Things I Didn't Know Once

I am the oldest of two children and due to a combination of late-blooming parents and geography, always envied kids who got hand-me-downs. Now, decades later, I find myself sorting through donated books of all shapes, sizes, ages and conditions, cleaning them as I gently as possible. If it’s a colouring or activity book, I make sure none of the pages have been marked up and then add crayons, or pencils and a small, donated toy and place the lot in a Ziploc bag. And, for the first time in my life, I find myself wondering what it must be like to never have toys that are untouched by another’s hands.

I have learned a number of things volunteering at the Toy Rescue Mission, helping to sort and prep books for parents to pick out and give to their children for birthdays, Christmas, etc. Most recently, I learned that even those without a penny to spare wait until the last minute to Christmas shop. I have learned that there are levels and levels of used and only the best go on the shelves here – the closest possible to new. I learned that are numerous agencies that have their own uses for pre-owned books, where those that aren’t quite perfect can go and be loved, appreciated, read and possibly chewed on by small children.

I didn’t know that there are agencies that take the books that are in poorer condition than that and either physically recycle them, or send them to places such as Africa where books in virtually any condition are a treasure because of their rarity. I do know now that this agency that survives on donations of goods, money and time, with a few grants here and there, but without any public funds, serves far more than itself. That the dispersing of books to homeless shelters, daycares and needy schools is repeated with donated toys, clothing and anything else that passes through the doors and cannot be used by the Toy Rescue Mission. That nothing is wasted that can be used by someone, somewhere.

I now know, in much more visceral sense than I did before, how valuable this place is. How many people it serves and in turn, how many serve it. And I learned that there is much gained by volunteering.

Curriculum Vita

Julia Kelso
19815 71st Ave CT E
Spanaway, WA 98387
Juliak54@q.com/jak42@u.washington.edu

Education
MLIS. Candidate, University of Washington, Expected completion, December 2010.

M.A. Folklore, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1999

B.A. History, Honors/magna cum laude, Minor Comparative Religion, University of New Mexico, 1991

UW Professional Portfolio: http://juliak23.wordpress.com/

Experience

Archive/Library

November-December 2010 – NOAA Student Archivist -- Preparing case documents and setting up procedure for artifact transfers to NARA.

June – September 2010 – Archive Intern, NOAA Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Intern – Preparing case documents and setting up procedure for artifact transfers to NARA.

June 2010 – Certification, NARA Basic Records Operation Course, Seattle, WA

May 2009 – Present Volunteer, Reference Services, Internet Public Library, http://qrc.ipl.org

June 2009 – September 2010 Volunteer, Literacy Department, Toy Rescue Mission, Tacoma, Washington

June 2009 – May 2010 Volunteer, Pierce County Library System. Parkland/Spanaway Branch.

Sept - Dec 1998: Archive Assistant, MUN Folklore Archive; 4-month fellowship

Sept 1994 Aug 1996: Archive Assistant, MUN Folklore Archive; 2-year fellowship

Editing

2009 – Present Associate Editor New Directions in Folklore; online journal for Newfolk folklore studies organization. http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/ndif

1997 - 1999: Managing Editor/Treasurer Culture & Tradition Vol. 20-21.

1995: Editor Culture & Tradition - Vol. 18.

1998 - 2000 - Graduate Folklore Society Representative to MUN Publications Committee
Organizational/Administrative

2010 – Present Volunteer Peer Reviewer - Library Student Journal, http://librarystudentjournal.org

Sept 1999 - Apr 2000: Faculty advisor for first-year students.

1996: Secretary/Treasurer Culture & Tradition Vol. 19.

1997 - 2000 - Chairman/Coordinator Folklore Graduate Student Society


Lecturing

Summer Session B 2010 – English 112, Beginning Composition, DeVry University, Federal Way, WA.

Summer Session B 2010 – English 135, Advanced Composition, DeVry University, Federal Way, WA.

Sept 2002 - Dec 2002 - Sessional Instructor for History 104: World Civilization to 1500 and History 105: World Civilization 1500 to Present, Montana State University, Billings, MT

Sept 2001- Dec 2001 - Sessional Instructor, History 105: World Civilization 1500 to Present. Montana State University, Billings, MT

Jan 2001- May 2001 - Sessional Instructor, History 104: Western Civilization to 1648. Montana State University, Billings, MT

May 1999 - April 2000 - Sessional Instructor, Folklore 1000 -"Introduction to Folklore". Memorial University Newfoundland, St. John's, NL

Aug - Dec 1999 - Teaching Assistant, Folklore 1060, Memorial University Newfoundland, St. John's, NL

Publications

“Quantum Folklore,” New Directions In Folklore, 8:1 2010

Book Review - In a Queer Time and Place: Transgender Bodies, Subcultural Lives by Judith Halberstam, New Directions In Folklore, 8:1 2010

"Cross-Dressing," "Warrior Women," Entries for Women's Folklore And Folklife Encyclopedia. Greenwood Press, 2008. Liz Locke, Ph. D. and Theresa Vaughn, Ph.D. editors.

June 2010 – “Brave New 2.0 World” Vol. XIV Issue http/::students.washington.edu:aliss:silverfish:20world.html

April 2010 – “Does Distance Make The Heart Grow Fonder?” The Silverfish, Vol. XIV Issue 1 http://students.washington.edu/aliss/silverfish/

Book Review - Roadside Crosses in Contemporary Memorial Culture. By Holly Everett. Culture & Tradition, Vol 23, 2002

Book Review - The Way of the Pipe: Aboriginal Spirituality and Symbolic Healing in Canadian Prisons by James B. Waldram. Culture & Tradition Vol. 21, 1999.

Book Review - On the Trail of Spider Woman: Petroglyphs, Pictographs and Myths of the Southwest by Carol Patterson-Rudolph. Culture & Tradition Vol. 21, 1999.

Book Review - Saving Graces: Images of Women in European Cemeteries. By David Robinson. Canadian Folklore Canadienne 19-1, 1997.

Fiction -
“Woman Lost,” Kaleidotrope, 10, October 2010.
“The Athenians,” Golden Visions, Spring 2010, http://www.goldenvisionsmagazine.biz/
“The Pig s End.” March 2009, in A Fly In Amber Ezine. http://www.aflyinamber.net/?m=200903


 Papers Presented

7 book Booktalk, WLA Conference, April 15-18, 2009, Spokeane, WA.

"Haunted House Legends in the Popular Media: How the Horror Genre Applies Legendary Motifs and Imagery to Modern Story Lines," International Contemporary Legend Conference, May 18-22, 1999, St. John's, Newfoundland.

"When Do the Deer Turn Into Elk?: Occupational Folklore of National Park Tourism Workers." Folklore Department Brown Bag Lecture. March 9, 1999

"Women Who Ride Out as Men: Gender Disguise in Ballad". Learneds Conference, June 1997, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland.

"Death and Real Estate Law". A look at how real estate legislation has responded to public reactions regarding stigmatized property. American Folklore Society Conference, Oct./Nov. 1997, Austin Texas.

"Disclosing Death: Stigmatized Properties and Belief," 20th annual meeting of the Folklore Studies Association of Canada (FSAC),25 August 1996, Bouctouche, New Brunswick.



References:
1. Dr. Nancy Gershenfeld
iSchool University of Washington
Seattle, WA
206 543-1894
ngersh@uw.edu

2. Dr. Philip Hiscok
Folklore Department
Memorial University Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's, NL A1C-5S7 Canada
709-737-8778
philip@mun.ca

3. Dr. Matt Redinger
History Department
Montana State University-Billings
Billings, MT 59102
406-657-2896

4. Dr. Nancy Huling
iSchool University of Washington
Seattle, WA
206 685-2211
hulingn@u.washington.edu