By Philippe Cloutier
T.S. Eliots’ oft praised The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is considered a tenacious beast. Getting to the root of the poem’s themes, allusions, story, and message is no easy task. The same can be said for Government information. Trying to get your hands onto a Government document often proves irksome. Departments within agencies don’t communicate with each other, files are sent to storage or other agencies, and turn around times range from days, to weeks, to months. Apparently, there are no guaranteed answers in poetry or Government data.
The Free Government Information blog posed the following question: “What would you tell a new class of law librarianship students about government information?” Their post, Passing It On, details the orientation of library students at The University of Washington. The students are working on the one-year MLIS program and already hold law degrees. They will learn about the FDLP, record maintenance and storage, types of gov docs, and the issues facing gov docs records in general. Continue reading 'Government Deals'»
By Kristine Lloyd
I have an alert set up on Google to catch stories about libraries. Like rummaging through a thrift store pile, you wouldn’t believe some of the bizarre gems that come up: Librarian collects belly button lint in a jar, and yes, ladies, he’s single! Or the countless stories of people putting strange and interesting things in book drops. Continue reading 'Library Fire Sale'»
By Kristine Lloyd
It’s a fact of life that all of us, discounting those who were raised by wolves, will at some point have to write a research paper. It’s also true that some people get as excited about research as fans at a New Kids on the Block concert (full confession: I did in fact recently attend a “NKOTB” concert). For others, research is about as onerous and painful as a spinning class. And this, my friends, is why we exist.
Maybe it used to be that we were simple stewards of books, but these days, we get to employ our savvy research skills to aid and often impress our patrons. I was the nerd who would spend a Friday night at the library, 20 books splayed open like gutted fish on the library table while my compatriots were boozing it up at a frat party. Continue reading 'Suffering in the Stacks?'»
by Sue Mecklem
Reference Librarian at Davis Wright Tremaine, Portland
I’ve always enjoyed having interesting, hands-on toys on my desk or on a bookcase at work. I think it’s a great conversation starter, a fun way to relax, and a good way to chill out when work is stressful. I also think it creates an inviting atmosphere for very educated people who may not feel comfortable having to ask for assistance.
Years ago, I had a pile of colorful dice on my desk within easy reach of whoever was sitting across from me. Some people organized them by color, or turned them until the numbers were all the same. Some people stacked them, some people rolled them, and a few ignored them. One attorney brusquely shoved them out of the way. It was an interesting little snapshot of how people think. Roll the dice – playful. Organize the dice by color – librarianish. Shove the dice – aggressive.
My desk now faces a wall so I don’t display my dice but I have created a diorama on part of a bookcase just inside my office. My Nancy Pearl action figure is standing at the reference desk assisting a yellow rabbit, with a squirrel and a porcupine nearby. I also have a few books for browsing: Nancy Pearl’s Book Lust, the NYPL’s Books of The Century, a young adult novel Ginny Gordon and the Lending Library, and Dear Justice: A Book for the Just, the Unjust, and Those Who Just Like to Laugh. People enjoy thumbing through them for a few minutes if I have to finish an email or a phone call. It doesn’t work as well as chocolate for luring people into my office but it does bring a smile to those who venture in. I like to think it helps people feel more comfortable asking me questions, and making the reference interview more pleasant.
Do you have toys or chocolate in your office or at your reference desk? What would you do if you encountered a pile of dice at someone’s desk?
By Philippe Cloutier
Fastcase, the new kid on the block who is growing up right before our eyes, ramps up its marketing and advertising game by highlighting some very special people in the legal community. The Fastcase 50 comes to us with this announcement:
“We are pleased to announce the inaugural class of the Fastcase 50, the fifty most interesting, provocative, and courageous leaders in the world of law, scholarship, and legal technology. From lawyers and judges to librarians and government servants, here are your nominees and our picks for 2011.”
The list certainly has recognizable names often found in mainstream and contemporary legal library issues. And perhaps the names we don’t recognize will lead us to discover other topics concerning our profession. My non-scientific count found 8 or 9 librarians and many quasi-librarians in the mix. Boosts in image such as this are exactly what our profession needs. We are serious professionals with a deep passion for our field. While the Fastcase approach is very corporate in comparison to the Librarian Rock Star campaign, both serve similar and valuable purposes. Continue reading 'Fastcase 50'»
by Kerry Fitz-Gerald
The stereotype of the puritanical, bun-wearing, shush-wielding librarian has been around for a long time. Even Melville Dewey, who you’d think would have known better, apparently once described librarians as mousers in dusty books. But it seems like maybe things are changing.
A master’s thesis that I came across recently investigated the portrayal of librarians in romance novels between 1980 and 1995. The conclusion: librarians were portrayed as youthful, attractive, well-dressed, and comfortable with members of the opposite sex.
If you’re interested in reading more–I particularly liked the first section in which the author criticized other librarians for writing (and whining) about our image–check out Margaret A. Elliot, The Librarian’s Stereotyped Image in Romance Novels, 1980-1995: Has the Image Changed?
by Kristine Lloyd
I’m not sure I have ever considered myself a sherpa before reading Seth Godin’s post on The future of the library, but I kind of like the sound of that. I can help my patrons climb the Everest of information out there. That seems pretty noble, doesn’t it?
Marketing guru and chrome-dome sage, Godin is among the many who like to speculate on what the future library will look like. He’s got the standards in there: just a smattering of books, lots of computers and the uber-hip coffeehouse vibe. He makes some salient points. To our battle for ebook lending, he says, why bother. Godin points out that “librarians that are arguing and lobbying for clever ebook lending solutions are completely missing the point. They are defending library as warehouse as opposed to fighting for the future, which is librarian as producer, concierge, connector, teacher and impresario.” Continue reading 'Are You a Sherpa?'»
by Kristine Lloyd
Happy National Library Week! This is the week to rediscover your zest and zeal for our profession. It’s the week of book drives, fine forgiveness, trivia quizzes, marathon readings and all out excitement about libraries. I still have fond memories of a library week I planned years ago with vendor presentations, mini-golf, and dress up as your favorite librarian superhero day.
This year’s ALA theme, “Create Your Own Story at Your Library”, has been interpreted in creative ways, from scrapbook storytelling to acting out your favorite story. Continue reading 'National Library Week: From Book Drives to Bizarre Events'»
by Philippe Cloutier
When asked about our profession, do we always have the best answer, and are we able to clearly convey our day-to-day work activities? In certain cases, where explanations enter the realm of the overly abstract, I find that a good food analogy often removes confusion.
Have you ever had that perfect pizza slice or experienced the most wonderful cup of coffee, only to return in an effort to relive the magic and disappointingly, find a greasy piece of cardboard or water-downed mud, respectively. Too many factors can contribute to these mishaps: poor ingredients, a different chef or barista, their time and attention, your subjective perspective, and/or your expectations. Continue reading 'What Do You Do?'»
by Fred Hanson
Libraries may be morphing into coffee bars or disappearing via e-mail reference, but a more extreme development could impact our professional life. Librarians are disappearing from students’ lives.
At schools across the country – New Jersey, Michigan, Arizona, California, even Washington – school librarian positions have been eliminated. California’s funding problems are well known, but it’s startling to see a wealthy community like Bellevue jettison its middle and high school librarians. Continue reading 'Over the Horizon'»
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