Public Libraries - Tumblr Posts
Seeing a steady rise of people using the library as we carry through summer break, so here's a quick thread from a staff member on little things you can do (for free!) to make life easier on staff. Let's go!
If you want to put a book back, DON'T put it back on the shelf! Put it on the return cart or bin, or give it to a staff member. Not only does this make it MUCH easier to catch misfiles and gather abandoned books in one trip, our budget is literally based on returns. Putting it on a cart gives us more money!
(To expand on the above: not only do we get paid more based on more returns, our book-buying budget for next year is based on what titles seem popular. Even if you don't check out a stack of books, putting it on the cart lets us know there's an interest so we can order more in that genre and support that author.)
Conversely, if you see a cart already full of books being pushed around by staff, PLEASE don't yank books off it or loiter around it. Carts are unwieldy and returns can build up quick, so let a shelver have space to move around and do their job.
(Again expanding on the above, especially please don't yank books off a staff person's cart if you see them pulling books off the shelf instead of putting them back. Books are pulled for a reason--hold requests for another patron, damaged, need to be relabeled, etc--so taking one can really throw off our list.)
If you rent a DVD and notice it's scratched or doesn't play, please tell us! We don't have the time or resources to watch every returned DVD, so we rely on patron feedback. Even a note tucked inside the case helps it get flagged for damage inspection when we're processing returns.
Pay attention to news related to your local branch! The VAST majority of book-banning demands we get are bulk lists from only one or two people--which means contesting them (or requesting a challenged book) also only takes one person.
Remind your friends that most libraries don't do late fees anymore! We want to be a safe haven for low income and disabled/nd people, so don't let being late or disorganized or poor or anything else discourage you. Bring your books back whenever you can, or just mention to a librarian if you lose it, and you're always welcome to come back.
A question I get asked a lot while working at a public library is "how do you deal with homeless people?"
And the answer is, we don't.
The unhoused people who come here seeking refuge 99% of the time understand that they will be kicked out if they misbehave.
The people you have to watch out for are Jessica, who only came because the kid she didn't want had to visit for a homework assignment and she just *needs* to yell at her child for asking to borrow two books or stay an extra five minutes, or Michael, who came in to look at porn on our computers for whatever fucking reason, or Karen who just wanted to come by to throw a fit that the particular book she wanted was checked out and harrass our staff about our collection being too limited.
99% of the time, the people we need to ban are middle to upper-middle class white people while the homeless and mentally ill/disabled people mind their own damn business and are honestly some of the best patrons we have.
a dude came into the library stoned out of his mind and was like, “do I need a library card to look at books?” And I said, “to take books home, yes. To look at them, no” and he looked so relieved. bro was staring at a fish encyclopedia for like an hour and then just left.
Good to know people 80 years ago were just as weird and stupid as they are today lmao
Before the internet, librarians were the gatekeeper of knowledge. For your reading pleasure, the New York Public Library released a cache of queries and conundrums called in from the 1940s to the 1980s.
More... https://imgur.com/gallery/100MhvX
19 Jan 2024
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I have an assignment due on Monday (22nd), I've only done half of it so far which isn't optimal.
I'm planning on going to a library tomorrow to get more work done, plus i haven't been to libraries in the past couple years and i miss the atmosphere so much. There's a really pretty one in my city with a tree growing in the centre of the building
The assignment is made for 3 parts, i've completed the 1st part (except for adding references to the reference list), and have written a basic dot-point framework for the second part. My executive dysfunction is really holding me back though...
I really hope after handing in this assessment i can catch up on my classwork and get back on track for handing in assignments early and feeling confident academically.
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Other random life things:
I've realised that coffee may be triggering headaches and sometimes migraines for me, so i'm picking up some decaf instant coffee today so i can still enjoy my iced coffees! Unfortunately the iced coffees won't be as good for my focus as the caffeine won't be there to calm my brain down... hopefully the sugar can pull through on that front.
I also had a fight with my partner this morning, which left me feeling really down . I tried to pull myself up after a couple hours of moping in bed by washing my face, curling my hair, doing skincare & makeup, getting dressed and making myself some pasta. I LOVE pasta! Def my comfort food. So i'm feeling better about that now, we're going to talk more when they get back home.
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19 Jan 2024
╔════════════════ ∘°∘ ஓ๑♡๑ஓ ∘°∘ ════════════════╗
I have an assignment due on Monday (22nd), I've only done half of it so far which isn't optimal.
I'm planning on going to a library tomorrow to get more work done, plus i haven't been to libraries in the past couple years and i miss the atmosphere so much. There's a really pretty one in my city with a tree growing in the centre of the building
The assignment is made for 3 parts, i've completed the 1st part (except for adding references to the reference list), and have written a basic dot-point framework for the second part. My executive dysfunction is really holding me back though...
I really hope after handing in this assessment i can catch up on my classwork and get back on track for handing in assignments early and feeling confident academically.
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
Other random life things:
I've realised that coffee may be triggering headaches and sometimes migraines for me, so i'm picking up some decaf instant coffee today so i can still enjoy my iced coffees! Unfortunately the iced coffees won't be as good for my focus as the caffeine won't be there to calm my brain down... hopefully the sugar can pull through on that front.
I also had a fight with my partner this morning, which left me feeling really down . I tried to pull myself up after a couple hours of moping in bed by washing my face, curling my hair, doing skincare & makeup, getting dressed and making myself some pasta. I LOVE pasta! Def my comfort food. So i'm feeling better about that now, we're going to talk more when they get back home.
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Disney is going to stop selling DVDs and Blu-rays in Australia and to think of what this means for accessibility, residuals, quality, public libraries here etc and the precedent this will set for other studios and distributors around the world oh it's never been more over
I love you PBS I love you NPR I love you public libraries I love you wikipedia I love you project gutenberg I love you librivox I love you libby I love you hoopla I love you openlibrary I love you internet archive I love you resources that make information free and accessible to the public
Congrats to my 'I love you' libraries post getting to 690 notes but it's time for some actions - please fill out the above form if you have been affected by the Internet Archive's MASSIVE book lost and have a read through the larger effects of this lawsuit.
I haven’t seen any posts about this! But, thanks to the Internet Archive lawsuit, half a million books have been removed from their library. They are calling for people to share their experiences to help them regain access to these books, so please considering sending something in!
Google Form || More about the effects of this lawsuit
my cute gf + the library :3
I would like to again big up libraries as safe spaces for people of all types!
I had a psychotic episode in my local library while I was in there working and had convinced myself that I was in a bubble dimension and if I left the library I would die, and that being what had happened to the librarian because I hadn't seen them in an hour (it's a small, local library. You can see the librarians desk from where I sit to work)
Now obviously they weren't dead, they were just in the little office that I couldn't see into.
I'm also lucky enough to be a very self aware psychotic, so I reached out to my support network to make sure I got home safely. But none of them could actually get me OUT of the library and I was still absolutely certain that if I stepped off the carpet and onto the tile, I would die.
So I got up, I made my way to the desk, I found the librarian and I said "I need your help. I'm having a psychotic episode and this is what I currently believe. Could you please come out from behind your desk and stand on the tiles so I can see it won't kill me?"
And they did. They didn't shame me, or laugh, or tell me it wasn't real. They said "Yeah, that must be scary." And thanked me when I admitted I'd thought them dead and been really upset about that because I liked them.
And then stood there on the tile, while I stood on the carpet, for ten minutes while I chatted shit and tried to build up my courage to step on the tile, just in case. Including telling me that if this happened again and I needed to call someone, to disregard the usual 'don't call people in the library' rule and just do so after I promised I was going to be calling my husband the second I was on the tile so he could safely walk me home.
(& so no one worries: my husband got me home safe, and a friend came to check on me a little while later and brought me food and I'm fully Cognizant and out of it now)
I cannot imagine another place where I could approach someone and say that and not get the police or an ambulance called on me. Neither of which I needed or would have been helpful.
I cannot imagine another place where a member of staff would stand somewhere for ten minutes to make sure I felt safe enough leaving.
I cannot imagine another place where I would not only be explicitly welcomed back, but be told "If this happens again here, disregard our normal rules to take care of yourself."
I cannot imagine another place on this earth that I would feel safe enough returning to, 3 days later, after an episode like that.
Libraries are a fucking Godssend and should be protected at all costs!
For those who live in the US (or are American citizens living oversees) and have any kind of physical or learning disability that impacts their ability to read standard text, the National Library Service provides free access to books and magazines in both Braille and audio formats. (Access is digital or they will mail you a physical format)
I know audio doesn't work for everyone and some really need the large print format but hopefully this info can help some people. Also check with your local (usually state level) branch of this service, they might have large print books also.
There is an application and you do need to have it signed off by a certifying authority who can confirm your disability but if you don't have a medical professional or social worker who can sign off you can get a librarian to do so.
This seems like a good time to remind folks: if you are upset at the decision re: the Internet Archive's "Open Library," but you don't have a direction to send that energy, maybe consider seeing what you can do to support and defend your local public and/or school library?
If you live in the U.S., there is a good chance that politicians and/or right-wing activists are threatening your local libraries. This may be through new state laws, or through actions by local officials, or even the library boards themselves. Or maybe they are enduring a wave of book challenges by some very enthusiastic and determined bigots.
It's worth checking out what is going on in your area, and if there are any existing groups and organizations working to fight back that you can join or support. (Or maybe even start something yourself!)
LOVED this library!
have a couple memes
unsung benefit i think a lot of ppl are sleeping on with using the public library is that i think its a great replacement for the dopamine hit some ppl get from online shopping. it kind of fills that niche of reserving something that you then get to anticipate the arrival of and enjoy when it arrives, but without like, the waste and the money.
19.01.2024 - happy friday
this is exactly why we NEED public libraries, because they attract people like you to work at them for the good of everybody Never, ever let anybody tell you not to read a book. if you want to read, read it. find out why they told you not to, and then talk to your librarian about it
