Tuesday saw the release of Alanis Morisssette's seventh album Havoc and Bright Lights, and, having been a long-time fan of her music, I clearly had it on pre-order. Having gotten married and given birth to her first child since her last release, Alanis reveals her nurturing, maternal side with a track list of 12 songs … Continue reading wreaking havoc and consequence

I realize I've been neglecting posting for a while, but I've been holding off so I can safely announce some really big news. In less than a month, I'm going to have to change my tagline to "...Musings of a Library Director." That's right! I'm happy to announce that I have been offered the position … Continue reading My next great endeavor

Yesterday evening, I got to help out at the Lawrence Public Library's Last Bash of Summer block party. I've got to hand it to our adult programming librarian, the youth services coordinator and department, and anyone else who had a hand in planning it - they sure know how to put together a party!The city … Continue reading LPL’s Last Bash of Summer

At the end of my Getting Started with Facebook class this morning, one of the participants commented on how much more comfortable she felt using the site because of what she learned. This was the second part of a two session class, and today's focus was primarily on account and privacy settings. All of the … Continue reading Transformations in the Library

My supervisor, Lynn, and I had the opportunity this afternoon to visit with the Welcome Club of Lawrence which meets monthly for a luncheon and presentation at the Alvamar Country Club. They treated us to cold cut sandwiches, fruit and cheesecake for dessert, and then we presented on the topic of "Contemporary Communication Technology." Knowing … Continue reading Going Beyond the Stacks

Two weeks ago, I posted about my favorite blogs by librarians. Want more? What I may have failed to mention (and this may be stating the obvious) is that there are tons of really great blogs and websites for and about librarians. A reader recently contacted me through email and shared OnlineCollege.org's recently updated list … Continue reading More Love for Librarian Blogs

While I was working the reference desk yesterday, a coworker was chatting with a mom and her kids about their summer reading and a recent trip they went on. This conversation took place near the desk, which is just in front of the adult sitting area. Besides a few excited outbursts, their volume level, I … Continue reading To shush or not to shush

Yesterday, I told my supervisor that I finally felt like a real librarian. Yeah, I've had my masters degree for about a year and a half now. And my position title has been "Reference Librarian" for just over a year, but there was one responsibility I hadn't been given until yesterday: weeding books. That is, … Continue reading Out with the old!

Hoping to expand my reading knowledge, I've recently been attending a number of genre workshops sponsored by the Mid-America Library Alliance in pursuit of their Reader's Advisory Certificate, which is intended to provide individuals in the RA field with a well-rounded foundation. Yesterday, I took a trip over to the North Independence branch of the … Continue reading What kind of punk are you?

This morning I attended another workshop sponsored by the Mid-America Library Alliance (MALA), this time at the West Wayandotte branch of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library. The topic of the half-day session was "Trends in Major Genres" and covered everything from Male Urban Fantasy to space operas. From 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., nine … Continue reading Workshop Review: Trends in Major Genres