Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the Main Event! Are you ready to Arrrrchiiiiiive?

My 8 year old self who was a dedicated G.L.O.W. and WWF fan would have loved this job.  The WWE (f/k/a WWF) is currently seeking an Archivist.  The first qualification for this job is an "extensive past and present knowledge of WWE and related entities."  This seemingly large pool of qualified candidates is most likely greatly reduced by the second qualification: "thorough knowledge of records management and archival management principles and methodologies."

So they're looking for someone who remembers the Bushwackers (who licked my brother's shaved head at a WWF event at the Hartford Civic Center!), mourned Macho Man Randy Savage's recent death with one last, "Ohhhhhh yeahhhhh" but also someone who is a trained archivist. 

I hope they find the little girl or boy (now grown) who carefully photographed and catalogued their wrestling action figures and signed event programs!


My favorite: George the Animal Steele & his green tongue!

Costume Advice: How to Dress Like a Librarian

(This was originally posted last October; however, I'm starting to get a lot of hits for librarian costumes, and thought I'd post this entry again.)

I've been getting a lot of hits recently by people searching for "how to dress like a librarian." Will there be a lot of librarians trick-or-treating this year? My guess is that most people dressing as librarians will go for the "hot librarian" vs. "dowdy librarian" look. It's been my experience, that real-life librarians fall somewhere in the middle of these 2 stereotypes. That is, we don't look like we'll give you a spanking you'll enjoy and we also don't look like a character from the Revenge of the Nerds movies. As a librarian, I'm not going to offer any thoughts on how to dress like the "your book is overdue and I'm going to have to take you behind the stacks and make a man out of you" librarian. No one needs help on how to dress like a ho. I do, however, have some advice for those of you who plan to dress like your mother's librarian, since there are a handful of those keeping the stereotype alive and well.

Wear a lanyard, and attach as much crap to it as possible: t pass, work badge, several keys...

Don't wear glasses that you think are cute or vintage. Wear glasses similar to those that Angela used to rock on "Who's the Boss?"

Wear book-themed jewelry

And finally, wear sensible shoes.

15 Books that Will Always Stick with this Librarian

Sometime last week, I read Rhea's post called, 15 Books that Will Always Stick with Me and decided that I wanted to give the exercise a whirl. It wasn't hard to think of 15 books that will stick with me; however, it was harder than I thought to add some explanation as to why they would. Sometimes, I have a specific memory associated with a book, and sometimes a book will just stick with me because it's just so good. I tried to elaborate where possible, but in some instances I have no other recommendations than to read the book. Below is the post's explanation that was posted on Rhea's original entry:

A friend gave me an assignment: List fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. Write down the first 15 you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. So that’s what I did. If you care to join in, please feel free to link to this post and write about YOUR 15 books!

Interpreter of Maladies: Well-written short stories that draw you in completely. I think I read this in one sitting.

Les Miserables: In 9th grade, we read this abridged version and I've since re-read it several times. I'd like to say that I've graduated to the unabridged version; however, Hugo tends to take 15 pages to describe a doorknob... I cried when Jean Valjean died.

Love in the Time of Cholera: As a Spanish language and literature major, this was one of my favorites. Florentino Ariza is a true romantic that needs some heavy therapy.

100 Years of Solitude: This book is worth it for the last sentence alone. Also, I cried the entire last chapter.

The Shining: I read this book one summer while I was away at tennis camp. In retrospect, it's not a good idea for a 13 year old to read this book while alone in a poorly lit dorm room. I scared myself senseless.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Best HP book, in my opinion. JK Rowling is a fantastic story-teller. I'm re-reading the series for the third time now.

Caddie Woodlawn: My dad used to read this book to me at night, maybe a chapter at a time. The story is fun, and my dad is a gifted narrator. This book brings back nice memories.

Ox Cart Man: I used to love poring over the illustrations in this book. It actually won the Caldecott Medal.

The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs: The 1st chapter in this book is one of the funniest I have ever read. The protagonist, Professor Doctor Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, is also one of my favorite literary characters.

Naked: I wish I could write like David Sedaris; however, my family would probably disown me if I tried.

The Lovely Bones: I actually did not like this book, but it will always stick with me because I had to stop reading it halfway through because I was sobbing so hard I became nervous.

The Purple Pussycat: My mom taught me to read using this book. I vividly remember sitting with her on our old green flowered coach and sounding out each word. I also remember that the word "something" used to trip me up each time. Like Caddie Woodlawn, this book also bring back good memories.

Summer of my German Soldier: One of my faves as a teen. I always looked for the sequel, but could never seem to find it in bookstores or the library. I'm still tempted to order a copy online.

1000 Splendid Suns: A great story, that was probably predictable to everyone but me. I loved the ending (and cried like a baby.)

The Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV: There's one line in this book that goes something like, "The Bear family used to have lively conversations at the dinner table, but not lately. Lately, they just sat around and chewed." To this day, we'll still say that line if there's a lull in the dinner conversation and it always gets a laugh.

Sweet Pickles series: My mom ordered me the Sweet Pickles series, and sometimes I'd peek out our front window in hopes of spotting the Sweet Pickles van dropping off the books. (Just like in the old commercial.)

Here's a Red Bush I Can Get Onboard With

It's no secret that I love the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. Tea plays a very important role in the books, and 2 of the main characters, Mma Ramotswe and her assistant, Mma Makutsi take many tea breaks during the course of the day. I had never heard of bush tea before, but it is Mma Ramotswe's tea of choice and its positive effects are mentioned quite frequently in the books. The tea is characterized for having a fairly distinct taste, that people either love or hate. I've been so curious to try this tea and was surprised that Tazo sells African Red Bush tea, which is available at Starbucks.

This afternoon I tried my first cup and enjoyed it! It in no way reminded me of rats, which Mma Makutsi I believe once compared the smell to...

Mma Ramotswe was right, as usual.

The Case of the Missing Stapler

I sit across from a group copier/scanner/printer combo, FAX machine & high capacity stapler area. These machines are often on the fritz and due to my proximity to these clunkers, I'd say 70% of my work day conversations are related to them. Most of the time, people just want me to acknowledge their frustration. Someone will walk up to the printer, realize their documents weren't printed, and sigh loudly enough for me to look up from my computer. We'll make eye contact and I'll shrug my shoulders and smile, but quickly turn back to my screen lest the person ask for help.

Truth be told, I don't mind helping people out, but I can't troubleshoot the printer. I worked at BC's library in college and could never even remember how to replace the ink cartridge, much less assist someone today with why their documents aren't being stapled.

The only piece of equipment I fear more than the printer is the microfilm machine.

I hate you.

The first question I asked the Senior Reference Desk supervisor at Simmons when I worked there was, "Do we get a lot of microfilm questions, because I can't for the life of me load the film correctly. " He assured me we didn't, but I would get a question at least once a week and was thus motivated to become a corporate librarian where microfilm machines are not usually present.

Yesterday, I got asked about the stapler. Having no aversion to trouble-shooting the stapler, I listened as this person told me that it's been empty for quite some time now, but we lacked the correct staples to load back into the stapler. This morning, he came by to tell me that he'd received notification that the staples had arrived, but now the stapler was missing. He walked away in frustration, and a few minutes later I saw someone stop by the work area long enough to drop off the missing stapler. A few more minutes go by and a third person comes by and takes the stapler again; however, in between the stapler being replaced and taken again I notified the guy who sits next to the original requester to let him know that stapler was back.

Why is the stapler constantly being removed? Is someone purposely trying to frustrate this one guy? Will he resort to using a large binder clip? Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion!

Job Perks

Opening the library's mail, although not a job for the weak at heart (paper cuts are a constant hazard), is not without its perks. For example, I am first in line to receive any promotional freebies our vendors deem fit to send us. The top of my filing cabinet proudly displays a deck of cards, a paper football set with goalpost & and one of those test-your-IQ triangles with the pegs. Today's freebie was from Money magazine.

Behold!

This is the gift that keeps on giving...

Boom!

Partying with Thomas Jefferson

Congratulations to (Braintree, MA native) UConn men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun on his 800th career win! When I came into work this morning, it appeared Jim had celebrated into the wee hours of morning...

Looks like my Library of Congress shot glass got quite a workout

I gave Jim some coffee, washed off my desk and the shot glass. Jim's back to new (although Thomas J. still looks a little green.)

Congrats, Coach C!

Take Advantage of Your Librarian

There's a nice article in the Wall Street Journal this morning talking about how job seekers are flocking to public libraries to take advantage of free wi-fi, computers and career books. I used to work as the Career Resources librarian at Simmons College and have also worked as a researcher & sourcer for a recruiting firm. This sort of reference work is a lot of fun, because you unearth professional associations you never dreamed would exist (there's an association for everything!), learn about companies you otherwise never would hear of, and tap into all sorts of alumni networks. In other words, it's detective work and a blast. Reference librarians are built for this sort of thing, so more job hunters should take advantage of not only their libraries, but also their librarians. Ask them questions, that's what we're there for!

Alexander McCall Smith's Online Serial!

Check it out. Daily chapters are created partly based on reader feedback. I love it! It's so... er, novel. :)

I had the pleasure of meeting Alexander McCall Smith this past April. He's the author of the popular No. 1 Ladies Dectective Agency books, as well as several other wonderful series.

Yeah for Librarians!

One of my favorite high school teachers, Mrs. Fecko, was just named Glastonbury Teacher of the Year! Mrs. Fecko is the library media specialist at Glastonbury High School, and is a terrific example of a rock star librarian. I was so disappointed when the card catalogs were replaced with computers; however, I still remember Mrs. Fecko taking the time to show me how to conduct an electronic search at one of the library's terminals. I ran into her about 2 years ago while I was back in town, and it was nice to be able to share with her that I decided to go to library school too. Mrs. Fecko was everyone's favorite and the award couldn't have gone to a more deserving librarian. Congratulations!

Librarian Love

"The only thing better than a good library is a good librarian to act as a guide."

Please read Hiawatha Bray's article from Boston.com. It's nice to see an article that doesn't bash libraries, their resources, and librarians for being obsolete.

Tales from the Bookstore

Nick and I are headed to Montreal on Wednesday, and I wanted to buy some audio books for the ride. When we drove to Buffalo in January, we listened to David Sedaris' Me Talk Pretty Someday. Sedaris' hilarious narrations made the usually monotonous 7.5 hour trek down the 90 a lot more pleasant. After picking up a Chacarero to take back to the office today, I popped into the Borders on School Street and headed over to the audio book section. Romance novels lined the shelves where the audio books had been in December, so I looked around for a Borders associate.
After a quick scan, I saw a man standing by himself behind the information desk. His head was buried in a thick 3 ring binder and when I first said, "Excuse me..." to get his attention, he didn't flinch. I get lost in my own thoughts a lot and just figured that this man was as well. It didn't occur to me that he was purposely not responding. So I spoke up, but didn't want to startle him, "Oh, hello. Excuse me..." After a pause, he looked up, met my gaze and coolly stated: "I know it doesn't look like I'm busy, but I am."
I'm often surprised by how people in customer service roles aren't especially skilled at working with the public. Here was a man standing behind a brightly lit and cheerfully labeled information desk, yet completely unwilling to indulge my request for information. He reminded me of a librarian from my town that used to run the youth summer reading programs, and as far as us kids could tell, hated children.
When met with unnecessary rudeness, my reaction is usually to become overwhelmingly polite. I smiled and said, "I'm sorry, but I just wanted to know where the audio books are?" He begrudgingly told me that they were upstairs near the DVDs, and I became lost in thought replaying the conversation in my head while I rode the escalator to the 2nd floor. I realized too late that I was actually mouthing the words "Go f- yourself" and smiling all the while imagining the associate's reaction, when I caught 2 teenage boys laughing and pointing at me. Taking a cue from the Borders associate, I choose not to respond.

Bad Day to Dress Like a Librarian

When I walked out my door this morning, the sun immediately warmed my shoulders and legs. "Ah, another nice day," I thought as I strolled down Broadway. As soon as I had walked about a block to the bus stop, a bus arrived and I hopped on thinking what good luck I was having this morning. The bus wasn't overly crowded and we didn't get stuck at too many red lights. Having made it to Broadway in record time, the train pulled into the station just as I had stepped onto the platform. "Today's going to be a great day," I thought. The stars are perfectly aligned.

I got off at Downtown Crossing and was simultaneously fishing around in my bag for my Dunkin Donuts card while walking down Arch Street, when a gust of wind blew my skirt completely up over my head. Even more unfortunate than showing dozens of commuters my underwear, was the fact that I was wearing my librarian themed underwear that I received as a gag for my bachelorette party that has the following printed on the read end:


In the end, I have to say the public humiliation (and free public service announcement) was a small price to pay for a 10 minute morning commute. Today's outlook has been only been slightly downgraded from "great" to "good."

Smells like Teen and Young Adult Fiction

Thank you to Anali who alerted me to the fact that there's a perfume designed to smell like a library, appropriately called "In the Library."

Having spent a lot of time in libraries, I'm mildly surprised that there's a demand for this scent. Capturing the myriad of smells the library has to offer in a single spritz would be difficult for even the most seasoned chemists. For example, if it had been called, "In the Reference Section," this fragrance would be geared towards the introvert who would like to smell dusty with a casual hint of mildew. "At the Reference Desk," would be a pine scent for the curious yet uncertain. And for those who wanted to smell like nothing at all, there's "In Government Documents," because no brave soul has ever gone to this section (usually located somewhere in the bowels of the library), and returned to tell about it.

Sing! Sing a Song!

When I first started working in a financial services library several years ago, I was amused by how many industry specific journals exist. Concrete Monthly, Beverage Dynamics, Pollution Equipment News, Pulp & Paper Week... My former employer used to subscribe to thousands of industry publications, and as the library shelver and cataloger, I became quite familiar with them. Depending on what day of the week or month it was, it would sometimes take me several hours to check-in and shelve all of these publications, so I'd make up little songs about each one to keep myself sane.
For instance, "American Banker" was to the tune of Dave Matthew's "American Baby."
(I hope you pay American, Banker/ American Banker)

"Defined Contribution and Savings Plan Alert" was to the tune of Robbie Williams' (fantastic song) "Radio"
(He put some dough in the arsenal/ Money flow/ Defined Contribution/Your retirement grows)

The best days were when "Asset-Backed Alert" arrived, because that meant I got to sing:
(Call me big daddy when you back that asset up/ Debt, who is you playing with, back that asset up/ Mortgages look good, won't you back that asset up/ Let's minimize risk, won't you back that asset up)

I'm sure that's just the interpretation that Juvenile was going for when he penned the original lyrics.

All the Better to See You With

I've worn glasses since I was three years old, and thus, perhaps destined to be a librarian. My astigmatism is bad enough to prevent me from being able to wear soft contact lenses, so when I do wear contacts they're gas permeable. Unfortunately, gas perms aren't really suited for long term daily wear, so it's glasses by day and contacts by night.

Boy, Bacardi must have had me in mind during this ad campaign...

I don't particularly mind wearing my glasses; in a way, they allow people to remember your face better. I've worked at numerous counter-style breakfast places, and it was always easier to assign a memory device to customers wearing glasses. I'd see the tall woman with red frames and know to get her a toasted everything with hummus on the side.
Of course, some people wear frames that are easier to remember than others. My current ones are black with a lime green tint around the edges, and fall into the "easier to remember" category. I grossly overestimated my flexible spending account this year, so I have the luxury of getting a "free" pair of glasses before July. Shopping for glasses is a time-consuming process, because unlike a shirt that looks fantastic in the dressing room and hideous at home in natural light, glasses can't be returned and you need to wear them. I definitely don't want to be reminded of an impulse buy every time I look in the mirror, so I take a long time to make a decision.
For about a month now I have been trying on frames at different stores in the city, but I haven't found anything memorable. Last Friday, I went to Eyes Over Copley and tried on several frames there. I love Eyes Over Copley because they give you honest feedback and have a great selection of frames. Plus, it's always nice to support a local independent store versus a larger national chain. One pair really stuck with me and so on Saturday I went back and ordered my new frames. They should be in hand within a week or 2, and I'm looking forward to throwing off my co-workers and lunch counter staff with my new look.