Nothing I Say is Original

There are times when I have so much to talk about there is not enough time to write it down.  This isn't one of those times. During PLA12 I was in heaven.  Every day I met new librarians to talk with and share ideas. Of course a good chunk of ideas are pie in the sky, but I think we all have to dream big.  Not everything needs to have an immediate payoff or takeaway.  Some things can sit and stew and eventually pop into your brain as an idea.

I started thinking about this while reading about issues of plagiarism. Several people on my twitter feed have pointed me to interesting articles.  (Click here to read The Book Lantern and Smart Bitches Trashy Books discussion of the latest plagiarism scandal.) I will admit to being mildly fascinated by the gossip of the blogging world, I wondered if I would be one of those people that would be so desperate to take another's idea.

In a real sense, none of us are original. The difference is that we credit who gives us the ideas or a germ of an idea to make into something.I have never pulled something out of thin air and said it is mine. Even if I do have a moment of brilliance (I can't remember if I have had any lately) I was usually sitting next to or near my writing partner and cohort in all things library,Holly Hibner. She is brilliant at giving a fleeting idea structure and purpose and making it into something worthwhile. In reality, I can't call it my idea because it was just library jibber-jabber until Holly gave it legs.

The best example of collaboration and ideas that work is my library's baby chick hatching project. Marj, our computer tech (actually a computer whisperer) says that she has someone that can get us the hookup on hatching eggs.  We are now in our second year and the chicks have now achieved cult status in our town. (We gave them a twitter feed this year and they have a Tumblr.) A patron said he heard there were "hot chicks at the library". The next thing is massive laughs, ideas and programs that came out of a simple comment of "would you like to hatch some eggs at the library?"

Writers and others: Is it so difficult to share credit with those who helped you articulate an idea or shape a story?

Mary

Just to make sure I am giving credit where credit is due, Marj has done the heavy lifting with our chick project. She actually has cleaned out the chicken box and kept the chicks warm. I will admit I haven't  volunteered to clean out the chick box yet.  If you want to see other chick related pictures and videos, please head over to the Lyon Township Public Library Website at http://www.lyon.lib.mi.us/