Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Edin-bra

So, I would like to correct a mistaken title on this blog from seven years ago – Edinburgh isn't pronounced "Edin-burra"; it's even shorter than that, more like "Edin-bra." Oh, Scottish pronunciation. You are never what you seem.

It was quite fun to reread that post from my first (and only previous) time in Edinburgh seven years ago. I remember saying "any city that builds its greatest, most ornate monument to a novelist is okay my book" (the monument to Sir Walter Scott – it's enormous) and many of my impressions remain the same: practically everything in Edinburgh looks like a castle (enough to charm even the most jaded Europe-hopper) and it's a really enjoyable place, full of culture and interesting goings-on. A favorite city of mine, I would say.

Anyway, here are photos from this time around. Click on this link to go to the album:

PICTURES FROM EDINBURGH!

Once again, it's in Google Photos, whose interface I don't love. If you can't see the photo captions (which are the most fun part!) click on the little "i" symbol at the upper right of any picture, and they should show up.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Luke, Ah'm Yer Da

More Scots language goodness! We had a guest speaker today – none other than the head of the National Library of Scotland. Yup, there are some perks to studying in a small country (and having a professor who knows everyone). National Librarian John Scally was engaging and hilarious – great fun to listen to, with lots of wisdom to share.

The bit I want to share with you, though, is an image that popped up rather unobtrusively on one of the slides in his presentation, but was so delightful that it sent me immediately googling to find out the story behind it:


Yes, Scottish librarians have an excellent sense of humor (and are apparently Star Wars fans). This was a poster for an exhibition the National Library did in 2012, though sadly it appears to be out of stock. (Understandably sold out, because it's awesome!)

Post-Snowpocalypse

And I arrived back in Aberdeen on Sunday to find the supermarket emptied out – they couldn't get deliveries through to stock the store!


Here's an apologetic note on a lettuce display:



And the place where all the milk should be – on these 100% empty shelves:


Friday, March 2, 2018

Edinburgh EDGE

This conference – the EDGE Conference hosted by Edinburgh City Libraries, to be specific – has been unforgettable.

For the past two days, I’ve been hearing speakers from around the world (Scotland, England, New Zealand, Netherlands, Canada, US, Belgium…) talk about ways libraries can help people combat the inequalities of poverty and the social exclusion of homelessness. It's inspiring, thought-provoking and I'm so, so grateful to have been offered a student spot to come here. Another one of those opportunities I can't believe there weren't dozens (or hundreds?) of people fighting me for!

I also got to meet so many inspiring professionals in this, my newly chosen field. I met the woman who's going to be my supervisor when I do my professional fieldwork placement in Orkney. I chatted a bunch with the head of Scotland's national librarians' organization (CILIPS, the equivalent of the ALA in the US). Had a fascinating conversation with the head of library services in the Western Isles (Outer Hebrides). Got all kinds of great ideas from conversations with a professor of library science from the Netherlands.

My mind is swimming with it and surely has a lot still to process, but I can't believe how many wonderful things I've gotten to see and do in just two days.

And, at dinner last night – since this is, after all, Edinburgh – the tables were themed for various Harry Potter characters. Truly, what's not to love?







Please Do Not Travel

They're serious about it, you guys. This is the website of Scotland's train service:


I also heard an announcer on the radio this morning utter precisely these words: “Don’t even think about going out. Seriously. Not good.”

(The announcers have also been using words like "treacherous," and of course that phrase "do not travel.")

All transport in and out is shut down; I haven't even seen any city buses within Edinburgh running all day. People everywhere are struggling to drive their cars out of parking spots or up hills, because they don't have snow tires here (and none of the roads have been cleared). I've seen a lot of people helping each other push cars up hills. Everything is draped in snow, and the wind is so strong that when it comes down, first it blows sideways! A lot of people either couldn't get here for the conference, or got here but now are stuck here.

I feel really, really fortunate that I love snow. (I was walking around today with snow blowing into my face so hard I couldn't see, and still I was just grinning. Because it was winter! Proper, beautiful winter!) And also that I'm perfectly content to be exactly where I am. I definitely do recognize that this is not as nice an experience for most people as it is for me.

But if you'll excuse me, I'm now going to curl up in my nice warm bed in beautiful Edinburgh, and watch the snow swirl down.