Friday, June 13, 2008

So you want to be a librarian, eh?

Quiet PleaseDo you daydream about being a librarian? Apparently you haven't seen the 2006 British Psychological Society study which concluded, "Working in a library is the most stressful job of all."

If you think the study above might only apply to the UK where hooliganism runs rampant, check out Scott Douglas' new book Quiet, Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian. This "unexpectedly raucous and illuminating memoir" will help any undaunted, aspiring librarian with the following conundrums:
  • Why so few librarians are serious reader
  • Why you will need a master’s degree to operate the library’s popcorn machine
  • How librarians rank within the hierarchy of city employees, in terms of prestige and pay
  • How to respond when a patron asks for the Oxford English Dictionary on audiotape
  • How to extricate problem patrons from library restrooms
  • Proper etiquette for interacting with patrons outside of the library, for example at funerals or bowling alleys
  • Which tattoos librarians should avoid getting, for example "Dukakis for President" on your forehead, or a book which opens and closes as you flex your biceps
  • How to shoot down corny library pick-up lines
  • Why most librarians will not get the opportunity to shoot down corny pick-up lines
For more vocational guidance on librarianship, please watch this YouTube video: Your Life Work: The Librarian. Arthur P. Twogood, Iowa State College, 1946

~ Mike, Adult Services

3 comments:

  1. Aw man, no more lame pick-up lines? Dude, I'm *so* droppin' out!

    Love the film, btw. But where's Crow and Tom Servo?

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  2. Beavis and Butt-head would be funnier! BTW, I totally missed the other recent librarian memoir. Luckily, Carnegie-Stout has a copy!

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  3. Ever think about getting an MLIS (Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science)? Or how about going for that Ph.D.? And what could you do with a MARA (Master's Degree in Archives and Records Administration)?
    Join panelist Ken Haycock, professor and director of the School of Library and Information Science at San José State University, and faculty, alumni and students to learn about the many advantages of obtaining or advancing your degree with the SJSU SLIS distance learning program. Distance learning offers the flexibility needed to work advanced coursework into an already busy schedule, and SJSU SLIS faculty and alumni from around the world are recognized as leaders in the fields of library and information science. - visit http://www.libraryjournal.com/webcasts/48747/Webcasts.html to register for this free webcast.

    ReplyDelete