Changes

I changed the name of my blog.  I had been emphasizing all of the things that I wasn't, and I had it as a theme for a long time.  As it turns out, that was stupid.  I know who I am; I like who I am; and I also ran across a really great library quote by Herbert Samuel (even if he WAS a Brit).

Here we have it: Thoughts in Cold Storage.  I thought it was appropriate because this is where some of my thoughts will be preserved.  Also, if I don't post for a while (like I did previously), my blog will go cold for a while so there's that?  Hope you enjoy.

Here's Pete the Cat:

Toodles...

Blog on Blog Action

I got to lead a book talk this week.  That is something that I've never done before.  What possessed me to do such a thing?  Well, it wasn't about a specific book, or even books at all.  It was about blogs.  I am in a book club with other assistant managers and we traditionally talk about library/management books.  It got to the point once where the authors of these books seemed too far removed for practical application.  It wasn't all of them; just a couple.  This got me thinking about actual application to our jobs and how blogs may be a neat topic to cover for one month.  I found that many bloggers are in the profession, and suffer the same workplace ailments that I do; that other library managers do.  Often times these bloggers can be related to more easily (you like that proper grammar?).  This may be because they seem like real people, or because they talk about issues in the way I talk about them.  As I told the group on Thursday, I feel like I do belong to something.  It's also comforting to know that, even though my library has some quirks and differences, a lot of libraries operate similarly and deal with the same issues.  It's a sort of online camaraderie.

These are some of the blogs that were mentioned:
bossladywrites.com (authored by the brilliantly snarky & adorable @winelibrarian)
Practical Librarian (the nitty gritty on a lot of common library... things)
Genealogy Decoded (obviously for Genealogists, but a plethora of useful information)
In the Library with the Lead Pipe (2012 General Library Blog Winner and a very scholarly in-depth blog)
Annoyed Librarian (though the consensus was that he is markedly less annoyed since Library Journal acquired the blog)
Librarian In Black (hadn't updated in a while, but she's back)
Screwy Decimal (2012 Quirky Blog Winner, and yes, she is that quirky)
Prison Librarian (a great blog that will cause you to really think outside of what you might think a library does, it also gives some amazing, and sometimes sad, statistics)
A Librarian's Guide to Etiquette (playing up the sarcasm and relating to their readership by injecting humor, a nice place to take a break from the grind)

Each person chose a different blog, and from those different blogs, we had some great conversation, even if we went off-topic.  I wonder if other people out there feel the same way.  Books or blogs when budding in a profession...

Juggling

I've got a lot of balls in the air right now.
I'm designing three training webcasts for MALA/KCMLIN, one of which will be recorded on Monday.
I'm putting the finishing touches on a new staff incentive program at the branch.
I'm working on community partnerships with the YMCA and two new senior centers.
I'm gathering information from senior centers and nursing homes on activities so that we can better serve their needs.  If you know me, you know this is code for something, and you probably already know what it's code for.
Oh yeah, I'm looking for a place to move whilst trying to find money to fix my car and pay off school.

Mostly good things, right?  I thought that November and December were supposed to be slower months, but it turns out they are crazy busy!  Besides all of this extra stuff, I'm still doing schedules and always training on new things and/or changes to existing things.  Libraries are in perpetual beta, just like most software now.  Thanks, Google.

I'm really excited about a display that just went up.  It doesn't even have a genre/author theme!  It's a little bit of everything and it's called Hidden Treasures, things that patrons may have missed (probably because it ended up being shelved on the bottom shelf).  The display wasn't my idea, and the name wasn't my idea either.  Actually, I didn't even put up the display, but I helped make sure it went up.

I'm also excited because I think I cracked through some blog anxiety for a particular staff member.  We'll have to see how it plays out.

Shoot, no wonder I'm tired when I get home...

This is *NOT* on Tumblr anymore

One night, I logged into my blog so that I could tell a story about vegetables (more to come later).  To my surprise, I was unable to access my dashboard in tumblr.  I tried repeatedly to only find out that my account had been suspended.  Why?  I don't know.  So, I emailed tumblr about it and their tech support was very quick to reply:

Yay!  I was able to access my dashboard finally!  Ten minutes later, my session timed out and I was once again suspended.  I'll have you know that all I did during my dashboard session was look at some post dates in case I had to switch to blogger.  I replied to their email, and again I had an expeditious response:

I found it strange that their names rhymed.  I also found it strange that the 2nd response was strikingly similar to the 1st.  I think it's a generated message (shock).  I thought that I would give them a couple of days so that they could get their affairs in order.  On my birthday (of all days), I decided to give it another shot.  Not surprisingly, I was unable to access my dashboard for the third time.  Again, my account was suspended.  Again, I sent an email.  Again, I got a response:

Obviously, Seth and Beth have *NOT* ensured that it does not happen again.  As of right now, I can access my dashboard.  I assume that it will only be a matter of time before they suspend me again.  Oh well.  Here I am, blogger.

Bliggity Blogs

Tomorrow will be one year since I published my first blog entry for MCPL. After revamping the website, MCPL decided that they should integrate a blog in order to reach their patrons easier. In honor of this joyous occasion, I will be reposting my blogs here to share them with the world that does not visit my library. Maybe, just maybe these blogs will reach a new audience. I hope you enjoy, and maybe you’ll see how much I truly love my job!

I ain't

I am a male librarian.

I have many very good friends that happen to be female.

I love musical theatre.

I am addicted to Glee.

My favorite movie genre is the rom-com (Romantic Comedy).

I own and wear purple shirts, and I look good in them.

I am not gay.

I am not a lot of things, but I feel like I am a lot of things that others aren’t. I don’t know if I am an exception, but maybe I am. Stereotypes are stupid, even though they may stem from factual observations and I sometimes use them.

This blog is not my life so there may not be many posts