warriorlibrarian.com Blog

Elizabeth Kostova’s fine work (Time Warner, 704 pages) was a surprise in many ways, not least of all for the accolades implied in the descriptions and coverage of the services provided by libraries, and how effective and efficient librarians are.

Almost a ‘gothic thriller’ – not my favorite genre, generally speaking – Kostova’s description of the research process would indicate an intimate personal familiarity with the methodology.

This isn’t a book for the squeamish, though. And the librarian who falls under the influence of the Dark Side reminds me more than a little of a colleague from my own past. That aside, for those who enjoy enforced persistence in space and time jumps (again not me, usually) this one will be a challenge in maintaining plot cohesion.

Shelve below adult eye level.

If you liked Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, there’s a good chance you’ll also enjoy John Fasman’s The Geographer’s Library (Penguin, 547pp). Heck, even if you didn’t like Da Vinci, you might still enjoy this one.

The Times Literary Supplement says “highly entertaining … keeps the reader guessing”, at least according to the blurb on the back cover. And they’re not going to make something like that up, are they?

Found the writing a little heavy at times, but the plot makes the effort worth while. Unfortunately though for library professionals, there isn’t a lot of information regarding the classification scheme used in the protagonist’s personal book collection, nor no mention of any policies or procedural documentation, so I guess that the term ‘library’ may be being used a little too freely here. But it’s definitely a good read. Shelve this one at eye level.

You have to admire an author who, despite his death before the advent of the WWW, has an email address - which also responds.  For those seriously interested in Australian literature, organisers from the universities of NSW, and Western Sydney, are facilitating Patrick White Remembered in May this year.  More information from contacting patrickwhite@uws.edu.au . Really.

Dr Tim Semple Convenor 27th ASM of the Australian Pain Society, cheerily invites YOU to attend the 27th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian Pain Society… an exciting and challenging program in one of Australia’s top purpose-built conference venues, the Adelaide Convention Centre, right in the heart of Adelaide’s cultural precinct and overlooking the River Torrens.

Which all sounds really rather nice, doesn’t it?  But let me be the first - of what I’m sure will be many - to stand up, look down at my feet, and mumble in embarrassment that I didn’t know that there even WAS an Australian Pain Society. 

However, I do know a number of people that are complete pains, so I’m guessing that they’re already members of the Society.  Maybe in the interests of information dissemination, I should forward them the contact details.   But then again, maybe it’s easier to deal with them on an individual basis, rather than allow them to coagulate into structurally coherent groups … 

Wikipedia certainly seems to have come a long way in a short time, although there are still those pesky concerns regarding bias and authority.  Not that the average punter seems to care too much about such trivial matters.  Apparently.

Who knew that they had such an excellent quotations section?  Not to mention many other bits that were unearthed recently.  But there does seem to be a major gap in coverage; namely nothing about Warrior Librarianship, the Warrior Librarian, or the best type of coffee to sip on a late night reference desk shift.  How could such a tragedy have occurred?!!!

I’ll have to put this on the list of things to do when I have managed to have myself cloned.

Sure, you’ve got a whole document on your library’s policy for removing material from circulation, and the auditor’s are quite happy with statement’s like “damaged beyond repair” or “not borrowed for 50 years”. But let’s show some consideration for those future generations that follow in our footsteps, and may be in need of an Emergency Laugh. Why not demonstrate some creativity in our reporting?

• Removed (with long tongs) due to malodorous fog surrounding item
• Item contained photograph that resembled librarian’s ex-husband
• Reading Circle members suggested that book be removed as an acceptable compromise to breaking staff’s kneecaps
• Superceded by any of the last 20 editions of this encyclopaedia
• Too many books on this shelf - something had to go. This was ‘it’
• Critical accumulated mass of book lice residing in book found to exceed OSH maximum lifting recommendations
• Font size too small; budget request for electron microscope reader refused
• Hazardous Materials Team refused to handle item, so it could not longer be shelved

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Top 10 (book sales) for independent bookshops lists The dangerous books for boys (HarperCollins) at No #2 this week.

Could authors now be deliberately seeking out notioriety in order to increase revenue?  Will it be long before we see other titles like maybe: Racial slurs for all public speaking engagements,  S*xist remarks to make at formal dinners, or indeed  Offensive behaviour for every occassion.

Maybe these books already exist; as many liberry users seem to think that liberrians keep them locked away somewhere, with all the other good stuff ….

Amongst the many utilities offered on the M$ website are a number of templates, presumably to help those rendered nearly wordless by any number of annoyances, to write a letter of complaint.

But there seems to be a number of critical issues that aren’t covered.  They need to add assistance to cover other life-enhancing issues such as:

• the lack of a cappuccino machine in the tea room,
• scratchy toilet paper in the facilities area,
• the nausiating colour of the office carpeting, and
• the oversight in providing an unlimited supply of free chocolate.

Now I’m looking for the template to complain about the complaint templates …