Pedals! I’m fated!

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

Pedals (2)

He says I wasted money buying my bike a couple of years ago. I’ve only ridden it twice. My answer is that I will, eventually ride it – maybe in retirement. But that’s only four calendar weeks away. (Indeed, only twelve working days as a librarian, considering the remainder are research days.) So, I really ought to get a grip on myself and wobble off into the sunset. But I haven’t yet!

Pedals (1)

Trying hard to practise my work-life balance, however, I did get out my dressmaking materials yesterday. I was getting on just fine, when – SNAP! The sewing machine needle broke. ‘Clumsy, careless’, I muttered to myself, assuming I must have caught a pin by mistake. I replaced it and continued.

SNAP! But there wasn’t a pin in sight. Five minutes later – SNAP! SNAP! Enough was enough. It was time for another holiday expedition. I visited the sewing machine A&E which is conveniently only five minutes away by car. Apparently the machine might have something wrong with its timing. (You’re not kidding! I want to finish and wear a new summer dress.) Leaving the machine, I went and got the car washed, then headed for Waterstones to buy a book.

But that left me machine-less, so I summoned up the courage to look at Mum’s Second-Best Machine, which is far more sophisticated than my own old workhorse. I’m just as terrified of it as I am of falling off the new bike.

What is it about me and pedals this weekend?

What is it about me and pedals this weekend? I’m fated. She had given me the wrong foot-control, and it wouldn’t fit the Second-Best Machine. Much searching later, and I had tracked down an eBay vendor who might be able to sell me one. Not only that, Mum had found a pedal at home, which sounded like the one that I should have had all along. It’s just 400 miles away. I should have one or two working sewing machines within the week, providing there isn’t actually anything wrong with the Second-Best Machine, as Mum darkly hinted …

Still, I was quite pleased with myself for not doing research all day, and promptly rewarded myself by visiting the website of the Working Class Movement Library in Salford. This is fascinating – I’d never heard of it before. Definitely worth adding to my Zotero account. I have the glimmering of an idea, depending on how my future research plans pan out, and this could be a very useful library to know about. Unfortunately, the catalogue only had the two particular titles that I’d already identified, so I sent a quick email of enquiry, and headed to the British Newspaper Archive to pursue other options … you’re right, this looks suspiciously like research!

Pedals (32)

Today, I slept in. I did a bucket-load of housework, and rewarded myself with pedals of a different kind – by going to do some organ practice. It’s been glorious weather, and there’s a lovely smell of grass outside. The old church wasn’t chilly, but comfortable – and very peaceful.

I haven’t done any research, so in that respect at least, I’ve had a restful day – if laundry and cleaning stair-carpets counts as restful. Indeed, I might even go and read outside in the sun now. Reading about ultra-processed foods is very definitely not research. (Strange to relate, as a teenager I did once wonder about training as a nutritionist. Not fancying biology kind of scuppered that ambition.) But it does still interest me. Retirement will hopefully mean fewer convenience foods and more home-cooking. I’m sure it’ll be better for us.

Chris van Tulleken, Ultra-Processed People: Why do we all Eat Stuff that isn’t Food … and why can’t we Stop?

Better nutrition, more exercise … I’m determined NOT to over-commit myself when semi-retirement actually comes, but there are some general principles that surely won’t go amiss!

Guilty as Charged

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay
The river Kelvin, with the University of Glasgow in the background

It’s about work-life balance, but it’s also about adjusting to a changing situation. I have no problem turning off my 0.7  librarian self when I leave the office, but research has always been something that occupies more than the remaining 0.3 of my working life.  Last year’s summer annual leave was spent finishing writing a book. Last Christmas, revising it.  HOLIDAY? That’s what other folk do!

So, when I find I have more time, what happens? I’ll need to watch this, when I am semi-retired.

I said I was having a day off, a proper day off, didn’t I? So, how did that go? Did I do all I set out to do? Did I keep away from research? No, I did not.

Guilty as Charged.

I finished my audiobook in a leisurely way. (It was Cal Newport’s Slow Productivity – it had to be leisurely!) So far, so good. I even made a note of his three key points:- Do fewer things; Work at a natural pace; and Obsess over quality.

Knowing that I was expecting the postie to collect a parcel this morning, I decided I’d better not laze around in bed reading the book about ultra-processed foods, so instead I went down for breakfast – and there I came unstuck. I opened my phone, headed right for my favourite website (Jisc Library Hub Discover) and started what can only be described as a literature search, for publications by a particular organisation. Oh dear, oh dear. The breakfast disappeared, the piece of paper beside me filled up, and I sent a couple of queries about a publication and an archive. Finally, it was clear that I’d need not only to tweak a paragraph in the paper I’m working on, but also to type up my Jisc Library Hub findings …

Glasgow Tram model at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

By lunchtime, I was disgusted with myself. I hadn’t even managed half a morning away from research! This afternoon, therefore, I went on an outing. I not only got my favourite red shoes repaired (which was somewhat urgent), but – more importantly – I visited Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, and saw the Glasgow City of Empire exhibition.

Having seen the groundbreaking work at the Hunterian Museum (‘Curating Discomfort‘) a couple of years ago, I had an idea what to expect, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s thought-provoking. I found myself wondering where the donors of some of the exhibits had got their artefacts from, and whether they’d paid a fair price, or been given them … and under what circumstances?

I sat and watched Aqsa Arif’s film installation, ‘The Trophy Cupboard’ (Anam Ki Almari) in which a woman discovers items ‘collected from the Indian Pavilion at the 1888 Glasgow International Exhibition’. I need to go back and watch it again – I think there are deeper layers that I’d find, if I had seen it more than once. I make no pretence at being highly film-literate, as I’ve never studied the medium as an art-form.

Display board beside the film installation

There was also another exhibition about Scottish identity in art, but again, I need to go back another time. There’s just too much to take in on one visit.

On the journey home, thoughts of research returned to my head. There’s another sentence that needs modifying. (Will I do that tonight? Do I dare even open the document at this time of night?!) I cooked tea and started a dressmaking project to distract myself.

But before you ask – no, I didn’t get round to riding the bike today! I’m hopeless. So much for ‘practising for semi-retirement’!

Tomorrow’s another day.

In Training for a New Lifestyle

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

I had to decide what to do about my outstanding annual leave, prior to my retiral at the end of June. So, I decided to take a very long weekend off (Thursday to Tuesday – you could call it a short week), to use up a few days.

  • Today, Wednesday, was a research day – as usual. I finished drafting a research paper. With no deadlines today, I allowed the ‘intellectual’ work to merge into a bit of eBay searching at 5 pm, to find the perfect specimens for a couple of PowerPoint images. (It was a rather complicated operation, involving looking for recordings in a particular year, in the British Newspaper Archive, and then searching for those titles on eBay. Not as easy as you’d think!)
  • My Out-of-Office was set at 5 pm.
  • Now, here goes. Tomorrow is holiday. I should be researching tomorrow morning – and the new, semi-retired me will still be researching on Thursdays. In fact, I have a PowerPoint to prepare, but – tomorrow is holiday. I have to get used to not working even when it ISN’T the weekend.
  • Friday to Tuesday are, likewise, holiday.

HOW AM I GOING TO KEEP AWAY FROM MY RESEARCH UNTIL NEXT WEDNESDAY? A WHOLE WEEK?!

3 Challenges for the Nearly Semi-Retired Researcher

For my first challenge, I have to resist leaping out of bed early tomorrow morning. I have an audio book to finish – the Slow Productivity book – and a paperback about ultra-processed foods to continue reading, so I should manage this – providing I have enough tea to keep me going.

And my second challenge is to eat as little ultra-processed food as possible, so food prep might occupy me a bit more than usual. The trick will be to strike a balance between healthy eating and actually benefitting from more free time.

Lastly – might I dust off the bike? We’ll have to see about that.

Memorable Accordions

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

When I was invited to come and listen to our accordionists’ final recitals, it struck me that this would be a great way to mark my 36th anniversary here. And it was!

We heard solo pieces, mixed ensembles, and one with dancers and a speaker. I only heard the first and second players, sadly – I heard my cataloguing calling me, after that  – but I thoroughly enjoyed what I heard. Truly, those recitalists must have had six fingers on each hand, they played such fiendishly difficult pieces!

I was talking to a couple of teaching colleagues recently about the ‘diverse’ music I’ve been acquiring. They were both keen to tell me that it IS beginning to make a difference in concert programming. That makes me a bit happier! Indeed, I recognised one woman composer’s name today, that I wouldn’t have known of, five years ago.

So, there’s another memorable morning in my last weeks as a performing arts librarian. Not many more days!

And on Saturday, I Practised

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

There’s a great hymn in the Church of Scotland Hymnbook, ‘For my sake and the Gospel, go’, to Arthur Sullivan’s tune, ‘Bishopgarth’. But although I thought there ought to be a grand last-verse arrangement for it, there wasn’t one in either of my last-verse collections. So I made one myself. Back home, I got it notated before I forgot what I intended to do!

Here you go – Bishopgarth, a last-verse arrangement by Yours Truly.

You can probably begin to see how I propose to amuse myself when I’m semi-retired!

36 years today

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

We sedated the cat, loaded the car, waved the removal van off, and left Tyneside for Glasgow.

From public to academic librarianship. But also in time, to three sons, and a second attempt at a PhD (this time successfully completed).

I know, I said I must stop looking back. But I haven’t forgotten where we started!

May 1988 … Shields Gazette

LinkedIn Wrote about Changing Jobs

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

‘Changing Jobs? It’s emotional‘, says Jennifer Ryan, Segment Editor at LinkedIn. I settled down to read her posting, which collates what a number of people have said about the challenge of leaving a job you’ve held for a very long time. A lot of their comments made sense.

Retirees, This is Not About You

But then, just when I was thinking, ‘this is helpful’, Ryan threw a curveball:-

It’s one thing to retire after a decades-long career, relishing a chapter successfully concluded, say authors Dorie Clark and Natalie Nixon, PhD. However, leaving a job you’ve held for years in order to start your own venture or go to another company is “a different emotional and practical experience altogether”.

However, I AM retiring.  And rather than starting my own venture, I am just continuing part-time with the interesting research element of my job, that has hitherto been a partial secondment

Don’t Look Back

What I must do, I’ve decided, is STOP LOOKING BACK. Remember the Biblical story of Lot’s wife? She turned to look over her shoulder and turned to a pillar of salt.

Relishing a Chapter Successfully Concluded?

So, I need to make a concerted effort to stop kicking myself for opportunities I didn’t get, things I didn’t achieve, and disappointments I could do nothing about.

After all, I got a PhD whilst working full-time. I raised a family, ditto. I was a Fellow of CILIP, my professional association, until I decided to let the fellowship go, now that I’m ceasing to be a librarian. I’ve been an honorary Fellow at the University of St Andrews, and I’ve been elected an honorary Fellow of IAML (UK & Ireland) – my other professional association. And my second monograph is at the publisher’s.

Who cares if I’ve catalogued so many jazz CDs that my brain-cells have practically ossified? (They haven’t, or I wouldn’t be capable of writing books etc.) In five and a half weeks, it won’t matter how many of the things are still waiting to be catalogued, because I won’t be cataloguing them.

Maybe I should start repeating this mantra:-

Don’t Look Back (Boston)

(I was 20 when this song was written.  And I only stumbled across it tonight!)

Diversity in the Concert Programme

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

Below, you’ll find a blog post that I have just written for the Whittaker Library blog. In my library career, I haven’t changed the world, but I have bought and catalogued quite a lot of music.  (Why be modest? Mountains of it!) In the past five years, I’ve focused particularly on equality and diversity – I put a huge amount of effort into it, and I hope it has made a difference to our users.  Perhaps one day, there will be an event to raise awareness of all this music.  I tried, but I have done all I can.  I wish it had been more, and I wish it could have ended more triumphantly.

In an era that’s all about impact and engagement, it can be an up-hill struggle for a librarian to make a significant difference, and even harder to blow one’s own trumpet metaphorically when surrounded by genuine stars in the making, deservedly blowing their own actual trumpets!

Whilst repertoire lists might not seem the most exciting topic in the world, if they’re important to recitalists and other people planning concert programmes, then they’re important to us. We would like to remind everyone that the Whittaker Library does have a lot of music by women and/or BIPOC composers. We’ve committed a fair chunk […]

Diversity in the Concert Programme

Four Concerts to Remember? Best Laid Plans!

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

Despite some depressing occurrences whilst I wasn’t working last week, there was plenty of music to brighten my mood.

I have mentioned before that working at the Conservatoire brings the advantage of lots of concerts to choose from.  Lunchtime recitals suit me, from a personal point of view (it saves trying to rush home for a family evening meal and then back out again), but they aren’t ideal from an operational point of view! Anyway, I planned to attend lunchtime recitals on Monday and Friday. 

However, I was too late for the Monday recital. The doors closed promptly at 1 pm. I wasn’t inside.

So that left three concerts. I made it to the Friday recital – trumpet and accordion, absolutely fantastic.  Feeling a bit like Cinderella rushing to beat the clock,  I made it back to my desk for 2 pm, so all was well.  (There are aspects of my impending semi-retirement that have considerable appeal!)

Friday – Trumpet and Accordion

The Thursday evening concert was in my home neighbourhood, on a day when I was working from home.  I discovered that the Glasgow Barons were doing an orchestral concert. The first piece was by Hailstork, a BIPOC composer whose name I had literally just encountered that week whilst sourcing music repertoire: how could I resist?  And Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden’ quartet arranged for string orchestra was sure to be enjoyable.  The Tippett, though? I think I need to gain familiarity with it, to appreciate it fully. It probably grows on one.

It was a glorious evening, even before the concert started. I met someone I knew, so I even had company to sit beside me.

And then this afternoon, we went to a Bearsden Choir concert in Glasgow City Halls.  Arvo Part’s Salve Regina, a new work by Swann, and Puccini’s operatic Messa di Gloria. I sang that in Exeter University Choir back in 1980-2, and I recognised it instantly.  It was a great concert; the choir goes from strength to strength, and the two soloists (an RCS alumnus and a student, both on the opera course) were excellent.

Bearsden Choir concert

And here we are, Monday again.  Now, the big question is whether to try to get to today’s lunchtime recital! We’ll see…

Post Script. I didn’t make it.

Diversifying Your Repertoire: Music by BIPOC Composers

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

At the Whittaker Library, we use the Portal (a bit like Moodle, it’s a kind of intranet for material shared within the institution) for useful information to help our students and colleagues.

A while ago, I compiled lists of music by women composers, subdivided into categories, such as music for children, music for tuba, music for mixed chamber ensemble – but until now, I hadn’t done much in the way of subdividing the lists of music by BIPOC composers. So, I have been working on it.  Despite having acquired quite a lot of music, I have discovered that the commonest instruments have by far and away the most music. Poor tuba player, if you want to diversify your programme with music by people of other ethnicities.

Some university libraries have put in a lot of effort helping students find this kind of thing – especially in Canada and the USA – and there are some useful databases to help – but I have still been struggling to find materials for some of the more minority instruments. Not a great deal for piccolo, tuba, accordion – or bagpipes! (Well,  there might not be as much pipe music over there – we started the piping tradition here in Scotland. However,  there are plenty of non-Scottish pipe bands. Some international pipers must also compose!)

If you play tuba, trombone, piccolo, oboe, saxophone – you get the picture – and your repertoire includes a fabulous piece of music by a BIPOC composer, PLEASE do recommend your library to get that piece in stock so that other musicians can also find it! It won’t be up to me to continue ordering music at RCS after the end of June – and that’s a strange feeling – but I can, right now, highlight the fact that libraries need to pay attention to the repertoire they buy.

If you’re a librarian – by all means, keep the standard repertoire up to date. Buy what your patrons need and ask for. But if you have a chance to do stock development, please keep the BIPOC composers in mind. They are, after all, the global majority! And I’m ashamed to say, we don’t know enough about them, though I can, hand on heart, say that I’ve been making a determined effort to find out.

I had hoped to do one last workshop about all the exciting new repertoire in the library, before I retired. Sadly, this isn’t going to happen. Never mind – maybe one day, someone will find this blog post and feel inspired to explore it all for themselves.

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay