New voices on the WHSLA blog

The WHSLA blog is happy to welcome two new voices this spring: Paije Wilson from UW-Madison's Ebling Library and Kelly Johnson from ThedaCare Library in Appleton.

This spring, Michele Matucheski will take over as the WHSLA blog administrator and continue to post content. Brenda Fay will step down from the blogging team after a nine-year stint. Anyone remember our first blog posts from March 2016?

Get to know our new bloggers, Kelly and Paije. 

Kelly Johnson, Medical Librarian at ThedaCare

Favorite midnight snack: sweet treat- brownies, but right now I’m trying to focus on protein and fiber, so likely beef jerky or prunes (which I love)! 

 My superpower would be teleportation so I could go anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. I would love to have an instant commute or be able to pop over to the ocean for a relaxing afternoon.
 
Right now I am reading: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver; it’s fine so far, not great, not terrible, just kind of goes along. Next up my 10 year old wants me to read Ground Zero by Alan Gratz. He’s a big fan of Allies by the same author and wants me to read something by him as well.

 

Paije Wilson, Health Sciences Librarian at Ebling Library, UW-Madison 

What’s your favorite midnight snack? Stove-top popcorn.

If you could choose a superpower, what would you pick?  I would love to talk to animals.

Who would you choose if you could be friends with a fictional character? That's a tough one! Maybe Bigwig from Watership Down by Richard Adams (who wouldn't want to be friends with a rabbit?)

 

What are you reading right now? The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

When Disaster Strikes: Evacuating Unicoi Hospital by Radio Advisory

RadioAdvisory No. 241: When Disaster Strikes: Evacuating Unicoi Hospital (about 34 min.)

With spring bringing turbulent weather in WI, I thought this story was fitting for WI Librarians.

The podcast is only about 30 minutes long.  It tells the harrowing story of Unicoi Hospital that had to be evacuated due to the rising storm waters of the nearby river.    Read more (including transcript).

I remember storms in WI that made the waters rise, and closed roads so I couldn't get to work some days in Oshkosh, or violent wind storms that caused power to go out through most of the city -- also closing roads due to fallen trees.   I remember floods where administrators and maintenance guys were banking sand bags to prevent the water in the run-off ponds from breaching our hospital building ...     

It could happen to any one of us.  What would you do in that situation?  Granted: Saving a Library is a whole other story, but it does help to put things into perspective about what is really important and what isn't ...  What can be replaced later, and what can't.