Holding on for Dear Life By Lila Fujimoto Posted Tuesday, November 22, 2005, at 12:00 PM As I write this, I can’t help but think about those who had to hold on through hurricane-force winds and floods of saltwater. I am now sitting safely at my desk in Okinawa, and am thankful that my dad and stepmom are okay after their run in with the tsunami (only my stepmom is out of action for awhile because of an injured back and legs). This year, as I watch the horrible footage on the television, it really hits home to me how awful this year’s disasters have been. In many ways, those of us who are in a position to reach out to others help to save lives. We must take this opportunity to be thankful and hopeful as well. For those who are not fortunate enough to live in a safe place, I hope that you keep an optimistic outlook and that you are keeping your spirits up during these trying times. November 19th of this year, 2005 will forever be ingrained into my memory as the day the tsunami hit in Taiwan. I don’t know where we were on our list of priorities as we rushed to get ready to evacuate. I really don’t know why I can’t remember where we were when it hit, but I am sure that everything is okay in our little corner of the world. We don’t have the resources here that you would find in a major city like New York, but we are lucky enough to be safe from most natural disasters (except maybe earthquakes). My parents have lived here for over twenty years now. My dad had to come out on short notice to help me on New Year’s Eve of last year, and my mom has been very understanding as he travels to Japan to see my dad who has been stationed at our base for the past two years. We hope to get to see my stepmom and dad’s family in New York in January, but right now, we have just got to make sure that everyone is safe. Thank goodness, my stepmom, sister and I are all here in Okinawa. While the waves are pounding the coast of Taitung County, our hearts and minds are with the people that are in the greatest need. We can do our part by giving time, love and money to people who really need it. What can you do? You can help the people in the path of Hurricane Katrina and the other huge natural disasters this year by donating and writing letters of support to disaster relief organizations. Write to a friend in the States if you can’t donate. Even if they cannot give you a financial answer to your letter, they will love to hear your thoughts. And as you feel overwhelmed by everything that is happening around the world right now, you can always keep things in perspective. Thank goodness for all that is good in this world and the abundance of many things, including human kindness. LILA FUJIMOTO is a sophomore international relations and economics major. She is currently in Taipei, Taiwan, where she is spending her Christmas break, volunteering at a high school as an exchange student. She is also planning on staying in Taipei for an extra month after the school semester ends, to continue her work with the high school exchange students. Lila enjoys learning about Chinese culture, exploring with her friends, and going to the beach in the summer. She is working on a novel based on her trip to Taiwan. Editor’s Note: We at UH Libraries strongly encourage you to help with Hurricane Relief, regardless of what community you live in. Just click here to go to CNN.com’s relief and recovery center. “There is nothing more exhilarating than seeing your project out in front of the masses.” These are the words from our recent student intern, Stephanie, who was able to find the perfect solution for a problem commonly faced by the staff in the UH libraries. The Problem Shelving in our research areas can take quite some time as there are hundreds of books being checked out every day. The problem is if there is any problem with our shelves the book in question must be re-shelved and the issue resolved so that it doesn’t keep coming back in again and again. The work load of the staff with these problems has been taking up a significant portion of their time, causing issues with completing their other duties. The only option the staff can do is put the problem book on a cart and work on it when they have extra time. This results in many lost days of research time and much reduced effectiveness for research students and staff. The Solution The solution was simple – a solution that Stephanie found through her work at the libraries. She came up with a shelf sign – a piece of paper with the title of the book and the date it was put on the shelf. The date it is put on the shelf helps ensure that book is not forgotten and easily found later. After a couple tries at this, we now have a few books signed in front of their respective stacks and are looking into getting some more. We believe this will help alleviate the workload the staff experiences, freeing up the staff for more productive work and reducing the number of times the book is requested to be re-shelved. For information about the student’s project and the library click here. As we near our graduation from UH, we want to take a moment to thank some of our outstanding students who have completed their UH education with us and who have taken the opportunity to give back to the University in their own ways. We would like to recognize some of our outstanding students who have contributed to our outstanding alumni list. These students have proven that they understand and appreciate the value of education and how an individual can become a more informed member of society by their contributions to our alumni community. We congratulate the following recent graduates on their achievements during their time in UH: To all of you, we appreciate your achievements and thank you for being a part of our graduates. We are proud to count you as alumni and wish you all the best! The UH Alumni Association invites any UH alumni to participate in the UH Alumni Association’s 25th Annual Reunion Celebration. This year the Alumni Association will be honoring the UH graduates who served during World War II. Click here to learn more. This month's Alumni Association Newsletter highlights the contributions of more than $3 million UH alumni have made in support of our University. Click here to read the complete article. Click here to read an article about some of our graduates that are contributing to the community and the educational institutions in their communities. Last month we talked about the opportunity of becoming a student ambassador for UH in honor of Veteran’s Day. Veteran’s Day is a time when we remember to give thanks and honor for all that we have. As you reflect on your experiences as a student ambassador, think about what you have learned and remember the connections you made while at UH that shaped who you are as a person. We want to thank all who served during World War II for their service to our country.