About the Job

I don’t really know where to start.  The basics, I guess.  I am the new Librarian for a state-run correctional facility in Missouri.  My library is comprised of about 8000 items, and includes books, periodicals, reference materials, and a law library (and I think audiobooks, maybe).  The library is based very closely on a public library model, complete with DDC (that’s Dewey Decimal Classification to you folks).  The law library consists of state legal directories, institutional policies, access to a legal database, and a legal reference worker.  The only thing my library can’t do is interlibrary loan – although I can make that happen in a pinch.

My job is…the library.  I am responsible for the budget, acquisitions, collection development, managing my offender-workers, maintaining the law library, tech support, supplies, book repair, cataloging, networking with key stakeholders (mainly the Education and Therapy departments), and keeping the library running on a day-to-day basis.  I am Queen of my own Library Land. 

The toughest part right now is A) getting the schedule down, and B) getting everything done that needs to be done.  The schedule mostly refers to the way financing and acquisitions are handled.  For example, I have a wishlist of books due in two weeks, my budget for the fiscal quarter hasn’t been approved yet, and my budget for the next quarter is due in about a month (and my next wishlist is due a month after that).  So, sometime in the next month I have to:

1.      Compile my wishlist,

2.      Prepare my purchase orders,

3.      Spend all the money I asked for,

4.      Develop a budget I can’t spend for another 2 months, and

5.      Compile my next wishlist consisting of both the books previously ordered that didn’t get in on time and new books I want for the library.

Oh, and did I mention that I’m out of town for training the next two weeks?

Things are crazy.  Things will get crazier.  Actually, I’m getting used to things being this way and I’m a little scared to think what will happen if my brain stops running around like a chicken with its head cut off.  Wouldn’t want to be bored now…

Questions?

And check out the What I'm Reading section!  New book!

Readers' Advisory

The first book reviewed for readers' advisory is now up - Ballistics by Billy Collins.  W00t!

About Me

I’m a chick with a large family and loves reading, books, school, my pets (more on that later, I’m sure), good beer and excellent pubs (not bars), the interwebs, living in my own head (more on that eventually, I’m also sure), and…well, customer service.  The Books, the School, and, most importantly, the Customer Service* got me into this.  I am a Voracious Reader ( the caps on this mean a lot), have my own burgeoning collection of first editions I care for more tenderly than I would a newborn baby/kitten, and my Need for school persuaded me to Library School.  Thus I went; whence I found my current career.  One of my best friends told me I live in my own “cartoon world”, so if what I say doesn’t make sense, deal with it…it makes sense to me. 

Trained as a Clasiscist.  For you born north of the 1800s, that means Latin ‘n’ Greek ‘n’ Ancient Rome ‘n’ stuff.  Classics school damned near broke me (surprisingly cutthroat…and all I wanted to do was translate forever), so I took a few years, worked my ass off at the best job I’ve ever had**, then became disillusioned and went back to Library School full time.  Got totally poor working two jobs that didn’t quite make it, randomly applied for this one.  Epically failed first interview; nailed the second one. 

School is theory, the economy is uber-tight, and I’m damned lucky to have decent work as a, get this, Librarian.  I knew nothing in a library setting except checking books in and out and inter-library loan…and these are the two things I don’t do at this job.  Learning experience, definitely.  Career move?  YES.

Really About Me:  I’m a Scorpio through and through.  I love pizza and beer.  And I LOVE my birthday (so if I ever get popular and obtain a lot of readers, wish me a happy birthday).  Did I mention that I love my pets?  Oh, and I live off of the printed word and Netflix.  Have a sick obsession with Netflix.  As in, I don’t get sleep if there’s a series to be watched that’s streaming…and a series watched via discs in the mail is simultaneously disappointing and sooooo sweet.

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*Also, random punctuation/capitalization  (and parantheses and the inability to stop all three) will appear constantly.  Cf., Disclaimer and Real Disclaimer.

**It may ever live on as Best Job, but this one will give it a run for its money, so to speak.  (Pay’s better at this one.)

Disclaimerz For Realz

Disclaimer*:  I can’t promise to be 100% professional.  This blog is (pretty much) a first try.  The first time I was standing outside my library thinking, “I’m an upper-middle class, sheltered white girl from Yankee territory…what the hell am I doing here?”, I almost simultaneously thought, “Dude, I should blog.”  Took me another fortnight to actually make the slightly-buzzed impulse purchase of my life (current laptop), but I think (and hope) that it’s all for the best.  I am going to try my best to not bitch about the job, which I’ve only done once (no, really!) in my six weeks so far, or keep it strictly professional – let’s face it, my train of thought usually involves at least two different engines attached to at least two different…uh., trains, but this is my chance to grow as a professional and a human being on this completely crazy path I’ve found myself travelling.

Real Disclaimer:  Again, I can’t promise to be 100% professional. More importantly, I can’t promise to be entertaining, but I’m going to try.  I’ll admit, I’m in over my head.**  I did none of the research I claimed I did in my interview.  I’m taking the theory I’m learning in school and melding it with the common sense and experience I’ve learned from 28 years of life and the years I’ve spent managing food service.  Cut me some freakin’ slack.  I’m a human being, dammit.  Oh, and I curse a lot in my head.  Most likely some of that will come out, especially if I don’t proofread.***/**** However comma I am going to try to relate the basic life of a prison librarian, what I learn, and possibly (not too likely until I get comfy with it) activate a little bit.

~~~

*They're posted, published, and therefore law.  You don't like it, tough.  Raised by lawyers, family to lawyers, and worked for a litigator.  Disclaimer's here to stay.  Sue at your own risk.  (I know the difference between slander and libel and which holds up in court...Also, I have about 50 bucks, another 3 dollars in my wallet, and quite a lot of first editions that are worth, well, nothing yet.  It's your dime; start talkin'.)

**My Mother, at least, will be glad to know that all those swimming lessons I spent treading water have not gone to waste even though I’ve never been shipwrecked.

***I hate proofreading.  Barely ever follow through with it.

****Is there a way to do footnotes in Blogger?  I'm a Classicist by nature and training, people, we build 50-year long careers (and tenure) on footnotes and asterisks are awkward.

Forays into Collection Development

Today, because we barely even skimmed her visit a month ago, my Boss gave me the three hour Training in Collection Development.  This has been my absolutely worst class to date*.  I don't know if it was the prof or the material or the syllabus, but I was completely wasted on that class (or vice versa). 

I'm happy to report that I learned more today in three real hours than I learned that semester in three credit hours.  And this time I got paid to learn instead of paying to be confused.  Rawk on.

~~~
*Except for anything Math in undergrad.  This includes being sandbagged by the archaeology professor who didn't understand I was not, in fact, an archaeologist while I was at Canada.

Things I Have to Do for a Paycheck

Pretty much all I did today, for about 9 hours, was read the naughty bits of romance novels - attempting to ascertain the relative naughtiness of said bits and how often they occurred in the story weighed against how engaging the plot is.

This was because the shipment of books one of the other libraries was so good to send me originated from a women's correctional center.

Life is good.

First Blog Post Since I Abandoned LJ

This is just a test so far.  To see how things look and whatnot.  No, I do not have anything of substance to say, so you'll just have to wait.

And isn't it nice that Google/Blogger has a bookish theme for me to use?