Librarian Avengers

I grabbed this photo from my Information School’s 75th anniversary website. Which I designed. A long time ago. Before I discovered that flexible CSS-layouts make everyone’s lives better.

Anyway, I love these librarians. The photo was from the “campus life” section, and I’ve just got to say: If you are in this photo or know someone who is, please let me buy you a Schlitz. Because that’s what they’re drinking. I know this through the magic of Photoshop.

So is it just me or was library school more fun back then? My classmates drank, don’t get me wrong, but we did it in a more serious, social-reform sort of way. You know, Mojitos and Cosmopolitans. These guys look like they just grabbed a case of beer after Intro to Cataloging and went to town.

Have you seen the ALA’s new Radical Militant Librarian buttons? Me too. I liked the concept, but not the design. So I made some of my own. Ain’t Capitalism grand? As usual, all proceeds go to a combination of non-profits and grocery bills.

It’s sweeps week here at librarian enterprises, so here’s some links about anthropodermic bindings.

For those of you who were asleep during The History of Books and Printing, that’s books bound in human skin. Because if you intellectualize it, it’s not icky. (from boing boing)

Speaking of books bound in human skin, have you seen Peter Greenway’s film The Pillow Book? It’s one of my favorites. It’s about a woman’s obsession with writing on the human body, and understandably also, her obsession with Ewan McGregor’s schlong. Don’t watch during dinner, in spite of or perhaps because of Ewan McGregor’s schlong. Special collections librarians: Play this movie at your next SLA meeting!

his is why librarians need liquor. Librarians ’suffer most stress’ from BBC News. (Thanks Philip!)

Hey avenging librarians… A few weeks ago, Bill Harmer wrote a letter asking for our help. You may remember Bill as the founder of the Rock n Roll library tour that was featured on This American Life. I wrote about the show here.

Bill wants to take the Rock n Roll library tour nationwide. Last summer the Michigan tour was a big success, and he wants to get at least one library to sign up in each of the 50 states. This is a killer after-school program that serves the dual purpose of getting reluctant readers in the library, and busting through some myths about how the library is boring. You know? Those myths? Now you can do something about them.

After some initial hoo-ha-ing, the ALA got its act together and is sort of helping out. You can now register your very own ever-loving library for the tour. You’ll be booking library rock n’ roll veterans The High Strung for an all-ages show and a question and answer session afterward.

Just read the press release, then write to Bill and he’ll make it happen.

I hope they come here. Ithaca is desperate for decent music. There’s a large Contra Dance movement here that MUST BE STOPPED. Also, if anybody has suggestions or offers of help, I think Bill would be glad to hear them.

My friend Maysan Haydar has always been cool. She introduced me to Bratmobile and Swing dancing back when such things were hip. She got a tongue ring before everyone else. She was the first person I knew to dye her hair purple.

She escaped from Flint, majored in Linguistics and moved to NYC to write for The Nation. Now she’s a social worker. Oh. And she wears the hijab. Here’s an excerpt from an article she wrote for the book Body Outlaws about why she wears the veil, and what it’s been like.

I like Dorothy’s Donation Derby almost as much as I like her comic Cat and Girl. If you send her money, she does a small drawing to show how she spent it. The result is an autobiographical comic blog with snippets of funny dialogue and moments from her life. Today there was a library mention that will be funny to anyone who still maintains vertical files. Don’t we have computers for that? I spent a good chunk of my life cutting out newspapers for the wonderfully eclectic American Radicalism & Popular Culture vertical files when I was an undergrad at Michigan State University. If you ever happen to be in East Lansing researching representations of Grant Wood’s American Gothic in advertising, MSU’s got yer back. We never got into any screaming matches either.

ast year I attended the Bloggies at the South by Southwest Interactive conference. The presentation was wonderfully low-budget, like a high school assembly. But, oh THE FUNNY. Not only were funny people doing the presenting, there was a huge screen next to the stage showing the IRC conversation about the presentation. So, imagine a presenter saying something funny, and then almost simultaneously, more funny people chatting about the presenter and mocking him. It was so meta that several audience members actually turned inside-out and had to be rushed to the hospital.

Anyway, I’m going again this year (yes, you’ll get your feminist strippers - hang on) and I WANT A BLOGGIE. Gimme gimme. Please. Although there are far more worthy candidates, I’m asking anyway. Won’t you nominate me? Please? I have included this emotionally manipulative kitten to help you with your decision.

To nominate Librarian Avengers for the Best Topical Weblog category, go here. Yes, I know I’m a publicity whore. La la la. Tttpth.

Here are the other fabulous blogs I’ve nominated. I left out some of the obvious ones, like Boing Boing, since they were well-represented last year. Check them out, but not while you are drinking anything that will hurt if you snort it through your nose. I’m just saying.

Best weblog application
WordPress
Spam Karma

Best Australian or New Zealand Weblog
Boudist

Best American Weblog
Dooce
Mimi Smartypants

Best Tagline of a Weblog
Bad News Hughes - Striving to find a way to punch people in the face by using the internet.
My Life as an American Gladiator - Caution! Do Not Insert In Ear Canal!

Best Entertainment Weblog
Pink is the New Blog
Gallery of the Absurd

Best Weblog About Politics
Sivacracy
Low Culture
Salon Broadsheet

Best GLBT Weblog
The Book You’re Not Reading
Pink is the New Blog

Most Humorous Weblog
Bad News Hughes
Mimi Smartypants
Cat and Girl Donation Derby

Best Writing of a Weblog
Echidne of the Snakes
My Life as an American Gladiator
Pound

Best Web Development Weblog
A List Apart

Best Designed Weblog
Megatokyo
Jenny’s Realm

Lifetime Achievement
Dave Shea

Best-Kept-Secret Weblog
PostSecret
Dog Blog
The Ten Thousand Year Blog

Best New Weblog
50 Books

t work we have a squadron of slightly outdated DVD jukeboxes. I’ve always been a bit intimidated by them, but until today I didn’t know why. However, the truth has finally come out…

The new BBC Dr. Who is really good, by the way.

I’m back, and am the proud new owner of a headlamp! If anyone wants to go dumpstering with me this weekend, send an email. I’m well-equipped. If you think dumpster diving sounds horrible and gross, here’s a good, well thought-out discussion of the topic, along with some great examples of what you can find. Being filth-averse, I tend to stick to non-food dumpsters and recycle bins. Also, here’s a link to an interesting California legal precedent which might help with the police if you ever get caught. Librarians: this is a great way to aquire new books…as long as you aren’t picky about things like covers. .