Yup, it’s true, I’ve never shelved a book. I also did not understand the difference between the Dewey Decimal System and the Library of Congress Classification System until cataloging. Chapter 8 of my cataloging textbook provided me with that answer, including philosophical differences between the two systems dating back to Aristotle and involving the likesContinueContinue reading “7: Admission”
Category Archives: Librarianship
6: Cataloging fact #1
Librarians measure books in centimeters because Melville Dewey, inventor of the Dewey Decimal system and a New Yorker, was a francophile. We measure VHS, CD, and DVD containers in inches because Dewey was dead when they were invented Unless you’re in this profession there’s no reason to know this, but Dewey was a long, strangeContinueContinue reading “6: Cataloging fact #1”
5: Reference: The Chase Calendar, Pyramids of Sandwiches, and the Fear of Public Speaking
My reference class was a morality tale on adult education. I had one general reference class and it was taught by a local library director. She was so dedicated, so knowledgeable, so wise, so hardworking, and so kind, that I feel affection for her to this day. She brought tome after tome after tome ofContinueContinue reading “5: Reference: The Chase Calendar, Pyramids of Sandwiches, and the Fear of Public Speaking”
The scoop behind the poop on the listserv
I’ve been the moderator of a library listserv for about ten years. I check the Pending queue a couple of times a day for messages that should go through but were stopped for one reason or another, and discard messages that are spam. Once a quarter I send out a super warm and polite BestContinueContinue reading “The scoop behind the poop on the listserv”
Conference Adventures at Disney Part 3 of 3
I went back to the bar and celebrated my good fortune with wings and a mojito for a late dinner. “A mojito?” Don asked. “That’s what I like about you. You’re unpredictable.” I tipped him $5. After dinner I took another back to my room, along with a slice of key lime pie. Feeling generous,ContinueContinue reading “Conference Adventures at Disney Part 3 of 3”
Conference adventures at Disney Part 2 of 3
Sean encouraged all of us to take extra sandwiches back to our rooms, which had refrigerators, and so I took two. At 12:30, my business in Orlando concluded, I went to the front desk of the hotel to extend my stay. “I’m sorry, but we have other guests with reservations,” the clerk informed me. IContinueContinue reading “Conference adventures at Disney Part 2 of 3”
This is me, adapting to the #newnormal
When COVID-19 struck, I was able to begin working from home. I was freaked, I was anxious, I wrote a holographic will. But my paychecks didn’t stop, and neither did my contributions to the Library world. Here’s the thing about the profession of librarianship and our vocational awe: when we can’t serve our communities, weContinueContinue reading “This is me, adapting to the #newnormal”
Plum Librarian LLC 