sometimes i don't think about libraries and books

Here is a list of fifteen million jobs you can get with an MLIS, just in case you thought all we did was shush people in the public library (in which case I probably couldn't be your friend).

Today was the LA Times Festival of Books, which takes place at UCLA. It is a gigantic event with a ton of author panels, events on stage (sadly, I missed Julie Andrews), and a huge number of exhibit booths. I went to an author panel on young adult literature where I saw some of the big names and got a book signed (An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. When I went to get it signed he said he always feels nervous signing for Katherines, because apparently they don't come across very well in the book. I told him I hadn't read it yet, which is why I wasn't grumpy at that moment. He chuckled.) (Sidenote: John Green is very cute, writes award-winning YA lit, is only 27, used to be on NPR, is funny. Is also married--all my librarian peeps and I were understandably disappointed). I checked out a bunch of exhibitor booths, got a free copy of The Nation and an LA youth-written newspaper, bought a book about woman fighters in the Mexican Revolution and saw the dad from Providence. And I'm going back tomorrow to see Nancy Pearl, famous librarian (who has an action figure and everything) and maybe another panel on "Writing for Teens and Tweens." Fun fun!

don't make me laugh

Normally I refrain from commenting on censorship attempts in libraries. They happen somewhat regularly and I try not to get my panties in a twist because I basically just stick to a fairly strict pro-intellectual freedom stance. This little story caught my eye, however, because of its purely humorous nature. And I quote:

"Two teens, 14- and 16-year-old Kyle Adams and Ryan Adams, went to the Bentonville PL, AR, in February so the younger brother could look up material on military academies. However, they wound up looking at The Whole Lesbian Sex Book, by Felice Newman, a book their father said left his sons "greatly disturbed… and this matter has caused many sleepless nights in our house." Earl Adams, according to The Morning News, has asked the city to pay $10,000 in damages per child, which is the maximum under the state obscenity law."

From Library Journal.

P.S. I wonder how they just accidentally found that book while searching for military academies. It was probably misshelved, right? And don't get me started on the sleepless nights.

juvey update

One of my fellow volunteers wrote a "This I Believe" essay about our volunteer experience. For the non-NPR listeners (do I know any non-NPR listeners?), people write essays about what they believe (not necessarily religious) and then some people are selected to be recorded reading their essays. They play them during Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Anyway, hers wasn't picked to be recorded, but it's on the website. It gives you a little peek into what we do, plus if enough people read it, it will apparently be placed in the "top 25" essays on the site.

I'm a little late with this, but hey, I've been busy this past week.

I've never actually read any of Kurt Vonnegut's books, but this is enough to make me love him:

"And on the subject of burning books: I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their physical strength or their powerful political connections or their great wealth, who, all over this country, have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books from their shelves, and have refused to reveal to thought police the names of persons who have checked out those titles.

So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries."

It's from here.

a few updates

1. Seems as if those years of French finally paid off. I applied for a job at the reference desk at the UCLA library where I work, had my little interview, etc. Then someone else in the same department saw my application and decided that I should apply for his open position in collection development in support of African Studies. I thought it was all sewn up when I went to my interview, since he was the one who approached me, and then he finished the interview by telling me about the four other people he was interviewing. But happy ending, I did in fact get the job, which I think mostly consists of checking databases to see what titles we already have. So anyway, African Studies is about the only area in which my French skills come in handy.

2. I have been having an issue getting into a section of a required class. The other section, which was open, conflicted with an elective class that I really wanted/needed to take (Young Adult Literature). I held out on the waitlist for a long time and then talked to the professor about my reasons for wanting to take both of the courses. Lo and behold, she took pity on me and raised the enrollment of the class so I got in! I was trying to be all calm about not getting into the class, but I am very relieved. Moral of that story is that it never hurts to ask!

3. In case you hadn't heard, Hillary went to Wellesley.