Baby born in the library

The Denver Library has a newborn patron. An baby girl was born there on January 27. Read the news article here. Good thing a library was right there for her! I just hope the baby girl doesn't get stuck with a name like 'Dewey'.

Leave it to Colbert!

I never knew public libraries were communistic. It's a good thing to be so educated about my own profession!

Using LibraryThing

OK...so there I was...I had just posted my observations on LibraryThing, and went to look at my email. A friend was wondering about where he might find a certain book to borrow from someone, since he wasn't sure about paying the $75 for it (the cheapest price he found for it online). I looked at WorldCat for the title - UW Madison had it, but it was lost in 2005 and the next closest were in Illinois - but they were both checked out. Hmmmm. I then thought - hey, let's just see if anyone has it cataloged on LibraryThing! So I did. Turns out a mutual acquantance had it listed. How cool is that? :)

Thing 14 - LibraryThing

I have had an account on LibraryThing since December 2006...and haven't looked at it really since. I am so ashamed!! But this is a wonderful reminder that it is available, & I will try and make better use of it from here on out. I had been using it for books that related to my participation in the SCA, and do not see this changing.

As to using LibraryThing in as library tool, I can see setting up a network of accounts that each have a different topic. So you can have a Thing for books related to wizards & witches to relate to a Harry Potter event your library is holding. Or you can have an exhibit about landscaping, and you can have a Thing highlighting the titles in this subject. I suggest having more than 1 account so you do not have to deal with the 200 title limit, but if your library has money for the paid-account, I could also see having all these & more under 1 account as well.

Serial's Strife

I love my job...really I do. Why is it that I'm less than enthused about dealing with being the serial's librarian?

Could it be that there are lots of ins & outs to it and one has a lot of tedious little tasks when working with them? Could it be that its overwhelming that there are 8+ campuses each with around 100 titles?

Ack! I think it's all of the above. I guess I just get to buckle down and get serials done this afternoon.

The Library of the Future?

I got this from a fellow librarian. It's a wonderful 7 minute piece on the possibilities of libraries in the technological age. I'm not sure where this library is, but I'm thinking a Scandinavian country somewhere. I hope to see something similar in the US sometime. It looks like a lot of work, but if it is successful, I can see the work being worth it completely!

Professional Development

I have been asked by Jonya Pacey @ SELCO to take part in a state-wide professional development library for librarians (others involved in this project are Pauline Siem, Jess Laares, and Brenda Carriere). There was a MN State Library that was shut down a couple governors ago, but the Friends of the Library has leftover funds of $30,000. Some of the library districts around the state (there are a total of 12) have these kinds of collections already started and funded as well. SELCO, for example, dedicates $500/year to this kind of collection. We hope to get both the district and the Friends funds as sources of funding for this project.

Things are still in their baby planning stages, but we are going to be putting together a proposal to create this new collection to present to a CRPSLA subcommittee to get this funding. Things we have to take a look at are where this collection will be housed (either at a central location or distributed around the state at the library district offices), how items in the collections will be shelved (either with existing collections located at the district offices or separately) and if we will be able to use the $500/year some districts are already putting aside to add to this collection. Of course, this is by NO means a complete list!!

I am really looking forward to the challenges ahead in working on this proposal.

I am a librarian - really!

"I am a LIBRARIAN!" ~Evie from The Mummy.

I can only agree with the above quote. Being a librarian is not just a job, it's a way of life. Unfortunately for me, that means people think I'm an organized type of person. Not so my friends! I am one of the more outwardly disorganized people I know, but if I need to find something in my misc. piles on my desk or at home, I can usually do it in 3.5 seconds. Give or take a few minutes.

But back to living life as a librarian. I love the fact that I know how and where to find information on a wide variety of topics - not just online either! I also love the fact that my education for this lifestyle included classes on how to catagorize information - just please don't ask me to catalog anything! Have you guessed yet that my passion is reference? I thought you may have. :)

I love helping others. I really do. It was a natural choice for me to go through the MLIS program at St. Kate's to combine my love of books/learning and helping others. I've been a professional librarian for 17 months now and I love it. Really. I am glad I've found a niche for myself and that I am able to do what I enjoy doing for a job. And also be able to live the exciting life of a librarian.
Excuse me, but a student needs help turning on a computer now.