Hello everyone, I’m Donna, and it’s nice to meet you all!
I’m happy to accompany you all on the journey as we learn more about the hyperlinked library 🙂 One of the main reasons why I choose this class was because I am actually very interest in topic and wanted to learn more about it. At the same time, I also wanted to know how we can continue to contribute to this open shared space between libraries and users.
When I was first looking at classes that were available this semester, the word “hyperlink” itself caught my eye— it reminded me of a class I took in my undergrad, which was called “Electronic, Hypertext, and Multimedia Literature”. One of the more complex and very confusing books that I had to read for that class (and somehow managed to finish the entirety of the book despite its seemingly endless footnotes that cited yet more footnotes and made absolutely no sense at times) was House of Leaves. A quick search on the internet (if you are curious) will show just how far down of a rabbit hole this book can lead you.
Since that book was rather lengthy and confusing, I will share a short “text” that you can interact with here, titled: My Body, A Wunderkammer, (another seemingly endless rabbit hole, but hypertext/link style. I promise it’s less confusing than House of Leaves.)
Warning: it can get “personal” and may be uncomfortable to some, so please make sure you read the summary to decide whether or not you want to interact with the linked text!
In regards to my interests in the LIS field, as of last semester, I am now questioning where I want to go— I initially thought that the public library route might be my calling, but after taking a class in archives, I’m now uncertain as to where I may end up…
Apologies for the lack of photos— I’m a rather camera shy person, so please picture me as the avatar you see for my profile 🙂 (Credits to my friend for drawing me in the style of one of my favorite characters!)
Hello Donna,
Welcome to the hyperlinked library journey! It’s a pleasure to meet you and hear about your interest in the topic. The connection you made with the word “hyperlink” due to your previous class, “Electronic, Hypertext, and Multimedia Literature,” sounds fascinating. House of Leaves indeed leads readers down a complex and intricate rabbit hole. Your mention of “My Body, A Wunderkammer” adds an intriguing hypertext dimension, and I appreciate the heads up about its personal nature.
It’s completely understandable to feel uncertain about your career path, especially when exposed to different facets of the LIS field. Exploring both public libraries and archives provides valuable insights that can help you discover where your true passion lies. Embracing this uncertainty can be an exciting part of your professional journey.
Regards,
Barry
Hi Barry,
Thank you for the warm welcome 🙂 It’s always such a mind-blowing and exciting experience when class topics can connect to some extent, so I’m glad that was the case here. Truth be told, I actually struggled with figuring out where to place the warning, but then realize that putting it in bold would really be eye catching, so I’m glad it worked!
Thank you for the words of encouragement, I really appreciate it! 🙂
-Donna
Hi Donna!
I had to take hyper focused English class so I didn’t see something like this class offered before, nor did I think of taking something like it. I think it gives you an advantage to have an interest in this topic already, which is a great thing. The story certainly seems strange, but the format for its story is interesting which makes it more engaging and provoking to the reader. Reminds me of old interactive games I played as a kid. Anyways your profile picture is super cute, it reminds me of Genshin Impact!
Have a nice week!
-Olivia Evans
Hi Olivia!
It appears that we have similar experiences… I also had to take hyper focused english classes for the most part, but jumped on the opportunity to take the Hypertext class when I saw it being offered… and I’m glad I did. For the most part, I did find the story to be rather interesting and complex and weird yet also made a lot of sense to me (if that makes any sense) when I first read it, so I get how you feel 🙂
And yes! You are on point in regards to the profile picture 🙂 It is indeed Genshin Impact related (I’m a bit of a gamer). And thank you, I also found your profile picture to be very cool and awesome!
-Donna
Aw, thank you Donna!
I also like Genshin a lot, Razor was my original main character, but as time has gone on Itto has become one of my favorites. I really like the story and fan theories!
-Olivia
Ah, Itto! He’s a fun guy, it’s always exciting when there are new events or stories that involve him 🙂
I love the stories, (especially the latest one with Furina) but have found that many of friends find it tedious to get through, so I never have anyone to talk to about it (sadly). Speaking of fan theories, I will always have my suspicions and theories in regards to Paimon….
-Donna
Haha, yeah! Furina is an awesome character, I’ve loved the new patches lately. As for Paimon, she is totally some kind of celestial, but also the best emergency food.
-Olivia
Hello @donna128! I came to House of Leaves through the author’s sister – the musician Poe – who recorded an album called Haunted that aligned with the book! So interesting.
Welcome to #hyperlib!
Hi @michael! Thanks for the warm welcome 🙂 I do recall that fact now that you mentioned it- I found it to be very cool but couldn’t enjoy the album to it’s fullest extent as I was reading the book…
I remembering listening to “House of Leaves” from the album and then having to stop myself from going further. I was already feeling the horror/thriller/creepy vibe of the book having read a rather good chunk of it, and listening to the music made me feel like I was “living” it for a moment, so full on brakes came crashing out (me and horror don’t mix well…)
@donna128 Understood! There is a lot going on in the novel and the music.