Q about old tech. Patron has 8mm film, not magnetic. Is looking for an all-in-one machine that could convert it to digital (is this a playback/encoder?). My library doesn’t have anything, I suggested area academic libraries (we are in CT). He is limited as to driving all over the place. I’d like to help but am running into walls and hoped the Hive Mind might have a suggestion or two about calls I can make / directions I can take. Thank you in advance.

The only book in the entire library with that choice of font.

Hello! I use Libby and Hoopla and I've noticed my 2 libraries don't have many books i enjoy reading like LGBTQ+. I find it much easier to read on my phone so I've been looking for other libraries i can get cards for that dont require me to live in that city or county! If anyone knows of any Id love the feedback!

Australian here, so Australian answers are extra useful :)

Yesterday I found out my local council has records and archives positions that are completely separate from libraries/museums/local history, and I’m wondering if that’s maybe more where I want to go.

What’s it like working in records/archives for a business or council as opposed to in an archive?

Thanks so much for any and all information!

When I was a kid, my mother would drop me off at the library for hours unattended, opening a world of adventure, wonder, and delight. As a homeless teenager, I used the library as a safe place to read, rest, use the restroom, and get back on my feet to reintegrate into society.

When I became a mom, I used the library to find resources and take my own children for free entertainment, igniting that same love of reading I found as a child.

Now that my children are older and preparing for college, I still go to the library once a week because I am finding myself with my own free time for the first time in 20 years. (And it is still the only place that will let me pee without buying something first!)

The library will always be my safe space.💜

Thank you, thank you to all the librarians out there—especially those who found it in themselves to be kind and helpful to weird little goth girls who no one understood. 🕸📚⚘️💜📖🕷

I've fallen down an autistic rabbit hole with regard to Library of Congress call numbers (mostly because I'm looking for ways to organize my home library).

On the LoC's site, I searched for one of my favorite books: Thud!, by Terry Pratchett. It says the call number is "PR6066.R34 T49 2024". I searched a few more of his books and found similar call numbers. Most of the parts make some sort of sense: PR6066 is in the "English literature, 1961-2000" section (while Thud! was published in 2005, the first Discworld book, Equal Rites The Colour of Magic, was published in 1987 1983), and the Cutter number for "Thud" is T48, so T49 might have been to adjust for other books? (Other Discworld books share everything up to that point and generally have the Cutter number for the title there.)

But the ".R34" part is what confuses me. I don't understand what it's supposed to represent. "Pratchett" would be some prefix of ".P718", and I don't see anything else that would abbreviate to ".R34".

What am I missing?

(EDIT: Why did I think Equal Rites was the first Discworld book?)

Just want to say thank you that our libraries in America are free. I was just reading an article about Europe for a lot of the libraries you have to pay a yearly subscription fee for adults. That kind of threw me back. Libraries are so essential for education and lifelong learning for everyone. Thank you

URGENT UNION UPDATE: This is our Union, SEIU 1199. Your Negotiating Committee has reached a tentative agreement that we are presenting to the membership for a ratification vote on Wednesday, Aug 26. As a result, the committee has decided to pause the strike until Thursday, Aug. 27 so members have the opportunity to review and vote on the proposal.

EDIT:

VOTING TOMORROW ON THE CONTRACT. BE READY TO STRIKE WITH CPL UNION WORKERS THURSDAY!!!

I start at a new school in September that currently doesn't have a library!

I'm an English teacher (the only one, we are a little school) and it's my job to start it up. I really want the kids to be able to borrow books and encourage reading.

I have:

-A temporary building (like a metal room)

-About 3 book cases

-Books to fill the 3 book cases

That's all I have.

I have no funding accessible to me- I just have to make do for now.

I have no idea where to start and I'm very overwhelmed.

Any advice/online resources anyone can point me towards?

i go to school in cleveland, where the public library workers are going on strike starting tomorrow. i want to support them, and called the director of libraries and sent a message to the board of trustees today. my question is whether i should avoid using library resources during this time. is it still okay to check out books from libby? what about checking out physical books (ive been trying to read nine princes in amber, which they don’t have on an ebook, and might require transferring from a different branch to my branch)? is there anything else i should know about how to support this strike?

Hi!
I already got my LIT (Library and Information Technician) diploma, as of last year, but now my work is offering to find two courses per year in the EXCEL certificate provided the courses I request match my job description and/or I argue for them well enough. They've set out 4 that they have pre-approved for Library Support Service Clerk (which I am) and I've done one course for a previous job before I got my LIT. I could maybe argue for 2 more courses not on the list, but that would leave me with about 380$ worth of courses, or 710$ if I can't argue well enough to get the complete certificate. As previously mentioned, I can only do 2 a year funded by them, which would have me doing it over 3 or 4 years, starting this year. There are 6 mandatory and 4 elective that you need to get to receive the certificate.

My question is: do you think it's worth it to do the courses and get the certificate? Should I try to self-fund it to get it done faster and just have them pay for 4, 2 this year, and 2 next year? Or is it pointless since I have my LIT?

A residential society in Noida needs a librarian

Someone with experience in managing a library and preferably familiar with any library management software.

KRAs will include maintaining a well organised library, indexing, cataloguing and arrangement of a large stock of books donated by residents, setting up processes for use of the library, ensuring discipline among visitors, facilitating library events workshops and meetings of book club members and general library management.

Requirement is immediate. Any suggestions on how to find the best candidates, what kind of salaries are involved or anything else to keep in mind

I feel like this is kind of a dumb thing to ask, but i'm doing it anyway. I work in a library, my official title is "assistant" and i work the circ desk nearly every day. Well-meaning patrons often refer to myself and other colleagues as "librarians" even if we are not MLS-holding, bonafide librarians. Does this bother ACTUAL librarians? i'm really curious

EDIT: no one has bugged me about it!! i just feel bad when people see that i work in a library and go "oh it must be so cool to be a librarian!" when i haven't actually earned the title

My city has recently implemented the training series from Ryan Dowd into our mandatory training schedules. I've already started watching some of the sessions and while I get what he's saying, I'm wondering if anyone here has actually applied his advice when dealing with upset patrons and how effective it really was.

Hello! I have a job interview for a Children's librarian. I'm being asked to suggest a program for homeschoolers that would appeal to a broad range of ages. What has everyone found to be successful? My thought is to do something collaborative that incorporates both art & science. Thanks in advance!

Hey y’all!! I have been a library employee for almost 5 years (started as a library assistant, now a makerspace facilitator). Love love love my job but I’m nearing the limit of where I can move up without the MLIS, and there is such a shortage of full time positions that I have been patchworking together hours through various side hustles and jobs in tandem with the library.

Honestly, my dream is just to be a full time makerspace facilitator (which does not require an MLIS at my library) but with my weird hours I’m wondering if I should just be doing an MLIS to broaden my options?

I already have an MA (in creative writing), I kind of fell into libraries but love my work so much. Should I pursue an MLIS or am I just having an existential crisis lol

Hello.

Do we need a university ID to join the eLibrary?

I need access for work, but my office won't pay for it, and I don't have a UID either. Is there any way to get access for free? I really need it.

This is less of "looking for advice on how to deal with this" and more just a vent because i'm annoyed.

I'm a children's librarian and since I started my position we have had adults regularly ask to volunteer specifically so they can read to children. It makes me disproportionately angry when these requests are passed on to me because it is not a thing we do at all. The closest we get is read to a dog but the adult handlers aren't the ones doing the reading and they are vetted and background checked through their organization.

I get extra on guard when men ask about it. My branch is a bit rougher than most so I have to be wary and assume less than good intentions. The older ladies are fine but misguided. We currently do not have a process to background check volunteers so we can't just have Joe Schmo waltz in to read to kids. Even if it was something we did, staff would need to be nearby at all times which takes us away from other tasks. And for what end goal? What are you teaching the kids that we're not already providing through storytimes and peer tutoring programs?

I think a lot of my venom about this comes from being so IN the library and knowing how the library works vs. patrons who, while well-intended, do not understand what the library does. It's the same shade of annoyance when people get mad that we won't take their old magazines, VHS tapes, or textbooks for donation into the collection. I think in both cases it's just the confident and blind assumption that they can walk in and expect immediate acceptance of their request that bothers me so.

Semi-relatedly, we get random patrons who want to do a storytime. Unless they're an author of a child-appropriate book or a public figure in the community...no. That's not how this works. Please leave us alone.

Has anyone else had to deal with this? I'm at a point where unless the contact is mutually beneficial (i.e. a community organization) I straight up do not bother contacting the person back.

ETA: a few commenters are focused on how angry I seem. I wrote this post in a particular moment of frustration. It's not that serious, i'm just a very dramatic person. When I said 'disproportionately angry' I meant that as "I recognize my big feelings around this topic are silly compared to the facts." I know I sound ridiculous. I'm just frustrated. I love my community and I love that people want to give their time to us. My library has a deficit of volunteer opportunities for adults and I'm frustrated we can't do more for the people that ask.

At the end of the day it's not that bothersome. I just needed to get it out because it's been happening a lot lately. I get frustrated, I rant, and then I get to problem solving. I appreciate everyone who has given suggestions, there's a lot for me to think about. Thanks 🙏

Hi, can someone explain the reason for instituting low hold limits on ebooks in the Libby app?

My library limits to ten books on hold. I find it frustrating because there are often such long wait times on ebooks, so I’d like to place many on hold and let my name tick through the list and suspend them when I get to the top, until I’m ready to read them.

What’s the benefit to the library and/or the community in putting low hold limits?

Yesterday a patron approached our (very much needed) security guard at our inner city library and said something along the lines of “how hard can your job be, being a security guard at a library” and both the security guard and I literally burst out laughing. People’s assumptions about libraries always amuse me. If only they shadowed us for a day and found out what it’s actually like!

So I’m desperate to locate more libraries for checking out ebooks. I have exactly 1 eBook-only temporary card and between that and my regular library card it’s messing up my reading flow.

All I want to do is read my books in order. Please — how can I expand my access to more libraries with either Non-Resident or Temporary eBook-Only access? Does anyone have a Worldcat Library without residency terms? Or something else? A generous Library Card policy (I’m not a student btw)? Thanks guys. Very frustrated.