Check it!

Ta-da! Here's the new and hopefully improved Cool Librarian Blog!

After a lot of thought, I decided to merge libraryland over here, rather than moving the CL blog archives over to WordPress. Yes, yes, I know that no one understands why I would choose Blogger over WP. Yes, I know that WP is the superior blogging platform. But, you know what? In the end, it was just easier for me to screw with the code and re-create the libraryland content in new pages that match this blog's layout. Moving to my WP blog would have meant: transfering this blogs' archive content into WP; finding a new template that I liked and could use my headline banner with (which would have meant screwing with the WP templates/code to get it the way I want it); and changing the WordPress URL to reflect cool librarian rather than libraryland (and all the BS that goes along with THAT process). Somewhere in all of that it was pretty much guaranteed that something would have gone horribly wrong, and I would have spent days banging my head on the keyboard swearing about my lost and/or messed-up content. And, my readers would have had to update their feeds/links.

So, in the end, it was easier to spend a few hours cutting, pasting, and tweaking some code to get the WP page content over here. And, I have to say, I'm pretty happy with the results (OK, I am shocked that I was able to make the pages match pretty well).

So, at the top of the blog page are the links to the libraryland resource pages. When I add resources that I like, I will blog the addition and then add it to the appropriate "static" content page. That way, readers are free to simply watch their feed for new blog content or browse the content pages.

I've added a search function to each page and the blog since the tagging here is somewhat less than optimal at this point.

Please feel free to suggest content for the "libraryland" pages, and if you find an error/typo/dead link, let me know that as well.

I hope you like it.

Oh, Yuck

Today is one of those days where my true nature comes out, and it becomes apparent that I should NOT have a job where I have to deal with the public.

I wish this blog had scratch and sniff capabilities - everyone one in this place has been either smelly, crazy, impatient, rude, crazy, crazy, crazy, and did I mention just down right stanky? God. It just freakin' STINKS in here right now. Not to mention all of the coughing, sneezing, snucking, farting, and snotting. Really. Freaking. Gross.

I could have spent today handing out meds and soap.

I can't wait to leave.

Ignore

Please ignore this post. I'm fussing with stuff on here, so links that do not belong here are here, and design elements may not be where I need them...

Thinking about making a change....

No, I'm not moving to Canada - yet.

But, I am thinking about combining this blog with my other library blog, libraryland. Libraryland has been soundly neglected lately - I just don't have enough time to keep up with things it seems (why this is is a mystery to me - it's not like I work full-time). Libraryland started years ago when I was in grad school as a student resource and book swapping site, and sorta morphed into a links site of interesting library-esque stuff. I abandoned it completely for about 18 months, and then rebuilt it a year ago in WordPress - a process which took hours and hours and hours.

I have tried to drum up readership for that site, but because I simply don't update it as frequently as I'd like, people tend to stop by here rather than there. I feel like I've made more of a commitment here. BUT, I still think there's an audience, and a place, for the stuff that does show up on libraryland from time-to-time. And my "dream" is to someday be able to convince all of you talented people out there to contribute to Info Share - which I think could be a kick-ass resource if people would play along (nag, nag, nag).

If I do combine, I will be moving everything to the WordPress platform, simply because for a links blog, I find the multi-page format irreplaceable. Most likely the blog will remain Cool Librarian, the libraryland label will disappear, and I will post my "personal" library posts AND add to the links end when something comes up. Moving to WP would also solve the categories issue. The trick is going to be finding another theme I like and can make work with my CL logo, and migrating my archives. Actually, I have no idea how I would migrate my archives. And I also have no idea if I can change my URL on the current libraryland blog and not entirely eff-it-up.

But, that's the tentative plan. Has anybody out there either changed the URL on their WP blog and/or migrated archives from Blogger to WP? Was it awful? Let me know.

Tonight's Patrons

It was busy at the desk this evening, and after the pre-holiday weeks of it being deadsville, I'm always happy when it's busy.

Some "interesting" issues:

I had a slew of parents with their fourth-grade children in for a homework assignment. Apparently the kids are doing a project on a RI "landmark" or tourist attraction and they need to gather info on the assigned locations. Sounds like fun. Of course, most of them did their initial research online, gathered some data, and were then told that they needed print sources to bring to class. OK, that's great, but unfortunately this teacher is way overestimating the amount of print information available on most of said landmarks, and also overestimating how much info we have here at our library (kids needed the books for tomorrow). All of these parents and children expected to come in and leave with armloads of books about their topics - and that just wasn't happening. First of all, many of these places are NOT written extensively about. Most have garnered a brief mention in the local travel/tourist guides, and that's about it. The kids who were assigned a lighthouse were the luckiest - we here on the New England coast love us some lighthouses, and I was able to find decent length articles for them in our bevy of lighthouse books. But others left empty-handed and frustrated - especially since all of our RI tour guides were snatched up in short order. It was painfully obvious that this teacher had NO IDEA what kind of print materials were (and were NOT) available for her assignment.

In a similar vein, an 11th grade boy came in looking for primary and secondary print information on the Trail of Tears. Yeah-huh. I had one (adult) book on the Trail of Tears, and no primary source information (in print). Naturally he needed this for tomorrow, so ILL was not an option. Now, first of all, he could not tell me the difference bewteen primary and secondary source info. He did not have his assignment page with him. He had NO CLUE what he was looking for. He also said that he could use "online" info, and that he planned to simply Google it when he got home. I asked him if his teacher had SPECIFIED what she meant by "online" info, and he said, "no." I asked if he knew what the different was between accessing academic (ie journal) info online and Googling a webpage, and he said, "no." I did manage to find him some good primary source info online, but it was very clear that he didn't know WHY it was primary source info, and he had even less of an idea as to what made a website a "good" source vs a "not so good" source. Sigh. This was an 11th grade assignment!

I get frustrated because I have, on several ocassions, sent teachers information on our collection, told them what I am able to offer them in terms of help (customized lists, bookmarks, library tour, etc) and requested that they contact me if the whole class is doing an assignment on one topic so that I can secure extra sources. I have reminded them of the ILL service and the fact that it takes a few days to get requested material. I have sent them flyers outlining our online databases, and suggested that they be very clear about what is acceptable when telling kids that "online" content is OK for an assignment. I have NEVER heard from any of the teachers. Now, I know that it is entirely possible that this kid's cluelessness was completely his fault, but I have to say I fear that many teachers have no idea what the difference is between Googling up some webpages and using a database (and I am so not knocking Google - I use it 100 times a day).

But, as depressing/frustrating as all that was, I was more horrified by this exchange that took place at my desk as two teens signed up to use the internet:

Girl (age 15) - "Hey, Johnny, haven't seen you in a long time."

Johnny (also 15, who just told me that he didn't have a parent or legal guardian to sign his Internet Use Policy form because he lives in a "semi-independant" living program) - "Hey, you never call me."

Girl - "Oh, my boyfriend went through my cell and found your number and deleted it."

Me (Before I could shut my yapper) - "Tell him he has no business being in YOUR phone."

Girl (Giggling) - "He loves me - he's jealous like that."

Me (banging head on desk) - *sigh*

Drat

Sigh. I didn't get the job. I'm completely crestfallen.

I know it's not good to (mentally, nayway) "put all your eggs in one basket," but when there is only one basket to put them in.... The job picture for reference librarians in Rhode Island is BLEAK. I have NO IDEA what I am going to do now.

I suppose the upshot is that I can now go about my business at work and continue with making YA plans, at least feeling like I'll probably be around to implement them.

Oh, well.

Because of Libraries...

A friend of mine sends me a poem a day via email. This was the poem for today, and I think it's fitting given the troubles we all face, and the good we can do.


BECAUSE OF LIBRARIES WE CAN SAY THESE THINGS

She is holding the book close to her body,
carrying it home on the cracked sidewalk,
down the tangled hill.
If a dog runs at her again, she will use the book as a shield.

She looked hard among the long lines
of books to find this one.
When they start talking about money,
when the day contains such long and hot places,
she will go inside.
An orange bed is waiting.
Story without corners.
She will have two families.
They will eat at different hours.

She is carrying a book past the fire station
and the five and dime.

What this town has not given her
the book will provide; a sheep,
a wilderness of new solutions.
The book has already lived through its troubles.
The book has a calm cover, a straight spine.

When the step returns to itself,
as the best place for sitting,
and the old men up and down the street
are latching their clippers,

she will not be alone.
She will have a book to open
and open and open.
Her life starts here.

~ Naomi Shihab Nye

Talk Back to the Librarian!?

According to this article in the New York Times, The Maplewood Memorial Library in Maplewood, NJ, will be closing during after school hours because of the "rowdiness" of middle-school children. Apparently they "fight, urinate on the bathroom floor, scrawl graffiti on the walls, talk back to librarians or refuse to leave when asked. One recently threatened to burn down the branch library."

Of course, closing the library is not the answer to the problem - but what is? I like this suggestion:

"David Huemer, who represents the Maplewood Township Committee on the library board, said he would like to see the current police station, which is being retired in favor of a new one, converted to a youth center.

“What we have to do now is build some long-overdue facilities and fund some programs so kids can have alternatives to hanging out,” he said."

Unfortunately, this type of problem is not unusual; I know of at least three libraries in the small state of Rhode Island that have private security details during the after-school hours. And, as evidenced by the article, this type of behavior by children can no longer be termed a "class" or "race" or "urban" problem - this kind of thing is happening in suburbia with increasing frequency.

I fully admit that I have been ultra-lucky at my job in this respect. The only time I have had any real issues with teen behavior problems was when a particular group of kids discovered that they could hack the filter and get on MySpace. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, we get few teens in on a regular basis - my job is quiet. But that one group of kids was unbelieveable to me. The girls narrowed their eyes and ignored what I said. They called me "bitch" under their breath, and at times simply refused to get off of the computer. They would go down to the kids room and disrupt that area if they were told to get off of the computers in the adult/YA area. The outright defiance, anger, and disrepect just amazed me - and I'm not that old. But I am old enough that I was raised in a whole different manner than children are being raised now.

This might seem like a tangent, but I firmly believe that what librarians, teachers, store clerks, restaurant patrons - everyone - is seeing is the result of two generations of children being catered to yet ignored. Children who never have to wait for anything (be it a milestone or a popsicle). Children who are allowed to say, "Who do you think you are?" to their mothers (I have seen/heard this more than once with my own eyes). Children with poor impulse control and zero RESPECT for authority, their parents, their friends, or themselves. At one point in my struggle with two of the young women giving me grief, I said, "What would your mother think about the way you are behaving in here right now?" And they answered in unison, "My mother wouldn't care." And sadly, that's probably the truth.

And because in many cases libraries do become the default teen hangout, we are left to parent children who have had very little parenting. And that's not supposed to be our job. I certainly don't have the answers; luckily the fact that I look 10 years younger than I am and my ability to roll my neck and say, "Oh no you didn't," and "Don't make me get up outta this chair," has worked well enough most of the time. But just what are you supposed to do when a kid pees on the floor or refuses to leave when told to or threatens you? Closing the library to everyone isn't the answer, that's for sure, but I don't know what is.

Here is the message board for Maplewood and discussion about the issue. I'd love to hear what people think about this over at Library Talk as well.

New Home

I have revamped my "home" page - take a look. I'm working on rolling my own RSS feed for it, and I will be adding a colophon soon. I am planning to change the pic and color scheme with the seasons/weather/holiday/unexpected whim of a crazy mind, so the RSS might be helpful if people are curious to see what I've done.

Yes, I do these things just to amuse myself.

One tech note: the page does a weird almost frames-looking-thing on monitors with low resolution settings. I am working on that issue, but I'll be honest - I have no idea why it's doing that.

EDIT! I just fixed that issue by setting auto-width margins on the content, rather than using the fixed BODY margins that the original code suggested. You don't care, do you...

It's all about me(me).

Thanks for tagging me, Josh! I love silly stuff like this. If you don't give a rat's ass about my personal trivia, um, you're crazy.

Five Things You Probably Don't Know About Me

1. I spent the better part of a year a few years ago "following" the Barenaked Ladies with my best friend. We traveled up and down, all around, from Pennsylvania to Toronto. We got lost, we got front-row seats (cuz I'm cute), we got hugs from Steven Page and Ed Robertson, I got a drum stick from Tyler Stewart, we stalked them at the Providence Place Mall, and we had an absolute blast.

2. I won a blue ribbon at the 2002 Portsmouth, RI 4H fair in the Cast Iron Skillet Throwing contest. Yes, yes I did.

3. I took a typewriter with me to college. When my roommate asked why I didn't use the computer instead, I said, "I'm not using a stupid computer!" You see, I had to be tutored through BASIC in high school as I had no understanding of, or affinity for, computers. This just cracks me up, now.

4. Becoming a librarian was a total lark. The guy I was dating at the time (a librarian) suggested I look into it. I called the local MLIS program, went to take my MATs the next day, scored well, got an ALA scholarship, and was sitting in class 5 months later. I had no idea.

5. With 1362 "finds," I am the top-ranked geocacher in Rhode Island. A friend of mine refers to geocaching as "organized littering," but he's a big spud, so I don't listen to him. Oddly enough, I have been asked by RILA to give a talk on geocaching.

"Bonus Fact"
6. I have an unnatural tolerance for pain. I recently found out that I have broken several bones (that are now healed) and didn't know it. I'm a big freak.

I'm supposed to tag five other people - I apologize if you've been tagged already...
Zenformation Professional, Kaijsa, Vampire Librarian, The Hot Librarian, and Ruminations.

Happy Holidays - Here's Some Cash!

For years, we've been paying taxes on our long-distance calls - in spite of the fact that most phone plans today don't charge for long-distance in the manner for which the taxes have been calculated. Bottom line: some uppity folks went to court over the ill-gotten gains, and the IRS has decided that we should all get some money back. Cool - that's what I like to see - the IRS sending out checks.

This is the IRS explanation.
This is a FAQ sheet.
And here is the form you need to file to get the dough.

Granted it's a token payout, but, 30 bucks from the IRS is 30 bucks I didn't have beforehand. If it doesn't seem worth filling out the paperwork, do it anyway and send the money to me - consider it a charitable donation to a destitute librarian. Heh.

Happy Holidays - Merry Christmas - Happy Hanukkah - Happy Kwanzaa - Happy Boxing Day!!

Running out of Steam

When I applied for the university job a few weeks back, they made it pretty clear that I wouldn't know anything until, possibly, the beginning of the new year. So, I have no reason to be bitching - but I am just dying to know what the story is, as it really impacts what I am doing at work now.

The YA portion of my position requires a fair amount of thought/planning/preparation - this is the part of my job that uses my "progressive nature," and I spend quite a bit of time thinking about "what's next" for YAs here at the library. So, now, the problem becomes this - if I get the job, I will be leaving here pretty quickly, and any plans I make will most likely go directly out the window. There is no budget for YA here (which is just a sad commentary on this town and the library board, as far as I'm concerned), which means that all of the work I have done/tried to do has been frosting, and it most likely will not continue once I leave.

Which makes me sad.

I have tried to continue on as though I will be here next year (at least for a little while), but to be honest, I feel like I've done all I can (afford) to do here. The job will never offer any more hours or money; though this is a decent-sized library serving a decent-sized town, no one is interested in having a REAL YA program here. I'm sick of being poor, and I'm sick of feeling like I'm pissing up a rope, if I may be so eloquent. And the departure of the director has taken the remaining wind out of my sails.

So, yeah, my motivation level has been low, and I just really really really want this new job. I'm ready for something new, something challenging, and something that allows me to pay the freakin' rent. And I feel like if I don't get "the job," I will still be looking to make a change - and that may mean taking a non-library job to make ends meet. Which would just be pitiful.

Library Talk - Shall we try this again?

OK, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I've done up a Library Talk Blog.

At the moment, it's an old-school Blogger blog; in order to post, you'll need a Blogger account. HOWEVER, anytime now the Blogger folks are going to pretty much force everyone to switch over to the NEW Blogger - meaning that you will have to create a NEW account with Blogger using your Google (or Gmail) login at that time. What I suggest is this - if you have not already done so, go create your new Blogger account (as well as update your profile) now, so that when the switch-over happens, you'll be ready to go. Right now I am not "eligible" to switch over, but when I am forced to, I will.

All the details about how I see this working are in the first post. Naturally, this whole process will evolve when (if?) people get involved with the blog.

I will be looking for a couple of moderators as well. No big comittment, just an extra hand with keeping an eye out for comment spam and inappropriate comments (meaning mods will have "admin" logins).

Even though I have some issues with Blogger, and I'm not a huge fan of some of the BETA changes, I created Library Talk in Blogger because
1.) I wanted it to be easily accessible to anyone who wants to post, and many people already have Blogger and/or Google accounts
2.) I don't have the time to learn how to create a blog register/login system (like MetaFilter has) unless this becomes wildly popular and usage dictates that we need another vehicle
3.) it was easy to throw together as an experiment

So, here ya go - have at it!

Meebo Me 2

I just put up a Meebo Me widget on this blog - feel free to say hi.

And, oh, yeah, I didn't miss the fact that Meebo was surprised to find that librarians are big Meebo fans. Looks like far too many people still think that librarians simply check-out books. Hey, maybe that can be the first topic on the new Library Talk blog!

Meebo Me

When I signed on to Meebo this morning, the Meeblog had these nice things to say about librarians!

I have been using Meebo daily for about 6 months now, and it has replaced Trillian as my IM multi-tool of choice. I still think that Trillian is one of the best, and most stable, multi IM clients around, but I am just in love with the fact that I can hop on Meebo no matter where I am. It means one less piece of software I have to have running in the background, and one less program to download if I'm not at home.

Like Jessamyn, I have been wanting to turn my library on to Meebo. We currently block all chat and IM, and block sites that support chat/IM like MySpace. This policy was in place before I arrived on the scene, and it's pretty obvious that I'm the only one that thinks it's a bad/short-sighted policy, but I have wondered if Meebo might be the ticket to addressing the issue. Side note: The teens have a number of ways to get around the blocks and into MySpace, but they haven't figured out that they can chat from Gmail without encountering a block. I don't know how it is other places, but it seems that the kids in this area don't use/have Gmail accounts, and instead use MySpace, Yahoo, and Hotmail (in that order) for email. Interesting.

Anyway, if I could get the library onboard with Meebo, the next step would be to push for some level of IM reference using the Meebo Widget. Perhaps I will play with this concept on the teen blog. I have the widget on my personal blog, and it works great.

Hopefully, I will hear about the job soon - it's hard for me to "make plans" and come up with ideas when I have no idea if I will be around to implement them.

Library Talk Alternative?

Well, as you know, the Library Talk Forum was an utter failure. I'm not sure if it was lack of interest, or lack of time, or the staggering amount of comment SPAM that happens on many forums now, but it just didn't "take."

OK, I can accept that - sort of. See, my problem is, I still really have this desire to communicate with so many of you. I read about 100 different library-related blogs, and I am constantly amazed at the stuff everyone knows and the opinions everyone has - and I can't help but think that we are collectively missing out on some sort of opportunity to "talk" to each other.

I have about given up on listservs - I simply do not find them all that useful unless I have a specific question that I want a few answers to. If what I am looking for is discourse, listservs, I'm sorry. I lurk over at WebJunction from time to time, and while that board certainly sees a lot more action than Library Talk ever did, I feel like it's the same 20 people doing the bulk of the posting. Maybe I'm wrong about that. Maybe I'm just jealous.

Anyway, because I am like a freakin' dog with a bone, I feel the need to try again. While I personally feel like a forum is the logical choice, creating and moderating a forum is time-consuming, and the comment SPAM is just a real drag. So, I was thinking of trying a conversational, community blog.

I spend hours reading blogs. Hours. And many times, the comments are far more entertaining than the original posts. I'm thinking that perhaps the original post can be the topic starter, and the comments can be the discussion. Simple, no?

"But what about being able to START the discussion?" you ask. Well, my evil plan is to have the blog open to anyone who wants to post. You simply e-mail me to let me know you want to be a blog poster, and I add you to the "team." Simple. Right? RIGHT?

Hey, wait, this sounds a little like MetaFilter. Except that MetaFilter is HUGE and awesome and run by a team of savvy people...

I realize that I am probably doing this just to amuse myself. For some reason, I have had a hard time getting people interested in this type of thing (see my fruitless pleas for Info Share), but, whatever. I'm stubborn.

Stay tuned.

Hell Yeah

This political cartoon appeared in the Newport Daily News this past Friday. I want this on a t-shirt - and you know I'd wear it to work.

The artist is Gail Greenwood, a Middletown, RI activist and a former member of the band Belly. Who knew.

It's a done deal.

Well, after weeks of waiting and wondering, the Director of my library has resigned. This is not a good thing - not a good thing at all. If you are so inclined, you can probably reach this story if you sign-up with the Providence Journal.
http://www.projo.com/ri/middletown/content/EB_MIDDLIBRARY1_
12-01-06_9G34MM1.3385bd9.html

Sigh. I haven't said a whole lot about this on this blog, basically because I am one of those gutless bloggers who worries about what would/will happen if certain folks read what I have to say. I say gutless because I firmly believe that I should be able to say whatever the hell I want on my blog without fear of reprisal, but we all know that that is not reality...

But, I will say this: I think it stinks, and I think it's political BS, and I think it's going to hurt the library. This was not a strategy that was supported by the library patrons - quite the opposite, in fact. But, hey, who the hell cares about what the LIBRARY PATRONS think!?

I didn't even get to say goodbye - I've been out of work sick with a nasty cold (and I am a firm believer in keeping your damn germs to yourself). So, the crap hit the fan last night, and now he's gone. Cripe.

In the short-term, I think the library will carry on as usual (except for the fact that most of the staff is really bummed about this) - the people who work at the library have, for the most part, been there a long time and know how to do their jobs well. But, I have the definite impression that the board will not be looking for a "progressive" director, and in the long term this will only serve to hurt us. I don't see us moving toward any "2.0" goals anytime soon, now.

I really hope that I get the job I applied for - it's definitely time for me to move on.

New Job?

I've been pretty quiet about this because I am just superstitious enough to worry about "jinxing" it, but I had a pretty good interview last week for the "job of my dreams."

I had given up on getting an academic job - around here, if you don't already have an academic job, it's pretty tough to break in - you know, the age-old problem of "How do I get experience if no one is willing to hire me?" But, since I have been very happy in my public library position, I wasn't heart broken at the prospect of staying in the public sector. Hell, I'd be happy with full-time in either!

Then a job came up at a local university, and I decided to give it a shot. With no real academic experience and a ton of un- and under-employed academic folks out there to compete with, I didn't figure on even getting an interview. But, I did, and it went better than I thought it would.
Actually, it was the presentation that went very well. Since it's a reference/instruction position, I had to give a short presentation on the subject of my choice. I put something together a la Jessamyn, spent a few days hyperventilating about it, and found that it was a great blend of appropriate subject and cool presentation.

Since things are about to change at my job, and not for the better, I am hoping and praying that I get this position. It's everything that I had in mind when I graduated: it's a great school in a gorgeous location (and it's HERE! I don't have to move!), a beautiful library, friendly people, reference AND instruction. The librarians also seem to want to embrace the "2.0-ness" of things, and that makes me very happy.

So, send good job vibes my way - this is what I have been waiting for!

Ms. Dewey, Part Deux (sorry)

No, I have not forgotten about this blog, I have been busy blogging everyday over at my personal blog for NaBloPoMo. I cannot do two things at once, obviously.

OK, so, my last post was simply a link to Ms. Dewey and my comment that I thought it odd. Well, now I know why I don't "forcefully" review anything on my blogs - people get crazy!

This Ms. Dewey has stirred up more disagreement in the info world (about something almost completely superfluous) than I have seen in a long time. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Some people hate the haters. Most men love it simply because Ms. Dewey is "smoking hot." Some people aren't taking it too seriously and have no idea what to make of those who do. Wow, all this over what I thought was the info equivalent to the Subservient Chicken. (Warning: Liberal use of the words "love" and "hate." No, I wasn't striving for safe, neutral, terms here!)

Personally, I got a kick out of it for a few minutes and then moved on. I don't think I ever thought of using it seriously as a search tool - in fact, I only looked at a few of the search "results" - and since they weren't anything that I couldn't find FASTER on my own, I really just wrote it off as a funny site - ha ha. Maybe I'll pay more attention when someone comes out with a "smoking hot" GUY version...