During my last semester of library school, I helped friends move from Lansing to Portland, Oregon. This required taking my Cataloging final six days early. It earned me nursing home insurance. Let me explain. In order for my friend to arrive in Portland in time to start her new job, we had to leave onContinueContinue reading “14: Cataloging fact #5: It provides nursing home insurance”
Category Archives: Librarianship
13: Planning parties on the struggle bus
After my first two semesters, I accurately assessed my work/school/life commitments and realized I could either work full time and a) take two classes in town or b) commute to one class out of town. I later discovered that if I took an entire day off of work due to banked leave (a budget savingsContinueContinue reading “13: Planning parties on the struggle bus”
12: Ye shall inventory your highlighters
During the last class period before a final exam, my sorry-ass highlighter died. This was not a surprise. It had actually been dead for a long time. That night, though, that night I was going to do something about it. I had developed an action plan for just such an eventuality during my first semesterContinueContinue reading “12: Ye shall inventory your highlighters”
11: Cataloging fact #4: Spirit communications
This is a pin given to me at Beginning Workshop by a librarian with A LOT more social media followers than me! Anglo-American Cataloging Rules 2 Revision 2002 21.26: Spirit Communications! Enter a communication presented as having been received from a spirit under the name of the spirit. Enter the name of the medium orContinueContinue reading “11: Cataloging fact #4: Spirit communications”
10: Cataloging fact #3: Job security
Almost all public libraries use the Dewey Decimal system to shelve their non-fiction books. And almost all academic libraries use the Library of Congress (LC) system. Do you want to know how academic libraries saved their staff during the Great Depression? They convinced academic administrators that the new Library of Congress system was not onlyContinueContinue reading “10: Cataloging fact #3: Job security”
9: The Polar Bear Book
Secretly, I wanted something very specific from my degree: skills to manage library websites. At the Library of Michigan, I’d been the web site administrator since the early 2000’s, mainly because I was conversant with the software. I was still full-time in the Braille and Talking Book Library, where I had also created an IntranetContinueContinue reading “9: The Polar Bear Book”
8: Cataloging fact #2: Mohammedanism
Peace Be Upon You In 1988, I went into my local public library (in a progressive, university town), looking for information on Islam. I was very proud of my facility with the card catalog and I went straight for the “I’s.” Nothing. I went to a librarian who cheerfully led me back to the wallContinueContinue reading “8: Cataloging fact #2: Mohammedanism”
Plum Librarian LLC 