Personal Happy Post

So, I was all freaking out about my 29^th birthday.  It’s one year from 30, boo hoo.  Woe is me. 

But apparently 29 is going to be an awesome year.  I got asked out while walking the corgi pup, I’m tan, I have a job, I got asked out again at an auto parts store, I figured out how to recharge the AC in my car all by myself, I helped start a community garden, I got a job, I got a Kindle (thanks Hubby), I found some wonderful art by a local artist, I got a job, a new accessory store opened in the mall, I have wonderful shoes, I got a job, and I got a job.  And all that’s been in the last ten days.  Seriously, I’m employed!  At an academic library!  I actually had to turn down another potential job in order to take this one.  How awesome is that? 

I met with the reference team and the Dean last Thursday.  They are such a cool bunch of people.  The Dean was helping move shelves for frack’s sake.  I’ve only met a few people in higher up positions willing to do grunt work.  It’s nice to see.  They’ve got so many things going on right now.  The library is getting some renovations, including some new tech.  I’m really excited about working at this place.  And I’m nervous.  I always do this.  I get nervous.  Then, the first day I’m all badass and sassy.  I’ll be fine.  I’ll post more about this once all the paper work goes through.

Oh, I also received a copy of The Digital Cuttlefish Omnibus for my birthday (thanks Mom).  In celebration of such fantabulousness, I am posting a pic of a truly geeked out collection of cephalopod paraphernalia. 

Yes, I will be wearing that necklace.

I'll be back soon with more library topics.  I'm in the middle of a few at home projects I need to get out of the way. 

Webinar Participation: The Fine Art of Weeding

I’ve developed a love of weeding in libraries.  Libraries need healthy collections.  Weeding, much like in gardening, helps them accomplish this.  And I’ll admit it’s taken me years to gain an appreciation for this task.  I think working on a mock collection development policy for a hospital library helped raise my awareness.

Keri Cascio presented “Culling Your Collection: The Fine Art of Weeding” through ALCTS.  Cascio is a branch manager for the St. Charles City-County Library District.

She started off with several reasons why librarians should weed collections:

Space – Libraries need shelf space, and even utilizing compact shelving may not solve all the space problems a library has.  Books sitting on shelves also cost money-just sitting there.

Time – Getting rid of unnecessary materials can help streamline shelving processes.  It can also help patrons find the items they need quicker.

Appeal – As much as I like antique books and jewelry, I don’t like “old” or “dirty” books and jewelry.  You know the difference.  One has value and enriches a collection.  It has history.  The other is a piece of junk, sometimes an unsanitary piece of junk.  If you have a bunch of junk in your collection, patrons are going to lose interest.

Reputation – Are you up to date?  Can your patrons find relevant and reliable information?  Or do you still have books listing Pluto as a planet on your shelves?  Textbooks outdated?  Medical and technical texts more than a few years old?  I’ve walked into libraries with out of date testing manuals, out of date technical certification manuals, and out of date medical books.  And I’ve walked right back out.  There is no excuse for that.

Collection Needs – Weeding can help you see what’s missing in your collection, what you have too much of, and what you need to repair/replace.

Collection Strengths and Weaknesses – Weeding places librarians into the thick of the collection.  They gain a familiarity with items they may have never seen.  Librarians also come away from the weeding process knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the collection and possibly how to work with those variables.

Cascio also discussed the Texas State Libraries and Archives Commission CREW method.  CREW stands for Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding.  Check out the link for more info.

Weeding seems, at least to me, to be based on common sense.  Don’t keep irrelevant and outdated titles.  Keep your collection up to date and appropriate for your patron base.  I know it’s difficult to let go, but it’s necessary to maintain a relevant collection.  And, keep in mind that if you can get a title elsewhere (ILL anyone?) why bother keeping it on your shelves, especially if it hasn’t been checked out for years?

Cascio did mention some very important points concerning weeding.  It takes time.  Sometimes, it takes lots and lots of time.  You have to plan.  And starting small is better than not starting at all, especially if your librarians are new to weeding.  Also, make sure your library has policies regarding weeding (on purchases, gifts, etc.).  It saves libraries trouble in the long run.

The webinar closed with some sample policies from various libraries and some options for disposal (sales, recycling, donations, etc.).  All in all it was a good presentation and reinforced my admiration for weeding and the librarians capable of getting this important job done.

Early B-day Present

I got a Kindle!!! My hubby just gave me my b-day present early. Bloody hell! I got a Kindle!!!!!!!!!!!

It's the End of the World as We Know It! Or Not.

I had a wonderful day yesterday.  My neighbors, their kids, and I dug up a garden bed for a small community garden.  I've got blisters and bug bites.  :)

We decided pizza and beer would be a great idea last night.  We all wanted to celebrate the world not ending in addition to the garden.  I didn't come inside until about four this morning, so I'm tired and sore.  But I feel accomplished about the garden.  And snarky about the world not ending.  I guess all those rapture morons will have to wait for the sun to go flooy just like everyone else.

I Can Haz Job?

I have an interview in about an hour.  Nervous but wearing a fabulous dress.  :) 

I've actually snagged the possibility of a couple more interviews in the coming weeks at more libraries.  I'm excited!