No Such Thing as a Free Lunch : Labor in Open Source Systems Implementations
This post is adapted from a presentation I gave at the Amigos Library Technology Roadmap conference earlier this month. I supervise the library systems unit at a public R1 university … Continue reading
All [White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy] is Local
Y’all, it’s bad out there. In case a second concurrent pandemic, Roe v Wade being overturned, and deadly weather caused by climate change weren’t enough, the rising tide of fascism … Continue reading
Emily Drabinski for ALA President
Our dear friend of the LibrarianShipwreck, Emily Drabinski (who you may remember wrote a guest post about the LIU faculty lockout in 2016), is running for president of the American … Continue reading
Librarian Was My Occupation – Remembering the Occupy Wall Street People’s Libary
In the fall of 2011, the angry shout of “we are the 99%!” could be heard echoing in localities big and small across the US. The movement had seemed to … Continue reading
Reference desk: job list
Despite — and partially because of — the pandemic related turmoil of the last year and a half, there are a lot of library jobs out there right now. While … Continue reading
What is Happening In the Libraries While They Are Closed?
Libraries are generally fairly quiet places, and yet the near total silence that currently exists in many libraries is not the result of an overzealous librarian’s commitment to quiet. Instead, … Continue reading
What to do if you Encounter Paranormal Forces at the Library
Have you ever found yourself pleasantly working in the library when suddenly the lights flicker and the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention? Have you ever … Continue reading
How to make the most of your trip to the archive
Archival research is something of a rite of passage for many individuals in many disparate fields. Admittedly, it can be something of a daunting task. What follows is carefully curated … Continue reading
Guest post: #LIULockout
Pirates, here’s a guest post from our comrade Emily Drabinski, a librarian & faculty member at LIU Brooklyn here in NYC. The LIU Brooklyn faculty, who are unionized, have been … Continue reading
Things I learned while working as a reference librarian
Since November 2011 I have sat at a library’s reference desk. And though my job title has changed several times over the years, as of 5:31 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, … Continue reading
What Pokémon can you catch at a library?
Though you might not suspect it, libraries are an excellent place to catch Pokémon! Indeed, libraries are filled with many kinds of wondrous, rare Pokémon that can be found there … Continue reading
Beyond the Prototype: Libraries as Convivial Tools in Action
How important are the technologies found in a library to the actual library? Are libraries simply places where various tools and technologies are used, or can libraries (themselves) be viewed … Continue reading
En Garde! How to Defend Yourself With a Book
“Hungry man, reach for the book: it is a weapon.” – Bertolt Brecht 1. Popular parlance is filled with catchy phrases about the ways in which books can be harnessed … Continue reading
How to Keep What You Are Reading Secret
Is there anything more annoying than being interrupted with the question “hey, what are you reading?” while you are engrossed in a book? Is there anything more frustrating than feeling … Continue reading
How to Avoid Being Bothered While Working in a Library
There are instances wherein an individual seeks to flee from convivial communication, instead craving that variety of isolation fruitful for concentration and introspection. At such times a person may find … Continue reading
Treat Your Personal Library…Like a Library
Have you ever found yourself at a gathering at which a speaker says something along the lines of “it’s important to read”? Or perhaps you’ve found yourself at a gathering … Continue reading
How to Organize Your Library
“The acquisition of books is by no means a matter of money or expert knowledge alone. Not even both factors together suffice for the establishment of a real library, which … Continue reading
Guest Post: NYC Nurses
Pirates, the following is a brief article from friend of the library GrungyBerns, a nurse here in New York City. Nurses at hospitals in the city have been deep in … Continue reading
To Do: Digital Rights in Libraries
[Hi, pirates. The following is a press release from our dear comrade Alison Macrina of the Library Freedom Project. If you are going to ALA, or live near the Bay … Continue reading
“Walking Makes the Road” and the Library
It can be easy for librarians to take space for granted. After all, there are many issues with which libraries must contend, but generally the physical building itself can be … Continue reading
Reference Desk: LIS Employment Resources
Pirates. I’ve been back to work for a few weeks now. Which, fuck capitalism, but I got a kitty to feed. Anyway, over the course of my five months unemployed … Continue reading
Where Are They Now? The People’s Library Today
For many librarians the experience of reminding patrons to “please, return the books when you’re finished with them” is fairly common. After all, the idea of a person returning a … Continue reading
How to Sleep in a Library
It is always too loud to sleep. There are always sounds coming from the other rooms, noise leeching in from the streets, the faucet is always dripping, pets are always … Continue reading
Reference Desk: 50 Sh…ut up, that book is terrible.
By now we all know that 50 shades of grey, its sequels, and its movie adaptation are all the worst, and have no redeeming value, literary, moral, or otherwise, beside … Continue reading
Confused about Copyright and Fair Use? That’s Understandable…
The folk singer Woody Guthrie would frequently attach a serious warning regarding copyright to copies of his lyric sheets. This sobering statement informed one and all that: “This song is … Continue reading
(Libraries and/or Archives) + fire = bad
While playing the somber game of “what is posing an existential threat to libraries and archives this week?” it can be easy to focus on slow destructive forces such as … Continue reading
To-do: grants, awards, etc.
It’s that time of year: when the masters deign to grant a paltry few with some scraps and pennies in pursuit of all the vast realms of knowledge, which rightly … Continue reading
Looking for the Best Deals on Black Friday? (try the library!)
Regardless of what the barrage of advertisements tells you to the contrary – you will not find the best deal in any store or on any website this Black Friday. … Continue reading
How to Avoid Ruining a Book
“The club had a lending library. I was delighted by a poster that described in detailed words and in pretty colored pictures how many ways there were to avoid ruining … Continue reading
Archiving for Activists: Resources
Or for anyone, really, who wants to arrange & describe their own collection of papers, ephemera & memorabilia. On Sunday night Amy & I gave a workshop at Interference Archive; … Continue reading
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