The Librarian's Lounge

Tweet!

I decided to break down and investigate Twitter today, after a long period of resistance due to a fear of extra time-suckage. What led me to do it today? Two things: Internet Librarian 2008 is coming up and I want to be connected to people there, and this article about how Twitter is still going strong. Curiosity has, at long last, gotten the better of me about the twittersphere. You can find me here. Note the missing "s" in my user name - I was one letter short of being able to use the full title of my blog, ergo the trim.

I'm still getting used to Typepad's upgraded interface, but I have to say I really like it! The composing window is much more user-friendly now.

My latest online find is SLG Publishing, the publisher of my current graphic novel favorite, Rex Libris. It's pure genius. SLG has lots of interesting titles, it turns out, and I put in my first order with them today. I found Rex at a local library, but can't find much else by this publisher available this way. I figure this is a good investment for me professionally, though, since I'd really like to expand my knowledge of graphic novels and manga in general. As far as Rex goes - it's funny, well-written, has awesome illustrations and is intelligent to boot - what more could one ask for? Rex is my new hero. 

Catering to Japan's Otome

As one who has an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and a grad degree in Information Resources & Library Science, I find stories about the intersection of books and culture fascinating. Yesterday, I read an article in Time Magazine about these "butler cafes" in Japan, which are to Japanese manga-reading women what the "maid cafes" are to the men. It's interesting to note that the author of the Time article explained the popularity of the butler cafes by noting the sexism women must deal with in Japanese society, the new venues being antithetical to that. I don't know that it's anything more that a person's desire to be pampered, myself - I mean, who wouldn't like to be waited on hand and foot for an hour or so? Interesting, too, that a business that seems to have a broad appeal has its roots in the comic-book-reading crowd. In this article, the author mentions that 90% of those visiting these cafes are not strictly otaku/otome but are "tourists." 

I'm also intrigued that its inspiration is not modeled on something from Japanese culture, but from British culture, with a few modifications. One wonders how this phenomenon would translate back into a primarily English-speaking country such as England or the U.S.