Ten Ways to Tell If You Are a Solo Librarian

John Clark [Hartland (Maine) Public Library] wrote this for the initial issue of MLA to Z: The News-to-use-letter of the Maine Library Association (April 2007). You can identify with it even if you don't work in a public library. I love it.

1. People in the checkout line hand you a reserve request written on the back of their grocery list.
2. People tell the town manager you work too much because they saw your car at the library after 9 P.M.
3.You stop at yard sales to buy movies for the library.
4. You have a network of fellow scavengers who save Coke, Pepsi and Powerade caps so you can redeem the points for more stuff for the library.
5. Your fingerprints are on every item in the library.
6. You debate weeding a title you just know cousin Emma will hate you for, but do it anyway.
7. You’re on the delivery service, but drop off an ILL pouch in the next town after hours because you’re going there anyway to do some grocery shopping.
8. You visit other libraries and the first place you go is their used book shelf.
9. There is a bigger library that has adopted you, and you have done the same for a smaller library.
10. You have done story hour while simultaneously checking out books and answering a reference question over the phone.

URL: http://mainelibraries.org/_documents/newsletter/200704newsletter.pdf

"I Love My Library" says band Lunch Money

Tony Tallent [Boulder (Colorado) Public Library], posted the lyrics to I Love My Library by the South Carolina band, Lunch Money. Here they are:

I Love My Library
I’m going to the library…to see my librarian…who’ll send me home with 60 things…as if I could carry them (I’ll bring my red wagon)…Passing out the picture books like my granny hands out food…”Leggi, leggi, take all of these…And you might like this one too”…and my brain’s getting fat on stories and facts…and it feels like love…All the librarians…they say come follow me…They’re looking straight at me….They take me seriously….and all the things that I’d never have picked….become my new favorites…I show them to my friends at school…and they get addicted too (to Nancy Drew)…I feel so understood when a story’s this good…Oh, it feels like love…All the things that I could ever wonder about are waiting here for me…All the places I could ever wander to…I have a ticket for free…and guess who tossed me the keys?…Books about boys and girls and magic worlds…Heroic dogs, a toad, a frog…Sleuthing teens and big machines…Hippo friends and astronauts…Freight trains and snowy days…Wind-up mice and caps for sale…Lightning and wild things…I love my library.

URLs:
Lunch Money: http://www.lunchmoneymusic.com/
Tallent’s post: http://yestoknow.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/lunch-money-loves-libraries/

THE FIRST COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

(found by my father on the Internet, author unknown)

They recently discovered a smaller scroll hidden in the cylinder of the first scroll of the ancient Biblical scriptures, believed to be the actual “first page” of the Bible. When deciphered, it read:

“Copyright (c) 300 B.C. God. All Rights Reserved First scrawling First-Sunrise-After-Stonehenge-Keystone- Is-Shadowed, 300 B.C.

All beings, places and events depicted in this work are fictional, and any resemblance to actual beings, places and events past, present or future is purely coincidental.

WARNING: Some of the actions performed in this work are dangerous and should only be attempted by professionals familiar with the action in question.

NOTE: Those tiny points of light in the sky when it gets dark are called ‘stars’. Some of them do blow up on occasion. In no way should this be construed as a sign that there is, beneath such an explosion, any form of saviour. Should such a misconstrual happen, the author will not be held responsible for the avalanche of arrogance, zeal, bigotry, humanocentricity and other vile acts which will surely follow the residents of the planet into time eternal until someone sees fit to erase the denizens of the world and let the author start over.

DSBN 0-000000-0000-1
Suggested retail: 1 sheep.”

NEW NAME FOR SLA

I've come up with a new name for SLA....
Librarians
(and)
Information
Professionals
Striving
To
Improve
Communication
(and)
Knowledge

(sorry guys.......)

THIS YOU HAVE TO SEE

There’s a great video on Public Sector Marketing 2.0 on What Would Happen If the Stop Sign was Invented in 2008. If you’ve ever sat in a marketing meeting, you’ll really get this.

URL: http://www.mikekujawski.ca/2008/12/17/what-would-happen-if-the-stop-sign-was-invented-in-2008/

THE 99 THINGS MEME

From Stephen Abram and Walt Crawford...this was fun! Try it yourself!

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italics
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band. (high school and college, clarinet)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland/world. (both)
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo. (it wouldn’t be a pretty sight—I can’t sing, but I played a clarinet solo)
11. Bungee jumped. (not bloody likely!)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.(Italian)
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning. (twice)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight. (to celebrate our engagement!)
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. (they’re not sick days, they’re mental health days)
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. (in France and Germany)
35. Seen an Amish community.(in Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri)
36. Taught yourself a new language. (Italian)
37.Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person.
41. Sung Karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.(trust me, you don’t want to do this)
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.(assuming that home movies don't count)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood.
65. Gone sky diving. (and not likely to—I hate heights)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter. (in Australia)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. (I have my first toy—a turtle)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar. (yech!)
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. (motorcycle yes, fast, no)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car. (always)
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible. (Old Testament only)
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous. (several)
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby. (again, no chance)
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee. (twice)

DID BILL GATES REALLY SAY THAT?

I ran across a site with quotes from and about Microsoft. Here are some of the ones I really like. You can read the rest at http://www.slothmud.org/~hayward/mic_humor/mic_quotes.html

640 K ought to be enough for anybody (1981)
The Internet? We are not interested in it (1993)
Microsoft products are generally bug free (n.d.)
There are people who don't like capitalism, and there are people who don't like PCs, but there's no one who likes the PC who doesn't like Microsoft (n.d.)

and one about MS...Every time you turn on your new car, you're turning on 20 microprocessors. Every time you use an ATM,you're using a computer. Every time I use a settop box or game machine, I'm using a computer. The only computer you don't know how to work is your Microsoft computer, right? (Scott McNealy, CEO, Sun Microsystems)

(Attention MS: I'm just kidding--please, no black screen of death....I "love" my PC.)

COPYRIGHT COMIC BOOK--REALLY!

Duke University's Center for the Study of the Public Domain has created a comic book on copyright. It is called Bound by Law and features the issues surrounding film making and copyright. It is both entertaining and very informative.

It is also free. You can download a digital version, buy a hard-copy version, remix the comic for your own use by downloading individual pages, read it a page at a time (including turning the pages with your mouse), or download the text so you can translate it into another language.

This is one of the neatest new library services I've seen. They are working on another comic, too. I can't wait.

URL: http://www.law.duke.edu/cspd/comics/digital.php

GREAT "NEW" COMIC SET IN A PUBLIC LIBRARY

You can now get Shelf Check, the comic strip set in a public library, as an RSS feed. It is written by Poesy Galore (aka Emily Lloyd, associate librarian at the Hennepin County Public Library, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. It is wonderful, whether you work in a public library or not.

URL: http://shelfcheck.blogspot.com

NEW LIBRARY COMIC STRIP TO FOLLOW

I just came across On a Claire Day, by Carla Ventresca and Henry Beckett. The heroine is a new librarian and we get to watch her grow up and in the job. She’s a public librarian, but the humor is universal.

URL: http://www.onaclaireday.com

INTERVIEW WITH UNSHELVED’S CREATOR

If you are a fan of Unshelved, the great library comic, you must read this interview on Comic Book Resources. If you aren’t a fan, then you must not know about this daily comic based at the Mallville Public Library and starring Dewey, the irreverent young adult librarian. You can enjoy it even if you don’t work in a public library. Follow it either by email or RSS feed.

URLs:
Interview: http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12150
Unshelved: http://www.unshelved.com/Default.aspx

LIBRARY FUNNIES

Stephen Abram [SirsiDynix, Toronto, Ontario, Canada] posted a list of five library-oriented cartoons. If you aren’t getting them, try one or two.

1. Unshelved, http://unshelved.com It is written by a real librarian and, although set in the Mallville Public Library, can be appreciated by all librarians. I really love it.

2. Shelf Check, http://shelfcheck.blogspot.com As Abram says, “edgy and timely.”

3. Turn the Page, http://librarycartoons.blogspot.com Newer, not daily, but “skewed” and great fun.

4. bLaugh, http://blaugh.com For bloggers.--and others.

5. User Friendly, http://www.userfriendly.org/. “Is a daily strip with a great cast of characters from the programming and help desk work of software development.” I haven’t see it yet (but will), but Abram’s recommendation is good enough for me.

URL: http://stephenslighthouse.sirsidynix.com/archives/

2007/10/library_humour.html

"INTERESTING" LAW SCHOOL RANKINGS

Frank Snyder [Texas Wesleyan University Law School, Fort Worth, USA] posts a weekly ranking of law schools on ContractsProf Blog. The rankings in the 9 October 2007 post are:

Last week’s rank in parentheses.

1 (2) LSU (Hebert)

2 (3) Cal-Berkeley (Boalt)

3 (4) Ohio State (Moritz)

4 (6) Boston College

5 (9) Oklahoma

6 (1) Southern California (Gould)

7 (11) West Virginia

8 (12) Oregon

9 (13) South Carolina

10 (15) Missouri-Columbia

11 (17) Arizona State (O’Connor)

12 (8) Florida (Levin)

13 (14) Hawai’i (Richardson)

14 (18) Cincinnati

15 (5) Wisconsin

16 (7) Kentucky

17 (-) Illinois

18 (-) Kansas

19 (-) Florida State

20 (16) Texas

Dropped out of Top 20: Georgia, Nebraska, Miami

At first I didn't understand this at all. Then I read an earlier post which explains it. The rankings are based on the football teams! Cute, eh?

URL: http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/contractsprof_blog/law_schools/index.html

THE FIVE TYPES OF LIBRARY NEWS STORIES

As reported on her blog, The Eclectic Librarian, Anna Creech [Central Washington University, Ellensburg, USA] has determined that there are five types of general news articles about librarians:

1. Librarians are hip. No, really! That stereotype thing is so last week.
2. Librarians are awesome! Look at all the cool stuff they do. No one appreciates them as much as they should.
3. Gasp! A librarian did [insert act of bravery or indecency]!
4. OH NOES! There aren’t enough librarians!
5. OH NOES! There aren’t enough librarian jobs!

My comment: isn’t it time to get rid of numbers 4 and 5 and make sure there are more of number 2?!

URL: http://www.eclecticlibrarian.net/blog/archives/000851.html

DO YOU HAVE AN INTERNET DISORDER?

David Rothman pointed me to an article in Wired by Lore Sjoberg called Narcissistic Blog Disorder and Other Conditions of Online Kookery. It seems the American Medical Association is proposing adding gaming addiction as a subcategory of "Internet addiction." I didn't even know there was a name for what I have, much less that it is a real disorder--Internet addiction.

Sjoberg proposes these additional disorders. Do you see yourself in any of them?
Narcissistic Blog Disorder
Bookmark Loop Disorder
E-mail Gullibility Syndrome
Atemporal Fad Disorder
Pugilistic Discussion Syndrome
Amusement Identify Disorder

URL: http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/commentary/alttext/2007/06/alttext_0620

FUN AND ON-POINT VIDEO ON POWERPOINT

There’s a super video on how NOT to use PowerPoint. You must look at it—if not for its instructional value then as pure entertainment.

URL: http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/law_librarian_blog/2007/04/friday_fun_how_.html

THREE "LIGHT" SITES

I found three humorous or just interesting sites today.

MeL Internet Humor and Culture in Libraries has links to a comic strip, funny articles on weeding, and value, books and movies about libraries, and humor from IFLA.

URL: http://web.mel.org/viewtopic.jsp?id=1164&pathid=1780

The Marginal is an e-zine from the McGill Library and Information Studies Student Association, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. There are some serious articles, some humor, and some in between.

URL: http://www.gslis.mcgill.ca/marginal/index.htm

Love the Liberry is on of several blogs from reference desk staff. Its subtitle says it all: "Stranger than fiction...we couldn't possibly make these things up."

URL: http://lovetheliberry.blogspot.com/

YOU KNOW YOU’RE A LIBRARIAN WHEN...

Michael Heileman, a “computer geek” in Copenhagen, Denmark, posted this list on his blog, Blue Magnolia. How many describe you? (I match nine of the 14.)

you worry about punctuation.
you tell people to be quiet in bookshops.
you use acronyms more than you use real words.
you know what all the acronyms you use stand for.
people are amazed that you need two degrees to stamp books all day.
you read dictionaries for fun.
you know when you’re breaking copyright law.
you’ve left your friends in the pub to go and look something up.
you can tell what someone is going to ask you by the look on their face.
245 00 $a makes perfect sense.
you have dreams/nightmares about Dewey.
you know what the last digit of an ISBN is for.
you pride yourself on not conforming to stereotypes.
you smiled at at least two of the above.

URL: http://bluenettle.blogspot.com/2005/05/you-know-youre-librarian-when.html