Monday, February 25, 2013

Refreshing Librarian Skills

Getting back into the swing of things as a Reference Librarian...  except things have changed a bit in the four years I've been hunting for work.

Computer use has remained constant - relatively free Internet access - but in-person reference research support has dropped.

Some of it may be due to more online reference support - Ask-A-Librarian is a key job responsibility today - but I fear a lot of it may be due to a lack of realizing just how murky online-based information really is.  People may be relying too much on Wikipedia and too little on honest-to-Cat peer-reviewed journal research.

This would mean one thing: Outreach.  Part of my job has got to be reminding people that researching is more than just the first big hit off your Google search.  It's reviewing the source, vetting that source, making sure you're getting quality information.

The other big difference?  More computer training than ever before.  And this time around, a lot of it seems to be over the new Windows OS format for Win 8 (in two words, It's Confusing).  I'm just hoping we can get new library computers with upgrades to Win 7 first...

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The Biggest Problem of Unpacking After a Move

It's that you're unpacking all these boxes just so you can put other stuff in the now-emptied boxes.

The sin of most librarians is that we're pack-rats: we can't throw away anything, not for the sake of hoarding but because a lot of things -especially books - have personal if not intellectual value.

And my move isn't done.

Maybe by March?

Maybe?

Monday, February 11, 2013

The Librarian Rides Tonight

Once again, I can call myself librarian.

Hello, City of Bartow Public Library.  I am your new Reference and Computer Librarian.  If you have any questions about your ereader devices... I will see you next month, because I need to review existing tutorial materials for revisions.  In the meanwhile, I can show you where the library keeps its recipe manuals.  :-)

Thursday, February 7, 2013

From The Thrilling Years of Futuristic Pulp Covers

For the classic steampunk / dieselpunk geek in all of us:

The Pulp-O-Mizer

Naturally I couldn't resist:
It sells magazines to have an Action Girl on the cover






















Update: I've created more!
I wish they had more color options for the text!

Went for a standard pulpy cover here!


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

To the Citizenry of Bartow FL

Let me show you where the books on Excel 2007 are kept at your city library.

Okay, normally they're in the 005.54 shelf range if you keep to standard Dewey Decimal Classification.  But still, I will be able to actually show you the shelf those books are kept.  Just as soon as the city office finishes the paperwork.

Yes.  Since December 2008... after more than four years of searching for full-time employ... our long national nightmare... is over.