Librarian Tales

Librarian Tales: Funny, Strange, and Inspiring Dispatches from the Stacks | William Ottens

so-so

A lot of valuable info, but much of it felt like a rerun for me. Anybody curious about the in and outs of a public library? Enjoy! I think this could be a good resource, first look for a young adult looking to get into public librarianship. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Doubtless the author puts a positive spin on his experiences, but they do cover the realities:
What training/experience you'll need or try to get, what schooling, the difficulties inherent in breaking into a field with less open positions than existing people with degrees/experience looking for jobs, the ups and downs associated with any department/position within a library: circulation, reference, collections, tech support, youth/children services, director... 13mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? If you're looking for an anecdote-filled fun time however, I would suggest 'I Work at a Public Library' by Gina Sheridan. Ottens shares moments throughout his ten year career and a few excerpts from his blog, but it's less of a compilation of stories or even a memoir than an introduction to working in public libraries. 13mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/4 I did appreciate the enlightened hindsight: in recounting a discussion on fines, he talked about the barrier to people living in poverty to library use when there are fees; when talking about hiring when he was a director he acknowledged a testing practice that would be redesigned with accommodations for those with disabilities if done today. 13mo

7 likes3 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Librarian Tales: Funny, Strange, and Inspiring Dispatches from the Stacks | William Ottens

Faith in humanity restored: nice to know things found in the book drop aren't always horrifying.

11 likes1 stack add

Born.A.Reader

Librarian Tales: Funny, Strange, and Inspiring Dispatches from the Stacks | William Ottens

My #bookhaul from my weekly (as it's turning out) visit to the library. Several were referenced in a previous book about books, Reading Allowed, and others were ones I picked up while browsing the new book stacks.

17 likes

comics_librarian

Librarian Tales: Funny, Strange, and Inspiring Dispatches from the Stacks | William Ottens

pick

Ottens's librarian experiences will be familiar to those in the profession and may be at least an interesting glimpse to those who are not; either way this is a quick read with warmth.

6 likes