Prurient interest alert!

I loved this tweet by Charlie Sykes: https://twitter.com/SykesCharlie/status/1639271018358362113 Oy. Now we're going after artworks? Have we also considered banning discussion of that other Renaissance painter, the one with the name no 7th grade boy can pronounce without giggling (aka Titian)? And what about the authors Dickens and Dickenson? Will AP Art History be cancelled because…

They’re kidding, right?

I'm sure by now everyone has heard about the increase in book banning, often on the flimsiest of grounds. This tweet sums up the "WTF"ery of the supposed reasons: https://twitter.com/notthecarkia/status/1628810855209992195?s=43&t=BdVptMNhhFbvbKQjX770nA If you look at the reason for the responses to that tweet, it's what one of the Moms for Liberty says (on it's surface it's…

Yep. It’s Construction SNAFU Time

This is my fifth school and my fourth library construction project. Granted, the first school/project was mostly over when I started, but I did reap the aftermath of having had everything rewired (essentially ripping out the job we'd paid for and used without a hitch for a few years, turning the system into something that…

Starting a revolution

Last week I met with my "book group". I'm using that term loosely to describe the amazing group of people I met during my time on book award committees; we miss talking about books with each other so we started a group that meets the last Sunday of the month (traditional Alex Award book talk…

Are you doing the work?

Sorry - I'm gonna rant here. It's been building for some time and this week was just, well, the last straw. Granted, I've been cranky because things at work haven't really stopped since just after Winter Break. Spring Break was filled with anxious colleagues setting up classes for a remote return, then... you know the…

A COVID-19 WFH rant

The past week has been filled with meetings and emails about opening school safely, and what will happen in our libraries. One peer school has moved stacks, added tables and chairs and is preparing for students who have "frees" to be assigned to the library. Others are figuring out how to have students browse virtually…

Cataloging is FUNdamental

https://twitter.com/adr/status/1220894739110801408 Seriously?  How is ALA not requiring this? When I went for my MLS there were four required classes at the Palmer School and (you guessed it) cataloging was one of them.  My professor was the man who literally wrote the chapter of AACR2R on music cataloging, but friends who had other professors learned just…

What really matters when reading

I've written before about why there's a problem with reading levels and lexiles.  We all know, sadly, that they're still a thing, despite authors and librarians pleas: https://twitter.com/kelleemoye/status/1199388647470043145 I've read so many books that are published with a recommended age, or grade, and I know that those are more a marketing thing from publishers and…

No time

One of the blogs I follow, Being More with Less, had a post recently called 9 Things I Refuse to Make Time For Anymore. Now, most of these are self-care things, like not rewriting the past or guilt and resentment.  I wholeheartedly endorse those, but that's not what I want to talk about just now. …

My reading journey

Last week I had an upsetting exchange with two friends on Twitter that I have to share because school's starting and this nonsense will start again. But first, some background.  Most people know I read quite a few books in a year (I also read magazines and newspapers).  I've never understood people who say "I…