Losing my Sense of Library Humor

So I went on a rant yesterday on Facebook, and I may as well post it here. Basically, I got a full time job as a personal assistant outside of the library world. In fact, another one of my librarian friends did the same thing. So as the days go on I'm feeling less and less connected, even though I'm taking on a handful of shifts on the weekends. Since California libraries pay better than anywhere I've ever worked, I don't really have any complaints about the money I make as a substitute. I have complaints about the general structure of the public library, the lack of advancement and opportunity, the  bureaucracy that keeps us from using new technology, the lack of librarians (and librarianship) in the tech department, the lack of librarians with tech skills. Hopefully this is a theme in my blog. Librarians, we protest stereotypes and then reinforce them through our memes (thank you whoever said that on Twitter, can I just continue to be a bad librarian and not look up the correct citation.)

So, part of being a librarian is you're going to get a copy every article about local libraries by snail mail or email from your family. I'll even tolerate the occasional Questionable Content or Between the Stacks comic from my friends. For the most part though, I'm tried of library humor.

First: 
I was at the library for the first time in over two months and encountering a random smattering of "things I should know about" like book sections getting rearranged and a patrons banned from computer use, you know, things that are important to share at work. So I'm looking across the desk and I see a full page NOTICE with important things highlighted, and I'm trying to read it without looking like I missed the memo in the first place, and I almost want to disappear out of embarrassment when I see the IMPORTANT NOTICE posted on the desk. Of all the important things to know, someone thought it was really funny to print out one of those stupid fake articles about this revolutionary new technology that doesn't take electricity or computers to work...yes, another librarian joke about how much more awesome books are than computers. I want to cry. I don't own an e-reader, but I'm not holding onto anything that says books are superior to electronic communication.

I've been talking about this video a lot recently: Baby Thinks Magazine is Broken iPad


Because sure enough, I was reading a magazine the other day and I tried to swipe the text up.

Second, and this is where my public rant came up:


I was getting tagged on Facebook all over the place for some stupid meme where people took this "Hey Girl"  Ryan Gosling meme (frankly I have no idea who he is....is he popular with teens or women who read People magazine?) and turning it into a library thing.

First of all, I love the phrase "Hey Girl". I have an ongoing list of "You Girl/Hey Girl" songs and I think all musicians should use the phrases "You Girl" and "Hey Girl" as much as possible to make the lyrics sound like they're about the young female listener. So, I'm a bit charmed by "Hey Girl" becoming a meme...but then the tagging wouldn't stop. Here is an example: 

From : Librarian Hey Girl

So here is what I started:

Please remove me from your library joke lists. It doesn't make me feel any better about being a librarian, it only adds to my angst about if I'm ready to burn that bridge or just keep hoping someday I'll get a job in programs/marketing/IT. You know, what's going to fall first, the music industry or libraries? Either way I'm not all that happy with my career choices.

I didn't mean to imply that I was unhappy with my career as it is now, but both the music industry and libraries are two very delicate areas right now. Very few people are going to be able to have careers in either field, and the future of both is bleak. I'd go as far to say the content creators and the conglomerates have a chance, but the middlemen: libraries, bookstores, record stores, record labels etc. are the ones who are on the way out.

Then there were people who thought I was just frustrated I couldn't find a library job and that I'm awesome and I would. Guess what, I'm not frustrated about not finding a library job. I'm frustrated how librarians are treated even when they have jobs. I'm frustrated with the general state of libraries. I don't want to pick on specific institutions because I'm hearing this from librarians all over the country. It has nothing to do with where I work now or where I worked before, it's my feeling that every library I ever work at is going to be like this.

Well your jokes are all good but I did find a job doing what I want to do for musicians, using the skills I learned in my ALA approved grad school...I LOVE my job, and it's not at a library. It's hard for me to be outraged at library defunding when internally there is so much deprofessionalization from management (currently the extra-hire librarians (with Master's degrees) in my area are being replaced by associates (you know, the job I got in the library when I graduated from Evergreen in 99), meaning there are NO entry level jobs for librarians), bureaucracy, dead wood (union staff who no longer have the skills or enthusiasm to do anything)...spending taxpayer dollars on making the library feel more like a "marketplace" instead of staff...I could go on and on...why would New York require librarians who got there state certificate after 2007 to take continuing education credits and not those people with out of date skill sets from before? Why would a union I once belonged to run TELEVISION ADS about how awesome the union is while encouraging us to attend rallies to save our jobs? I'm sorry, but I lack the nobility. I like to plan events and create community, I like to help people learn to use new technology...but you really don't need ME to teach you how to use a mouse when I can help someone use technology to make a living. I've just lost the romance inside.

I'm sorry I have to blame unions sometimes. I'm sorry I have to blame librarians who do a very good job helping patrons, doing outreach, connecting with schools and children, running programs with eensy weensy budgets and all the amazing things librarians do. I know there are tech savvy librarians who are revolutionizing the field. I just feel like I never got the chance to shine at the public library (unless I was showing off my arts and craft skills, rarely my tech skills and never at the level I wanted to make an impact). 

I guess the first step would be to start writing a library blog where I was super positive and braggy and sunny about myself. It feels more like explaining to someone why I'm still friends with a guy I dumped, he had his good qualities, we just weren't compatible in that way. I still like doing stuff with him and talking to him, but he's just not the one for me. Maybe I just haven't found the right library yet.  

101 Low Budget No Budget Teen Activities

I'm working on a book! Right now I'm calling it 101 Low Budget No Budget Teen Activities, but 101 Safe, Cheap and Sane Teen Programs is another idea. 101 arts and crafts, games and programs for teens that you can do with barely a budget. You'll raid the children's arts and crafts closet, learn how to score free supplies online, turn community events into goldmines of leftover materials, up and most importantly, be ready for all the drama and danger of running programs.

Of course teen programs are drama and danger! How many cool things can you make without scissors, needles or hot glue guns? Well, we're about to find out, as I'll present alternatives for as many projects as possible.

While I'm making a list of programs and instructions, I'd love to have some "testers" to give me feedback on the projects. If you're interested, please contact me at librariancourtneybennett at gmail and let me know if you want a project involving

1. Office Supplies (and library supplies!)
2. Fabric (and suggestions on where to get free fabrics!)
3. Recycled Projects
4. Children's Craft Closet (felt, construction paper, glitter, safety scissors etc.)

Also tell me about your local safety level- are your teens allowed to cut with adult scissors, use hot glue guns, sew with needles, use a stapler etc.

I'm willing to send multiple projects IF you provide me with feedback on the ones I send.

A Donation to the Friends

What do you do with the random money you find laying around the library? I'm sure some people think they are paying their fines by leaving dollar bills in their books, but they might as well be expensive bookmarks.

Although I keep eyeing these
The easy way to deal with this? Just throw it in the donation box. The realistic way? Go to your people in charge and make a written policy that unclaimed cash will the donated to the library (or friends of the library, or staff room snack fund) There is no reason to leave cash laying around for sticky fingers or hoping patrons will come back to retrieve it. Of course, if you can figure out where the money came from by looking up the last patron, you should call, but offering to turn it into a donation might make the patron happier than thinking it's going to the grubby hands of some overpaid union employee (ha!).