If I search for any specific book, my local library very rarely has it. It has few books on topics I am interested in such as theology, gnosticism, Asian religions, environmental ethics, writings of figures in early Christianity, Aztec/Inca history, and political theory (Rawls, Nozick, Kropotkin, etc.). However, there are often many kids books on the academic topics that interest me, which unintentionally sends the message that books on deep issues are just for kids and not adults. By contrast, the library has an abundance of popular books such as detective novels.

I don’t blame the library because I’m sure funding is limited, especially in these anti-intellectual times in which education is not valued. Obviously, the staff are most interested in getting books they can be sure people will actually read. But it is frustrating that browsing the catalog for a specific book that truly enthralls me is almost always futile. I could see if interlibrary loan yields more fruitful results, but so far I haven’t tried it because it seems like it would be a lot of work and inconvenience for library staff.

Hey everyone! I’m cultivating a display of our Criterion Collection DVDS + Blu-Rays because we have tons! I was wondering if anyone had any punny ideas for a title of the display? I could go the basic route and just have “ [library name]’s Criterion Collection” but was hoping for some more creative display names.

Thanks guys :-)

I am currently employed at a local public library. I was offered a position at another library (as a librarian!), with the tentative start date being Monday, November 23. The position is board approved, which is set to occur at their Tuesday, November 17 meeting.

I want to give my two-week notice to my current employer by Tuesday, November 3. This will give me a short vacation before the start of my new position. It will also mean that I am leaving in good-standing, and I thus will be able to cash out my unused vacation time. However, I do not want to submit a resignation prior to the board approval of my new position.

Would it be stupid to submit a resignation before this occurs? I could potentially ask to have my start date delayed until the following week; would this set a bad impression if requested? I know the board approval is a mere formality, but I feel uncomfortable submitting a resignation without certainty my position will be approved. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Please, I'll take anything! Its tough getting children to come in. I am focusing on school aged kids but this open for all ideas! PLEASE please!

As a rural library I know that healthcare and healthcare related concerns are a big weight on the community. I want to find ways to address these needs and thought partnering with the local Health Department might be a good place to start. I am not located in the county seat so my goal would be for the health department to come to my location to save patrons the drive. I'm open to any and all thoughts!

this is reposted from r/Librarians

I’m an incoming MLIS student, not in the US. For background, I have worked at a special collection library for years as a student. The projects I have worked on vary greatly, and some directly pertain to the work a librarian would do, however I do not catalogue or sit at the reference desk.

I questioned for years if I should get an MLIS, and decided I should, which I do stick by. However, over the past few months I have began to question if I actually want to work in a library long term, and if I can’t stay at my current library (which I would really love to do), would I be content somewhere else? While I do think I would be, I also am leaning towards trying to enter a different sector when I graduate with my MLIS.

I don’t want to be too specific, just for privacy sake, but the library I currently work at is well regarded, prestigious, and very interesting. There is a chance I could be hired as a librarian here when I graduate, but nothing is certain. I have expressed my desire to stay with the higher ups.

What I am wondering is, how difficult is it to transition from libraries into other sectors? I could see myself really enjoying and excelling in certain government positions, like policy analysis or researching for political parties/legislators. I could also see myself working for cultural organizations, as I also have an MA.

Every year I slightly dread having to do a book display for Thanksgiving. I work in the kids' department, so a lot of our "nonfiction" books tell the false story of how the pilgrims and "indians" were friends and had a nice big party. I avoid these books and instead choose books that focus on family and being thankful, but I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for kids' books that begin to touch on the reality of what happened.

Has anyone worked with Ancestry.com to have their local microfilm digitized? If so, how was it? My biggest concern is whether they then claim exclusive copyright to whatever they scan.

I’m conducting a research study on decision-making during large-scale collections projects (e.g., subscription cancellations, package reductions, or major weeding initiatives).

I’m particularly interested in how decision-making evolves over the course of these projects and what shapes that experience.

If you:

• Work in an academic library (college or university), and

• Have participated in a large-scale collections project in the past 5 years

I’d really appreciate your input. The survey takes about 5 minutes to complete. 

Survey link: https://carletonu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8cfbFNVbi5Fy4rI 

If you have any questions about the survey, please feel free to message me on here!

School librarian here, and the business manager just told me my budget is going to be cut in half next year (I’m in Australia, and the school year starts in late January).

We are a public school, but there are school fees to be paid by families at the start of every year. The library will also now be an optional contribution rather than drawing from the big pot.

Good times ahead 🫠

After 5 years of unemployment I am happy to say that I am now employed.

Here's mine. I am finally getting through the legendary Fables comics; I'm currently up to Book 10 of the Deluxe Editions. Got some Gears of War E-Day to play with the wife (fun fact -- did you know that Xbox Series X 'Play Anywhere' titles also come with a PC version attached to that disc? Just stick the disc in your Xbox and the PC version gets licensed to your account too. Your local library now carries PC games if they have Xbox titles!) And my library just got in The Department of Truth Deluxe Edition Vol 2, so I am now reading through Vol 1 in anticipation of checking that out next!

All my library holds came in today. Perfect timing, considering my house currently smells like pot roast. As you can guess, I’m not a fan.

I have had beyond enough exhaustion with trying to get even a measly page job at NYPL…let alone any archive internships that could be gainful…so I’ve decided im gonna try to just finish the degree and try to pivot in a field that has a lot more maybe immediate potential? Idk how long I could stomach a potentially multi year job search since moving back home with my mom is a very shaky option now because of her personality issues…so I’m positing this question out there for those who felt like they needed to pivot. I have a sizeable background working in things like web radio promotions, a little bit of research stuff from my MLIS plus undergrad, and know a few people at various museums/magazines/labels/nonprofits and the like so I don’t feel like this path is completely infeasible?

Hi! I got a new job working in a school library. I was a school librarian previously so I know the job, however this new job is in another country and they do some things differently there. I'll also be working with kids that are slightly younger than I'm used to. The school wants me to do weekly library lessons for kids. This means I'll have a full classroom of kids for the whole 50 minute period. In my previous job, kids would come to borrow books and stay for maybe about 10 to 20 minutes. I'd have different clubs during lunch break or organise events with authors, however I have never done any library lessons and don't really understand what it means, especially since they have to be so regular (all classes come every week). Does anyone have any ideas of what to do with pupils during these library lessons? After introducing them to the library and maybe doing a scavenger hunt, I'm not sure about what activities are suitable for this age group!

For some context, I’m 17 and I work at a small town library. We get, if I had to guess, maybe 150 patrons a day at most? During my shifts there are no patrons in at all at times. I have very few jobs to do, just shelving, cleaning dvds, tidying, helping patrons to a limited degree, and refilling printer paper. When that is done, shelfreading. I don’t mind a bit of shelfreading at the end of my shift, but some days that is genuinely 85% of what I am doing. I had a 5 hour shift a few days ago, and I finished shelving 20 minutes in. I have shelfread everything there is to shelfread in my library many, many times over and I am tired. It‘s to a point where it is completely redundant, and there is no tangible benefit to the magnitude of shelfreading I am doing. I feel like my skills aren’t being utilised, and I could do so much more to benefit my library if only I were allowed. I often ask the techs and librarians if there is anything else I could do to help, but the answer is almost always no. Perhaps this is just what it‘s like to be young and working 🙃

Hi everyone!

I’m a relatively new Library Assistant II (working on getting my masters in library science soon) working in the Research & Instruction department at an academic library, and I wanted to get some perspective from people who have worked in similar positions.

I’ve been in this role for about two months now, and one thing that’s been really surprising to me is just how much downtime I have. Some days, I genuinely struggle to find enough work to keep myself occupied throughout an eight-hour shift.
My responsibilities include staffing the research desk, helping with reference questions and chat services, assisting librarians with projects, working on LibGuides and instructional materials, and various other departmental tasks. I really enjoy the work when I have something to do, especially the research and instructional side of things, but there are stretches when there just isn’t much happening.
I’ve tried to be proactive about asking for additional projects and finding ways to contribute, but I also don’t want to constantly bother my colleagues asking for something to do. I understand that reference services are largely dependent on patron demand, and that academic libraries probably have slower periods throughout the semester.

I guess I’m just struggling with the adjustment. I recently graduated from college, and this is my first full-time position in an academic library. I’m used to having a fairly constant workload, so sitting at a desk with very little to do makes me feel like I’m somehow not doing my job, even when I’ve completed everything assigned to me.
For those of you who work or have worked in academic libraries, especially in Research & Instruction:
\-Is this amount of downtime fairly typical for library assistants?
\-Does the workload fluctuate significantly throughout the academic year?
\-How much independent work are library assistants generally expected to find for themselves?
What do you usually do during particularly slow periods?

I’m genuinely interested in hearing other people’s experiences! I really like working in an academic library, and I’m hoping to better understand what a normal workload looks like in this environment.

I am currently writing my master thesis on the Blind Date with a Book concept/trend.
If you are working or have worked in a public library that has done it before (or is still doing it), I would like to invite you to fill out my anonymous questionnaire below.

It‘s mostly open questions, so will take about 15 minutes, but it will be super helpful for my research. 📚

https://leidenuniv.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7NUgPk2YFJTNsDY

Thank you so much in advance!!

Edit: added master to clarify what kind of thesis.

The hilarious final installment of a short video series from my town library.