Librarians with Attitude

Sluts and gangsters and booze and stage violence. This movie rules.

#kiss me deadly #movie posters #Ralph Meeker #noir

Anchorage Public Library had 4 materials challenges last year (2011). 3 of those challenges were on children’s books: One on the human life cycle, one about a bratty kid who wishes her parents away…I forget what the 3rd was. This may not seem like a lot, but it’s the most we’ve had, apparently, in awhile.

Youth Services staff has been approached lately by University of Alaska Southeast students in a children’s literature course about a variety of topics: how we select materials, the patterns of use, how we collaborate with teachers. One-third of one question is about controversial materials…I have my spiel. “If someone finds material offensive or inappropriate they are offered a challenge form. A committee of librarians is formed to review the item(s) and offer a decision…” Yaddahyaddah.

“Ooo! I didn’t know that! I’d like one. Do you guys have [manga title]? It’s bad. You shouldn’t have that.”

Christ. It’s my LAST day. I didn’t even get to mention that, through the reviewing of the materials, we’ve never made the decision to deselect anything. I’d REALLY like to mention that right now.

I’d also like to mention that when I was 10 years old I read my first Stephen King novel, I was hooked to the disgusting V.C. Andrews books in middle school. That I started watching Kids in the Hall on Comedy Central when I was 11 or 12, followed quickly by The Young Ones, The State, Dr. Katz… That probably a worse influence on me than whatever “mature” content I was allowed to watch or read, my alcoholic, abusive father and the string of men who left pornography laying around the house or grew pot in the basement, my teenage sister who would have sex with her boyfriend while babysitting me…THOSE things probably had a worse effect on me than FICTIONAL CHARACTERS.

I’d also like to mention that murders and war and drugs, child pornography rings and missing persons, these things we see regularly on the nightly news…those things that are ACTUALLY HAPPENING are more disturbing than anything the crazed imagination of Stephen King could come up with, I say respectfully to Mr. King.

So if this deluded bitch thinks that she can keep her precious baby boy in a bubble, preventing him from facing anything that her vanilla sensibilities can’t handle, she’s in for a rude awakening. Also, if she thinks that we (librarians) should be responsible for what potentially ANY CHILD in Anchorage is reading, or watching she’d better be ready for some seriously conficting opinions because we’re all individuals with unique perspectives, standards and tastes.

I pride myself in maintaining an air of professionalism at work. That professionalism very nearly *poof* disappeared in that one interaction.

Thank the gods I won’t be involved in the challenge process. I think I’ve got a bias.

#libraries #librarians #books #challenged books

Text Exit interview

Today’s the day for my exit interview. We’re going to lunch at Campobello and chatting about my time here at Anchorage Public Library.

These are the generic exit interview questions I was given to consider:

What did you like best about your job?

What would you recommend to create a better workplace?

What impressed you about the library when you first accepted your position? Has this opinion changed? If so, how?

Why are you leaving?

Now, I like my boss. I certainly don’t want to burn any bridges with her. But I have to be honest. I’ve been pretty open with her about my unhappiness from the get-go.

I find my coworkers to be like high-schoolers. There are a few stand-outs who get good grades, participate in extracirricular activities and always give it their all. Some of these are well-liked, some are considered bitches. Then, there are the jocks. They’re the ones taking long weekends to go kayaking or spending most of their day bullying people and talking about baseball (two separate groups of jocks). There are the theater kids who are constantly trying to draw attention to themselves and those shy kids who would rather just be left alone…

Overall, in this high school, an overwhelming majority of the “students” are mediocre-at-best. They all HAVE to be here, but no one wants to be. They’d rather sit and chat in the hallway than attend their classes. It’s a weird social environment for people with few social skills…

I have no interest in participating any. more. No matter how much I like what I do, I don’t like having to do it surrounded by people who are dispassionate.

Because of this I will not be a librarian after tomorrow. Will I ever be a librarian again? Probably. I can’t deny that I love working with children, I LOVE doing storytime and that promoting literacy is about as noble a task as I have the skills to pursue.