Thursday, December 30, 2010

Technical trouble...

...arrrrgh
I use to have the library's facebook and twitter account connected so whatever I put on the library's facebook status would also be tweeted. After MLA conference I thought I would be proactive and tweet directly but haven't been keeping up. Now I'm trying to reconnect them but I'm having trouble getting it connected in the right direction and only to the TDL page posts not my posts. Ugh, still fighting with it.

Out with the old...

...is that really what you want to do? You know those New Year adages, you've heard them most of your life."Out with the Old, In with the New", "New Year New Beginnings", etc... But what really has been so bad about the old year? Several blogs I follow have been posting about all the negative and terrible things that happened in 2010 and how they just hope that 2011 will not be a repeat.
Granted we never want to repeat the difficult times in our life, but at least we already know we can survive them. You may have faced financial, relational, emotional and physical difficulties in 2010 but if you are reading this then you are definitely still here. Sure it was tough and you didn't enjoy it, but CELEBRATE you are still here and should you face it again you know how to make it through.
For me there has been good times and bad time and sometimes those times came together. I saw my younger sister marry a decent man and seems to be happy with life. The downside of that is they moved to Florida for work and I miss my nephews. I started the year on a weight-loss triumph and end it back at the starting line knowing what I need to do and just waiting for my mind to shoot the starting pistol. We celebrated my Grandpa's 100th birthday this year and end it with him recovering from a broken leg and pneumonia. 2010 was a year of work too. TDL had another landmark year in our new building. Patron's continue to come and use the library's collections, computer, reading space, and free WI-FI. We have started new reader's advisory services including our "Let's Talk Books" blog. I have also started blogging for books at "Blogging for Books". I've discovered some new authors and TV shows I like. I'm adjusting to a new Pastor at church and learning to face 40 with welcoming arms. While my friends list may not be as long as my family list I've discovered that there is a lot of people who know and like me. (At least that's what facebook says!) One thing I will say about looking towards 2011 though is that I know there will be just as many trials, triumph, tears and touchdowns as there was in 2010.
Happy New Year and hold onto the memories of the Old Year.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The misconceptions about ...

... librarians. Many people believe that librarians do nothing at work but sit around and read. Yes their is a lot of reading that goes into the job of a librarian but that reading usually includes, emails soliciting everything from magazines, books, furniture, databases and yes air fresheners. The reading also includes library journals that keep us updated on issues facing libraries in government and threats to library funding. Book reviews also take up a lot of reading because after all we can't just buy books we want to read or that have a cool cover we have to establish a well rounded collection that reflects the interests of our community.
That leads me to the part of the job that requires us to know our community. To provide services that the community wants and needs it is important that we be involved in the community. This often means being part of community organizations, serving on community boards, getting involved with the local schools and trying to keep a positive relationship with the local governmental entities. Librarians network more than computers!
Computers!!!! This is the trickiest part of a librarians job because it is constantly changing and improving. It seems every year or tow a new version of computers come our and so when replacing computers at a library you also have to replace software because what worked on XP won't work on Vista and what worked on Vista won't work on Windows 7. Now I know all you fruit lovers out there are saying "Just go Apple!" but the sad truth is that 80% of the population uses PCs and that is what the majority of the software out there is designed for. Apple computers while cool and very handy for a lot of security and usability features require a strong learning curve and the knowledge on how to convert your programs and documents into an Apple compatible format. There are enough people that we help that don't know how to use a PC I don't think we are ready yet to teach them to use Apples when everything they know is oranges.
Helping patrons, for many of us librarians this is one reason we became librarians. We want to share our knowledge, our love of reading, and our skills for finding information. We are here for your questions! The most popular question is always about the bathrooms; 'do you have one' 'where is it' 'do you have anymore toilet paper' and our favorite 'did you know someone made a big mess in the bathroom?'
My response to that last is not what I want to say because if I said what I wanted to say it would be this. "Yes, I know someone made a mess and smeared #%$##@ all over the walls but we are waiting for them to become an upstanding citizen and come back and clean it up." Don't think that would go over well. Other questions range from "What is the title of the new James Patterson book?" (He writes/has his name on at least 7 a year) "Do you remember the book I read 3 years ago? It had a blue cover and I think a star on it?" "Do you have any good books?" (To which I honestly reply "no we only keep bad books in the library")
When not helping patrons we are policing children and teens. You know that old sitcom where the kids tell their parents they are 'going to the library' but really are meeting up with their friends and creating havoc. Well in real life they do come to the library and we like to see them in the library but they do not come to do library things like read, learn, study, etc... no they come so they can meet up with their boyfriend/girlfriend and have a snogging session, or meet with 10 or their other friends and wrestle and run around the library. Parents think the library is a safe place but it is only as safe as the people in it. We try really hard to not be those mean shushing librarians but we do need to maintain enough order so that everyone can enjoy the library, even those ancient genealogists who at times are noisier than the kids.
If you do catch us shushing it probably because we are trying to take a nap!

If you want to know more about what it is like to work in a library check out the book "Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks and Gangsters in the Public Library", by Don Borchert, available at your local library. (Or at least at mine)

Monday, December 13, 2010

Not so instant replay...

...of one of my favorite posts. Maybe I like it so well because the words and ideas aren't mine. I have been thinking about this book for several weeks but nobody in our library system has it anymore so I had to order myself a cheap used copy just so I could reread it and remember the rest of this conversation.

Here it is:
The truth about men...
...as only a single woman can tell it!
Men are like mascara...they run at the first sign of emotions.
Men are like lava lamps...pretty to look at but not real bright.
Men are like coolers...load them up with beer and then you can take them anywhere.
Men are like copiers...good for reproduction but thats about it.
Men are like commercials...you can't believe a word they say.
Men are like blenders...you know you have to have one, you just don't know why.
Men are like plungers...they spend most of their lives in the hardware store or the bathroom.
Men are like coffee...the best ones are rich, hot, full-bodied, and keep you up all night.

If you want to know how men are like Chocolate bars, vacations, and snow storms check our Marianne Stilling's book, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evie". (There are also several good comebacks about what women are like.)

Thursday, December 02, 2010

Christmas is coming...


...and it will all be over by the 25th. Library holiday fundraisers are underway this weekend with a lot of wonderful items available in a silent auction.

To see more of the items for sale look for the Tamarack District Library's facebook page. Saturday will be Breakfast with Santa and next Saturday will be the family Christmas. And then some caroling and work parties the next couple of weeks and by the 23rd all my Christmas celebrations will be over and then I can relax.
Only 2 people to shop for yet so that's not going to be stressful it's just the getting through each day.