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5 Spooky Situations That Give Librarians Goosebumps!

October 29, 2017

Halloween is right around the corner so it’s time to let you into the crypt of library secrets! Not many things have librarians and library workers quaking in the stacks, but a few things do. Behold! Five dreadful doozies you’ll not soon be able to forget:

The Important Emotional Labor of Librarians Most People Never Think About

October 26, 2017

For librarians, as with many other professions, “Other duties as assigned” is code for tasks that are distasteful, off-kilter, or just plain gross.

As a Business Librarian, I Help People Find Their Passion

October 23, 2017

I believe the best work is work where there are no typical days. I’m lucky, because I have that kind of work. I’m a Business Librarian.

7 Insidious Myths About Libraries and Reading (the first two kill me)

October 19, 2017

Ask around among librarians and there is one thing that every one of them will agree about: The general public believes all sorts of strange things about libraries and reading. It’s a fact that even library lovers, many of whom are voracious readers, will occasionally make pronouncements that make me go hmm. Often times, these seemingly logical, common-sense, assumptions are based on ill-informed editorials or narrowly-focused news articles, rather than actual evidence. To answer these misstatements of fact, I’ve collected a few library and reading myths to dispel. Hopefully, after reading this, you won’t go around repeating them anymore!

10 Experiential Learning Activities for Non-reading Kids

October 16, 2017

Gardening is a fun and rewarding activity for kids and adults alike.

Tips from a Business Librarian: Are Professional Associations Worth Your Time?

October 12, 2017

When your business is brand new — or still in the planning stages — and the money is running out, why would you think of joining an association? Shouldn’t that wait until you are bigger and more established? Maybe so, but associations can also be your best friend. There are associations for just about everything, that have websites and newsletters, and sometimes member lists that you can access immediately. And how does this help you?

Soon After I Lost My Job — Library Editorial Cartoon

October 10, 2017

“As people continue to struggle in the wake of the Great Recession and the ever-widening gap between the wealthy and everyone else, they have turned to libraries to find the resources they need. Libraries have long been a site for job seekers; now they have begun staffing social workers and registered nurses to serve a wider array of needs — continuing a tradition of the library as a safe, welcoming, and supportive place for people to turn to.” — Kevin Moore, EveryLibrary’s 2017 Artist in Residence.

Here’s a Beautiful Reason for Loving Libraries : The Library Moment!

October 05, 2017

Not everyone has my luck — I love my job. I am a librarian.

Three Lessons I’ve Learned About People from Being a Librarian (plus a bonus one)

October 02, 2017

Library work is about people. Most library staff — from shelvers of books, to the clerks who check items and and out, to the librarians answers questions at the information desk — work directly with the public. I’ve done all of these jobs at many libraries over the last fifteen years, and throughout that time I’ve noticed that the same immutable truths of human nature seem to crop up regardless of a community’s demographics. Though some of them are library-specific, anyone who has worked in public service will recognize a few of these in their own experiences. Note: While I think some of these things are amusing, I don’t write them to lampoon my patrons; my aim, instead, is reflective. Let’s think about these lessons as a society, and see if there’s a deeper meaning in them. Here we go:

Five Mid-Century Modern Library Buildings That Will Make You Swoon!

September 28, 2017

Mid-century modern design has always had a wholesome influence on me. When I see a building, piece of furniture, type, or graphic design that is spare and functional, full of long lines and quadrilaterals, made of simple materials, and connected to its environment, it gives me a distinctly calm feeling. When I see a mid-century modern building, the world slows down, it makes sense.
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