Category: Libraries

"A library in the middle of a community is a cross between an emergency exit, a life-raft and a festival. They are cathedrals of the mind; hospitals of the soul; theme parks of the imagination. On a cold rainy island, they are the only sheltered public spaces where you are not a consumer, but a … Continue reading →

Rumours, Innuendos, and Comic Book Sites

Whenever I berate myself about not publishing very much, I remind myself anything I do publish usually has truth behind it.  If I write about a movie, an actor, or anything else it's fact checked.  If I make a mistake I own it, correct it, and move on. As a self-confessed geek, I have to … Continue reading Rumours, Innuendos, and Comic Book Sites →

Building Better Worlds through Book Banning

People don't like to be meddled with. We tell them what to do, what to think, don't run, don't walk. We're in their homes and in their heads and we haven't the right. We're meddlesome. -River Tam in Serenity Another Freedom to Read Week has passed for this year.  For the past couple of years, starting … Continue reading Building Better Worlds through Book Banning →

I Know What You Mean

After logging into WordPress, I zoom straight the Freshly Pressed section.  I may find a new blog to follow, but most of the time the ones by writer usually serve as a pick me up.  Usually their downs, along with their ups, helps me to not go over the self-deprecating rails.  One blog entry from … Continue reading I Know What You Mean →

Every so often I come across something library related written so much better than I could have thought of it. Stephen Karr just started his blog Literature Reviews for Library Techs. Hopefully he can keep this up to add to the knowledge base for all Library Technicians. Why should Librarians have all the fun with … Continue reading →

Blog Spotlight: Readers’ Salon

I read a lot of library blogs by librarians, but Reader's Salon represents an entire library system.  The contributor all work for the Winnipeg Public Library system, with each voice as unique as the selected topics . Why call it a 'salon'?  Isn't that for hairdressers?  you ask.  Actually, a salon once meant as Merriam-Webster … Continue reading Blog Spotlight: Readers’ Salon →

Good Bye Holidays, Hello Rejuvinated Work Life

  This is it.  My last day. I went on holidays two weeks ago, and now return a little more rested, ready to tackle the big to-do list waiting to form itself upon my return.  It's a far cry from a couple of years ago juggling more than one job after graduating with my library … Continue reading Good Bye Holidays, Hello Rejuvinated Work Life →

Reverse Psychology, or Satire?

Last week the city of Winnipeg announced 8 libraries will finally get new buildings.  It's not about closing libraries, it's about closing older buildings, some lacking access for the physically challenged, and reopening them in 14,00 square foot facilities.  For once talk of rebuilding libraries instead of reducing them.  The Winnipeg Free Press reported the … Continue reading Reverse Psychology, or Satire? →

Check This Out: Library of Congress RDA Training Materials

Resource Description Access (RDA) will finally arrive in March of 2013.  The Manitoba Library Conference has a preconference session devoted to it, and now Library of Congress, with the permission of the producers of their materials, released various PowerPoint, documents, and quizzes to help understand the concepts and their application.  Thanks to my colleague L for pointing … Continue reading Check This Out: Library of Congress RDA Training Materials →

Why, Yes, I Am A Nerd

People remark I get excited over the weirdest things.  They don't say it as an insult, just an observation.  However, I do get excited over the weird as well as the ordinary.  As a library technician, nothing gets my geek on as something to make student's lives a little bit more easier.  By 'easier' I … Continue reading Why, Yes, I Am A Nerd →