3.18.2006
Where to Find Lost & Missing Library Books
We've all experienced it - the age-old scenario where the computer says a patron still has a book on their account which they, in turn, insist they turned in weeks ago. In fact, if you're anything like me you've probably done this a few times yourself. LOL! Well, now, with the help of an old photocopied list I obtained from my mom, I've created a selection of places to help your patrons find their lost library books. I've personally used this list on numerous occasions with a very high success rate. In one case, the patron had been looking for the book for almost 2 months and within a week of giving them this document, the book was back on my library's shelves. I would really like to give credit to the original mastermind behind this wonderful creation, but the paper given to me has no copyright information of any kind. So, if you recognize any of what you see (yes, I've done some heavy editing in some places) please let me know so I can give full credit where it's due.With that said, I'd also like to remind you that this is very much a work in progress. If you have a place where you or a patron found their lost book that isn't on the list below, feel free to email me or leave a comment for this entry and I'll add it to the downloadable list.
Okay, now that all my talking's out of the way, here's the list. I hope you find it useful! :-)
3.12.2006
Why Is It Always Me?
*sigh* ListerX seems to be on the fritz for no explainable reason. I don't know how long it'll last, or when/if it'll be back up. My hope is soon, but who can say? Of course, it would crash RIGHT after I was offered a position as a content admin. . . Well, okay, semi-offered the position. I was actually waiting to hear back from someone when the site went down. Nevertheless, I'd love to be able to help out by doing more than just writing reviews! The updates have been slow lately because two of the current admins are shouldering most of the work. I'm hoping I can help lighten the load a bit, so they're not feeling quite so pressured when it comes to keeping things updated. So, anyway, this is just to say that my review links may not be working for an unknown period of time. When ListerX is back up and running, I'll definitely let y'all know. And if it goes on for too long, I'll find some extra webspace and upload them somewhere else so y'all will still have access.On the job front, I still haven't quite started my full-time position yet. I've been trying to get the physical completed, but Fate keeps conspiring against me. My plan is to finish it up on Monday, so hopefully I'll hear from the library shortly afterwards. It's kind of weird in a sense because I'm still working my part-time job and that's never been the case before; it almost feels like it never really happened. LOL! Maybe I'm still in shock, since I honestly wasn't expecting to be offered the position in the first place. Anyway, considering I'm not quite out of school yet, the opportunity to work in the exact capacity I've always wanted (YA librarian) is a very big thrill! So, just keep you fingers crossed for me and we'll all hope for the best. :-)
3.08.2006
New Sidebar Section
Greetings! Just a small post today to say that I've added a new section to the sidebar on the left. It's a list of all my different reviews for ListerX.com. Of course I recommend all of the reviews found on the site, but I wanted to more prominently display my own contributions sort of as a way to show that I really DO know what I'm talking about. . . At least most of the time. LOL! :-)3.03.2006
It's called Common Courtesy
Okay, I honestly didn't mean to start ranting so soon, but I have one issue that plagues me daily. So, if you commonly (or even uncommonly) frequent a library, especially a public one, then please listen carefully. We work for the city. We DO NOT get paid overtime. When the library is officially closed we STOP getting paid. Yes, even if there are still 10 patrons waiting to check out, the rest of that work is on OUR personal time. If we're supposed to work an 8 hour day then that's what goes on the time sheet. Yes, even if we didn't leave work until 30 minutes later. So please, I'm begging you, when your library announces that it's about to close, gather your things together and LEAVE. If you have items that need to be checked out DON'T wait until 5 minutes before closing. Have some respect for the people behind the counter.I honestly hope this request doesn't sound selfish because I don't mean for it to, but I'm not talking about something that happens every once in a while. This scenario happens to me EVERY DAY. Those extra minutes add up really quick. In fact, in a typical week I lose at least $6 due to inconsiderate and/or uninformed patrons. And I only work 19 hours a week! Can you imagine how much the full-time staff is losing?!
True Story: It's 8:55 p.m. the library is closing in 5 minutes and a woman walks in with a laptop under her arm. Being flooded at the desk, no one had time to stop and tell here we were about to close. The woman proceeds to make her way to the back of the library, and sets up her laptop. If only there was a way to TURN OFF the wireless access! Five minutes later she's still on the computer. The closing announcement is made; the building is empty except for the employees and laptop lady. We spend another five minutes shutting down the Circulation computers and counting out our money. It's now 9:05 and the woman hasn't budged. The manager on duty walks over and tells her that we're closed and receives nothing but a very terse reply, "I'm thinking." Has this lady never heard of STARBUCKS, or BARNES & NOBLE, maybe?! Another ten minutes pass and it's now 9:15. It looks like she's starting to pack up. . . but wait, no, she's only getting out her cell phone to make a personal call. Good grief, does she have any manners at all?! Granted, the only people for her to annoy at the moment are staff members, but honestly! Finally she starts packing things up, all the while still talking on that stupid phone. She continues to talk as she heads for the door. . . and as she walks out into the lobby. Not once does she acknowledge any of the people standing behind the Circulation desk waiting only for her to leave. No "Thank you" or "I'm Sorry" as she strides out the door making absolutely no notice of anyone's presence except the person on the other end of the phone which she continues to yak away on. By the time the door is locked tight behind her it's almost 9:20! Of course, this is a worst case scenario. Most patrons DO at the very least apologize for keeping us late, which is always nice. . . but apologies don't put extra dollars on our paychecks.
So PLEASE the next time you go to your library, have some consideration for the people behind the desk; we have lives too, and they don't always revolve around our jobs.
3.01.2006
The Beginning & an Explanation
I've been a book lover nearly all of my life, mostly thanks to my parents, both of which are also book lovers and one of which is and has been a librarian for at least as long as I've been in the world (nearly 26 years.) So, when it got closer and closer to my college graduation and I still had no clue what I wanted to do with my BA in Digital Media, I decided to preserver through a few more years of school and get a Masters in Library Science. I'll be getting my degree in December with an emphasis in Youth Services and it's probably the best decision I've ever made. However, my love for art still remains; I'm a huge fan of graphic novels (i.e. comic books) as well as manga & manhwa (i.e. Japanese & Korean comics.) In fact, you might go so far as to say I'm obsessed with them. LOL! Thus the title of my blog - The Graphic Librarian. The layout you're viewing was created with the help of an awesome template maker I found on Blogskins.com. The image was created by yours truly and I can tell you right now that scanning all those graphic novel spines was a really big pain, but it makes the image look so much cooler, don't you think? :-DAnyway, my main reason for starting this blog was as a way to keep a journal of my new career. I was recently offered my first full-time job in a library. Granted, it's not a professional position, but it's exactly what I was looking for in regards to my first real job. I'll be in charge of Young Adult programming and collection development (as well as corresponding with the Children's Librarian.) It's a really exciting prospect for me and I want to be able to document what goes on - not only for posterity (LOL!) but also for my own benefit later down the line. The job hasn't officially started yet, but in the meantime I can regale you with stories from my current library position as a Circulation Assistant at another library. I won't be naming names or locations in order to protect myself and others (mostly from embarrassment.) LOL! And if I DO name names, they'll be false ones.
I'll also be talking about any other random things that crop up here and there. For example, I write manga & manhwa reviews for ListerX.com which is lots of fun and a fabulous website if you need help keeping up with how much anime/manga stuff you own. I love it because I can keep up with ALL of my series - when they come out, when new things are being released, etc. and the people there are extremely helpful when it comes to learning about new stuff. I also maintain several web sites on a variety of subjects, which you can find in the side bar on the left.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to keeping this blog, and I hope that those of you who've discovered it enjoy what I have to say. Til next time! :-)
