The Perils of Blogging

It is only fitting that I post my summary of my LIS blogging experience. I chose this venue for a class project so that I would break through another technological barrier. I do not go into many chat rooms, I do not IM, and I needed to get the feeling of the “exposure” that online writing offers. My initial questions were:

• Would I feel as if I were talking to myself? (The idea of this could be both disappointing and dangerous!)
• Would I have anything to say?
• Would I embarrass myself?
• Would I find any like-minded people?
• Would I learn anything?

(Of course, later questions would involve the logistics of picking a blog host and learning the system! I picked Blogger as it appears to be the most reliable. I do have to note however that there was a period of several days where that claim was questionable. In the middle of my blogging project Blogger came out with its “newest version”. I have to admit to being a huge chicken, as I decided to continue working with the old version until my class ended. I will update after that, when a loss of material would be less devastating. My worst moment in blogging came when I had put much thought and genuine heart into my Thanksgiving blog, and somehow lost 50% of the posting when trying to recover a change. Blogger only recovers a small amount of material at a time – typing truly important thoughts in and copying them to another venue would be the way to go. My funniest moment came when I spent all afternoon trying to tweak a picture and fix a layout and despite my working with customer service and help questions had no success. Imagine my embarrassment when I discovered that I had to “refresh” as my computer had cached the original version! )

As I began to compile my profile I realized that I wanted to be as honest as possible about who I really was (after all I was not looking for an online date!) At that point I also wanted to pick a mission for my blog – and decided that I did not necessarily want to educate the world or prove my worthiness, I simply wanted to log some of the odd experiences and conflicting thoughts that a library student may have. So often, we are so immersed in other’s readings and discussions that we cannot see the topic clearly. About three weeks later unanswered questions pop up that we want to toss around. In those thoughts come the real learning. I also wanted to express any self doubts I might have so that I would begin to develop a tighter support system that would help me as I change careers. I quickly became aware of the fact that everything I voiced was public – and can and would be used for or against me. This could be important to someone embarking on a job hunt! (How can those folks on MySpace and other social sites not get this????)

As I started to write the posts I felt a bit self-serving, as if I was doing a one-woman dialog to a room of none. Still, it felt cleansing and invigorating to put my thoughts down. It made me research my own questions further to find some answers, or at least to provide links to those who had something else to say on the subject. I discovered I could lobby for causes that I thought were worthy, such as promoting breast cancer awareness or cleaning the bathrooms in your library. I could share things I thought were just plain interesting or wildly amusing. And, lastly, I could week by week gradually convince myself that I am absolutely headed in the right direction in my career! There are no end of Ta-Da Moments in the library!

I hope that those of you have read the beginnings of my blog postings will have been slightly entertained, slightly educated about a topic you were not aware of, or slightly shook up enough to think twice about something! Thank you for reading, posting, or privately emailing me your thoughts. I do believe that I will continue this unconventional librarian blog -- and psychiatric advice will remain free (at least until I graduate).

The Spirit of Giving

"Tis the season to be jolly. . .fa la la la la!" The sights and sounds of the holidays have permeated the library as we hang our politically correct decorations and put out treats for all. We dress in cheery colors and exchange tales of past holiday memories with staff and friends. Our patrons get involved with our holiday plans and and want to know where we are going and what we are cooking and what we have ordered from Santa. For a few days some pressure is off the librarians as class assignments wind down and people are researching the latest novel or turkey recipe. Quiet music fills the air and paper crafted artwork litters the floor of the library.

But, at some point, each librarian takes a step back and realizes that for many of our patrons the holiday will be lonely. Our visitors watch the signs carefully to see which days the library will close down, and express their sadness that we will not be open. Not for the first time we realize that not only is the library a warming or cooling center, but it also the hub of the social needs of many.

When I first experienced the pangs of guilt that comes from working in an inner city library, I started to quiet down and not really answer when asked about my holiday plans. I realized however, that those asking sincerely wanted to hear about my family and its gatherings. And, by answering them, I was accepting a great gift from my patrons -- a realization of how fortunate I was in life (no matter how troubled I might be) and how loved I truly was. I wanted to return that gift in some fashion, outside of the normal offerings of the library, but knew from a professional standpoint that I was a bit limited and must be cautious.

Today, however, I would encourage all to take the time to look beyond the walls of your library and see what you might personally be able to contribute back to your community. Perhaps it is a bag of warm gloves, a basket of food, an hour of your time, a smile as you leave the building for the night. Do not think of anything you give as charity, think of it as a return gift -- I know that all of you have learned life lessons from those we try and serve daily and would like to say a special holiday thanks.

Don't Lose These Links!!

To Inspire Contributions

The Text of "A Christmas Carol"

http://www.stormfax.com/dickens.htm

Review of the new kid's version of "It's A Wonderful Life"

http://www.amazon.com/Its-Wonderful-Life-Kids-Too/dp/0525477675

For Responsible Giving
http://www.give.org/
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/content.view/cpid/518.htm

Putting Your Best Foot Forward!

No, this is not another posting about those librarian shoes – although we could talk a bit about some of those funky leisure looking outfits some people insist on wearing—I mean really there is casual and then there is SLOPPY!

I am talking about presenting the best image possible of your library – to both patrons and staff. We spend a lot of time talking about marketing the library and targeting the right audience with our notices and programs. We spend hours reading through review journals selecting the proper books, reference tools, and periodicals for patron use. We evaluate and reevaluate database use each month. We check our circulation policies and hold staff meetings about customer service. But, have we taken a good look at our bathrooms lately?

Seriously, especially in times of budget cuts and personnel shortages, some areas of our libraries are being very neglected. Perhaps our tables are not cleaned each evening, our carpet is starting to show stains, and our bathrooms are dingy, not always clean, and showing great signs of wear. Maybe it is not just the patron areas, perhaps (and most often) it is the staff lounge or private washrooms.

If you go to McDonalds and you use their washroom, you have perhaps at times come out and thought (well, first, “Why did I just eat here?”), “They must not care very much about my business if they are not taking care of things like this!” What do our patrons think of us? That we do not respect them enough as individual people to offer them clean and fresh looking facilities? What do out of town visitors think of urban libraries showing dirt and neglect? That we are not an inviting place to visit?

Perhaps the public areas of the library look fine, but your staff areas are sad. We need to remember that it is stressful for librarians to spend many hours on the floor dealing with the public, and we need to offer them a calming clean place to escape to momentarily. If you are trying to get coworkers to be enthusiastic and take ownership of library policies you need to show them that you also are thinking of their needs, no matter how basic.

Some argument may arise that will say the patrons (or staff) do not take care of the library as “place”. I say that the better we make it for them, the more they will learn to respect it. So, when figuring out this year’s budget, make room for a few new coats of paint, some repair, or even some pleasant air fresheners. Perhaps you could even get staff to volunteer for a clean up day by rewarding them with a great staff thank you party!

The bottom line is you really can’t put “lipstick on a pig” and dress it up much. Clean up your house before inviting more people over!