Librarian Humor

I have found this great feed from Bloglines called "The Jurassic Librarian." It provides wonderful, humorous reflections on library-related issues. Unfortunately, it is not updated as frequently as I would like, but that is its only drawback. As a student in library science who also works part-time at her local public library, I really appreciated the author's thoughts. Even though I enjoy my work, I find it stressful or irritating at times, and this feed offers a terrific respite. I feel like the writer is channeling some of my thoughts about library work and trends observed in staff, patrons, and facilities.

For example, in a post titled "Annals of Patron Behavior," the blogger discusses the strange phenomenon of "The Last, Immortal Freebie." Many libraries have free items for patrons to take, and these free items are tremendously popular until the last one is left. The blogger notes how that last free item sits on the free cart, shelf, etc. until a staff member removes it. While this occurrence seems bizarre, it happens all the time. As the writer mentions, this kind of thinking does not prevent some folks from stealing from the library. I suppose we'll never fully understand the vagaries of the human mind.

Most recently, the blogger tackled the concept of main libraries versus satellite branches and the issues involved. Obviously, there are pros and cons of working in each kind of library. The writer brings up amusing comparisons to Siberia (for the branches) and the Death Star (for the main library). While branch systems can be wonderful for patrons, these kinds of issues do emerge, and it is helpful to remember both sides of the issue.

Anyway, if you feel like reading some observations on library work and perhaps laughing a bit, you can subscribe to the feed at http://www.bloglines.com if you sign up for an account. You can also access the blog at http://juralib.blogspot.com/.