The Secret Lives of Librarians

Keltie Jones of the Truro Daily News learns that there's more to her town librarians than she realized, and wants to know why they aren't being consulted about the redesign of the library.  "While most of us see librarians sitting and talking to people or moving quietly about the facility, they are, in fact, quite an active group. [...]  Modern librarians understand that the buildings that house libraries need to be open, accessible, modular, and versatile. They are the experts, and they should be engaged in the conversation around choosing the new location for the library."

Well done, Ms. Jones, well done! 

Free For All!

"FREE FOR ALL is a multi-platform documentary project exploring the history, spirit and challenges of the free public library. With public libraries around the nation facing drastic budget cuts and even closures, FREE FOR ALL investigates why Americans are using their libraries more now than ever before and assesses the high stakes for democracy if public libraries become extinct."

That's a way to get folks into the library....

"Free pole dancing classes at library 'great success' with readers."

OK......

(sadly I cannot embed the video from the site)

This Scottish library had many other enticements to offer during "Love Your Library Day" but this one has got to be the best IMO. It's worth a watch if for no other reason than to watch a policewoman give it a try.

Libraries...of the FUTURE!

Libraries of the Future (Visualization)

Aside from the unfortunate portrayal of the future librarian as the classic stereotype *sigh*, this is a nifty infographic of Pew Internet data from LibraryScienceList.

Go, public libraries!

In a guest post for the Canadian Freedom to Read Week, Raincoast Books asked author and technologist Cory Doctorow to weigh in on libraries and technology. 

"That is to say that society has never needed its librarians, and its libraries, more. The major life-skill of the information age is information literacy, and no one's better at that than librarians. It's what they train for. It's what they live for."

He's got some really great suggestions and ideas; I really like the one for transforming outdated PCs via in-library classes, then giving them to those who need them.

And, IMHO, he's right at the bottom line: Society has never needed us more. Thank you, Mr. Doctorow.

National Library Week...

...was April 10-16 of this year, with the motto "Create Your Own Story".  CNN acknowledged that librarians are "Masters of the Info Universe" but what really got my attention - made me laugh, but made me sad, too - was Craig Ferguson's opening monologue on the 11th (slightly NSFW):



Craig hit on all the things libraries are facing these days - budget cuts, facilities maintenance, homeless shelters, e-books - and even the sexy librarian stereotype. However, while he always makes me laugh, most of this was rather rueful laughing... followed by a big sigh.  

Don't forget to play!

National Gaming Day @ your library. Join the thousands of folks across the nation (and around the world!) who'll play games on Saturday.

You know you want to!

It's not dead yet...

For everyone who keeps saying to me "But I thought that stupid stereotype was dead already!" - no, it's not...

When: May 21 and 23, 2010
Who: Marie at Library Garden and Kathy at The M Word0
What: "Librarian Stereotypes, Alive & Well, Alas." New Jersey's having a hard enough time of it... fooey to Brad Parks! (This post, and others like it, will show him how "unexcitable" Jersey librarians are, heh.) Followed up with "The Stereotypes Do Live On" - with pictures and excellent suggestions from Kathy on response tactics.

So, then, why do people keep working in libraries? The Librarian in Black wondered that, and asked, and got answers... and I love 'em.  Of the top five results, I agree with four of them! (My top one would be "Enjoy the work itself", to be honest.) What are your reasons?

What They Said

It's not quite a random collection of stuff today; rather, posts relating to the future (both things to do, and things to dream of):

* AndyW's posting "5 Universal Truths That All Librarians Can Agree Upon Right Now" is, IMHO, danged true.

* Blake's collection of "10 Librarian Blogs to Read" is always good, and I always find one or two more to add to my reader. Check it out, I bet you'll find a few too!

* LJ has a series of video interviews with Marilyn Johnson, author of "This Book Is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All," currently on my to-read list. (hi Sally!)

* For the first time in 1600 years, there is again a Librarian of Alexandria. (hi to Mandy, who's lucky enough to work there!)

* I am totally going to be playing around with concept maps.

What will you add in the new year?

Guybrarians, machinery & merriment

Not all at the same time, mind you...

* "When I tell people what I do for a living, a now expected look crosses their faces, somewhere between a suppressed chuckle and a barely contained rolling-around-clutching-their- bellies guffaw." Rob Huffman shares his confession about "why he became a guybrarian" and addresses those who make that face at him.

* It sucks to be in Leicestershire UK, where the County Council is replacing all the library staff with automated machines. No, really. Staff is not surprisingly against this decision - 19 of them will lose their jobs over it - but the locals are also pretty upset. What a rotten situation.

* Horror stories (and sometimes happy stories) from the stacks! Check out The Merry Librarian, a new site that collects and shares true library stories (some more wince-inducing than others).

I believe...

"I believe in libraries and librarians." I totally agree with what Christina said, but she says it much better than I could. Bonus: she's now a blogger for ScienceBlogs - congratulations, Christina!

Lunch Money Loves Libraries

So, a friend of mine (hi Jeff!) asked me if I'd heard "I Love My Library" from Lunch Money's new album "Dizzy". I had not, so I trundled off to their web site and gave it a listen. This is great stuff! NPR thought so, too.

Snippets of the lyrics have stuck with me (as a big Nancy Drew fan when I was a kid, that line especially) but my favorite has to be this one: "All the places I could ever wander to…I have a ticket for free…and guess who tossed me the keys?"

Go forth and check them out! Then eat a cookie as big as your head.

Amusing, or Not?

It's been the kind of week where I just can't decide:

1) Garfield Minus Garfield: That Cute Librarian



2) Personal Library Kit: You can be a Sexy Librarian Too!



So, what do you think?

What do you wish everyone knew about librarians?

Check out the winning essay and runners-up of the "What I Wish Everyone Knew About Librarians" contest from Smart Poodle Publishing. There's some interesting and thought-provoking things in here; I'm glad they made them available to read.

Librarians + Rock Band = Trouble

Coolest librarians EVER in trouble for playing Rock Band
"Imagine, if you will, that you have entered a library. Imagine further that a librarian approaches and, upon meeting you, asks, "Would you like to play Rock Band?" Would you think that this librarian was A) the greatest librarian in the history of librarians or B) wasting taxpayer money?" Sadly, some Nebraska folks chose B...

Find out what happened - and watch the incriminating video - over at Joystiq.

A Dewey thing

No, not Dewey the YA librarian from Unshelved, but Dewey the Library Cat! Seems Hollywood has taken a liking to Dewey's story by Vicki Myron, "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World," and is making a film about it starring Meryl Streep. Streep will play Myron, "who works at the library and observed the impact that a kitten had on the townsfolk once it became the library mascot after wandering in through the after-hours book return slot on a cold night."

Thanks to Kathy for the tip!

The Library at Carlisle Bay

I've been carrying this ad around for months now, finally getting it posted! It's from p.106 of the 11 April 2008 issue of Vanity Fair magazine. Victoria Mather writes, "Library as disco at Carlisle Bay, Antigua. [...] The books are pristine new publications and frequently replaced—not dog-eared, suntan-oiled paperbacks left behind by previous guests."

It's been labeled as the "coolest" and the "funkiest" library in the world. How can I turn that into a research trip justification to see if it is, in fact, so?

OPAC Mashup

So, part of what I've been doing is trying (and trying!) to get caught up on some of the backlog of library literature piling on my desk (and in my inbox). Whilst reading Library Hi Tech, I came across an article I thought was just a nifty, nifty thing, so of course I wanted to share!

Michael Vandenburg of Kingston Public Library, Kingston Canada wrote an article in Vol. 26 No. 1 titled "Using Google Maps as an interface for the library catalogue." It caught my eye because of the other mashups I've been reading about - how neat, to have a systemic map of your catalog onto a world map so folks can choose resources based on clicking a country! Hopefully they'll be able to bring it online in the real world soon; the only bummer was that it's still in development so there are only the screenshots in the article, not a live URL to try out. Best wishes to Michael and his library!

Recently Read: "Between the Stacks"

I haven't posted book reviews much here before, but I think that might change. I just finished "Between the Stacks", by Barry Bowes (Landesman, 1979) and quite enjoyed it. Set in a public library in the UK, it follows the trials and tribulations of the staff at the Pike Lane library, told from the viewpoint of the (interestingly unnamed, throughout the book) senior assistant. It's quite amusing, while also illustrating the frustrations of the reference interview, being the unpaid babysitters, and many other well-known PL issues. The issues at Pike Place frame an introspective journey by the main character, who's trying to evaluate his future, both personally and professionally.

It's not an easy book to come by; there wasn't a copy anywhere in my state (thanks, ILL!). Amazon has a few used ones from international sources, and I'm pondering placing an order, but we'll see. Even Library Thing, with its gazillions of books, only shows four copies. If you do have access to it, though, give it a read!

Shopping, Marketing, and Fantasies

Yes, it's another catchup posting!

• Check it out! Shelf Check has a store now! The Twitter button especially made me laugh.
• Coming out next month: The Shanachie Tour book and DVD! If you haven't had a chance to see the DOK guys speak in person (they're inspiring), this is the next best thing. Highly recommended!
• Shelf Talk has a great post about Fantastic librarians, or librarian fantasies? "Could it be that librarians’ staid image is now bursting the seams of naturalistic fiction and spilling forth into the realms of imagination and empires of wonder?" Love the post, and now I have a few more books to read, too.

Currently a pleasant 86° and sunny.