Pride Month 2022 kicks off with a stream of intriguing author talks coming your way! And the first one will be with comic book writer, Sharon De La Cruz and interviewed by fellow contributor, Whitney!
I am working on a big data cleanup in one of our photo collections that involves individually editing each photo record for hundreds of photos. Today I came across this one.
New York City Mayor Robert Wagner (left in white wearing a hat), his wife Susan, and a bunch of other people on a beach c. 1955. The collection has lots of vacation/beach/pool photos. So what makes this one special?
The random guy wearing a devil mask.
Visit your local archives (and/or find them on social media), we have great stuff.
LIS 2212: Library Equipment and Your Strong Opinion
If you don’t have a favorite of every single piece of library equipment then you 100% have a least favorite. Which microfilm reader is a little bitch, which book cart is hardest to steer, which printer jams most frequently, which desk supplies you will under no circumstances allow visitors to use.
Don’t worry. You are not alone in your hoarding of supplies or vendettas.
LIS 2212: Library Equipment and Your Strong Opinion
If you don’t have a favorite of every single piece of library equipment then you 100% have a least favorite. Which microfilm reader is a little bitch, which book cart is hardest to steer, which printer jams most frequently, which desk supplies you will under no circumstances allow visitors to use.
Friends, if you hear your library is going to open up even for curbside pickup, I’m asking you to publicly request details of how staff will be safe. Are there plexiglass shields? Ok, how high and where? PPE? What PPE exactly and is it being taken from medical professionals? How much do they have to reuse it? The books will be cleaned/quarantined? How long and with what? How are you going to keep staff safe from people who refuse to wear masks or distance? Who’s cleaning the bathrooms? What happens if a patrons spits or coughs on people? How are they protecting Asian-presenting staff from hate speech and acts of violence? If staff have to ride public transportation do they have a place to change when they get to work or do you provide masks to them before they get on the bus?
I know you miss the library but for every decent person who washes their hands and wears a mask there’s one who will tell me it’s a hoax and lick the checkout computer. I signed up to be a librarian, not a first responder.
If you’re reading this, download Libby or RB Digital or whatever your library uses and get new content that way, don’t fucking romanticize the library and put us at risk. We’re just people trying to keep our families safe.
“But restaurants/bars/grocery stores are allowed to be open or do pick up!”
Yes, and they don’t require you to return your used bags, dishes, and packages to be handed to the next person in line.
Many libraries serve as default day centers for homeless and others with nowhere else to go. People are also staring to go a little stir crazy after being stuck at home for so long, I get it. While loads of people are making the right choice and staying home if libraries open they will be full. This is a very rare case where librarians are shouting that our doors need to be/stay closed. Use ALL of the amazing digital services or phone services we offer, but STAY THE FUCK HOME.
So I’m at a library in a town I don’t live in to spend time with my nieces and I go to the bathroom and see this sign.
They turned their old card catalog into free supplies people can discretely take on their own.
This is the coolest thing ever, a great way to help people without making them ask, and an amazing reuse of a the card catalog. I’m seriously about to cry I love it so much.
Thanks for all the support and love! I begin my next big journey in life as Director of Anna Porter Public Library on Monday July 1, 2019✨✨ I promise to be more active here now that I’m finally done with grad school. All the love!
saying the book came to you like that when clearly your dog chewed on it
trying to reshelve books on your own
yelling at us to get our attention
talking on your phone when we’re trying to assist you
yelling at non-management staff for policies they have no power over
asking for more time on the computer when the session has already logged you off, you needed to ask for that time 5 minutes ago
asking us to look something up for you by the call number. the call number tells you where it is. please just give me the title.
getting upset with us for anything COVID related
things librarians do NOT judge you for (unless they’re bad at librarianing):
reading erotica
using the copier incorrectly
not speaking english as a first language
being an adult and not reading grown up books
owing fines
liking romance novels
finding out your child’s card is blocked because they’ve been billed for books they’ve secretly been hiding behind their dresser
having books overdue
you liking graphic novels and comics
your CHILD liking graphic novels and comics. seriously. we just want them to read.
taking books off of a display
asking us to check and make sure we don’t have a book you returned (with COVID and quarantining books, more things are getting missed, so asking a librarian to do a shelf check is okay! but be nice. we are So Tired and Busy. if you say something like “if you’re busy feel free to check when you have time and get back to me” we will love you. we will probably be like “you’ve been nice so i’ll go right now”)
things librarians judge, but don’t judge YOU for:
James Patterson. Look. we all know everyone likes him. That’s great, we love that people read because of him! But we do judge James Patterson as an entity. He’s got so many goddamn books. they take up so much goddamn space. james. jimmy. jimsicle. just. stop putting your name on things, please, we are begging you. liking james patterson is Valid. BEING james patterson is not valid.
You know you have too many library books checked out when you look a book up in the system, get angry that it’s not available, and then realize later that you’re the one who has it checked out.
My boss just came to ask me a question and I wasn’t trying to say “how can I help you” and “what can I do for you” at the same time and I ended up saying “What can you do?” with a weird emphasis on the word you and …
I don’t think she heard me? Or at least she just went ahead with her question. But.
