Why yes, a baby Tyrannosaurus rex did visit my library today.
Poem for the day
Anyone who knows me knows that I like poetry.
A new wrinkle in the brain
Lost among hair and context
Only seen in the last autopsy of your life.
Read (and enjoy) the full text of Permanent Marker, written by Rick Stoddart.
GCPL Link Roundup
For anyone who’s following the action in Gwinnett County, here are some links of interest.
Gwinnett Daily Post, 8/8: “Library to begin new schedule. Branches to be closed Sundays, Mondays”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/9: “Tough times take toll on Gwinnett libraries”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/11: “Gwinnett to close Dacula branch to staff new library”
Gwinnett Daily Post, 8/12: “Dacula library branch to close. Library board votes to open Hamilton Mill”
Facebook group: “Save Dacula Library“
To say the least, the economic downturn is hitting home.
Tweeting in the dark
It’s a reality of the social web: the more we put ourselves online, the more our personal and professional worlds overlap — sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, and sometimes it’s just just uncomfortable.
I haven’t personally experienced any drama or anything like that, but my Twitter account has been going through an identity crisis. When I got tired of bogus accounts requesting to follow me, I got frustrated and marked my account “private.” For whatever reason, it helped with the Twitter spam; but I lost a lot of the transperency and immediacy that makes web-based interaction so exciting. Marking one side of a conversation “private” essentially suffocates the open dialogue.
In any case, I’d been rereading my old tweets, and I had to admit that the stuff I post ranges from fascinating to mundane, and the list of people I follow includes family, friends, coworkers, and people who I find interesting. Of course, not all these people will care about what I tweet; or more accurately, they won’t care about what I tweet in the same ways.
So tweeting became uncomfortable. How could I tweet about a bad cold or about car problems, actually expecting people that I never talk to and that I’ve never met to care? Not that I think these people are that cold or callous — I just don’t expect some of the people I follow (and in fact, some of the people who follow me) to be that invested in the quality of my day.
In any case, I thought about deleting all my old tweets and starting over, but something about that didn’t sit right with me either. While perhaps I could reinitiate the conversation as transparent, I also would have undone whole webs of interaction, many of which mattered.
The solution? Well, now I have two Twitter accounts.
I’ve kept my personal account, which is still marked “private,” and I’ll use it to tweet about (for lack of a better word) personal things — the minutiae of my day, I suppose — and to interact with people I consider friends. But I also have an additional Twitter account, where I’ll tweet (again, for lack of a better word) professional things that are more in keeping with the theme of this blog: libraries, politics, innovation, radicalism, and so on. This second Twitter account will remain public.
We all lead both personal and professional lives. While my personal life is far from un-professional and while my professional life is inevitably personal at times — the two simply don’t need to mix.
Harry Potter and me
Let me start by saying, I’ve never read the Harry Potter books. (Please express your disappointment, shock, and anger in the comments.)
I have, however, finally seen all the movies. Last weekend, Mel and I did a marathon of the first five, before going to see “The Half Blood Prince” in theaters.
I have to say, I did not really enjoy “The Sorceror’s Stone” — it seemed a little too much like a children’s movie, a bit too fun and whimsical. But I noticed that as Harry grows up, the series becomes much darker and much more serious — even more adult (especially considering the almost MTV atmosphere of “The Half Blood Prince”), and the mythology of Harry’s world (the incarnation of Voldemort, the importance of the Horcrux, the horror of the Dementors) really begins to propel the storyline. Watching the last three movies, I was actually scared, actually on the edge of my seat. The story becomes vastly more psychological, and I found myself lost in the epic nature of the films. I began to recall The Lord of the Rings” trilogy — only Harry Potter seems vastly more accessible in a number of ways, vastly more human than Tolkien’s characters. (And don’t even get me started on how I didn’t want to see the hippogriff die.)
In any case, the Harry Potter kids have essentially had an entire generation to grow up with — kind of like millenials going to Hogwarts. But the movies themselves aren’t exactly dated, and in fact I find them quite timeless. There’s very little in the films that actually suggests when the events take place. I remember catching a VCR in the background, but the fashions and technologies (I mean, steam engines?) place the film in a very ahistorical context. I imagine the film would hold up well with future generations — perhaps like the 1971 production of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” (Contrast this with the series “True Blood,” in which vampire Bill Compton plays golf on his Wii.)
I still don’t quite “get” the Harry Potter craze, but I do like it. People tell me that the books are even more phenomenal than the films, so I do feel obligated to finally read the series. I’m pretty sure that I’ll need to add those to my already lengthy reading list.
With that said, thanks to J. K. Rowling and the boy who lived, an entire generation (as well as their parents, and their parents’ parents) have a saga to follow, and I can finally say that I’m eagerly awaiting the last installment in the Harry Potter heptalogy.
Flexibility in the classroom
Anna over at the blog First Conclusions is my new hero. She’s managed to provide in-house instruction in less than ideal circumstances and with less than optimal resources.
What I really like, though, is that Anna really manages to use what she already has, rather than complaining about what she doesn’t. The library’s wireless allows participants to use laptops, so a computer lab isn’t really necessary, and she manages to use a roll-away projector and a wall-mounted screen for the presentation component. Not only that, but she’s able to apply related experience (teaching college-age students) to a new situation (teaching adults about twice that age).
If there’s anything I’ve learned in my time at the public library (and in my brief stint as a classroom teacher, too), it’s that all the shiny technology in the world can never replace flexibility and resourcefulness. In many cases, you can only do the best you can with what you’ve got — and a lot of times, the results can be surprisingly awesome.
Kudos to Anna for demonstrating this reality of library instruction and staff training!
M & W : “The Insulting Librarian”
I hate to admit it, but this makes me laugh: a horrific caricature of the librarian stereotype, courtesy of Mitchell and Webb (via Ray).
A day in the life
No, not the blog meme – though that’s cool, too.
Just today, I’ve noticed a lot of librarians describing or commenting on their day-to-day professional lives. A few highlights:
* From the Library: A Morning in the Life of a Librarian (from the Daily News Transcript, via)
* Day in the Life of a Digital Branch Manager (by David Lee King)
* Cat and Girl Listen to the News (webcomic, via)
All things worth reading. If only our communities knew that librarians were normal and well-rounded, and even human….
Ohio libraries saved (sort of)
Maybe “spared” would be a more accurate word.
The proposed deep cuts in state funding for Ohio’s public libraries have finally reached a conclusion, and the cuts aren’t quite as deep as originally thought. From the Newark Advocate (via Library Stuff):
The Associated Press reported Monday that the new Ohio budget reduces library funding by $84 million — about 11 percent — over the next two years, instead of the $227 million the governor proposed. “It’s a victory in some respects,” said Steven Hawk, director of the Licking County Library, crediting a swell of public support. “We understand the economy is what it is. We’re not happy with the number. We’re just happy to know what the number looks like.”
Elaine, who blogs as the Library Gremlin, provides a sobering comment:
… the state is still not in any better shape. Revenues will continue to decline. I doubt that the money earned from the new gambling venture will make a dent in the hole we’ve dug ourselves into.
And, sadly, that’s what we’re left with. I’m glad that the situation (sort of) worked itself out, even if Ohio’s libraries just went from “worst case scenario” to a “not quite as bad scenario.” I am, however, tired of saying things like, “The good news is….” In a lot of cases recently, “good news” is actually just “not-bad news.”
Best of luck to Ohio, especially as those libraries which heavily rely on state funding face some tough decisions.
Considering the crisis that my own county is going through right now, I hope that my community will have some “not-bad news” in the near future.
WhaMM : Paraprofessionals
I’m stealing borrowing an idea from my friend Maria. She writes a weekly blog post called “Things I Like Thursdays,” where she posts links to things that she thinks are awesome, cute, or otherwise cool.
For my blog, I’m translating it into “What Matters Monday.” It goes without saying that there’s a lot going on in Library Land, and sometimes it’s easy to lose track of what’s really important or take things for granted. I’m hoping that these weekly posts can provide perspective, while questioning what really matters to our profession and our institutions.
For this edition, I’m thinking about library paraprofessionals, and not at all just because I happen to be one. Whether you’re a student worker at a university, a circulation assistant at a public library, or an outreach specialist, there’s so much library action that simply could not happen without the help of people who do not have a “professional” status. Who would check in all the books? Who would handle the customer inquiries and complaints? Who would tell stories and lead sing-alongs or hosts video game tournaments?
I’m not devaluing the MLS, but it’s true — a library does not (and cannot) function on its MLS’d staff alone. The institution is only successful when you pool together the talents, education, and experience of all the people who contribute to the successful functioning of the library. And then you end up with a lot of people to thank.
And among those paraprofessional staff, you might have a number of rising stars who will one day become leaders in the profession or who want to pursue graduate study in library and information science. In addition to making paraprofessionals feel appreciated, how we can better support those rising stars? Tuition reimbursement or scholarships? Grants for conference attendance? Opportunities for professional development and leadership?
Library paraprofessionals often find themselves on the frontlines or in the backrooms of library service, and being considered something other than (or less than) professional can carry an unnecessary and unwarranted stigma.
How can we bring these very necessary staff members closer to the forefront of our profession?
Image: Childrens Room by Flickr user herzogbr.