I don't like to just link to other crap without commenting, but there isn't much I can add to this story, You Gotta Love the Library.
(Although I think the story is mostly a summary from this list, LIBRARIANS IN THE MOVIES: An Annotated Filmography; THE A GROUP.)
I'd never thought of Brazil as having librarians, but I've often thought of librarians as terrorists, so...(unfortunately, I see a future where we could be called that).
I didn't know that February was Librarian Lovers' Month. But a check on my trusty Chase's says:
Chase’s Calendar of Events 2008
Date: Feb 1-29
Name: LIBRARY LOVERS' MONTH
State(s): CA, (NOT WI - effing added)
Attendance:
Description: A monthlong celebration of school, public and private libraries of all types. This is a time for everyone, especially library support groups, to recognize the value of libraries and to work to ensure that the nation's libraries will continue to serve.
For info: Library Lovers' Month. Web: www.librarysupport.net/librarylovers/.
Categories: Library/Librarians
I don't know if you do this, but I make copies of every CD that I find in the back of our library books. I assume the CD will get lost, so I try to backup the files. Most of the CDs are crap, but some are loaded with business forms or other documents that can be printed. The Chase's annual includes the entire contents of the paper copy (I think) on the CD. I just copy that to my desktop (or usb drive) and I can look up events without having to flip through the paper copy (just don't copy the autorun file).
But then when I find the event, like the one above, the program won't let me click and drag or right-click to copy the info that I wanted to paste into this post. Luckily, I have something called CutePDF installed on my computer and the resulting pdf file allowed me to copy/paste. Not really a big deal in this case, but I hate typing so much that I'll go through 12 steps if it will allow me to copy instead of type.
About the links on the Library Lovers page, here's the odd thing: "The Wiconsin Library Association (WLA) has designated February 2008 as 'Library Lovers' Month', complete with a proclamation by Gov. Jim Doyle." Isn't this the same Wisconsin where the Marathon County Public Library Board of Trustees just demoted their librarians to customer service positions?
They gotta love their librarians.
(slow burn turns to raging fire. ALL CHILDREN should leave the room.)
Ok. This is what's fucking insane. The director says that the Marathon County librarians are being demoted because their work has changed, that they don't perform professional services. But I look on their web page and check this:
They offer Ancestry and Heritage Quest, databases I haven't seen a patron use yet without intensive instruction.
They have downloadable audiobooks: again, almost every user needs help.
Rosetta Stone. Reference USA.
I don't get it. They're saying that their librarians aren't performing duties above simple customer service?
They participate in something called AskAway: "This service is brought to you by the AskAway Consortium, which is comprised of participating libraries & library systems, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and WiLS. This service is staffed by librarians around the country." So they no longer contribute to the service, since their own staff are only customer service reps, but will now leach off of the other library systems that haven't demoted their librarians?
And computer classes! Here is the current schedule:
Jan. 15 MS Word: Beyond the Basics
Jan. 22 Internet II: Beyond the Basics
Jan. 29 MS Publisher: an Introduction
Feb. 05 MS Excel: an Introduction
Feb. 12 MS PowerPoint: an Introduction
Feb. 19 Fun with Yahoo and Google
Feb. 26 Exploring Library Databases
Mar. 04 Medical and Health Information on the Web
Mar. 11 Working with Digital Photographs
Really. I do not fucking get it. If library directors want to call this work "less complex" then it's less complex than fucking what?
After my demotion, our library computer schedule would look like this:
Feb. 25 Fuck you, you fucking fuck. I don't teach shit. That $10,000 cut just made me stoopid.
Feb. 26 Are you still here? You want some instruction, it's $50 an hour. Or get the fuck out.
Mar. 04 (Changed from original program.) You want medical advice? Die.
Library Lovers Month, my ass.
