This blog began as an attempt to help me manage my daughter’s 5:1 question to declarative sentence ratio with something like enthusiasm. After all she was inviting me into a conversation and conversations are the heart of most parenting relationships. I wanted to preserve the ability to greet her query-filled conversations with enthusiasm as much as possible. At least until she learned how to have another type.

Reader, it ended up being a lot of fun.

When she started middle school, though, my daughter asked me to stop writing about her so much in public. I didn’t need to take down the old posts, just stop generating new ones.

This is reasonable enough, but as long time readers noticed, posting slowed quite a bit once the blog shifted away from researching and writing about my daughter’s curious questions. Her lively mind is a fount of new material. My own mind is … quieter.

Just over a year ago, I enrolled at San José State University to get a Masters in Library & Information Science (MLIS). My posts about library related things in recent years have proven nearly as popular as the posts answering my daughter’s random questions have been, so I have decided to turn this blog in a more library-oriented direction, and toss in a few posts about stuff I learn in library school along with the usual assortment of book reviews and the occasional question that bubbles up in my slightly-quieter-grownup mind.

So that’s the plan for the blog for now. Reports from my MLIS journey, more book reviews, and an occasional question post. My goal is to post at least once a month while I’m on leave, more when time permits. I guess we’ll see how it goes.

I’m changing my approach to the Caterpickles Bookstore too

I’m changing my approach to the Caterpickles Bookstore. Instead of a place to find static recommendations for books we’ve enjoyed over the years, I’m streamlining it to be a place to tell you about:

Books by the folks at Caterpickles Central A rotating list of fiction books I’ve read in the last month or so that I’ve enjoyed & why I liked them Another rotating list for nonfiction books I’ve read recently that I’ve enjoyed & why I liked them And a third rotating list of books I’m reading now/next & why I am looking forward to reading themA somewhat static list of books that have made me a better parent/adult & why I appreciate them

It’s kind of a bookstore, kind of a mini-review site. The fiction, nonfiction, and books I’m reading next lists will rotate out frequently (I’m limiting them to 6-7 books each, which means when I have a new book I love something’s going to have to go to make room for it).

You can use the shop to purchase copies of these books, or not, as you see fit from Bookshop.org. If you decide to purchase a book through the Caterpickles Shop, I’ll get a small commission. (Why I do this.)

So what’s it like to get an MLIS at the age of Parent-to-a-Teenager?

At first, it was wildly hard to work full-time at a library while going to grad school and parenting a teenager. The fact that during the past year I basically only posted here on the blog during school breaks may have already clued you into this.

But my district has an option for employees to take up to 18 months leave to pursue a degree, and since I applied (and was approved) for that, things have been much better.

Turns out I really enjoy spending my days learning things and writing about those things. (Upon reflection, this may also explain why I persist in writing this blog.) Did you know, I even caught myself reading library science related books for fun over break? Shocking.

When I enrolled, I expected to be the oldest in my MLIS classes, and actual experience has borne this out. According to SJSU, 68% of students who received their MLIS in May 2023 were between the ages of 26 and 40. I like to think that means I’m usually not old enough to be my classmate’s parent, but there’s no escaping the fact that I’m older than 68% of the MLIS students I meet, so … ahem.

That said, I’ve met several students who are also getting an MLIS as a career change or as part of a career evolution. I also know that I’m not the only person pursuing a mid-career MLIS at the age of Parent-to-a-Teenager. There are at least five of us.

Obligatory cat tax for publishing a post about blog stuff My cat also likes having me around more these days. Here he is, reminding me that it’s time to clear the table for lunch. He’s remarkably good about always sitting in the chairs, and not on the table itself. And yes, he will often either stay in that chair or hop down and enjoy a sociable nibble from his nearby food bowl while I eat. We used to eat lunch together when I worked from home, pre-library days, and it’s nice to have the routine reinstated. (Photo: Shala Howell)

Thanks, as always, for reading Caterpickles.

Related Links

“So, Mommyo, what are you going to do about Caterpickles now that I’m in middle school?” (Caterpickles)Update to a past Caterpickles: “Did dinosaurs have belly buttons?” (Caterpickles)Student Experience – MLIS (SJSU School of Information)