Comments on: The Retro Library

By: Joneser

Joneser — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:45:29 +0000

“Volunteer librarian”. Yeah. That makes a mockery of my education, my profession, and my livelihood. So please don’t talk to me about the struggle to save librarian jobs. You’ve never had to get one.

Helicoptering in while in a state of high dudgeon doesn’t help your cause, whatever it is. When you have gone through what I’ve gone through in this profession, and done what I had to do to get to where I am now, then I’ll listen to you.

By: TaLu

TaLu — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:23:03 +0000

Hey! As long as we’re creating a library ‘experience,’ can we start theming ourselves, too? I wouldn’t mind working in Hogwart’s library, or maybe the Unseen University library? We could dress up as venerable wise people and carry formidable looking scrolls…

Oooo… so many possibilities… ;^)

By: John Farrier

John Farrier — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:33:11 +0000

“Make the library look antique. People like antiques, probably more than they do libraries. They also like the traditional physical culture of writing and reading. I write my journal in a leatherbound notebook with a fountain pen, and I can’t be the only one. So libraries should also start selling leatherbound journals and fountain pens.”

I don’t necessarily agree with this direction, but I agree with the reasoning. We should go wherever the market goes.

By: Alex Segu

Alex Segu — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:28:18 +0000

Just read your article which I found fascinating, just one problem with it, how can publishers prevent piracy in a virtual environment with so many tools provided to get around these virtual gates? That not realistic to me. Another point raised in your comment, was librarians and their workers aren’t cool or hip. Well maybe we should stop trying to define who we are, maybe start re-branding ourselves as innovators and informing our users what we actually do in our jobs day by day. Possibly our image, and I do say our image may start to change. For example, we could describe what we do involves teaching, project management, directing, managing, public speaking, budgeting, marketing, demonstrating, researching, techno savy, motivating, etc etc you get the picture, let me know what you think.

By: anonymous

anonymous — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:29:38 +0000

Lo in lyke wyse of bokys I haue store
But fewe I rede, and fewer understande
I folowe nat theyr doctryne nor theyr lore
It is ynoughe to bere a boke in hande
It were to moche to be it suche a bande
For to be bounde to loke within the boke
I am content on the fayre couerynge to loke
Sebastian Brant, Narrenshiff, The Book Fool, 1494

By: Way Barra

Way Barra — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:01:14 +0000

Thanks for the offer, Mr. Kleinman. When my job is on the line I’ll be sure to put the words “library porn” somewhere on my webpage, so that you can rush in and save the day with sort-of-relevant links to your blog.

By: Dan Kleinman of SafeLibraries

Dan Kleinman of SafeLibraries — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:34:33 +0000

MG, Joneser,

A librarian in that library was essentially forced out of her job and it may have been due to something related to porn in the library and her opposition to it. My recollection is not so clear now. I went to the library to investigate for myself to see if I could learn facts to assist the librarian get her job back one way or another.

You two mock me for doing so. Did you two travel a really long distance to try to help a librarian? Did you even notice there may have been a problem in the first place? Instead of lashing out as you have, did you first find out the facts before making your ad hominem arguments about me?

To a bigger issue, why does SafeLibraries have to go investigate matters where librarians are in trouble? Why doesn’t the ALA? Indeed, when librarians are in trouble, say Scott Savage for simply recommending a balance of books for Ohio State University freshmen, the ALA might even stick the knife in further and twist. Ones who are being sexually harassed on the job and filing EEOC and civil complaints, those the ALA never, ever helps, not once. Indeed they may be suffering as a direct result of ALA anything-goes policy being implemented locally.

Now I go to Nyack to try to help a librarian by seeing the facts for myself, and you two make nasty comments with your special version of censorship by ridicule. It’s disgraceful.

And the ALA not helping librarians in trouble or making it worse for them, that’s disgraceful.

I, on the other hand, will continue to do what I can to try to seek justice for librarians, particularly the ones the ALA ignores or attacks. So you’ll have lots more chances for ad hominem argument.

Any librarians reading this who may need my help, particularly those being ignored by their anything-goes management, please feel free to contact me. And I’m a volunteer librarian, by the way.

By: Joneser

Joneser — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:59:30 +0000

Because with his extensive library experience (i.e. actually working in one) he would definitely know.

By: Joneser

Joneser — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:56:33 +0000

There is always NEW technology. Remember avatars and Second Life (and library ads requiring that a teen librarian have an avatar)? SO 2009!!

So what about what is timeless and permanent?

By: Andrew Carlos

Andrew Carlos — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:19:00 +0000

I love this post.

I love that you’re emphasizing the experience of the Library, rather than what is available in the Library.

I sometimes feel we worry too much about what new technology we have and forget that people come to the library with expectations that we need to meet – classes being taught, engaging the community, etc. I’d love to see more libraries focus on providing great experiences, be it a gaming day, history day (a recent event held in a New Jersey library regarding cassette culture comes to mind) or anything.