(Allow me to apologize before you read any further - I am having a snarky librarian moment.)
I know I'm supposed to be happy when people are reading, to celebrate when things made out of wood pulp circulate, and to cheer when a patron browses the stacks. I'm not supposed to judge a patron's choice of reading materials. All knowledge is worth having, all subjects are equal, freedom of information, blah blah blah. I get it. And 99.9999% of the time I will help you find whatever it is you are looking for, with a smile and without comment, no matter my own personal opinion. It's my job.
But if you call the library on a cell phone with the sound quality of a fast food drive-thru speaker, rudely treat me as if I'm stupid and then ask for Rogue, the newest Danielle Steel novel, pronouncing the title as "roooge", forgive me if you hear a soft snicker. I am only human.
Friday, July 25, 2008
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17 comments:
Oh puh-leeeze, everyone knows it's pronounced "roe-goo"!
BTW, have you been handing out bribes? Lately everyone is gushing over you. They even named a city in Holland after you!
"The Impotence of Literacy"
Ah, yes..."Rouge". That's from her new "Cosmetics Capers" trilogy, I believe. The first one in the series was called "Mascara", wasn't it?
Breda:
Let us know when you receive a call from someone who asks, "Do you have [Insert New Book Title Here] on the shelf? You do? I've heard that it's pretty good. Would you read the first few pages to me to see if it's worth come coming down and checking it out?"
And they didn't ask for that new romance novel. . you know the one with the evil looking Heathcliff type character pushing up against the bosum of the innocent young thing on the edge of a cliff on the Moor. . what was it called "A Little Closer to the Edge My Love"
Information wants to be free, however attention is a scare resource.
Why waste it?
You have to answer telephone patrons? Can't they send "kites"? My patrons can't use telephones. Lucky me, since I like them so little (the telephones, not the patrons in love with Ms. Steel.
Breda, "only human"? I think not.
You are a librarian, the keeper and maintainer of knowledge.
You insure the security of the human race by your diligent and watchful eye on the tomes in your care.
Your direction and experience aide others in locating the material they desire to know and understand.
You assist those of us with the will to escape out bonds of earth and time to visit other worlds.
You manage introductions to people, places and histories that helps explain the great diversity of human kind and the accumulation of our experiences.
You represent all that is good in our world, knowledge.
And I thank you for your service to the greater good. May you shoot straight and true, when the time come to defend that which you serve.
Next time you get out Broad Ripple way, I've got to show you my latest discovery. The little newsstand near my house has a shelf about four feet high by six feet long with a sign over it saying "Experienced Books". And it's almost all classics. $1 American apiece. I've picked up Lord of the Flies and Kim and Childhood's End and Heart of Darkness and oh, so much more great stuff off that little shelf...
Reading is a Good Thing. Indeed, a Very Good Thing!! In addition to gaining more knowledge, entertainment and keeping us in cute librarians. The need for said librarians keeps Breda in $$$ so she can keep shooting, keep blogging and keep us entertained and enlightened!
timmeee - no, no bribes. Who is "everyone" anyway?
shermlock - I have had people want me to read sections of books to them. I refuse to do it.
pagan blacksmith - thank you, that made me a lot less crabby about my job.
Tam - it's gonna be sooner than later, I hope!
"Knowledge is good"
- Emil Faber
Well, I was going to call and ask if you had the graphic novel version of the Harry Potter series, but I can see you're just going to be too crabby to discuss literature with.
They can't hear a snicker over a cell-phone like that, and in order to make them understand that you're laughing you have to say, "Ell-Oh-Ell."
Everyone is for example :
http://mausersandmuffins.blogspot.
com/2008/07/why-i-carry-predators-among-us.html
http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.
com/2008/07/in-grip-of-her-muse.html
http://blog.robballen.com/archive/2008/07/24/Quote-of-the-Day--Gun-totin-librarian-edition.aspx
http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2008/07/quote-of-day_25.html
http://www.snowflakesinhell.com/2008/07/24/the-myth-of-the-clean-revolution/
Yup, you've got fans.
Oh Lord. That person probably votes.
Which explains A LOT.
I loved this post on the impotence of illiteracy. Snark on, righteous lady!
God....my brother pronounces it that way. I'm not sure if he just doesn't know any better or if he just does it to piss me off. I suspect the latter.
Although, the first couple times he did it had to be because he didn't know any better. He just saw it pissed me off so he kept doing it.
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