A Little Disney Magic

I graduated in May and headed for Florida to work for Disney as a summer intern. I am in their entertainment resource library. Because Disney has so many projects going at any given time, the resource center can be a busy place. At Disney I am in a different environment library wise. The Resource Center is essentially a special library where the librarian does everything from answering detailed reference requests, to video documentation, to making labels. The projects are various and everyone depends on the resource center for inspiration or documentation whether they fully realize it or not.

While the collection is small compared to an academic or public library, the resources cast members need are available from internal publications to popular magazines and squeezed into some limited space. Seeing this operation has given me a real appreciation for all that can go into library work. It takes more than "faith and trust...and a little bit of pixie dust" to make this place run. The library runs on the dedication of one full time librarian with the help of interns. The reputation the librarian has--a great one--makes my life as an intern that much easier. All I have to do is offer the same willingness to help and I am set. The "magic" that people see at Disney is real for our guests and it takes people like the librarian at the resource center to make it happen.

Reading for Pleasure

I.E. something I haven't really done in nearly two years. I am taking the time to indulge now that grad school is over. A former supervisor gave me People of Book by Geraldine Brooks. It's about a thirty-year-old book conservator who is called in on a rare book project in Bosnia, Brooks traces the history of the ancient Jewish manuscript that Hannah is restoring. At the same time the reader gets glimpses of Hannah's life and her stormy relationship with her mother. Brooks' descriptions and realism had me hooked in first chapter. Brooks uses several narrators to tell the story, but she does so masterfully. I definitely recommend People of the Book.