Cultural Artifacts

This one boggled me for a while, as I wasn't sure what to use as the cultural artifact that would pertain to this. After much thought, I finally decided on the "Work Cell Phone" and the "Work Laptop". While these two may seem common place items in everyday life, they are an essential part of this study for the following reasons:
I. The Job is working on maintaining cell towers
II. The Service Technician relies on both items to communicate with the Office in Orlando, the call center and the clients.

As to the first, being a cell phone and having a laptop that runs internet on a data card which gains access to the internet via the cell tower and the work performed keeps the radio equipment running smoothly so that the cell tower can transmit signals.
As to the second, without these two items there would be no communication as to which towers need service.

The Library.....not as quiet as one would think.

Sorry for the delay, I have been having technical difficulties that I am not sure if its the end user - me, the net itself (my service stinks) or more than likely a bit of both.
So to test out my fieldworking skills I decided to head down to the library in Kingston Springs. (For one reason is they have working high speed!)
This was not my first visit to the library, I have been here several times since we made our move from Bellevue in August.
At first glance, the library seems quaint, decidely tiny compared to the libraries I am used in Florida! The staff on hand, which consists of 3 older women, above 50 years of age who are all very nice, and chatty. When you walk in there is a sign by the front door letting the public know of current events taking place within that week/month. For instance this time the sign read:
Welcome!
Tuesday Morning Coffee & Chat 10:30
Crochet and Chat on Wednesday! 9:30
Don't forget our annual Book Drive coming in October!

My first thought on this, was Coffee & Chat??? To me this would be better suited at a coffee shop, actual book store or even at the small yarn shop accross the street. This should of forcasted that what my previous experience at a library was not going to be found here.

When you enter the library, you find a circle table full of computers to use in the center of the room, to the right is a small children's section, and a door that leads to an office.To the left is a door along the entrance wall that leads to another office, next to that is the check out desk, followed by a rectangular shaped table full of computers and rows on eash wall of books. Towards the back is a fireplace and a fairly good sized table with 4 chairs that one can actually study at or make use of one's personal computer. Each row of books (there is only 10 total rows) has either a cushon chair or a rocker.

That day I made my way to the back table in front offireplace and preceeded to try and blend into the scenery. There were two people chatting at the circle table about the upcoming High School football game, the check out desk was crowded with several locals discussing the nights events at the local hang out - a pub type place that has music on Thursday nights, and there were 7 people using the other computers.

Quiet? Hardly, this place was as noisy as the local diner on a lunch hour! Cell phones ringing, people talking and laughing. I was a bit taken back by it all. But this is where the locals gather during the day to catch up on gossip and I have to say I felt like I was a child listening in on one of those old time party lines that I used to hear my grandmother talk about.

All in all it was definitly a learning experience and one I think I will greatly enjoy living in a small town. As for going to the library to study -maybe if I take some ear plugs!

Field Working Notes

Above are scans of my field note "work book" that I am writing down my notes in. I have also maintained use of my digital recorder, in which I can "note" things that I am observing.

Ethnographic Study for the Fall term.....

Since the first class, this project has been idling away in my brain. Having a broad range of topics floating through and sorting them out with the pros and cons of each has not been an easy task. I am passionate about alot of things; candle making, quilting, reading to name a few. None of these things did I really feel as if I could turn into "major" paper.

Saturday morning when I recieved the email about this blog's topic, my brain went into over drive wondering frantically if I was going to be able to narrow it down to just a few and then choose. I calmed myself down, told myself that its just a preliminary goal and could be changed, albeit soon. (As I do not want to be the student that ended up with no clear paper at the due date!)

That being said, I think I have finally narrowed down a few topics. One being brought to my mind when I was reading Mr. Zollo's Iowa 80, and writing my response in the discussion portion. While truck drivers are a major neccesaity in our culture, so are their wives and families, but I don't really want to write about them. My mind went to the families that are left behind when our soliders depart for war or other assignments that thier families cannot follow along, and more than that cannot be told where thier loved one is going. I am talking about the wives and husbands who sacrafice daily in the honor of our country. They are a society among themselves, with a pecking order and strong traditions.

My other idea has now escaped my mind - which means I have learned a very valuable lesson already from and about fieldworking! NOTES! NOTES NOTES! I am going to close this for the moment and see if I can regroup my line of thought.

I'm back, thoughts back in order.

My second culture type is that of HVAC Technicians and what they call "The Circle of Techs". What is a circle of techs? It is the relationship among the technicians and their code of conduct that is not written in words rather than the unspoken rule of law among them. I thought maybe here I could be able to interview the techs, the managers and either the owner of the company or the highest one I can. For this, I would ak permission from my husband's bosses to follow along and have the techs speak frankly with me. In our culture in the USA, work sub-cultures can become like a family.

My third is along the same lines as the second, dealing with the culture of surgical nurses. These nurses are and have to be detailed oreintated and quick on wit when dealing with surgeries that can go awry and with patients who run the gamet of sweet elderly people down to small, innocent babies.

I think between the three ideas, would make for an interesting project and leave the reader with a sense of appriciation for the subjects.