Between the Buttery and the Owlery
(File:An Arch leading to Sir Daniel Wilson Residence, University of Toronto.jpg. (2023, August 8). Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:An_Arch_leading_to_Sir_Daniel_Wilson_Residence,_University_of_Toronto.jpg&oldid=791096022.)
Let me tell you about this mostly unremarkable situation involving my library access. My access expired last month and I applied for renewal through my workplace. I had extended privileges last year, which included being able to borrow physical books and enter card-only locations within campus. I couldn't have it again this time so I decided to purchase an alumni membership that allowed me to enjoy the physical access, without the benefit of any type of remote access. That is, my patron category can only allow access to resources in the online collection through computer stations on-site. I happily purchased it and it cost less than the latest edition of Gray's Anatomy, and that justification was enough for me.
Work has been full in a good way, and I think a lot of that comes from having access to the latest library resources. I've been using two LLMs to efficiently find the latest and most appropriate textbooks and articles, like high-tech, high-speed card catalogs. Ultimately, the efficiency of LLMs is dependent on prompt construction. Either one can be wrong, so I try to do some quality assurance and ask something that I know the answer to and then prompt both. Or I make them compete. Again, the goal is to use LLMs for efficiency or to reduce time spent on certain tasks, but still be the captain of our brains and trains of thought.
Let me tell you about this mostly unremarkable situation involving my library access. My access expired last month and I applied for renewal through my workplace. I had extended privileges last year, which included being able to borrow physical books and enter card-only locations within campus. I couldn't have it again this time so I decided to purchase an alumni membership that allowed me to enjoy the physical access, without the benefit of any type of remote access. That is, my patron category can only allow access to resources in the online collection through computer stations on-site. I happily purchased it and it cost less than the latest edition of Gray's Anatomy, and that justification was enough for me.
Work has been full in a good way, and I think a lot of that comes from having access to the latest library resources. I've been using two LLMs to efficiently find the latest and most appropriate textbooks and articles, like high-tech, high-speed card catalogs. Ultimately, the efficiency of LLMs is dependent on prompt construction. Either one can be wrong, so I try to do some quality assurance and ask something that I know the answer to and then prompt both. Or I make them compete. Again, the goal is to use LLMs for efficiency or to reduce time spent on certain tasks, but still be the captain of our brains and trains of thought.
So, what's up with the blogpost title? This past month, in the midst of this library access situation, I decided to explore eating spots after googling alternative places to get a coffee and a pastry. The Buttery and the Owlery sound quaint and archaic like they were located in the fictional villages of Hogsmeade or Bree, yet they offer standard cafeteria fare. To make the connection between the two, if I were to visit the Buttery then go to the Owlery on foot via main streets, I would pass by the archway pictured above. A couple of days ago, when it snowed real hard, I went through that archway in that exact perspective and on the other side was a breathtaking image of trees and benches veiled in snow. I remember inhaling sharply and shaking my head. It was unbelievably beautiful.
And there you have it, my small, ordinary story.
And there you have it, my small, ordinary story.
Labels: reality
5:32 PM
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