Tag Archives: just for fun

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Just for Fun: Sassy, Funny, and Silly Librarian Calendars

Wowza! Have you noticed the uptick in the number of librarian calendars of late? Librarians have likely always struggled with their “image”… however, articles like the recent Personal Branding for Librarians from ALA, and What a Librarian Looks Like from the Huffington Post blog point towards the fact that the image struggle still continues… maybe even more so!

So, what’s a librarian to do, you ask? Increasingly, the answer seems to be …. create a librarian calendar! (Okay, so maybe the real reason is to raise money, but it’s really all about the image, right?!)

Here are a few of my favorites! 

Zombies in the Library

2013 Tattooed Youth Librarians of Massachusetts

Cat Librarian Calendar 2013 (may not actually “help” our cause!)

And… we can’t forget 2012’s Men of the Stacks

Have you ran across any fun librarian calendars or sites? Share here!

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

How to Look Good on a Webcam

So, do you cringe when you are about to face your computer to do any sort of webcam type meeting? Read this short article from Make Use Of for sage advice on how to look your very best when participating in the webcam world. Everything from lighting, to pleasing backgrounds to double chins and  nose hairs; it’s all here! Read the full article at http://tinyurl.com/bxfs8hu. Make Use Of, 11/2/2012.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Ten Things I Didn’t Learn in Library School

From the blog Letters to a Young Librarian, comes a frank and funny blog post Ten Things I Didn’t Learn in Library School, Academic Edition about the top ten things that library school didn’t prepare the author for. This particular blog post is focused on academic libraries, while a similar post by Eric Riley focuses on public library work and “interesting” experiences he wasn’t exactly prepared for. You’ll laugh as they recount stories about dealing with difficult patrons, “janitorial work”, and the balancing act when it comes to working with and supporting faculty.

In particular, I appreciated the statement that, whether we like it or not, “the library (the department) is not always in charge of how the library (the space) is used”. I often struggled with this exact concept at the last library I worked at — the library was a prime spot for many events, with at least 80% of all campus events occurring in the library — even events seemingly unrelated to the library and its mission. Overtime, I had to find ways of managing this and still supporting the students with our resources even when the library (space) was otherwise occupied. Additionally, if the library got to take credit for the event and awesome free food — all the better!

So, take a look at the blog posts! What are some statements you agree with? Are there others that the authors missed? Check it out!!