I had so much fun following this project for the last go around, I can't wait to expand my participation to include this blog as well. For those of you who don't know, Library Day in the Life is a glimpse into the daily life of the profession. Read more about this at http://librarydayinthelife.pbworks.com/w/page/16941198/FrontPage. I will be tweeting about my day and you can follow me on @librarymary40. The Twitter hashtag is #libday6. Library Day in the Life Project is the based on an idea from Bobbi Newman, also known as the Librarian By Day.(Read her blog here.)
Aside from the cool ideas put forth in everyone sharing a "typical day" in library world, I urge you to read the this post. The librarian in me of course must also give credit to the original author's post of Contributions, Criticisms, and Courage. Normally I am not one to reach for "inspirational" quotes or some kind of library cheerleading, but Bobbi and several others have articulated something that has been bothering me about our profession. The wave of negative attitudes showing up in Tweets, Facebook, and other communications has been a little more than simple case of "gallows humor". We are all facing impossible budgets, more work than can be managed, meetings and insane employees, bosses, boards, customers, etc. My general sense is that tolerance for the crazy in our job is slipping, attitudes are taking on a darker tone and people are just generally losing their sense of humor about library service.
Rethinking your career in public service is essential if you are unhappy. Not everyone can last forever since the toll on your psyche is quite heavy. If nothing else the Library Day in the Life project should at least make folks who think this is a career where you get to "read all day" rethink what a librarian does. Regardless of the type of librarian you are or will become, the element of service to others is an essential element. If you find yourself being part of the problem or offering more criticism than contribution, time to rethink your profession.
Mary
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
A New Year
Yikes! It has been forever since I posted anything. My personal life has been a train wreck of sorts for several months. Sick kid, empty nest syndrome and assorted other stressors have kept me from writing. However, I have been trolling the web and I saved some of my finds to share. So here we go!
My pal and partner in library things everywhere has done a marvelous job of writing about the e-readers. Her library has been able to purchase quite a few and get them into the hands of staff. If you are still new at it or helping someone digest this new technology, click here to get Holly's take.
My twitter people shared this the other day. It is a link to videos of regional dialects for the US. As born and bred Midwesterner, I found this just fascinating. Click here for Tumblr's regional dialect meme.
Technology seems to be going at the speed of light. I find myself with a fancy smart phone now and I am still trying to maximize my use of this nifty device. In other news, I have fallen prey to the addictive game of Angry Birds. Every day I discover more little tricks for my phone and am loving every minute. Other tech sites for your consideration should also include: Make Use Of . I know I have mentioned them with respect to Twitter, but this is an excellent site that keeps me informed. I want to point you to a great article by another tech site called Read Write Web. Many times I hear from librarians and others about hiring tech people. This article gives some great insight on this topic.
Of course I have to make sure that all of you at least visit Awful Library Books. I hope all of you have included quality collection management as a new year's resolution. Tight budgets mean even more awareness of your collection. Beware of people that say "if we weed, we won't have anything left".
Mary
My pal and partner in library things everywhere has done a marvelous job of writing about the e-readers. Her library has been able to purchase quite a few and get them into the hands of staff. If you are still new at it or helping someone digest this new technology, click here to get Holly's take.
My twitter people shared this the other day. It is a link to videos of regional dialects for the US. As born and bred Midwesterner, I found this just fascinating. Click here for Tumblr's regional dialect meme.
Technology seems to be going at the speed of light. I find myself with a fancy smart phone now and I am still trying to maximize my use of this nifty device. In other news, I have fallen prey to the addictive game of Angry Birds. Every day I discover more little tricks for my phone and am loving every minute. Other tech sites for your consideration should also include: Make Use Of . I know I have mentioned them with respect to Twitter, but this is an excellent site that keeps me informed. I want to point you to a great article by another tech site called Read Write Web. Many times I hear from librarians and others about hiring tech people. This article gives some great insight on this topic.
Of course I have to make sure that all of you at least visit Awful Library Books. I hope all of you have included quality collection management as a new year's resolution. Tight budgets mean even more awareness of your collection. Beware of people that say "if we weed, we won't have anything left".
Mary
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