Who are you?
I'm a historian and philologist from the United States who studies the Middle Ages, the history of the English language, and literature. I love the French poet Charles d'Orleans and since 2018 have been translating his Middle English poetry into modern English. I've done research on the history of broadcasting, the Cult of Reason in the French Revolution, Balinese religion, Lollardy, and the Hoosier dialect of American English. When I'm not doing research you can usually find me reading, playing with my cats, or listening to French Celtic rock.
My day job is as a librarian in the US Midwest, where I specialize in genealogy, book repair, and whatever else my community needs. Most recently I became the selector for manga for the adult collection, which is why my blog recently has been host to my manga reviews. I regularly get called over to help with that famously temperamental technology, the microfilm reader. I once found a lost dog and returned it to its owner. I'm not sure what my job description is anymore, but I do know it's the best job ever.
As boring as it sounds, I just read a lot. I have a bachelor's degree in history from Indiana University where I minored in religious studies, medieval studies, and English, and took classes on linguistics and other subjects I discuss on this blog. Aside from my formal education, I read a lot on topics that interest me, such as various medieval topics and computers. My knowledge of library science, while far from complete, has come from my years as first a volunteer and later a library employee, learning on the job.
I started as a volunteer at my local library during high school, shelving books in the children's section and helping out wherever I could. My first paying job was a summer position in teen services, and my interest in history led me to volunteer in genealogical services. How I got my current job isn't going to help you get a job since all hiring is different and you probably don't want to hear me ramble about my resume or the interview process. Instead, if you're interested in library work, my advice to you is to start as a volunteer! Libraries can always use extra help and you'll learn a lot through just doing what feels like basic tasks, like shelving-- they're integral to the library running! It also helps you get your foot in the proverbial door when it comes to employment when you want to apply for a position.
Why "Boolean Illogic"?
Boolean logic is a branch of algebra where the variables are truth values (TRUE or FALSE). It uses the operators "and," "or," and "not" to represent relationships between things. This logic is frequently used as a method of searching databases and search engines, including everything from Google to your local library's catalogue. It's also the logic behind binary systems (ON/OFF, OPEN/CLOSED, 0/1, etc.) Once you realize this, you start seeing it everywhere. Boolean Illogic, then, would be whatever the opposite of Boolean logic.
I'm happy to share my research, and I'm a proponent of making scholarly work accessible. However, at the moment, I'm unable to post my longer projects because they're not formatted for a blog and I don't currently have the time to reformat them (and revise issues, I know they exist). As of August 2022, I have posted various smaller projects, but not my longer papers. Check back for more information in the future.
Bird Site
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| My dialect according to the New York Times's quiz. |
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