Tomb of the Unknown Librarian

In between analyzing FRBR, MARC, indicators, and authority records, I finally got back to reading what’s going on in the world of library OPACS. Wow, what I have been missing. From Jessamyn to Blyberg, I love it. There is some real interesting debate going on and it sounds like everyone has an opinion and the vendors are as freaked and frustrated as the end users. I’m not going to rehash all of it but I think it’s going to be a fun year. It’s just a matter of time before the ILS as we know it is replaced by a coal powered difference engine that incorporates sophisticated algorithms and rankings based on user preference, search trends and click throughs.

In other curiosities, I wonder how popular my favorite book, The Master & Margarita is? Is livejournal still talked about compared to facebook, or myspace?

Yesterday, I passed on my dream job as an electronic services librarian. I had to decline because of personal commitments more than anything. The timing was really bad. I really do see positions like this as the future of librarianship especially when it comes to reference and information services. Managing digital access and digital resources is more important than ever. If more organizations dedicated staff to making their digital resources more accessible, easier to navigate, and more self service, book librarians could spend their time focusing on building collections for their communities and outreach librarians could spend their time developing services to the people who really need it.

It’s amazing what doctors can do these days.

*whew, sigh of relief*

School is officially over for the semester. Unfortunately, I missed a bunch of stuff during the last week of my XML & XSLT course and the Seminar in Library Management. I really didn’t miss all of them entirely, I just couldn’t devote as much attention to them.

1. Mother’s Day – phone call was about all I could manage
2. My Anniversary – got a gift but we wound up with delivered pizza
3. The final test in XML – a big fat zero… I just spaced after pulling an allnighter on my final project for lib. management (still passed fine)
4. Game 2 of the Stanley Cups Playoffs
5. Finishing my resume for a fantastic opportunity

No regrets; I did well and I’m finished with school until June 1. Cataloging and Classification, here I come.

I’m back from Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Denver. The Book Expo was definitely the highlight. Meeting Meg Cabot for like two seconds was the best. She is so gracious, witty, talented… the list goes on.

I made a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Downtown DC Library. It was a bit depressing that our nation’s capitol wouldn’t be devoting more attention to library resources, collection and supporting staff. The small “Enhanced Business Information Center” in a partnership with the Small Business Administration was pretty snazzy but mostly empty. The time-management system, which I think is Pharos, seemed to work though. Hmmmm, nuff said.

The strangest part of my visit to DC was the National Museum of American History, which is due to close in September for two years. I really wanted to pay a visit to it before it closed for renovations. I even took a tour to get the skinny on what will change. The docent was very careful how he pointed out that DC is a very political town. When he mentioned the relocation of the American Presidency exhibit labeled “The Glorious Burden” (gimme an effin’ break), he noted that it would be moving and consolidated with another very crucial display of American history at the museum, the First Ladies, more specifically, their innaugural gowns. He intimated that the presidency exhibits would likely be moved to a more central location, like in the front center just when you walk in. When I asked about Congress and the Supreme Court, he smiled politely and said “let’s move on to the next highlight of the museum.How many of you have ever seen the original Star Spangled Banner.” It’s all about the symbols. As legendary Buzz McCoy, sage of My Life with the Thrill Kill Cult, said in Sex on Wheelz

History is written by winners, baby
So let’s make a little of our own tonight.

I also ventured upon a little protest against immigration legislation on the mall.

I also visited the International Spy Museum. Touting itself as a museum devoted to espionage history and tradecraft, it starts off with a unintriguing attempt to get you to pick a cover and a legend for yourself (with absolutely no payoff in the end) and winds you through a series of interactive displays on everything from lockpicking to how to conceal 15 people in a Trabi. The displays became more and more lackluster as I meandered through rooms devoted to spies in World War II, the Revolutionary War, and even more recent spies like Aldrich Ames or Robert Hanssen. Too bad they watered down the majority of the exhibits, ommitting the more salacious aspects of the history of spying. It’s understandable considering they are shooting for the broadest level of appeal as opposed to historical accuracy or relevancy.

I usually don’t report on questions I get at the reference desk, but today I asked what one of our posters in the teen area meant by the phrase”Censorship causes blindness”. As soon as I explained it, her face lit up and she went in and stared at the poster.

I sold the Comet today to a wrecking yard. It’s a car that I have owned for almost 20 years. It’s a silver (and rust) 1964 Mercury Comet and I bought it from my parents on my sixteenth birthday for a $1. My grandmother bought it brand new. My grandparents drove it cross country a few times. My parents bought it from her. I remember riding in the back as kid putting my hot wheels in the ashtray and humming along with the AM radio.

Despite owning lots of different cars over the years, I kept the Comet because I felt I could always fix it in a pinch until the steering column wiring shorted out and nearly electrocuted me while I was driving back in 1998. I kept it knowing that I would always have roof over my head if I needed one. I lived in it for a while, and almost died in it a few times, driving too fast, too reckless, or with too many brittle, frayed wires inside the steering column. Most of all, I kept it because it was the last reminder of “anywhere in five minutes”, “the shortcut!”, Bonny Doon, Davenport, and Big Sur. It was the nexus of all the people and places that I have known and loved. As silly as it sounds, I’ll miss it.

Last December I attended a workshop about creating partnerships between the library and other organizations. It was a great program and really redefined the way I look at pitching partnerships, programs, and relationships. Some of the things that really stuck with me are that you have to lead with your strengths, take it slow, and look for how what you have complements what they need and vice-versa.

I’ve begun working with the Alzheimer’s Association to hold some programs at the library in May and June. Maximize your Memory and Maintain Your Brain. Both are geared towards Baby Boomers and Seniors without Alzheimer’s and encourage them to keep their minds (and bodies) active to help prevent and delay the disease. I encourage other libraries and not just public libraries to contact the Alzheimer’s Association to hold programs at the library. What better place than the library to keep the mind nimble. They provide the speaker and materials and we supply the audience and the space. Should be great.