Patrick are still waiting for my part. More urgent research tasks are our book charpter for SCSL and the PPT for WCILCOS conferecne, although I don’t understand why we need to submit the PPT, since our whole papers are already on files. With this much workload, not sure if I can get away for Shangri La and Guilin this summer, although I miss the harmonious beauty in these two places.

Tags digitization, IKBLC, Instruction, reference, WCILCOS

Experience Reference Questions

Final Weeks with Cherry Blossoms

Post author By Jing Liu
Post date April 15, 2012
No Comments on Final Weeks with Cherry Blossoms

Really exited reading Benjamin’s final paper and receiving more in-depth research questions. Glad to receive the rare items from UCSD, U of Chicago and China for Jonnathan, Noa and Gary. Cherry blossoms are late this year, so are the final weeks.

Tags U. of Chicago, UCSD

Events Experience Instructions Life

Art of Relaxation

413132_2888534047990_1099361562_32103702_237949137_o — Good relaxation activity -- snow owl watching

This program was nearby. I skipped lunch and tried to attend, but was almost stopped by a reference request on the way out. I felt guilty saying “no”, but did and rushed out. Besides the methods of relaxation, learning to say “no” really struck me.

Quite often, I skip lunch or spend too much time on non-UBC users’ requests, because I thought we are the last stop in this country for the information they seek. Today, I had three-class visit with last minute notice. I agreed to take care of them, because I was away and then sick, and so this is the last chance. I am glad I did and still feeling high now by answering their questions. Good students!

Just received Jonathan’s confirmation of receiving the rare movie DVD from UCSD Library. Still searching for the rare early 20th Century’s Shanghai journals for Gary. I am glad I don’t have to say “no” to our own folks thanks to my world-wide pro connections.

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Highlight of the Trip

This year’s CEAL conference focused on the TS restructure, and we at UBC have been there and have done it. Keynote speech by Prof. Dai Jinhua, Friendship with my fellow CEAL members and ROM visit are some highlights of the trip.

Thanks to Stephen’s invitation and arrangement, I was able to skip the official visit to UT and ROM on the 15th, and made it to the keynote. We arrived in the Grand Ballroom earlier to occupy the front seats. Gail Hershatter, the president of the association greeted Haihui and chatted about the necessity of the English version of her book. Zhong Jing had an exciting catch-up with her Peking U prof. Dai. I only read Dai’s writing on Chinese cinema for the MAPPS. She’s tall, has a firm voice, which makes her speech more poweful. Instead of movie or popular culture critic, she criticized both communism and developmental capitalism in the post cold-war era. She tried to redefine current nature of the Chinese society, its class structure and a new global position.

Haihui has gained all my respect from previous years’ workshops and conference. No matter how intensive the programs are, she always makes time talking and encouraging me with her insights and ideas as a historian. I have found the book she recommended in Koerner: The Warmth of Other Suns.

The Royal Ontorio Museum special visit from its back door was once in a life time experience. We were amazed by Dr. Shen’s intro–over 30,000 objects from imperial China, and only less than 10% is on current display. Over 8,000 people visit the museum everyday during the spring break. We spent a whole afternoon there and were still excited at dinner time reflecting on our visit. Like those stories behind the artifacts and our rare books, there is a fate in everything, so is in our friendship. Feel lucky among my kind and knowledgeable CEAL fellows. Stephen is especially helpful with the Council and Society’s official programs and our small group annual tradition. No regret on this trip. When I rushed through the city centre blocks between meetings, I saw the CN Tower behind some skyscrapers, but had no time to pay a visit. Caught my evening flight with very sleepy eyes. Is it the jet lag? or the bright sunset in Toronto?

Tags CEAL, Toronto

Events Experience Professional Development

Midnight in Toronto

The flight convinced me how large Canada is. It was late, but I am glad that the pilot didn’t take sick leave. Caught the airport express and arrived at Sheraton around midnight.

L1020295 — Wonder if that is the old City Hall outside of our hotel room window

Our room on the 17th floor faces the City Hall, the landmark building opened in 1965, and the only one I can recognize during this first visit. I am sure Stephen will fill my knowledge gap on his city and entertain us with great programs.

Events Experience Libraries in China Life

International Students

Post author By Jing Liu
Post date February 27, 2012
2 Comments on International Students

Just finished the conference paper, and found time to come back here. Several events related to international students in the past weeks. Minister Wong visited us last week and mentioned: “49 high schools in China using the Canadian high school curriculum, some of those graduates may come to UBC”.

Winnie brought a group of 15 students from the IGSPP program. On top of a regular orientation of the library collection and services, I was asked to help with their “soul searching about what they really want to do in terms of their academic and career planning. ” My personal experience as an international student and a foreign worker seemed to attract their attention and reduced our distance.

I am glad that many people on this campus are willing to help these kids far from home. Winnie, Lee Ann, Alden, etc. I was invited again to the networking session of Launch a Career in Canada. Enjoyed the chat with students from all over the world. Glad to see Charles whom I usually only get to see during new school year orientation. He suggested we work out more programs together.

Experience Life Professional Development

温哥华的冬天

本来这里的冬天就不冷，而今年尤其如此。阳光灿烂的日子很多。但是又有几位同行朋友离开。沁沁已经荣获西安大略大学的职位，朱磊乔迁硅谷，黄祺也将告别温哥华。假期忙着给他们送行，心中难免有些失落。但是，我们不都随着工作四海为家吗？收到他们的来信或者电话，语气中已经没有了最初的惆怅。龙年将至，祝那些在温哥华相识相知的朋友们过得更好!

Events Experience Libraries in China

Shanxi Revisit 重游山西

小时候去过很多次山西，只觉得大山里有洞可钻又有河的地方很好玩。那时不仅暑假在山里避暑，记得还被送到大寨参观。大学毕业前最后一次陪父母旅游又到了山西——太原、晋祠、五台山，至今印象深刻。记忆中的山西人纯朴、热情、友善。这次的交流项目将太原作为最后一站实在惬意。马跃、小宋、王馆带我们沿着宽阔笔直、布满霓虹灯的道路来到丹枫白鹭。下榻的小酒店除了色彩亮丽的漆器家具，还有壁炉和书架。邱学长在等待安排房间的时候，已经便览《山西通志》啦。房间里温暖如春，似乎还有地热。看得出是省馆精心挑选了这个离会场有点距离的温馨之处。这对于离家月余、四出奔波的我尤其重要。

在山西，我找到了置身华夏山水之间的感觉，人们以自己的本土文化自豪，告诉我们“五千年的文化要看山西”。莫非当年父母知道我一心想出国留学，带我走遍山西是有一番苦心的。

星期天，趁山西各地同行在太原集合报道的时候，我们到了40公里以外的乔家大院。只在张艺谋的电影里见过，而这次亲临其境的感觉完全不同。从乾隆年间直到现在，那厚重的院墙，深不见底的院落和雕梁画栋的装饰让人流连。那时的乔家就已经将金融生意遍布全球甚至走向世界了。家规、行规、大宅院的管理等等是有它一套的。

相比之下平遥古城展示的是State Power。我虽惊叹其保存完整，但衙门尤其是监狱的刑法展示让我觉得难以承受。风衣放在面包车里，车只能停在城外。到后来借得李博士的毛衣，又买了顶帽子，才坚持着走完平遥。满街的商业气息已经让我窒息，碍于导游小伙的劝导，也只好洒下些银子。但一定要不择手段，像大牌广告这样招揽生意吗？一个文化旅游胜地在国力许可的情况下，是否可以做出更有品位的商业呢？像当年平遥鼎盛的时候？

Experience Life

Hua Mulan’s Home Town, 11/04/2011

Post author By Jing Liu
Post date December 3, 2011
1 Comment on Hua Mulan’s Home Town, 11/04/2011

Thanks to Wuhan Library’s arrangement, we left skyscrapers and heavy traffic behind us, drove into a village–Da Yu Wan (大余湾）. The retired library head, Mr. Yu, in Huangpi, Hubei Province, entertained us proudly with his own rhymes about his and Mulan’s hometown. It’s a well-known historical place with a mountain, a river and a lake all named after Mulan. On the top of the Mulan Mountain, stands Mulan’s shrine. People around the world come here to worship this legendary figure. Besides Mulan, many people from this village became scholars, goverment officials in different dynasties or regimes.

Mr. Yu showed us dozens of residents from Ming and Qing. They are all connected, and we could walk through different households for the entire block. From Mr’s Yu’s talks and poems, I could sense the influence of Mulan. He refused all the rewards and retired to his hometown just like Mulan did a thousand years ago. He volunteered on restoring his village to previous settings from his childhood memory.

Mr. Yu stands in front of the Ming Dynasty walls.
On the way, we saw some constructions and old ponds cleanning. Some new paint covered the slogans of cultural revoluation period. I came at the right time, still got to see the marks left by time and the wars in the past 600 years.
Our group caught attention of villagers. This 86 year-old invited us for tea, and told us that young people are quite cosmopolitan nowadays. Lots of them are working in cities and even in the US or Japan. I stopped and sat by this lonely old man, listened to his stories.

Events Experience Instructions Libraries in China Professional Development

Wuhan, 10/29 to 11/3

Glad to see Wuhan as one of the stops of the TGAG trip. On top of the work, it’s like a reunion event. Jingxia successfully worked out the program held in her City Library, just like she brought her library into IFLA. I felt pressure after I saw the program package already in my hotel room.

The group had a meeting after dinner to clarify what we each need to work on. Thanks for the well equiped auditorium, I could move freely on the stage and had my eyes on the entire audience.

Glad to learn the Wuhan Library’s weekend workshops. Some library directors grabbed me to the side and told me their dilema and they had to activate all kinds of connections in order to survive.

Wuhan U just built and was about to open another new library. Marble floor and walls in the lobby. We used to have dance parties in the dinning hall near our dorm, it would be nice to dance here.

Tags TGAG