Wanna be a librarian?

Alright... got another toy for you. I think library toys are just the funniest things because you just KNOW that there are more adult librarians buying them then parents for children.

So here it is:

That's right... it's a personal library set... complete with library cards, book pockets, bookmarks and check out cards... I tried to have my own little library when I was young, but I just didn't have any darn library cards. Well... that and the fact that my three brothers really didn't have any interest in checking out any of my books.

But hey, now you can help your own kid have their library.... though I don't know how they are going to do quick collection searching without their collection on a computer....

Super Shusher

Finally... a toy for the rest of us....

Meet the librarian action figure. I mean, can you think of any better superhero power than greatest information seeker on Earth? This "toy" is AWESOME... well... maybe not awesome for your common action figure collector... but for a librarian, it's awesome.

According to the website selling this action figure (click on the picture to visit): You can have all the books, magazines, periodicals, journals, videos, and CD ROMs in the world, but without a librarian you'll be frustrated and overwhelmed before you can say "Dewey Decimal System." And although most librarians can't travel faster than a speeding bullet, or leap over tall buildings in a single bound, they can direct you to an article on the physics of speed, an instructional pamphlet on high jumping, and a book of photographs of the world's tallest buildings. Each 5" tall, hard plastic Librarian Action Figure is modeled after Nancy Pearl, a real-life librarian in the Seattle area. Press the button on her back and her arm will move with amazing "shushing action!" Comes with a tiny plastic book and a stack of random literature. The card features a brief history of libraries on the back as well as a realistic check-out card in a classic library sleeve along with two bookmarks and a Nancy Pearl trading card!

I hope you caught the "shushing action."..... what!?! THAT'S CRAZY AWESOME.

Party Girl

More library humor! I guess I'm just a library nerd... because I cannot get enough pop culture references to libraries and librarians. My branch manager turned me onto a Parker Posey movie called "Party Girl" which is a 1995 film.

This movie is HILARIOUS. Basically, Parker Posey's character (Mary) is this wild and crazy girl that gets into some financial trouble. So she goes to work as a library clerk for her godmother. She falls IN LOVE with librarianship... particularly the Dewey Decimal System.

The best part of the film is when Mary is working at the Circulation Desk and she spots a patron placing a book back on the shelf in the wrong area. She basically just freaks out on him and begins yelling "DID YOU KNOW WE HAVE A SYSTEM FOR THAT? BUT THANKS FOR GIVING US A BETTER IDEA! WE CAN JUST PUT THE BOOKS ANY D*#$ PLACE WE FEEL"

Anyway... Party Girl... Netflix it.

Unshelved

Unshelved is a comic strip written by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes. I had the pleasure of going to a seminar hosted by these two men at the 2010 Mississippi Library Association. Their comic strips are amazing and hilarious.... well... hilarious if you "get" library humor.

I personally have Unshelved sent to my e-mail on a daily basis. It helps to know that no matter where you are in the United States... patrons, or perhaps just people, are ALL the same. In both good and bad ways! So, if you enjoy library humor... particularly in comic strip form, check out Unshelved by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes and have it sent to your e-mail as well!

Me

I guess I'll start out this blog by introducing myself. My name is Rachel and I currently work as a Reference Librarian at a good sized library. I hesitate using the title "librarian" because I do not yet have my Master's degree and I fully believe that you are not a librarian until you have that degree. But regardless, that is my title.

I love public librarianship. Love love love it. I particularly like public librarianship humor... which is probably what this blog will mostly be about... humor and public librarianship.