The bad thing about posting twice a week is that I don’t get the opportunity to rant intemperately about anything, so I'm forced to rant temperately. Over the past couple of weeks, a story slowly bubbled, then brewed over, then left a mild stain that everyone can ignore. I am, of course, talking about the Sicko Conflagration, as Robert Ludlum might have called it were he still alive. Numerous accounts and commentary exist by now, but you can follow the story in three stages. The director of the Enfield, CT public library canceled a showing of the Michael Moore movie "Sicko" after threats of decreased funding from the town council. A whole bunch of people blathered on about how awful it was to cancel the film. The library director announced that "Sicko" will be shown at some point in the future, along with other movies providing alternative viewpoints. Some responses were bold, but incorrect. The Connecticut Library Association claimed that “If politicians in ...
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Since it's a slow library news week, except for reports of dangerous teenagers frequenting a library on the Upper West Side, I'll write about my favorite subject instead: me. Apart from the comments on this blog, I almost never look at reader comments on anything. After reading hundreds if not thousands of comments on various news articles, I confirmed my suspicions that most people can’t read well and don’t have anything intelligent to say, so I don't bother. That’s not necessarily true of library writing, but most of my non-pseudonymous writing is published in scholarly journals (or what passes for scholarly in library science), where I probably get five readers, and the only feedback might be the occasional citation in another barely read article by one of those readers. Thus, I don’t know if one of the lessons I’ve learned while writing this blog is universal, or just limited to library blogs, or just to this blog. A few weeks ago, I mentioned a pattern in ...
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If in fact I don't work for the Buffalo and Erie County Library System, I sure am glad about it. You may remember it from last fall, when the upper administration of the financially troubled library began their staff day by asking how people would like to be notified if they were fired. Inspirational management at its best! The administration seems to be stirring up controversy among the staff again by an aggressive policy of...wait for it...weeding books, and in a public library no less! Shameful! I’m going to let part of the news article speak for itself, because it’s a well balanced, informative article. Librarians say the Central Library is moving away from its commitment as a research library, hastily discarding thousands of books and degrading their professional roles within an increasingly demoralized workplace. This would be tragic news if the Central Library was actually committed to being a research library. Is it? Not according to the mission statement. None of ...
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I've been thinking more about that hipster librarian. Well, not so much her as about her blog, and not so much about her blog specifically as the ways that new librarians interact with social media to promote themselves. So I guess I haven’t really been thinking about her at all. Just as I’m glad that when I was in high school and college every inconsiderate jerk within eyesight didn’t have a cell-phone camera and a Facebook account, I’m also glad that when I was starting out as a librarian it wasn’t so easy to share yourself with the world, because I’m not sure that would have been good for me, just as I’m not sure it’s good for library school students and new librarians today. Though the people who snap everyone’s photo at public gatherings and post them to Facebook have no concern for privacy, I like privacy. Privacy is good for you, and contrary to the false claims of some, privacy is still attainable as long as you choose it. Which leads me to my ...
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A kind reader who knows I love all things hip librarian sent me an article entitled Young, Hip Librarians Take Over, which has to be the most inaccurate news headline since “Dewey Defeats Truman.” Some of the inaccuracy is clear in the article itself. “Aspiring librarians...said they’ve seen a leveling-off of employment possibilities in the past year as libraries across the country are reducing hours and staff.... And younger librarians are now competing with unemployed librarians with years of experience for a coveted position.” Not finding jobs and competing against much more experienced librarians are hardly signs of taking over. In the article, we are introduced to a young hipster librarian and comedian who supposedly “is part of a new group of young librarians who are busting stereotypes about who is a ‘typical librarian,’" and who advises that libraries can stay relevant to young library users by hiring “younger, more hip librarians.” There’s a bit ...
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Whew, ALA is finished! The conference, I mean. I assume the organization is still limping along. The only fun news so far is that the ALA Council passed the resolution urging Congress to pass the DREAM Act. When the Council passes resolutions on tangential political topics, they almost always take the losing side.  It's almost as if Congress does whatever the ALA doesn't want them to do. But they usually at least pass the resolution before the political failure, rather than after. Next they urge Congress to not pass TARP or something. Anyway. A kind reader sent this on to me even before it started making the library news rounds, but I was so busy preparing for ALA Midwinter that I didn’t pay attention. Now that I’m finished with Midwinter, and have exhausted myself with free food and drink, I wanted to comment, even though the news is sooo last week. As the newspaper of record tells us, A new edition of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is missing ...
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