Breaking Up with Libraries by Nina McHale

When I retired six years ago, I turned my back on the library world. After years of feeling proud of doing more with less and less, I was just exhausted. When you stop swimming against the current and look around, you find all your hard work has resulted in little permanent change.

A dedicated librarian friend shared this blog post via Twitter and it shines a light on the difficult struggle to make a difference.

Breaking Up With Libraries is a thoughtful piece. If you care about libraries, you should read it and the comments.

Publishers Weekly: So You Think You Want to Be a Librarian

There's an interesting article in Publisher's Weekly that I came across on Twitter today. It talks about the desire to be a librarian and what that might mean in these times. You can read it HERE.

Carnegie Branch - Jackson District Library (MI)

The Jackson District Library has begun a trial subscription of the Jackson Citizen Patriot from 1865-1922. Remote users can access this with their library card barcode and PIN.

Do you know the services your library offers? You might be surprised. Ask a librarian today!

DATE A GIRL WHO READS - Truth on the Internet or Why We Still Need Librarians

On Facebook today a friend posted the following quote and attributed it to Hollywood Twilight star Robert Pattinson. From a cursory check through Google it appears that the quote comes from a longer blog post written by Rosemarie Urquico, who is said to be a writer from the Philippines. Rest assured that Pattinson did not write this. The column has been re-blogged many times but I haven't been able to find an original source. Here's one place the whole piece is shared.

So much for truth on the Internet. This is why we need librarians. In the past they have always evaluated resources for accuracy while not censoring information.

 Robert Pattinson Quote : "If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are. Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Upon doing a bit more searching I found the following information:

Rosemarie no longer has an active blog, but she can be found on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=585211028

To see the post about how she was found, please go here. Thanks to Jonathan  for searching! 

Awesome News from the Library

Carnegie Branch, Jackson, Michigan

The Jackson District Library just announced that they and approximately 11,000 libraries have joined with Amazon to allow users to check out books using their Kindle device, which will include JDL's eBook Collection.

A library card, Amazon account and a device with the free Kindle application is necessary to use the service. If you live in Jackson County and don't have a library card, you can apply for one at any of 13 branch locations.

In addition to free downloadable eBooks, the library provides audiobooks and music to Mac and PCs, as well as mobile devices such as a SmartPhone or MP3 player.

The library offers one-on-one question-and-answer sessions with its eBook experts. For more information, visit www.myjdl.com, or call 788-4087, ext. 234 or call Joyce Betz at 788-4099, ext. 260.

Running the Books (2010)

Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian by Avi Steinberg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After reading a review of this book a number of months back, I requested that our library get a copy and they did! I was pleasantly surprised to receive notice that it was waiting for me at my local branch. It appealed to me because I was also 'an accidental prison librarian' briefly at the State Prison of Southern Michigan back in the late 80s and I wanted to see if this author 'got it'. He absolutely did.

A few years after graduating from Harvard, Avi Steinberg looked around and noticed that his friends and classmates were 'advancing' in the world. He had nothing to show for his efforts and took the job as a prison librarian to gain some stability in his life.

Avi Steinberg's book is more than just a litany of the things that happen in a prison library. He manages to show the human aspect and the complexity of trying to survive in that environment whether you are a prisoner or a civilian. All the while he is trying to find his purpose in the world. Although our experiences varied, I relived many of the days I spent inside the walls through his eyes. It angers me whenever someone talks about inmates being coddled in prison. And I can still remember the day I cried. Everyone cries in prison.

I didn't know any people who were murdered until I worked at the prison. For several years after I left, I would see names of people I recognized in the paper, who had been killed at the prison. It is a disconcerting world and difficult to escape. In this I could relate on a much smaller scale to the losses Avi experiences - the loss of possibilities.

And I don't want to forget to mention the cover of the book. It is a portrait of Avi composed of date due stamps in a rainbow of colors. Clever and appropriate, it adds a light touch to what is truly a difficult two years in prison. If you choose to read this book, you will emerge with a different mind set and a changed view of the place of prisons in our society.

View all my reviews

This Book is Overdue! (2010)

This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took me a while to understand that not all people think compromise is a good idea. Librarians do. When I read the phrase 'Quakerly love of consensus' in this book, I realized that no matter how I turn away from it, I am a librarian at heart.

And although Marilyn Johnson is NOT a librarian she learned enough to reflect back to me the world I experienced. Her insightful comments validated many of my concerns and thoughts about where the profession is heading. Interestingly enough, what she discovers applies beyond library walls.

A non-library friend handed me the book she just HAD to check out because she loved the title. I started reading it to please her and became caught up in the world I left three years ago. In retirement I have tried to avoid fretting about the problems of libraries in our difficult economic world. But apparently I still do care.

The mostly disturbing section of the book for me dealt with Second Life. My computer won't support the graphics and I have been mourning my avatar who is waiting patiently for my return. In Second Life I could fly.

A number of other reviewers have not cared for the book and I suspect much of the book is in such depth that those not connected in some meaningful way with libraries (not just checking out those book which will eventually be overdue) just aren't going to care much. Me, I love Marilyn Johnson and I loved this book.

View all my reviews