Librarians Thread! (No buns, please)

[jedi_librarian]

Just kidding, If you have a bun in your hair, that's ok

Hey, fellow librarians, librarians-to-be, potential librarians, etc! Just thought I'd start a thread here for us to vent about library stuff, get ideas, give advice to potential librarians (that seems to be a topic that comes up a lot!)

Just thought it would be fun - hope we can keep this thread going

 

[jedi_librarian]

I'll start myself -

So, is anyone going to PLA in Boston?

 

[DVCLiz]

I'll pull up a chair - wait, I'm a little chilly, so let me put on my sweater. No, now I'm too warm, thank goodness for this handy little sweater clip!!!!

Just kidding - my favorite friend from library days has the whole mojo workin' - the bun, the glasses, and the sweater clip. I love her dearly, but I sure hope she's never chosen when Playboy does "Women of the Dewey Decimal System."

I was a children's librarian in NC for many years - I changed careers (not very drastically - went to a museum!!) and am now retired, but love to think about the good old days!!!! I bet I sang "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Turn Around" at least five thousand times....

 

[Dan Murphy]

 

[Glynis]

I would love to join in! Currently, I'm working on getting my certification. DH wants me to work in a school library, but my first choice would be a public library. Done the teacher thing, and I think I'd like something different. So, can anyone tell me the pros and cons of public versus school libraries?

 

[HugsForEeyore]

Another librarian checking in! I got my masters in 2003, but only been working in the field about a year. I recently lost my 1st job and now have two small part-time library jobs. But I am hoping someday I will meet the right people and things will happen. All I am finding now are nights and weekends, the shifts the full-time employees don't want. Sigh.

Even so, I am not sure this field has enough long-term potential, and I haven't ruled out branching out into other things. I actually made more babysitting than I do now. But still, the job is usually fun and I love helping the kids with their "information needs".

 

[SeattleRedBear]

I'll start myself -

So, is anyone going to PLA in Boston?

OK, so you probably work in a public library then. Chicago, or suburbs? (I know nothing about Chicago area libraries to know if county/city are different systems).

I'm not going to PLA as I work at the U of Washington (or UDub as we like to call it). And a serials cataloger to boot (Hide the Children! Get the crucifix and garlic!). I'm sure I would be good working a public desk but I'm more than busy with cataloging, e-serial record loads, maintaining our coverage database, etc. I will be going to New Orleans. I figure contributing to the convention industry there is the least I can do. Anyone else?

 

[HugsForEeyore]

OK, so you probably work in a public library then. Chicago, or suburbs? (I know nothing about Chicago area libraries to know if county/city are different systems).

I'm not going to PLA as I work at the U of Washington (or UDub as we like to call it). And a serials cataloger to boot (Hide the Children! Get the crucifix and garlic!). I'm sure I would be good working a public desk but I'm more than busy with cataloging, e-serial record loads, maintaining our coverage database, etc. I will be going to New Orleans. I figure contributing to the convention industry there is the least I can do. Anyone else?

I actually like your job description! I think I would be very good at cataloging and doing database work, if ever given the chance! In fact, that is the main reason I went to get my degree in library science. But the only jobs I seem to find were in childrens. I been told that most librarians don't want to work with kids, and I guess many prefer the back room text/tech jobs. Well, maybe someday someone somewhere will give me a break and let me try a new area of the library!

Oh, just wanted to add, I don't wear a bun. I have long hair halfway down my back, and I never wear it up (it's so thin it would fall right out, anyways!). And I don't wear glasses on a chain, either! I have glasses but I only wear them to drive. I do wear sweaters, though!

 

[DVCLiz]

No, I never had a bun either! As a matter of fact, I was one of the "young" people on staff. I met and married my husband and had my two children while I worked in the library.

I think I'd like to catalog, too!!!! Wonder what that says about us???? LOL!!!

Confession time - how many of you organize your books at home the same way you do in the library?? My friends always tease me, because I have all my fiction in one set of bookcases, and all my non-fiction in another. They always ask when I'm going to put call numbers on them!!!

As you can tell, I woke up VERY EARLY today - hope a few minutes DISing will be enough to make me feel sleepy again!!!

 

[jedi_librarian]

OK, so you probably work in a public library then. Chicago, or suburbs? (I know nothing about Chicago area libraries to know if county/city are different systems).

I'm not going to PLA as I work at the U of Washington (or UDub as we like to call it). And a serials cataloger to boot (Hide the Children! Get the crucifix and garlic!). I'm sure I would be good working a public desk but I'm more than busy with cataloging, e-serial record loads, maintaining our coverage database, etc. I will be going to New Orleans. I figure contributing to the convention industry there is the least I can do. Anyone else?

Serials!!! My first job at my library was in the Periodicals department! At out library, most of the serials stuff is done by adult services staff so, I have lots of experience with them: the binding, the ordering (we use EBSCO), the serials holdings list (isn't it fun when they change their title a gazillion times?), the claiming...I was considered the serials guru. I even took a serials class in library school and was the only one who was always excited in class

 

[jedi_librarian]

No, I never had a bun either! As a matter of fact, I was one of the "young" people on staff. I met and married my husband and had my two children while I worked in the library.

I think I'd like to catalog, too!!!! Wonder what that says about us???? LOL!!!

Confession time - how many of you organize your books at home the same way you do in the library?? My friends always tease me, because I have all my fiction in one set of bookcases, and all my non-fiction in another. They always ask when I'm going to put call numbers on them!!!

As you can tell, I woke up VERY EARLY today - hope a few minutes DISing will be enough to make me feel sleepy again!!!

I haven't organized my stuff at home yet, but I have thought "Do we have this one movie? I should look it up in the catalog..Oh, I'm at home."

 

[librarygal]

Hello fellow librarians. I am a solo special librarian which means I do everything, ILL, cataloging, reference, training, etc. I don't wear a bun and don't organize my books. In fact, I have very few books because I borrow everything from the public library.

 

[SeattleRedBear]

I'll pull up a chair - wait, I'm a little chilly, so let me put on my sweater. No, now I'm too warm, thank goodness for this handy little sweater clip!!!!

Liz -- I don't know how I missed this the first time around!

So glad to hear there are cataloging and serials supporters here Usually when I'm at a conference the typical response is "UGGHH! Oh you poor thing!"

I'll admit it's very difficult to get a job in cataloging, esp. in public libraries (where it seems to me the wall between tech services and public services is especially thick). I think you have to be willing to relocate to find a good cataloging job and everywhere (incl. academic libraries) are cutting back on their librarians, more and more support staff are doing the actual cataloging (which is great...it's not rocket science after all) and librarians are doing more managing of cataloging operations, record sets, etc. Anyway, enough of that soapbox

Hugs -- Don't give up! I think children's services are one of the areas that is becoming more and more important in our profession. Sometimes it takes a few years before the right position comes along. My first job was in a federal agency special library (3 librarians, 3 support staff) and it was interesting but I had a wacko for a boss (she meant well but had the interpersonal skills of an ox and had a bejillion ideas that all needed to be implented NOW) so just bided my time and kept my eye out for something that was a better fit.

 

[jimmiej]

I appreciate librarians-does that count? All kidding aside, I read a lot and love to visit my local library. Been enjoying it since I was a child.

 

[SeattleRedBear]

I would love to join in! Currently, I'm working on getting my certification. DH wants me to work in a school library, but my first choice would be a public library. Done the teacher thing, and I think I'd like something different. So, can anyone tell me the pros and cons of public versus school libraries?

Hmmm, you don't get summers off, but you don't have to work with teachers It might take you awhile before you can get a position with decent hours (as Hugs mentioned) and you might end up part-time. However, depending on your school district and local library system, it might actually take awhile for you to find a job in one, but not the other. Your connection to the kids will be different as you might see some of the same kids every day in a public library where you will see *all* the same kids (probably every week) in a school library (depending on the age-level). Working in a school is more like working in a special library where you're more on your own whereas (depending on the size of the public library) you'll have colleagues to work with and you might have some opportunity to do more than just 'children's' work. Any other thoughts out there?

 

[castleview]

Hope you don't mind if I read along. I'm a librarian wannabe

 

[jedi_librarian]

Not at all! Wannabees and friends of librarians are welcome!

 

[SeattleRedBear]

Confession time - how many of you organize your books at home the same way you do in the library?? My friends always tease me, because I have all my fiction in one set of bookcases, and all my non-fiction in another. They always ask when I'm going to put call numbers on them!!!

There's a cataloging discussion list called Autocat and this topic comes up occasionally. People talk about organizing their books, their DVDs, their spice racks (I kid you not).

Two stories. One is that DH *should* have been a librarian but was unable to finish his college education. His books are shelved by author and his DVDs & CDs are organized by genre. He has databases of his books, DVDs & CDs that he has stored on his PDA. Besides the obvious title and author, it includes information like Series, ISBN, price, etc. And he always has it with him so that when he goes to the bookstore, he knows what he has and doesn't have.

And then there's me, the "professional" cataloger who has books and magazines strewn over the house and never able to find anything (my office looks the same way). The only organization there is to my books is the fact that the cookbooks are all on one shelf in the kitchen.

Second story was that I was destined to be a cataloger. Recenty my mom wanted me to clean stuff out of my old bedroom and I ran across three books I purchased from the Scholastic book club. Each had had a pocket and card in the back and a little number on the spine! And I knew the difference between fiction and literature because the poetry book was labelled with an "8" and the Robert Louis Stevenson was labelled with an "F".

 

[Glynis]

I am right in the middle of my cataloging class, and I just have to say that I LOVE it! To me, it's like a treasure hunt, to find the right classification, etc. I would love to be able to do that all day long. What a cool job!

 

[yoopermom]

Another school librarian checking in, graduate of UW-Milw. SLIS, now long term subbing for a librarian out on maternity leave.

Since being laid off two years ago, I have spent time organizing my books, my DVDs, and (don't tell) my kitchen cupboards (veggies; green veggies; green beans; french cut).

DH says I have to get a *real* job soon, because he's afraid I'll be organizing his tools next!

I love to catalog, too, find it very soothing.

Terri the Yoopermom/librarian