# Doper Librarians Unite!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 14, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707 "2004-12-14T01:54:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/21 "2004-12-15T02:51:33Z")
> [@mcms\_cricket](#): > > **Zsofia** you don’t by any chance, work at the public library in the city where the library school is, do you…? I do now, as a substitute. The county, to be specific. ---
**Author:** ![mcms\_cricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@mcms\_cricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcms_cricket)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/22 "2004-12-15T14:02:59Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] I do now, as a substitute. The county, to be specific. [/QUOTE OK, now that’s just weird because that’s where I work too, which means you can probably figure out who I am. For some reason, I thought you were upstate or in Charleston. Weird. [cue music] When Dopers Meet… [/cue music] ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/23 "2004-12-15T16:31:42Z")
I’ve been a medical liberrian since 1981. Got my MS at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. I won’t bore anyone with stories of using Silent 700 terminals with 300 baud transmission and thermal paper in grad school. I’ve worked at a professional medical organization, a university’s medical school library, a county public health department and did software training. Now I’m a solo liberrian at a 128 bed hospital and loving it. Last week a physician came in, said I need info on x condition, got a patient in my office and just did a procedure on her, it didn’t work, need to know what I do next. Talk about pressure, but feeling like you’ve really helped. ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/24 "2004-12-15T16:35:57Z")
**peedin** , while you have a disturbing user name, that’s a great story about being an immediate help to the doctor. I took a medical reference and resources class in school and I really liked it, but I realized that there might be pressure like what you mentioned. Sure sounds rewarding though. ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/25 "2004-12-15T16:51:08Z")
:smack: There was supposed to be a smiley after “disturbing user name” 🙂 Sorry for any inconvenience!!! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/26 "2004-12-15T17:07:27Z")
> [@](#): > > OK, now that’s just weird because that’s where I work too, which means you can probably figure out who I am. For some reason, I thought you were upstate or in Charleston. Weird. Actually, after reviewing some of the stuff you’ve posted I have the sneaking suspicion you gave a talk to a class I was in last year. ---
**Author:** ![mcms\_cricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@mcms\_cricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcms_cricket)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/27 "2004-12-15T17:50:18Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Actually, after reviewing some of the stuff you’ve posted I have the sneaking suspicion you gave a talk to a class I was in last year. Weirder and weirder. Yeah, if it was about Web stuff, I expect that was me - I usually do a guest lecture or two every year over at Davis. ---
**Author:** ![mcms\_cricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@mcms\_cricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcms_cricket)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/28 "2004-12-15T17:51:58Z")
Oh, and if you now have access, there’s an internal job that just posted this week for a periodicals librarian… ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/29 "2004-12-15T18:02:47Z")
I just saw it today. Don’t read up on my TMI threads or I’ll never get it, though! 🙂 I’m not terribly “internal” yet, though - I only started the sub gig the week before Thanksgiving. I’m sure it was you who came and talked to us, BTW - especially if you were extremely pregnant at the time. Good lecture! ---
**Author:** ![mcms\_cricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@mcms\_cricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcms_cricket)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/30 "2004-12-15T18:22:54Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I just saw it today. Don’t read up on my TMI threads or I’ll never get it, though! 🙂 I’m not terribly “internal” yet, though - I only started the sub gig the week before Thanksgiving. > > I’m sure it was you who came and talked to us, BTW - especially if you were extremely pregnant at the time. Good lecture! Well, if you don’t get to see the internal posting, I bet it goes public pretty soon. I think it’s five days before it gets posted everywhere. Don’t worry, I promise: if I read it on the Dope, it stays on the Dope! Boy, this is strange… if you ever meet me in person, you’ll have to drop some Dope-related catchword into the conversation and see how long it takes me to catch on. And yes, that was most definitely me. Glad you liked the lecture. She’s nine months old now! ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/31 "2004-12-16T01:07:07Z")
My two favorite job sites are [Library Jobs](http://lisjobs.com) and [Sarah Johnson’s](http://www.libraryjobpostings.org/) site. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/32 "2004-12-16T02:28:35Z")
oh, yeah, and if I wasn’t exactly descriptive enough up above… I only work at the library and this thread caught my eye when I was covering the front desk. I’m not a librarian. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/33 "2004-12-16T02:52:36Z")
Disclaimer: I’m not a librarian, although I have been inside of a library and once slept at a Holiday Inn Express. This afternoon, during a parent-teacher conference, I mentioned that my daughter might ask a question of the librarian. Her teacher corrected me with “media consultant”. Is media consultant the hip, new librarian, done up with expensive decorator frames, or is there something else at play here? Thanks, Shibb (who thinks that librarians are too sexy) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/34 "2004-12-16T03:04:44Z")
Some librarians may be being required to call themselves that. I hope, and suspect, that it’s not common. Thankfully, there’s plenty of organisations that are capable of letting their librarians (and library assistants and etc etc.) do what is needed. Of course, it’s valid for a library-oriented role to also deal with things like ICT,and also to deal with wider aspects such as online access to catalogues and archives. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/35 "2004-12-16T03:06:40Z")
Oh, and in direct response to **ShibbOleth** - I’d have ask the teacher where one’s pupile should go to find out about library skills… ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/36 "2004-12-16T03:06:51Z")
I was planning to start a thread like this myself! With luck, I’ll be entering an MLIS program next fall. Just today I got the postcard saying that my application had been received. It will be April before I know if I’m in or not, though. But I won’t be sitting idle until then. I’ll be taking 3-6 LIS credits as a special student this spring semester (I’m still waiting to register), so if I am formally accepted into the program I’ll have a head start on things. I have a BA in Philosophy/Communication (double major), spent some time teaching English in Japan, and then suddenly decided that I wanted to become a librarian. I figure it’s the career path where my special geeky superpowers of MEMORY! EXPLANATION! and ORGANIZATION! can best be put to use. Plus I’ve got that mousy “She might be hot if she took off her glasses and let her hair down” look. So I figure it’s either librarian or Cary Grant’s secretary, and job prospects in the latter field don’t seem promising. ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/37 "2004-12-16T03:49:50Z")
**Shibb0leth** It seems that the title du jour for school librarians is “media specialist” or “media consultant.” The related term for corporate libraries seems to be “knowledge manager.” It’s all a bunch of semantic tricks to try to separate the stereotype from the job at hand. Personally, I hate it because it belittles the profession and you don’t defeat the stereotype by changing the signifier. But I could go on and on. [hijack] **Shibb** that was a brilliant 1903 you had in the Heartspark Dollarsign Dip game. In anticipation of the concurrent game, I was reviewing your game today and I just kept saying, “no, he couldn’t have gotten away with that.” Nice playing [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/38 "2004-12-16T03:58:26Z")
Two interesting library related news articles from the last 24 hours: [Students shun off-line reference](http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/12/09/awaysonline.reliable.ap/index.html) [Google digitization project](http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2004-12-14-google-usat_x.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/39 "2004-12-16T05:10:46Z")
> [@CapnPitt](#): > > **Sampiro** : very accurate and very funny post. I _always_ get asked questions no matter where I am or what the circumstance. What’s more, the second day of my Reference class, the instructor looked at me and said “you have one of those faces; you’re going to be a natural at this.” !!!Zoiks!!! Very reassuring and very frightening at the same time. I used to have the same face, and got questioned all the time at big-box retailers as to where a certain product was. Thankfully, I’ve only been accosted once in the past 4 or so years: at Kennedy Space Center, someone out of the blue asked me where the big city in Alabama was where there was a lot of space research. Thankfully I knew it was Huntsville, and said so in a tentative tone, which rang a bell in my interlocutor. ---
**Author:** ![mcms\_cricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@mcms\_cricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcms_cricket)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707/40 "2004-12-16T16:15:10Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Two interesting library related news articles from the last 24 hours: > > [Students shun off-line reference](http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/12/09/awaysonline.reliable.ap/index.html) > > [Google digitization project](http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2004-12-14-google-usat_x.htm) Interesting articles. I am very skeptical of the google project. Especially the part about the advertising. Frankly, it’s all going to hinge on the searching part. If it turns out anything like Amazon’s search-inside-the-book method, it won’t be very accessible to most people. Too much junk. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doper-librarians-unite/279707.md?page=3)