#library stuff

[onebluebookworm]

We are all aware that libraries across the United States are under attack. Thanks to groups like Moms for Liberty and other outspoken “concerned citizens,” there has been actual legislative action at multiple levels of government to limit what libraries can do and provide to their communities. Even in the places where there hasn’t been that kind of action, those same concerned citizens have mounted acts of intimidation to instill fear and block access...In light of this, I’ve heard many iterations of the same question: how can we help? What do libraries and library staff need right now?

[nitewrighter]

[discussing collection development with my supervisor] "I know we like the idea of having a wide variety of books but the truth is... you're going to be ordering so much Captain Underpants. Just so much. We have fifteen copies of--what is this--Revenge of the Talking Toilets--in the system and look at this--all checked out. One missing. None of these are on the shelves right now. We need more. It's just so much Captain Underpants."

[hyperlexichypatia]

So you want to support your local public library

You’ve been following the news about book bans, funding cuts, Moms for Liberty, censorship, and you’re outraged! You want to Do Something! What should you do? 

Here are some tips from a small-town public library worker. Some of this is stuff I’ve seen a lot of other people saying, but some isn’t. 

DISCLAIMER: Every library has different needs, policies, funding situations, etc. What I’m saying may not apply to your local branch. Ask your local library staff. 

THINGS THAT HELP A LOT: 

Use your library. Really, just using it helps a lot. Check out books. Download ebooks on Libby. Listen to audiobooks. Come to programs. Stream movies on Kanopy. Join the book club. Bring your kids to storytime. Help spread the word about library services and events (we don’t have an advertising budget). Not only do we rely on usage statistics to justify our funding, but also, robust attendance makes the library feel more like part of the community. 

Check out controversial/challenged books. Popularity affects whether it stays on the shelves. Ask the staff to order certain titles. Show demand for these books!

Give us some money. Just fork over some cash. Go to the online donation portal. Write a check if you’re feeling fancy. We rely on donation money for everything from cleaning supplies to prizes. Participate in library fundraisers. If there’s a friends of the library group, join that. If your library posts a wishlist, go shopping. 

Contact your local elected people and tell them you want libraries uncensored and well-funded. Invoke your identities that politicians care about. “As a constituent,” “as a voter,” “as a taxpayer.” Be specific about what you want the remedy to be. If the issue is censorship, say you want libraries to have free and uncensored material for all. If the issue is resources, say you want to increase library funding. If you say “The library should be open longer hours,” you and I might interpret that to mean that the solution is to fund the library to be open more hours. But politicians and their staff do not think like you and I do. To them, “The library should be open longer hours” may mean “The library is unpopular and not meeting people’s needs, so let’s defund it.” 

EXTRA CREDIT IF YOU WANT TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND: Apply to serve on your local library board.

THINGS THAT MIGHT HELP, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS PEOPLE THINK. Again, this is going to vary wildly based on your particular public library branch. At some libraries, these things might help a whole lot! At other libraries, not so much. 

Donating books. Some libraries don’t even take donated books. Most libraries put donated books in their book sale, or put them out for swaps. Very few donated books end up catalogued for circulation. Donating banned books really does nothing – if a library is ordered to remove a book from their shelves, they won’t be allowed to re-add a donated copy, either. Our library sometimes catalogues donated books if they are new (published within the past ~5 years) and in like-new condition. Your childhood favorites are not “in good condition,” I’m sorry. 

Volunteering. Again, this is going to vary widely from library to library. Some libraries rely heavily on volunteers. Some libraries don’t let anyone volunteer at all. My library requires volunteers to go through a criminal background check first (I loathe this policy with the fire of a thousand suns, but have been unable to persuade my boss to change it). Even if you are allowed to volunteer, don’t be surprised if the tasks you’re assigned look more like “clean the bathrooms” than like “read aloud to a roomful of rapt children” or “comb through archives.” Most libraries don’t let volunteers do circulation tasks, and there are very good reasons for that. And for Pete’s sake, don’t offer to “volunteer” to do someone’s actual paid job. 

I’m not saying “Don’t donate used books and don’t volunteer”; I’m saying “The well-meaning viral posts about how you can save your local library by donating used books and volunteering are missing a lot.”

BONUS EXERCISE: Kill the Mom for Liberty inside your head. The right-wing anti-library movement feeds on the same censorship, bigotry, and “think of the children” moral panic that runs rampant in progressive spaces. If you want to support public libraries, you’ve got to snap out of the idea that books, media, and truly public space are “dangerous.” Here, imagine this scenario: At a public library, a 10-year-old girl, who’s walked to the library by herself after school, is sitting at the table with her books. She’s been reading Warrior Cats, but today she’s branched into the adult section and grabbed the newest T.M. Frazier book. Across the table, a 31-year-old man is working on his laptop, but he looks up to mention that he also loves Warrior Cats, and they have a brief conversation about Bramblestar’s character development. In the lounge chair across the room, a 62-year-old woman with a huge backpack who looks like she might be unhoused is dozing and slightly snoring. At the lego table, a couple of kids are collaborating on a tower, while a 47-year-old man is twitching and talking to someone other people can’t see. A 15-year-old is checking out [most offensive book by most hateful author – I’m not even going to give an example, it’s whatever is the worst option in YOUR mind]. At a public computer, a 9-year-old with headphones is watching a video of Pokemon farting. A 25 year old woman with Down Syndrome is checking out The Joy of Sex and Because of Winn Dixie. If you want to regulate or ban anything in this scenario, fix your mindset. If you think the library “shouldn’t have to deal with homeless people because that’s mission creep,” or that there needs to be some kind of protection against the “danger” of “adults interacting with minors,” or that people should only read “age-appropriate” or “reading-level-appropriate” books, or that someone should “get help” for voice hearers in public, you are part of the problem. If you don’t support the ideal of public libraries as places where any-yes-any member of the public can hang out and read whatever they want, you don’t actually support the anyone-can-hang-out-and-read-whatever-they-want place.

[africanmorning]

Working at a library is such a wild experience because you'll regularly run into two incredibly different extremes of patrons.

Patron 1: "Oh priestess of the books, I am but a lowly worm in your holy presence. I loathe to take the space within your eyesight, though I must."

Me: "Oh, don't worry about it. How can I help you?"

Patron 1: "But it pains me greatly to divert you from thy divine tasks."

Me: "I am literally paid to help you here. That is literally my job."

Patron 2: *Banging a spoon on a pot* "I PAY TAXES!! SUCK MY DICK!!!”

[whathehe11]

This is a friendly reminder that libraries exist and that they have more than just books.

Now, some libraries have more services than others but even the most basic libraries will have shelves upon shelves of dvd, cd, books, games, etc… that you can borrow and use for free(!!!)

Some more bougie libraries will also have other awesome stuff.

For example, I once went to a library with a recording booth with a good quality mic, they had a green screen room, cameras that could be borrowed, computers with the Adobe suite to do editing, as well as a plethora of other resources and help from librarians.

Another thing, ask what your local librarians can do. They often are really good at researching and also might be able to borrow things from other libraries as well.

Also, once you get a library card you can sign up for Libby that has a ton of books and audio books (again) for free.

Personally I just borrowed the 4th series of doctor who and have been watching the episodes and extra content on the dvds. I’m having a blast!

[canwriteitbetterthanueverfeltit]

iiiiiiit's MIMIC TIME

[thehornylibrarian]

As a librarian, what's the etiquette when someone leaves a bookmark in a book after they've returned it?

I've just discovered someone else's bookmark: two tickets from 2022.

Do I... leave them? Recycle them? Presumably they won't be coming back for them, right??

But what if it was a much nicer bookmark? Have you ever seen that? Is this a common thing, or am I just imagining it is because it's happened to me a couple of times now (I usually leave it in the book...)

This is such a common thing that I actually have a collection of abandoned bookmarks. Two tickets in Korean? I’d be keeping those. If you don’t want them, leave them be. They’ll find their way to the next person.

I find all sorts of things in books: bookmarks, tickets, toilet paper sheets (romance section), receipts, shopping lists, photographs. Some I keep, some I trash. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder etc.

(One of our children’s staff actually set up a “Land of the Lost Bookmarks” display in our search-and-find case)

[conservethis]

SOMETIMES A BOOK IS TOO BIG!! THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES!

😤😤😤

[jambearie]

Library resource! I just found this nonprofit that is giving out free Libby cards to those in the US :) anyone can apply but it's especially great for those with sucky/no Libby or looking for more queer selections~

[sinisterexaggerator]

Shin Hati, is that you?

[magicalgirlmascot]

Hate it when patrons make me out to be the bad guy for following the rules. Yeah sorry that you can't get books out because you have hundreds of dollars of lost book fees. If you bring the books back we'll waive the fees and you can take stuff out again. No you can't take these home with you. Astoundingly, the responsibility to bring your items back on time falls on you, not me. Yeah no you still can't take these. Bring back your lost items or pay your fines.

Or my other favourite, yeah if you don’t live in this area we can get you a library card but we will charge you. Yes libraries charge money for library cards. Only if you don't pay taxes to this city though. Yeah because the library is funded by taxes we charge for people who don't pay taxes to our city for a card. No I can't just give it to you even though you're like two houses over the boundary line. It's not about distance it's about taxes. Take it up with the city. It's like $40-60 for a year depending on the library. You pay more than that for Netflix. No I will not give you one for free you have to pay for it. Because you live outside our catchment zone. Do you fit one of these other criteria? If you work or go to school here we can get you one. No? Then sorry you need to give us money. I'm going to turn this conversation over to my supervisor now.

[affixjoy]

Got my tshirt from @queerliblib today and I can’t WAIT to wear it!!

[missrandomdreamer]

Program Ideas for Library

I had a handful ideas for programs at the library and was curious for all of you which sounds cool or if you have another idea for a program This is mainly targeted towards teen or 20-early 30 adults. (even if you are not a teen or in that age range you are still welcome to vote. or if you have questions about the programs message me or leave a comment)

[pacinglikeghosts]

man grad school is so hard (I say, ignoring all my looming assignments in favor of opening the sims and eating freshly baked chocolate chip cookies)

[canwriteitbetterthanueverfeltit]

Please please please look at this crystal light craft that made out of cut up and lightly painted glue sticks

[thehornylibrarian]

Just got done with an outreach at a local museum focusing on local untold Black history!!! I spoke with over 100 people, many of whom knew the people on the covers of the books I brought, and I even made someone a library card!! AND the museum has requested I make some booklists for their upcoming field trips!!!!! I am LIBRARIANING TODAYYYYYY