Category Archives: librarians

What do you know about your librarian, really?

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Librarians have a different reputation than they used to. Is it any better? Let’s see. Do you remember, in It’s a Wonderful Life, what would have become of George Bailey’s wife if he had never existed? Clarence the angel shows him she would never have married. She would have become an old maid. A librarian. What about The Music Man? When we first meet Marian the Librarian, she has no friends. And why should she? She’s full of book learning. She considers herself superior to townspeople who don’t come to the library. And she’s not very nice to people who don’t behave properly in the library when they do. Ah yes. The stuffy spinster with a bun telling everyone to be quiet. That’s not the image anymore.

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New Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden

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Revised In 2016, Carla Hayden was sworn in as only the 14th Librarian of Congress in history. Most news reports emphasizes that she was the first woman and the first African-American to hold that position. Those are important milestones to be sure, but attention to them obscures some others. Carla Hayden is The first Librarian of Congress with a limited term of appointment Only the third professional librarian appointed to the position. Fully backed by the American Library Association (ALA), which opposed some of her predecessors.

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The school librarian: an endangered species?

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Every good school has a library. And a school librarian. Too many school districts have decided that having good schools is too expensive. School librarians, like other librarians, have a master’s in library science They must also have a valid teaching certificate. Unfortunately, many school districts are getting rid of their librarians. I wrote earlier specifically about Chicago, but the problem is nationwide and has been building for years.

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Raucous good times at the library

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I hope the stereotype of a librarian as a frumpy woman with no friends and a fetish for quiet had a decent burial long ago. Librarians are very creative people who enjoy having fun as much as anyone else. A few years ago, I presented some videos of library book cart drill teams! You might find similar shenanigans at a parade. Some librarian conferences have regular drill team competitions. But what about singing, dancing, running, riding book carts, and even laughing aloud in the library itself? At the reference desk and circulation desk! Even in the stacks!! Librarians do all that and more in parody videos of popular songs.

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The Library of Congress Turns a Page

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The Librarian of Congress is not an official who makes the news often, but the current Librarian of Congress, James Billington, announced his retirement last June. President Obama will appoint the next Librarian of Congress, becoming only the 10th President in history to have that opportunity. Billington was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1987. You know that the Library of Congress is the library, well, of Congress. Congress created a library for its own use very early in the nation’s history. But it has become more than that. It’s America’s unofficial national library. It affects the workings of every other library in the country. And you can use it without leaving home through its website

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