Comments Off on Coffee, Tea and Me in the Library

By Newsletter-Blog, July 8, 2010 11:40 am

by Kristine Lloyd

Not to get all existential at the get-go, but what is a library? Is it a museum, a warehouse, a digital wonderworld? I have read so many articles lately and heard so much about Kindles, iPads and Google’s world takeover, that like every other librarian in the world, I’m questioning my place in it. Not that this is news. Seems to me like it all started with bringing beverages into the library, and then snacks, which I wholeheartedly supported, though popcorn seemed to be frowned upon. One of my favorite older attorneys at a previous firm had the charming habit of shelling peanuts in the library and leaving the shells scattered across the carpet like those restaurants that encouraged you to throw your shells on the floor. And then there were actually coffee bars in libraries. Something I noticed first in Seattle, which is no real shock. But then I don’t get out much, and I’m from Alabama, where I think I’ve yet to see a coffee bar in a library, though there are still plenty of shushers. And so, the library looked to me like it was becoming a glorified coffee bar and social space. Continue reading 'Coffee, Tea and Me in the Library'»

Comments Off on Competitive Reference

By Newsletter-Blog, June 1, 2010 3:14 pm

by Brenna Louzin 

Jeopardy holds a special place in my heart because it simultaneously reminds me of daily rounds at the reference desk and of my childhood. I can remember visiting with my Aunt Bessie while she did her housework: picture an “older woman”, a cigarette hanging from her lips, pink curlers, stockings rolled at the ankle and Jeopardy on the TV. Bessie frequently interrupted our conversations to call out her answers to the Jeopardy MC and game contestants, perhaps thinking that her answers would be included, that she would be the winner of the round.

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By Newsletter-Blog, April 26, 2010 6:34 pm

by Kristine Lloyd

We librarians love to joke about the patrons who think that “everything is on Google.” Those silly, misguided patrons who act like they don’t need us. But maybe it’s the other way around, maybe we are the ones who need them. We need our patrons to ask us complicated questions and send us bird-dogging for answers. We need them to be a little bit overwhelmed at the sheer volume of information so we can navigate them through the deluge.

Continue reading 'DIY Libraries'»