Archive for May 7th, 2003
In follow-up to yesterday’s posting, I found this interesting site while searching on the web for an image of the Miss Piggy as librarian poster. It is a list of questions answered by the archivist of the Jim Henson Company archives and other people who work for the company.
This is the place to find the answer to such burning questions as:
- What kind of feathers are used in Big Bird’s costume? (Question #55)
- Was Oscar the Grouch named after Oscar Madison (the messy roommate in The Odd Couple)? (Question #59)
- What do they call the Swedish chef in Sweden? (Question #74)
- And, of course, what is the strangest item in the Jim Henson Company archives? (Question #9)
The archives has over 10,000 records, plus a photo library, with more objects stored off-site.
I found the site entertaining to read, but it seems that it may not have been updated in some time. There are a lot of broken links, and I am not certain if the link to ask a question really works. (I did not have a question to ask).
I would love to be an archivist at this archives. For a brief period, when I was a pre-teen, I dreamed about becoming a Muppeteer when I grew up. I later realized I was not coordinated enough to work with simple marionettes, let alone complex Muppets. I am, however, coordinated enough to work with archival documents and objects related to Muppets . . . at least, I think I am.
May 7th, 2003
I read another interesting article in this month’s American Libraries. The article titled “Mickey Mouse, Miss Piggy, and the Birth of ALA Graphics” recounts the history of ALA Graphics poster series (aka the READ posters).
The first poster, featuring Mickey Mouse, appeared in 1980. The second poster, produced in 1981, featured Miss Piggy, and, according to this article, the image of Miss Piggy as a librarian caused a bit of controversy among some librarians.
Not because a pig in a bun and old-fashioned dress was representing the field of librarianship, but because she was pictured standing on a stack of books. Peggy Barber, the author of this article and former ALA associate executive director for Communications, received some complaints from rare book librarians who were concerned about promoting the image of someone (or some pig) standing on books.
The scary thing is that apparently I am beginning to think like a rare book librarian, if this is how rare book librarians view the world. Opposite page 69 in the same magazine there is an advertisement for the Sirsi Corporation, a company that designs automated library systems and other library technology. The ad is promoting drive-through service for libraries and shows a stack of books with a carton of french fries on top of the books. When I saw this my first thought was, “Is this the sort of behavior libraries want to promote? Do we want to encourage people to put greasy food on top of books?”
Later, I became disturbed by the whole premise of the library being equivalent to a fast food restaurant. The day I have to wear a paper hat to work is the day I will start looking for a new career.
May 7th, 2003
Since I brought up the topic (and since a memorial service in tribute to him was held last Saturday in Pittsburgh), I would like to add a few random comments about Mister Rogers and his neighborhood.
- Did you know that Mister Rogers was a vegetarian? I used to have a recipe for Mister Rogers’ veggie burgers, but I lost it some time after leaving college. I wish I could find that recipe again. (I am a vegetarian, and I love homemade veggie burgers).
- The next two cats I adopt will be named Daniel Striped Tiger and Henrietta Pussycat. I, actually, decided this two years ago after a week of watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood with my little brother (who was six or seven then). Unfortunately, my current housemates already have two cats, and the landlord won’t allow more than that.
- Lady Elaine and her boomerang toomerang soomerang used to really disturb me when I was a child. She still disturbs me. I just don’t like puppets that look like that. I guess I will never be able to enjoy a Punch and Judy show.
- Mister Rogers’ cardigan is at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. It was donated in 1984. There is a short article about the cardigan and the cultural significance of Mister Rogers’ work in this month’s Smithsonian magazine.
- According to my parents, I stopped watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood the day that I observed him neglecting to put on his outdoor shoes at the end of the show once. I guess I have always been a stickler for rules and consistency.
I could probably think of more, but this is enough for now. The PBS site also has lyrics and audio files to songs from the show if you feel a need to sing-a-long with Mister Rogers for old time’s sake.
May 7th, 2003
Today I received the May 2003 issue of American Libraries, and it seems this month that there are a lot of interesting articles, especially for anyone in a nostalgic mood like I am.
One article, “Fred Rogers and Libraries: A Partnership in Caring” (from the “In Memoriam” section), caught my attention. As a child, I was a faithful viewer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood so the headline drew me in.
Mister Rogers, of course, died in February of stomach cancer. His work, however, lives on in the many projects he started including the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Archives in the Elizabeth Nesbitt Room at the University of Pittsburgh. The archive was given to the university in 1976 and indexing began in 1983. Indexing and cataloging this archive was, understandably, challenging. Project member and author of this article, Margaret Mary Kimmel writes:
It was clear from the beginning, however, that Fred Rogers did not design the TV series with librarians in mind. The project staff debated not only the correct catalog entry for various characters (would it be “Owl, X the”?) and the nature of a puppet, but also how to classify the imaginary friend of a puppet (53).
Reading this, I vowed to stop complaining about the difficulties of cataloging rare law books. Of course, it would be a lot more fun to make catalogue entries for imaginary friends.
May 7th, 2003