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?

A Moment of Humor

Whilst in the local Trader Joe's yesterday, wearing one of my many librarian-themed T-shirts, I was serenaded by one of the workers with "Marian the Librarian" from The Music Man.

I was amused.

Linkdump!

Things continue to be crazy-insane; here's a few things I want to share, but without the usual commentary. (I miss mah commentary!)

* The World Digital Library was launched on April 21st! Cool.

* An interesting insight into information searching by scientists and astronomers concludes that what is not available online is not worth reading. Hm.

* Dear Mark Knoller: PHFFFT. Love, Librarians.

* Check out these videos from UT Arlington! Featuring a librarian and a stereotype having a dialogue, the introduction alone made me laugh out loud :-D

And it's that time of year when I start sharing my weather wonkiness with you, bwa-hahaha! Today: Only up to 86°. You know that's gonna change.

OPL Plus Reviews the Book

Judith Siess, Queen of the One Person Library and OPL Plus blogger, says in her review of my book (the first review, even!), "You should read this book and take its message to heart. If we don't change, we'll become irrelevant and disappear altogether." Thank you, Judy (and apologies for the mis-spell)!

My book, your book, Facebook!

I've just set up a Page on Facebook for "You Don't Look Like a Librarian!" Shameless plug: Wanna be a fan? (All the cool pages have fans.)

Crazy & insane, but worth it

It has been, to say the least, very intense around here for the past couple of weeks. But, it's all paid off, and today is definitely Boost Ruth's Ego day:

* The Project Manager for Job #1 told my boss today that he's very pleased with my recent performance, especially since he's aware of how many different hats I'm working under. Yay!

* The Project Manager for Job #2 likes the configuration management system I've set up, that had its big demo yesterday. Yay!

* My publisher, ITI, told me my book (currently a Featured Title on ITI's site) was the second best seller at CiL, behind David Lee King's book! Not bad at all, considering I wasn't able to be there to flog it and do a signing. Yay!

Today is just full of... well, Yay!

LISA VI Call for Papers

The Call for Papers has gone out for the upcoming Library and Information Services in Astronomy VI conference in Pune, India in 2010. Put your thinking caps on, astronomy librarians!

Celebrating Ada Lovelace

I lose some lady geek cred points here for not being up on this, hence coming to the Ada Lovelace Day party a day late. Sigh. Next year, I promise, although choosing just one tech-savvy woman to write about is going to be a major, major challenge!

(Who was Ada? Well, go forth and find out! Awesome lady, awesome skills, and way ahead of her time.)

I'm a Shover and Maker!

Thank you, thank you, to the Library Society of the World and the First Annual Shovers and Makers Awards. I'm honored and humbled. (Well, ok, one out of two ain't bad.) I would like to recommend you visit the main award site and read about my co-awardees - we're an amazing bunch of people!

Oh, good grief.

Found via the ever-fabulous Lipstick Librarian: "Check out a demo of an iPhone application that tells people around you to shut up when you deem them too noisy. Want to guess the name of the app?"

Heaven Forbid We Pay Them Their Worth

Ok, be warned, this one brings out the snark in me. On March 7th over on "The Daily Beast", Barbara Goldsmith has written a pointed article titled "Jennifer Aniston's $50K Hairstyle vs. Librarian Pensions." Go read it now (I'll wait), and if you're not annoyed afterward, well, you should be. These folks worked hard for decades in high-level positions in one of the most expensive cities in the nation, and now they're being harassed for their retirement? For shame! (Be sure to read through the comments, too - an interesting discussion went on there, too.)

"All this leads to the greater question of why teachers, librarians, scholars, and such—the very people who hold our present and future education and self-worth in their hands—are so undervalued?" Yes! Why is it the folks who hold the keys to the kingdom IMHO - the teachers and the librarians - are the ones who get kicked, cut, slammed, and shoved aside? ARRGH!

(Yes, this is a sore spot for me. It always has been.)

Internet Librarian Call for Speakers

I know I'm late out of the gate, but you still have ten days to submit a proposal to Internet Librarian for the 2009 conference, "Net Initiatives For Tough Times: Digital Publishing, Preservation & Practices." You know you want to!

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.

"We call it Book."

Penny Arcade for the win once more!

Nancy Pearl scores again!

Over on Cleveland.com, book editor Karen Long has a short interview with the one and only Nancy Pearl, who was in Cleveland moderating a panel of "Young Literary Lions". Of course, the Librarian Action Figure comes up!

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.

And It Continues... this time in Pakistan

Ali Usman reports in the Pakistan Daily Times about the demoting of librarians at a staff level, and the outrage that followed. "The teachers and students of Allama Iqbal Medical College (AIMC) have condemned the AIMC and Jinnah Hospital administrations for advertising the post of librarian in BS-8, calling it a humiliation to the coveted post." Read the full article, "AIMC slammed for ‘demoting’ librarians," for the details.

Kudos to the staff and students who spoke up; I'll have my fingers crossed that the situation is resolved properly (i.e., librarians are back at BS-17).

It's an International Thing

Lest you think it's only us Americans who obsess about image and perception, meet Chooman, who emailed me earlier this week: "I'm a librarian at Thammasat University, Thailand. I'm one of us who always get the 'you don't look like a librarian' remark. In fact, my boss is quite annoyed that I don't look like government officer either. I like being a librarian. I got standing ovation telling stories to children at summer camp. I enjoy reference work. I am thrilled doing periodical index. Too bad index is being done by software now."

Thanks for the email, Chooman, and for permission to share your words on the blog!

Astronomy Science Fiction

"Astronomy professor and SF author, Mike Brotherton, had a brilliant idea. A lot of people get their ideas about science from fiction, but the problem is that much of the science in fiction is really bad -- like that whole exploding in vacuum thing. So he decided to put together an online anthology of science fiction specifically to use in conjunction with teaching astronomy. The National Science Foundation thought it was a good idea and funded the anthology."

This is just too cool. Check out Diamonds in the Sky, "an original anthology of astronomy science fiction."

A Compendium of Sexy Librarianness

Ha ha! Over on Library Journal is a great summary of "trope of the lascivious professional in American popular culture" by Heather McCormack and Lauren Gilbert. A great, fun (and occasionally NSFW) collection of web sites, movies, music and books featuring sexy librarians in one way or another! (Be sure to read "Never Mind the Bollocks, Librarians Invented Sex, Stupid!")

Hats off to the authors for a great pre-Valentine's Day treat!