Category: Resources

Blog, Resources

Life is a Journey

Library Consultant Services LLC

Life is a Journey:

Walking down the long and winding road

Walking in this day of mourning and sorrow seems too daunting a task for our troubled souls. As we continue to live in the shadow of 2020, a year of many strife and loss, we long for relief. I know how this feels, because I and my family have experienced loss and mourning of loved ones. Recently, my family buried my beloved niece, of 40 years old. My niece was a vibrant young woman, daughter, mother, and wife. Unfortunately, she was not the only loss to our family in 2020. We suffered the loss of my father, step-father, two cousins, and two of my pets all in one year.

Covid-19 took the life of my step-father while a fatal car crash took the life of my niece. I know my family is not the only one having a hard time this year, but when it hits home, it is a reality hard to fathom, but yet, we must go on. Listening to the news day by day, it seems like the world is upside down. Conflicts involving race, government dishevel, virus deaths and infections all over the world, exhaust us and sap us the energy to recover. This year is an election year and already we see war clouds; a time in which this country has never seen before. What will this election bring? Will it bring relief and change or more of the same? Are we, the people of these United States going to step up and demand this change or will we decide to go backwards to a time of inequality, financial depression, racial hatred and violence, and hopelessness due to mindless choices made by those in high places?

This is a time of serious reflection and self-evaluation. Covid-19 has left the country with choices that we never expected to make. Our children are not able to attend schools, teachers have to learn how to educate virtually to young children whose attention span is no longer than a 10 minute cartoon and parents have to decide whether to work or stay at home with their children. Despair is heard over the air-waves and people call in blaming one candidate over another for the problems we all are having. They feel that their problems will be solved if we just vote the right person into office. One person cannot change the damage that has been done during this pandemic. But we are hopeful that whomever is elected will have answers to an impossible situation.

As life leads us into unchartered waters, we pray for a ray of sunshine to a time that seems, now, so long ago when things were normal and predictable. Life is hard and many times unfair. Grief has been a constant companion of late, to many. Young people are not confident of their future and wonder if there is one. What can we do to change the path we are on to a path of a new beginning? For a start, we can hold each other’s hand and travel this journey together. Face these obstacles with courage and determination. And when we fall down, pick each other up and continue on until victory is won. I believe that this too will pass and the sun will shine again.

For those who seek refuge through the storm, I suggest that you click on these

links below, there is help for the needy and unemployed.

Also, you will find links to voting information and officials.

Resources during Covid-19

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Resources, Technology

Computer problems can be a headache; what can you do?

Library Consultant Services LLC
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Computer got you down? Or is the computer down? We all have these moments just when you need it, your computer crashes. For all the money we spend on technology, we wish our devices would last forever. But that’s just wishful thinking and nothing lasts forever. Heck, iron wears out, as my grandmother used to say.

The first thing I learned from purchasing computers for years, they eventually will need repair or replacing. That’s why I recommend buying 2-3 years of warranty, because computer repairs can be expensive. Sometimes, it can be more than what you paid for the device, making it better to buy a new one. Most warranties cover the costs of very important parts of the computer such as the hard drive, replacing worn parts from normal use. It seems that the hard drive from frequent use, will crash from no cause of your own. Malicious viruses and Trojan horse viruses and hacking can cause the drive to malfunction or crash. Not defragmenting the drive can also cause crashes since it takes longer for the drive to locate the data; scattered data across the drive slows the computer down. Eventually, you get the dreaded blue screen. The digital sign of a dead drive.

Installing a very efficient virus deterrent and cleaner such as Norton virus products and McAfee virus products can help keep most viruses from infecting your computer. Regular de-fragmenting keeps your drive workable. The drive serves as a storage and retrieval mechanism and when it is overloaded, it tends to work harder to find the data you want. The computer then slows up and makes locating the data tedious and a strain on the drive.

To learn more about your computer and how to prevent your system from crashing and protecting it from malware, you can go on YouTube and search for computer techs that deal with this issue daily. They explain clearly how and when your computer should be serviced. Many even give advice and walk you through the process.

If you want to use your computer and the hard drive is workable, you might want to purchase an external hard drive to store and backup your data just in case the main hard drive crashes. This will save you more hassle and your data will be safe. You might consider subscribing to a cloud service that you could store your data and always have access to your data wherever you are. You can also access the data on all of your devices. In fact, this is most convenient for you all the way around. You are able to use your phone as well.

Again, a computer problem is a bummer. I recommend prevention and defragmenting your computer, keep your virus program current and backup your data often.

Blog, Family news

All Dogs go to Heaven*

Library Consultant Services LLC
My best friend, Foxy Cox

This year has been a very sad one for many, but it has been especially grievous for me. My best friend and companion passed away on August 18, 2020 from cancer. Foxy was a beautiful and sweet mix Pomeranian that loved to ride in my car and take long walks. Recently, before her death, she was pushed in her pet carrier to her favorite places. I live in Clinton Township Michigan in a beautiful apartment complex surrounded by rolling green hills and land. Foxy had the best times when she could roll in the grass and bark at the other dogs. She lived with two cats, one that also passed away with congested heart failure. All of my past pets lived to be 18 to 23 years old. Foxy passed away at the ripe old dog age of 18 years old and my cat, Lady, died at the old age of 23 years old.

Foxy loved Lady and she loved her. They are both survived by my youngest cat, Autumn, a Maine Coon.

She originally belonged to my grandmother until she passed at 97 years old in July 2014. With the death of my father and stepfather this year, it has been very hard. My dad loved Foxy and she was always so happy to see him. Foxy was a very frisky and happy dog and she easily took to children and cats. It took a little while for her to grow on other dogs, but eventually she did. Foxy was surrounded in a apartment community of dogs. So she was able to see and get to know one or two of them. But she bonded with me and we were inseparable. I adopted Foxy from the Detroit Anti-Cruelty Shelter in Detroit Michigan two weeks before Christmas of 2005 after the passing of my girl, Muppet, a mixed Terrier.

She too passed away in my arms with congestive heart failure at the age of 22 years.

All of my pets have been either strays or shelter adopted. I loved all of my pets that are no longer with me. Foxy was only the latest and she is greatly missed. I would love that all homeless pets have a loving forever home as my pets have had. So I choose to donate to the animal shelters and rescue services for animals. I am especially grateful to the Michigan Humane Society of Rochester Hills Michigan for the kindness and compassion shown to me and Foxy at the end of her life. She was put to sleep by them, but before they decided to do so, they allowed me the privilege to make peace with my girl Foxy for one more day. As I held my dog in my arm in bed, I knew that this would be the last time. I took her with me the next day to have my laptop repaired. Before the afternoon was over, Foxy started shutting down and I knew that she was not going home again with me. I quickly contacted the doctor and said that it was time and I was resigned to give my baby girl rest.

It was very hard, but I could not bare any longer to see my dog suffer anymore. Foxy could no longer hold her head up and her legs were completely lame. She could not stand and she was breathing irregularly. The staff assistant came outside with a blanket and I kissed and said my last good-byes to my best friend and companion. Foxy left my side for the first and last time. She will be forever loved and missed.

 

 

 

Family news, Health, Resources, Senior Outlook

Services for Family research

Library Consultant Services LLC

With all that is going on around us, family still is the most important.  This is a time when families need to be close.  We need to take care of our elders and children during this horrible age of Covid-19.  With many families suffering economically and the future seems to be bleak, we can still instill love and closeness of family life.  Although, we must practive distancing and wearing of masks, we can look into discovering our past and present by seeking information about our family tree.  There are services that are provided by various sites and organizations.  My favorite and my usual place for discovering and compiling family histories, is Ancestry.com.

Also, Fold3.com, a site that offers ways to locate your family’s military history.

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If you are not savvy in searching databases, you are not out of the loop.  I have been helping individuals locate information that help and educate their families about their ancestors and health material related to their medical histories for some time.  Being a retired librarian has given me opportunities for searching and compiling information that aid individuals and nonprofit clients.  As for my family tree, I have located ancestors as far as plantation slavery.  I was fortunate to have found my great, great grandmother and father.  My grandmother told me to promise her that I would locate her grandmother whom she mourned so long as a little girl. I kept that promise and found a lot more.  Local libraries are a great source and help if you are considering your own genealogy search.  You can also hire or request professionals such as myself to assist you in your adventure.  Libraries usually have list of researchers and genealogist organizations and individual genealogist that you can request.

For more information contact the sites below:

Family news, Health, Resources, Senior Outlook

Seniors Need Library Services Too

Library Consultant Services LLC
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Photo gallery (beaumontcommonsdearborn.org)

While supporting my sister with the care of my ill and elderly father, I noticed while he was residing in his first new residence of 2 months, that the facility had a library for their residents.  Not a big one, but one that housed a collection of books for the seniors to read while sitting in the library room.  I noted that there was no one particularly maintaining the library. Most of the time the activity director is responsible for this area. It was the same way when he was temporarily residing at a nursing facility while my sister was vacationing in Las Vegas.  These facilities have a room for library books but there is often no official librarian or services provided.  This is an opportunity I am looking into as I rewrite my marketing plan for the coming year.

Seniors are avid readers and they have a lot of time on their hands, being that many have lived out their lives and retired from employment responsibilities.  They are more likely to participate in library activities and desire to have someone that can upgrade and manage their library needs. Many would even appreciate library materials that aid the deaf and blind.  While I worked as a librarian at the Detroit Public Library, I was placed in the department that served the blind.  We provided audio-books for them.  Patrons are now able to download books in the form of e-books from their local libraries.  I anticipate that many seniors are not that computer literate and might wish to learn how they might access books in this format.  Also, the blind can download and check out audio books online as well.  It is very enlightening to know that many senior community facilities now have access to computers with WiFi in their computer centers.

I  taught  a couple of clients how to use their computer programs and consider adding this need for potential senior clients.  Seniors would probably want to know how to communicate with their relatives by programs like  messenger, Skype, or email. Most seniors would probably prefer a traditional hard-copy book that they can read while sitting in bed instead of a laptop; as is more likely used by younger readers since many grew up with this technology.  Most of these programs offer video conferencing, so that senior residents can not only talk, but see their friends and relatives.  This makes them feel less isolated and lonely.  they feel connected to the outside and their family.  They might not be able to have their relatives visit in person as often as they’d like, but they remain in touch.

While a librarian with the public libraries, I was fortunate to have worked with the book mobile department.  We delivered books to these senior community living facilities and I got to know many of the seniors.  They loved the camaraderie and so did I.  I learned a lot from listening to their life experiences and miss dearly my own grandmother who passed away in 2014.  It was a rewarding job and I hope as an independent librarian, I can revamp these experiences. You will be surprised how seniors love learning new things.  Books offer a range of outlets for them.  Seniors are very creative people and still have much to offer society.  I do not want to write them off in any way and desire to give them the library services they truly deserve.

Any directors of these facilities should contact me to schedule a meeting regarding a possible contract for my library services.  I would be more than glad to work with you to plan a program for your senior residents.