BS: The Librarians (tv) - watch online

Subject: BS: The Librarians (tv) - watch online
From: Helen
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 03:32 PM

Calling all Mudcatter librarians. You can watch this funny new tv show online. It is up to episode 2 on Oz tv. It's the personalities which create the comedy.

The Librarians

Warning: it is rated for Mature Audiences - references to sex, drugs etc.

Helen
ex-Librarian

Subject: RE: BS: The Librarians (tv) - watch online
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 04:22 PM

Librarians would NEVER make references to drugs, sex, etc. Why, perish the very thought! We all wear wire-rimmed glasses, dresses to the floor, and our hair in buns.

Even the men.

Subject: RE: BS: The Librarians (tv) - watch online
From: Amos
Date: 09 Nov 07 - 05:29 PM

I recalls your was what might be called Sesame Seed. Thanks for not wearing the dress, though.


A

Subject: RE: BS: The Librarians (tv) - watch online
From: Rowan
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 12:32 AM

Ah, Rapaire!
Many years ago when I was a postgrad in the Botany School at Melbourne Uni all the Science Faculty Schools had their own section of the main library located in their respective School buildings and staffed by a dedicated (in all senses of the word) specialist librarian. Ours would put newly arrived serials and books in the Tea Room area for our perusal for a week or so before installing them in either the Reserved Shelves (in her separate office) or the publicly-accessible shelves of the Botany Library.

In about 1970 a book arrived that had every known published article on Cannabis sativa. The plant was famous not only for the obvious reasons but because, ever since hemp rope had gone out of favour, the species had been the botanical "lab rat" of choice for researching 'onset of flowering', 'sex-determination' etc.; those two topics were of interest to our plant physiology researchers.   As soon as I saw it I told her it would be best kept under her control in the Reserved Section.

She couldn't understand my concerns and put it out on the main shelves, where it lasted no more than a week. And NO, I knew nothing about its disappearance.

But I did want to explore its information, which is how I know how long it lasted.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: The Librarians (tv) - watch online
From: Helen
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 02:04 AM

Rowan,

I finally decided to evaluate my book buying success according to how fast the books were stolen. According to this performance target I was among the best in the collection development field, because they got knocked off very quickly once they hit the library shelves.

I was talking to one of my former library customers a couple of weeks ago, a woman I hadn't seen since leaving the library profession. She said she understood what I was trying to achieve at the library - a public library branch - and she complimented me on it. Nice feedback, after all these years out of the profession.

Helen

Subject: RE: BS: The Librarians (tv) - watch online
From: Rapparee
Date: 10 Nov 07 - 09:09 PM

I could achieve a little more if I had a little more money in the little old budget. Say an endowment of USD 500,000,000 so I could run the place off the interest and tell the City to go fly a kite.....

Subject: RE: BS: The Librarians (tv) - watch online
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 03:33 AM

In the UK, the book most often stolen from the library was 'The Joy of Sex'....

And we did have a male librarian who insisted on wearing a dress to work. He even went to an industrial tribunal for the right to wear a dress in public. The council lost that one and it was to no-one's surprise that 8 weeks later he was promoted to managing the cataloguing department where no public ever went!

I like the idea of taking the starchiness out of librarians... I've worked with all varieties and although I admit to wearing my hair in a bun sometimes, I have not worn tweed since I was 8 - and that was my father's jacket in a fancy dress competition (I was a chimney sweep).

KTS

Subject: RE: BS: The Librarians (tv) - watch online
From: Rapparee
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 07:00 AM

I sometimes wear a tie to work, and if I have to talk to the City Council or something I'll wear a suit. But I almost always wear pants and a shirt and once in a while I'll even get the shirt on top and the pants on the bottom part (I'm really proud of myself when that happens).

Seriously, the rule of thumb in public libraries is to dress one degree "up" from your public: if your patrons usually wear polo shirts and khakis, you wear a shirt and tie; if they wear jeans and a tee shirt you wear a polo shirt and khakis. Rarely do I find a library director wearing a suit or even a sports jacket as everyday wear these days, although they might have a jacket (and tie) in the office "just in case."

That's in medium sized public libraries in the US...your mileage may vary and I'm certain that folks like the Librarian of Congress wear suits to work every day. Of course, his office is somewhat different than mine.

Subject: RE: BS: The Librarians (tv) - watch online
From: Rowan
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 05:06 PM

Helen, your notion of an acquisitions policy is one I reckon should be widely emulated.

It's various 'relinquishing' policies that libraries have that I don't fully understand. I know that shelf space is finite and tastes change but some policies confound my limited understanding.

Years ago whe I was teaching in Brunswick (Melbourne) our school was told that the local municipal library was giving away everything that had been set up in their basement and we were invited to just take it away. I scored a huge collection of books on folk lore and folk tales and even the full six volumes of Manning Clark's "History of Australia"!

At my local university library I would regard some of their practices as dereliction of duty, as they seem to want to get rid of anything more than a century old, prompting various of us to go on an annual borrowing spree of Darwin's 3rd edition (1865 approx) of "Origin of species", Lyell's 1840 tomes on geology and Bacon's bible of Morris tunes and dances, just so that the statistics include some measure of activity to support the notion they should be retained. So far, we've been successful.

But I do like the program; it gives the same delightful squirm factor as "Mother and Son" and "Kath & Kim"

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: The Librarians (tv) - watch online
From: Rapparee
Date: 11 Nov 07 - 05:31 PM

If they are basing retention only upon usage and age they are derelict and possibly incompetent.

Subject: RE: BS: The Librarians (tv) - watch online
From: Helen
Date: 12 Nov 07 - 02:15 AM

Delightful "squirm factor" explains the tv show beautifully, Rowan.

In my first week working at the library, back in 1979, I was totally appalled to see one of the library attendants diligently working his way through a wall full of books, tearing them up and throwing them out. It wasn't helped much by being told that I could put aside the ones I wanted and get them signed off as cancelled items so that I could take them home. I couldn't possibly take them all home.

The first set I claimed was a Websters dictionary in two parts from about the '30's. Both books are big enough for Tony Hancock's library sketch: a man asks to use three or four well known hefty tomes, and when the librarian commends him on being so erudite he says that he uses them regularly, as stepping stones to reach the top book shelf.

Helen