Librarians

Burn the Libraries and Free the Librarians

Submitted by Bibliofuture on December 3, 2014 - 12:45am

Topic: 
Librarians

A Little Boring is Sometimes a Good Thing

Submitted by Bibliofuture on December 2, 2014 - 10:56am

Annoyed Librarian comments on the news story that the library in Ferguson was open during the protests and that it has been receiving donations.

Although it has "boring" in the title the post is a good read:
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2014/12/01/a-little-boring-is-sometimes-...

Topic: 
Librarians

Omaha Public Library director has submitted resignation

Submitted by Bibliofuture on November 26, 2014 - 7:51pm

Omaha Public Library director Gary Wasdin has officially accepted a library director position with King County Library System. His last day with OPL will be Jan. 16.

http://www.ketv.com/news/omaha-public-library-director-has-submitted-resignation/29946614

Topic: 
Librarians

Retired school librarian catalogues Ontario's historical plaques

Submitted by Bibliofuture on November 25, 2014 - 10:39pm

The federal and provincial governments install lots of plaques; plaques about inventors, plaques about canoe routes, even historical plaques about historians. You’ve surely seen a plaque or a hundred in your day, but what you may not know is you can look up and locate many of Ontario’s plaques at ontarioplaques.com.

The website is one-man project by Alan Brown, a retired librarian from Toronto who says he’s had an interest in plaques since he was a kid. Brown started his website in 2004 with the goal of photographing and making a page for each of our province’s Ontario Heritage Trust plaques. In 2009, he started on the Federal government’s Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaques.

http://www.thereview.ca/retired-school-librarian-catalogues-ontario-s-historical-plaques?id=770

Topic: 
Librarians

Librarians: Sexy and They Know It

Submitted by birdie on November 20, 2014 - 2:19pm

Though there is still tension about what the library and librarians of today should be, the connection between librarians and sex is surprisingly persistent.

One of the frustrations of being a librarian is the occupational stereotyping. Librarians tend to be depicted in books and movies as elderly spinsters, rigid and frigid. More recently, in a predictable attempt to subvert convention, the slutty librarian trope has emerged: young, hot-blooded, yet not exempt from the cats-eye glasses.

From The Millions, librarian Elisabeth Cohen reviews a few books on the sexy librarian phenomena that you might have missed.

Topic: 
Books
Librarians
Librarian's Book Club

At that time, I realized the smartest people worked at the library.

Submitted by Bibliofuture on November 20, 2014 - 10:39am

Article about librarian Will Johnson.

Will Johnson worked at the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore for 17 years before coming to Cecil County eight months ago. He’s now manager of the Elkton Central Library. Johnson said he loves the area, especially how the pace of Cecil County compares to Baltimore.

How did you get your start? In 1996, I was working for Foot Locker in high school and went to Atlanta to work the Olympics. That experience changed my life. I met people with different nationalities and it opened my eyes. I came back and took a job as a security officer for the library. At that time, I realized the smartest people worked at the library. One day that week, I was watching Jeopardy, and the contestant was a librarian. I took that as a sign. I went to college and got my undergrad and decided I wanted to become a librarian. I worked three years doing clerical work while going to school.

http://www.cecildaily.com/news/local_news/article_68031536-675f-502d-b743-97b928e5ddf3.html

Topic: 
Librarians

Why a town librarian has spent 102 days standing in front of Ferguson’s police department

Submitted by Bibliofuture on November 20, 2014 - 10:33am

Librarian Angelique Kidd has stood vigil for the past 102 days opposite the Ferguson Police Department, demanding change.

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/11/18/ferguson_librarian_fuelled_by_anger_over_shooti...

Topic: 
Librarians

Rapper’s 1984 hit song at center of librarian lawsuit

Submitted by Bibliofuture on November 8, 2014 - 7:52pm

A hip-hop pioneer was stunned to learn that his 1984 song “Roxanne, Roxanne” was at the center of an explosive legal war between a pair of Long Island library staffers.

“Before, we had to worry about mediating hip-hop beefs in the streets,” Kangol Kid told The Post. “Now, we have to worry about them in libraries. That’s crazy.”

Riverhead Free Library director Joy Rankin allegedly told underlings to only hire black and Latino job applicants to right historical wrongs committed against them, according to a lawsuit.

http://nypost.com/2014/11/08/rapper-shocked-his-song-dragged-into-legal-battle-on-li/

Topic: 
Librarians

The Doomsday Librarian Preparing Our Reading for the Apocalypse

Submitted by Bibliofuture on November 6, 2014 - 1:39pm

The average internet user who happens upon Survivor Library, a collection of about 7,000 books in PDF format that teach people how to rebuild civilization after the proverbial Collapse, may think it’s just another fear mongering, doomsday prepper site.

“What happens AFTER the Solar Flare that destroys the electrical grid and all electronics?" asked the site's About Us page. "AFTER the other 90% of the population has died from starvation, dehydration and disease. AFTER the roving gangs and raiders are eliminated and local communities form to provide security and relative peace. What Then?”

It’s easy to imagine that people who use this site are the ones that have homemade bunkers and have stocked enough canned goods to feed a family for weeks. But Survivor Library’s founder and administrator, who calls himself “The Librarian,” doesn’t identify himself that way.

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/survivor-library

Topic: 
Librarians

Infighting in Libraryland

Submitted by birdie on October 1, 2014 - 5:16pm

From The Annoyed Librarian in LJ:

A librarian named Joe Murphy is suing two female librarians for $1.25 million for claiming he sexually harasses women at library conferences. As sex scandals go, that’s pretty mild, but the standards for scandal are lower in libraryland.

You can go give them a donation or sign a petition asking Murphy to drop the lawsuit if those are your kinds of thing.

I haven’t seen a corresponding Support Joe Murphy’s Lawsuit website or petition, but if there is one someone can post it in the comments.

He’s also suing them in Canadian court, even though as far as I can tell both he and one of the defendants are Americans. Canadian libel laws are more friendly to plaintiffs, it seems, whereas American libel laws tend to favor something librarians are supposed to favor, free speech. So he’s a cunning little fella, you have to give him that.

I’m seeing the story pop up in more and more places, so it looks like Murphy has a growing reputation among librarians.

Topic: 
Librarians
Legal Issues
Conferences
Employment & Work Stories

Pages

Subscribe to Librarians