Category: librarian

BIALL call for papers, Dublin study weekend 2008

BIALL have sent out their call for papers for the Dublin study weekend, Thursday 12th – Saturday 14th June 2008.

The theme is:

BEYOND THE PALE

Planning for the Next Information Generation

Topics they’d like to cover include:

• The future impact of digitisation of data

• Probable trends in respect of electronic resources

• How does information become knowledge

• The growth of globalisation of legal resources

• Will librarians be needed in 2010 ?

You know, I’m even actually considering submitting for a parallel session…what’s the point of being a Web Monkey if I can’t share the fun? Now, to try and work out a topic that I know enough about, that’s useful, and that I can make reasonably entertaining…any ideas?

More information here.

What’s with the image?

So, I was following the debate over the last few weeks on whether that New York Sun article and various others are a good thing or a bad thing for librarians.

Now, I don’t quite gets the fuss. We’re librarians, and we have a stereotype about us. Everyone knows stereotypes aren’t totally true…as a Scot, the stereotype is that I should be ginger haired, pasty-skinned, and unhappy about having to spend money…and in reality, only the money one’s true! 😉

Here’s a few more more:
Lawyers are evil, doctors are noble, firemen are brave.

We know stereotypes aren’t true, so why bother fighting them? Will it really make the world a better place if people know that librarians aren’t actually all old ladies who wear tweed, half moon glasses, pearls, and sit behind big intimidating desks in dusty libraries and say ‘shhh’ a lot? That sometimes we have a drink, act a bit silly

And what the hell is a guybrarian? Is librarianship such a female dominated world that they’re a rarity, and need a special description, based on their sex? Do female welders want to be called welderettes because they’re female, and their gender is essential in their job title? People, the profession is librarianship, making youmale librarians just plain librarians, not guybrarians. But if you insist on it, I’m going to start calling myself a librarianette!

But seriously, yes, it’s nice that librarians are in the papers, that they’re young and having fun…but wouldn’t it be nicer if they were in the papers because they’re doing innovative things with technology, giving access to learning, doing fabulous things in their jobs…not because they’re playing drinking games based on Dewey Decimal…..

Turning the pages…in a different way.

Is it just me, or is it offensive that this judge thinks we just “turn the pages” of books?

And also, I personally know people who’ve had to have operations on their hands to repair damage caused by their work as a librarian. I’ve felt the aching pains in my wrists and thumbs after spending hours photocopying old cases for users…the thumbs take the strain as you flip the books to photocopy them…I’d say it’s pretty clear that librarians CAN injure themselves by “turning the pages of a book”.