Not that I am old but Andrew and I are discussing his library...
So let me give you a brief history of my life as a librarian. The moment that fate stepped in was when I had applied to grad school for an MSLS and the club I was working for wanted me to go to Bartending School. The grad schools came in first, California State stepped up, but the University of Tennessee (Yup, I Volunteer for a lot of things, excuse the pun) offered money; not much and I had to work for it, but the rest is history. It is worth pointing out that I have a high circulation desk that I prefer to stand at, and do “last call for check out” and I do bouncer duty at the gates. Did you know that nipple rings can set those things off?
I am old enough to have worked with a woman who told me she saw a demonstration of the overhead projector and was told that it would make libraries obsolete. My three favorite shirts from grad school at the University of Tennessee were; one with a clinched fist above the word Strike, another that read “We are lawful wives of the 3×5s” and finally a tasteful red one with “Mao was a librarian.” I call myself a librarian because I was trained as an academic librarian not an academic media specialist and because people know where you work when you tell them you are a librarian. Of course, they still don’t know what we do. I was in a jury panel that was going to try a case concerning a young man who shot a nail into the head of another guy. I didn’t make the final cut, but the judge did say that “the librarian” is excused. The other variously titled people from libraries he just said “thank you.you are excused”. Of course, it might have had something to do with the defendant waving at me and calling out, “Hey, Miz Lay.”
Later, I got an Instructional Technology degree from the University of Georgia and learned that computers were going to make libraries obsolete…. Having started with filing cards and now running two classroom computer labs, one on site professional lab, and eighteen work stations on the floor; not to mention the OPAC and circulation system, I think it is safe to say that the overheads are gone but if libraries are obsolete I sure am working hard in one. Once again somebody has to know and show people what to do with the information…
More later…
