calling all ilxor librarians!

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dave225, you work for OCLC?! Note, my comment was about vendor programmers and may no longer be true.

― youn, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 17:51 (nineteen years ago) link

I do, but I am not speaking for them officially. I am a lowly employee.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 17:53 (nineteen years ago) link

Heh, nice to have some inside word. So you guys actually control the world, though, right?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 17:54 (nineteen years ago) link

damn straight.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 17:56 (nineteen years ago) link

Not meaning to insult OCLC directly, just thinking more of how my library just seems to have major problems whenever we try to upgrade anything, mostly because we have student CT staff who really don't know what they are doing most of the time and forget to relink things. Our Unicode upgrade took three times as long as it should have last week.

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 17:58 (nineteen years ago) link

I do use WorldCat for my orders. I was amused to note that when you upgraded the web interface and other such things a couple of years ago that the UC had to hop to and revamp the CDL in accordance with that.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 17:58 (nineteen years ago) link

You guys could probably tell me more about the way things work than I can tell you, actually. ...Since you actually use the products.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 18:03 (nineteen years ago) link

I can tell you though that we have some top-notch developers, and OCLC is actually a pretty coveted gig, if you're a developer in Ohio. And our testing and processes are all pretty together too. In case your impression was otherwise...

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 18:06 (nineteen years ago) link

I use CatME in my work. The problems I'm worried about are not OCLC-connected, though, I've had very few OCLC-related problems. We have link-ups to vendor websites, where they send us MARC records and order confirmations and things, and there are already enough glitches, where the ISBN doesn't match the title, or they send us the wrong title with a similar ISBN and so forth.

― k3rry (dymaxia), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 18:14 (nineteen years ago) link

xpost:
'Tis the nature of computer system to be fuxx0red. Especially when new releases occur. The programmer is always greater on the other side of the firewall.

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 18:17 (nineteen years ago) link

Meanwhile, shifting subjects a touch but still talking about librarians, this story is very cool (LA Times story, registration needed I think). One large reason I am uninterested in pursuing a librarian career full on is that I absolutely know I would not have the patience with that kind of job, I am much more a behind-the-scenes person and already feel deeply frustrated with what I (probably but not *entirely* unfairly) regard as lazy undergrads who want to be spoonfed, so it's nice to see someone who does have the ability to reach out the right way for far more difficult patrons to be recognized for it.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 18:26 (nineteen years ago) link

Interesting timing on that story. I'm on the board of a Settlement House (we work with needy/homeless people & senior citizens) and we're looking for ways to tie-in with the local libraries so people know where to go for help.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 18:38 (nineteen years ago) link

Librarian-types and library fans might be interested in this:

Florida study finds that public libraries return $6.54 for every $1.00 invested.

The comprehensive study to assess taxpayer return-on-investment in Florida’s public libraries used a variety of data collection and analysis methods, including the public library annual data reports to the State Library and Archives of Florida, a statewide household telephone survey of adults, in-library surveys of adults, a follow-up survey of the libraries, surveys of organizations, such as businesses and schools, and an input-output econometric model. Key findings:

Overall, Florida’s public libraries return $6.54 for every $1.00 invested from all sources.

For every $6,448 spent on public libraries from public funding sources in Florida, one job is created.

For every dollar of public support spent on public libraries in Florida, gross regional product increases by $9.08.

For every dollar of public support spent on public libraries in Florida, income (wages) increases by $12.66.

The full, boring article.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 16:14 (nineteen years ago) link

Good to hear. Someone please turf up some similar stats for the UK so everyone will just get off our backs.

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 16:44 (nineteen years ago) link

You would think that with that in mind, there wouldn't be so many cutbacks in public libraries.

― Yr3k (dymaxia), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 17:03 (nineteen years ago) link

You would think a lot of things that seem to be logical .. and GW Bushco has proven you wrong time and time again, fool.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 17:05 (nineteen years ago) link

I am going to become a bail bondsman.

― Leon the Fatboy (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 18:43 (nineteen years ago) link

two months pass...

FYI
If you are a librarian or educator .. Border's is giving 25% off this weekend. (With proof - payckeck stub or ID)

(DVDs 15%, electronics 10%)

― dave225 (Dave225), Monday, 11 April 2005 18:58 (nineteen years ago) link

in the end i got two trentwood book troughs!

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 11 April 2005 19:05 (nineteen years ago) link

The trentwood troughs looked sharp. What I want is one of those massive bookcases that are built into the wall, but that seems like a bit of a pipe dream.

― Leon WK (Ex Leon), Monday, 11 April 2005 20:23 (nineteen years ago) link

they have rounded edges leon!

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 11 April 2005 20:24 (nineteen years ago) link

I know! This is u&k.

― Leon WK (Ex Leon), Monday, 11 April 2005 20:28 (nineteen years ago) link

25%? Awesome!

― stephen morris (stephen morris), Monday, 11 April 2005 20:33 (nineteen years ago) link

I am trying to decide between a career teaching high school English and a career as a librarian. Has anyone done both or either? Pros and cons?

― Mary (Mary), Monday, 11 April 2005 22:27 (nineteen years ago) link

school librarian!

― tokyo nursery school: afternoon session (rosemary), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 02:57 (nineteen years ago) link

Librarian - pros - keeper of knowledge, it's not an office job, simple things like getting someones book/article for them can lead to high praise, wear what you like, people watching, slack times. It's the best job for those who can't really decide. Cons - not that well paid, you can't call yourself a librarian without a load of extra studying.

I woulda thought teaching would be pretty awful, as adolescents would be involved.

― jel -- (jel), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 16:15 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm not either, but I would choose librarian... Librarian means a lot of things, and you can change the type of work you do and still be a librarian. Teacher involves kids (feh) and worse, school boards.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 17:05 (nineteen years ago) link

Trentwood troughs are those huge wooden suckers with handlegrips at either end? Or am I thinking of something else? (Because I have four of those, most handy for CD organizing.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 17:08 (nineteen years ago) link

they're not huge exactly

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 17:17 (nineteen years ago) link

Whenever I carry...well, whatever these things are...they sure feel it. But this is perhaps me.

Hey wait! Change of subject but you DID see that Master Mind story/thread revival last week, yeah?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 17:20 (nineteen years ago) link

I like the young people and teaching seems a noble endeavor, but in practice the pitfalls seem more potent--becoming a disciplinarian interests me not.

Librarian seems to offer some degree of self-suffiency?

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 17:48 (nineteen years ago) link

Hmmm, maybe I'll go to Border's and pick up the Jimmy Bosch CD from last year.

― RS, Tuesday, 12 April 2005 20:59 (nineteen years ago) link

Mary, you could work for the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress and set the record straight on important matters like this:

Frist and other Republicans contend that changing the filibuster rule would apply to only judicial nominees and would not affect the right of the minority party to filibuster legislation. But in a report made public Tuesday, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, Congress' research arm, disagreed with that analysis.
If "a change to the rules were accomplished by a majority vote, nothing would prevent other changes to the rules from being proposed, which could then conceivably be accomplished with a majority vote to end debate on them as well," the research service wrote. (6 Votes of Separation Over Filibuster)

Really, an ideal job!

― youn, Wednesday, 13 April 2005 20:11 (nineteen years ago) link

one month passes...

Anyone going to ALA at the end of June?

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Thursday, 2 June 2005 15:58 (eighteen years ago) link

Probably not :)

Will they have comics?

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 2 June 2005 16:01 (eighteen years ago) link

They have an entire GRAPHIC NOVELS PAVILION this year!

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Thursday, 2 June 2005 17:01 (eighteen years ago) link

I dunno, working in a library means the idea of going to where a bunch of librarians nationwide are gathering gives me the heebie jeebies.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 June 2005 17:05 (eighteen years ago) link

I wish! Despite all the great things about working for this college, they have been very stingy about paying for things like conferences and the like. I heard about the graphic novels pavillion, it sounds great!

Maybe next year we should organize an ala mega-fap.

― Leon hearts Crazy Frog (Ex Leon), Thursday, 2 June 2005 17:08 (eighteen years ago) link

(Also as a library assistant I'd have to make an extremely good case for going, which would probably not involve "I would like to see the graphic novels pavilion." ;-) )

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 June 2005 17:11 (eighteen years ago) link

Graphic Novels Pavilion, damn!

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 2 June 2005 17:47 (eighteen years ago) link

This is the first year they are allowing lowly staff peons to go. I am not ashamed that I am going for the graphic novels pavilion. And the free books, pencils, etc.

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Thursday, 2 June 2005 18:06 (eighteen years ago) link

"They" being the university my employers, not ALA itself.

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Thursday, 2 June 2005 18:06 (eighteen years ago) link

The Fonz is going to be there!

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 2 June 2005 18:10 (eighteen years ago) link

Perhaps, going to the ALA conference should have been my dissertation subject.

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 2 June 2005 18:12 (eighteen years ago) link

It could have been like a school report, "I went to the ALA, and saw the Fonz, I liked the comics best"

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 2 June 2005 18:15 (eighteen years ago) link

The Fonz is also Barry Zuckercorn, he is grebt.

― Leon hearts Crazy Frog (Ex Leon), Thursday, 2 June 2005 18:23 (eighteen years ago) link

two years pass...

If only there was something that could help this person:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2305/2227185021_32663bf7fa_o.png

― StanM, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 08:08 (sixteen years ago) link

duh - it's on digg & reddit already as well. sorry :-/

― StanM, Tuesday, 29 January 2008 08:23 (sixteen years ago) link

eight months pass...

Tonight I am doing my first shift in the college library. I am essentially security rather than a librarian, but getting paid to use the internet/do my PhD means I'm not complaining. 9pm - 2am Wednesdays and Sundays until Christmas.

― caek, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 17:48 (fifteen years ago) link

I did a couple of quarters of night shifts like that when I started here (thankfully not as late as that). I admit I was glad to leave them behind.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 17:53 (fifteen years ago) link

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