Librarians Anonymous

Apologies listeners for the delay between episodes. Your hosts are getting back into the swing of things and temporarily misplaced a recording that should have gone out last week.

However, before we release that episode, we decided to sit down for a discussion of the newly released accusations against author Neil Gaiman and the effect this news has on libraries. We also discuss the state of social media, especially TikTok, and how we move forward.

Show notes:

https://www.vulture.com/article/neil-gaiman-allegations-controversy-amanda-palmer-sandman-madoc.html

It's been a hot minute, but Jeeves and Wooster have made their return to discuss the looming danger of Project 2025 ,what it means for libraries and librarianship, and how the rebooted podcast is going to shift in order to understand and combat what lies ahead. Please pardon the dust and hiccups as your hosts get back into the swing of things.

Jeeves and Wooster take a moment to address their recent absence and use this opportunity to have a discussion on mental health, the impact its had on themselves and the field, and the importance of advocating for yourself and taking a step back to ask yourself how you're doing. 

The world is a challenging and ever changing place right now. Emotions are running high all over, so for this episode, libraries take the backseat for honest conversation about the impacts recent events have caused and the possible light at the end of the tunnel.

In a Librarians Anonymous first, Jeeves and Wooster record an episode in person, discussing their joint trip to the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo! Our hosts discuss all the cool and nerdy goodness they came across at the first major post-quarantine convention, and since this is a library themed podcast, how what they saw and learned can be applied to a library setting.

Plenty of nerding out, community love, and awestruck appreciation can be heard as Jeeves & Wooster share their excitement with our listeners.

S2E03 - "Let the Kids Read," with special guest, "Stef."

Meeting called to order! This month, Jeeves & Wooster talk to "Stef," a youth services librarian who works with all ages, about programming for the pandemic, book challenges, and getting kids "the right book at the right time." 

"At the moment that we persuade a child, any child, to cross that magic threshold into a library, we change their lives forever, for the better. It's an enormous force for good. As parents, we have to find the time and the energy to step in and help our children love reading. We can read to them, talk to them about what they're reading, and make time for this by turning off the television set ourselves. Libraries are a critical tool to help parents do this."

-Barack Obama

Happy Halloween! It's an abbreviated episode from Jeeves & Wooster about their favorite Halloween memories from working in the library including stories, costumes, patron objections to the holiday and a spirited debate about  haunted libraries. Listen to the end to hear your intrepid hosts favorite horror films and spooky literature. 

Quote: The farther we've gotten from the magic and mystery of our past, the more we've come to need Halloween. – Paula Guran

Films Mentioned: 

Books Mentioned: 

We are BACK for Season 2 of Librarians Anonymous! After summer hiatus, we are ready to return with stories and discussions from the behind the scenes world of librarianship starting with the tough topic of "vocational awe." Here to talk to us this week is "BiblioBurro," a librarian and instructor who is deeply invested in solving the problem of vocational awe with individual solutions like "slow librarianship," and trauma informed services, and systemic advocacy like collective action and accountability. Tune in for a fantastic conversation! 

The featured library that Jeeves & Wooster want to draw your attention to this month is the CSUSM's "Brew-chive" in San Diego: https://archives.csusm.edu/brewchive/

This month's quote: 

"Vocational awe is f*cking toxic and we as librarians need to stop spreading this rhetoric that libraries are this beacon of democracy and critical thinking. Libraries are just buildings. It is the people who do the work. And we need to treat these people well. You can’t eat on passion. You can’t pay rent on passion. It is not a sustainable source of income, and we need to stop treating vocational awe as the only way to be a librarian." -Fobazi Ettarh

Jeeves & Wooster are gearing up for Summer Reading Programs and a stretch of interviews and recordings for Season 2 of The Librarians Anonymous Podcast! Join them for a short episode where they cover their favorite memories of summer reading, the Pizza Hut Bookit! Program, Summer Reading Prizes, and what they will be reading this summer. Stay tuned for Season 2 after a short break in regular episode releases and thanks for listening! 

“One benefit of Summer was that each day we had more light to read by.” - Jeanette Walls 

Sshhhh! Do you hear that? For their tenth episode, Jeeves & Wooster are breaking their silence on the subject of whether libraries should be quiet. With the help of a community survey, your hosts find out what librarians really think about this long standing stereotype of libraries as silent shrines to studious studies. Stories and opinions from the anonymous librarians are read and discussed in detail. If you're not actively involved in the world of libraries, some of the responses discuss might just surprise you.

Quote:

"Libraries are not just for reading in, but for sociable thinking, exploring, exchanging ideas and falling in love. They were never silent. Technology will not change that, for even in the starchiest heyday of Victorian self-improvement, libraries were intended to be meeting places of the mind, recreational as well as educational."

-British author and historian Ben McIntyre.

 Episode 9: The Best Dressed Law Librarian in the West! 

In this session of Librarian’s Anonymous, Jeeves and Wooster welcome, “Zsa-Zsa,” who is an attorney, law school user services librarian, and style/fashion expert. Zsa-Zsa walks them through the basics of law-librarianship, intellectual property, and providing access to law students before taking them to CLASS on the subject of fashion, loving and respecting your appearance, and the basics of building your own personal style. This episode also features Librarians Anonymous’ very first segment called, “Rate that Librarian Look” where Zsa-Zsa breaks down the fashion statements of Rupert Giles, Zelda Schiff, Evelyn Carnahan, Dr. Barbara Gordon, and Mary from Party Girl. DO NOT miss this episode and enjoy the unique brilliance of this librarian! 

Rate the Librarian Look Yourself: https://twitter.com/librariansanon1/status/1394724818726105092 

More information about 17 U.S. Code § 108 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Reproduction by libraries and archives: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/108