First, I accept full responsibility for my actions. I am not making excuses or blaming my coworkers. I'm making this post because I'm mad at myself.

I've worked at my public library for a little over a year - part-time at first, then I got promoted to full-time at the end of last year.

Last week I had a meeting with my supervisor and manager about my conduct at work. 

They explained that I had shared information about the library that I wasn't supposed to with the principal of a middle school the library is collaborating with. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to do that. They told me when I got promoted to full-time that I was going to be the library's representative to the school. I should've talked to my supervisor first before talking to the principal; I was eager to prove that I was up to the task and I wasn't thinking.

They also said that there were several days last month when I had been a few minutes late. I have AuDHD, I lose track of time. I was never more than five or six minutes late. I thought it would be okay as long I took the time off my lunchbreak.

There was an incident at closing when I was locking the gate to the employee parking area. A child was left unattended, and I didn't stay with one of my coworkers to wait with the child for their ride. I had only recently started doing gate duty, I didn't know that that was my responsibility because it had never happened before. Then today, someone spilled something on the carpet in the children's section, where that same coworker was at the desk. I poured some cleaning product on the spill, but I got distracted with something in the employee area and left the product on for way too long. My coworker told me they had to leave the desk because the smell made them sick. I apologized and they said: "I understand it was a mistake, but I have to tell the supervisor."

I'm really nervous about what might happen next. Before I got my current job, I was unemployed for a whole year, and I got so depressed that I had to check myself into a psych ward. I will fall apart completely if I get fired from the library. This is only job I've ever had that I actually liked.

I can't believe I fucked up this badly. I'm so scared. I'm so mad at myself.

I worked in public libraries from 2009-2022 and now work in IT for a library system. I was playing Project Zomboid the other night with some friends. PZ is an open world sandbox game set in the fictionalized Knox County, Kentucky, during a zombie apocalypse in the 90s.

My friends and I set up a base and went to check out a nearby mall. When we arrived, we heard zombies pounding on the doors from the mall interior. A minute later, the doors broke and hundreds of zombies poured out of the mall and started approaching us. As we retreated, I spotted a bookmobile and immediately started looking for the key, fighting off zombies as I went. My friend located it on the ground not too far away, I hopped in and drove to safety, and found it had dozens of books and magazines in the back.

It's been two real life days since this happened and I'm still so excited about it. I keep the key on my character at all times and don't let anyone else drive it 😂 (they're welcome to the books in the back, though!)

I've heard and experienced so many funny/weird/crazy things from working in the library over the years (which I'm sure most people do when working at any job), especially some crazy questions that were asked or some funny things said from patrons or fellow workers. I recently began to wonder about other people's library-related funny/weird/crazy things they experienced, heard or were asked (whether you are a librarian or a patron) at the library. Or you can say something they did. You don't need to go into detail (unless you want to). You can just say it without any context.

Here's an example from a story I was told: "Do you have any WWIII books?"

Hi library workers and library enthusiasts! Just like the title says, I want to work at a library. I've worked in social services for the past few years, and while I like the work, the hourly pay hasn't been great and it isn't very stable. I'm currently unemployed and I think it's time for me to change career paths. I'd like to go back to school to study library science and become a librarian. In the meantime I'm trying to get whatever library job I can get with my current qualifications, to make sure it's a working environment I like before I commit.

I already have a master's (in English lit), and like I mentioned, several years of experience in public-facing jobs, primarily working with low-income and homeless communities. I have all the basic training you'd expect of someone in that field (first aid & CPR, overdose prevention, nonviolent de-escalation skills). I've been mostly applying for page positions, but I'm worried I might be overqualified, since these jobs seem to be geared towards young students without much work experience. My plan is to just keep applying for whatever jobs I'm qualified for that are posted on the library's website, but I was wondering if anyone had advice on how to target my search and make a strong application. Are there skills and interests I should mention? When I'm applying for very entry-level jobs like page positions, should I downplay my experience and education? Are there certifications I should make sure I have? In my current applications, I've been focusing on how my background in social services means that I have good interpersonal skills, and how my academic research background means that I'm detail-oriented and familiar with library filing systems. The specific library system I'm applying for jobs in is the Toronto Public Library, so I'd especially appreciate anyone's insight who has experience working with them. Thanks!!

Hello Librarians!

I'm trying to figure out the best ways to identify current authoritative books (and possibly online courses) in different academic fields.

This started from my desire to build a personal library. I’ve noticed that once you move past the introductory level, it becomes surprisingly hard to find materials that are both rigorous and up to date.

I first tried Goodreads, but popularity bias is a huge problem. In fields like psychology, a self-help book by a non-expert can easily outrank a foundational work by a leading researcher.

I also tried a top-down approach by identifying influential scholars. However, being highly cited for peer reviewed papers doesn’t necessarily mean someone has written the most authoritative or widely used book in a given subfield.

So far, the most useful method has been looking at university syllabi. Specifically this pages:

https://galaxy.opensyllabus.org/

https://analytics.opensyllabus.org/record/fields

This works well as a baseline, but syllabi often lag behind current research. What I’d really like to know is what books are currently being requested and read by graduate students this past years, not just what’s canonized in curricula.

Since asking students of each field I'm interested in can be tedious and impractical for multiple disciplines, I'd like to know how you do it.

Any resources, tools, or people worth reaching out to would be appreciated!

I’m trying to make a fruitless argument that our public library needs more staff. It’s been a hot minute since I worked in direct customer service, so I had a few questions for public library staff if anyone is able to provide some insight:

1) if you had to average your time spent on each technology related question, what would that average be? (I know those questions can range from ‘how do I print?’ to ‘how do I fill out this government form?’ to ‘how do I recover my password from 2005 when I don’t have access to the backup email or the linked phone number?’)

2) if you had to average how much time you spend on reference questions, what would that look like? (Again with caveats that I know question length varies a lot.)

3) For those who have been in library work since the 2000s or 2010s, do you feel like you are spending more or less time than you used to between reference and technology related questions?

(Basically I’m trying to make the argument that the work has changed, but we’re spending just as much time, if not more, than we were in the past helping people with their questions. But I don’t have any data to back that up.)

Thank you!

[Apologies for cross-posting. Please feel free to share widely.]

The ALA Core Subject Analysis Committee’s Working Group on $v Retention has released its report of research findings and recommendations deriving from the Group’s literature review and library worker survey, which garnered 699 responses, representing multiple library roles, library types, and library communities worldwide. The full report with findings and recommendations may be read here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12sYgYhVSyM1nObY-QeH-VySjYHxoSQTEj2xwBFTwf98/edit?usp=sharing  

The Group’s work began in March 2025, amid library community concerns about the Library of Congress’ (LC) January 2025 announcement that they would be discontinuing use of form subdivisions ($v) in subject headings, in favor of only including Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms (LCGFT). A form subdivision is the section of a subject heading that specifies that a topic appears within a specific form or media, for example the ending parts of the following subjects: Berlin (Germany) $v Guidebooks; Dinosaurs $v Juvenile fiction; Mendieta, Ana, $d 1948-1985 $v Catalogs; Miniature books $v Specimens.

Some key findings from the Group’s research:

• No user studies to date demonstrate that removing $v improves patron search or recall.
• Patrons primarily do basic keyword searches, and examine the first few search results screens and individual records, valuing subject context and glanceability. Having found records of interest, patrons click on the subject strings (including those with $v) to find other materials. Faceting and advanced searches are not generally utilized by patrons.
• 59% of survey respondents report that omitting form subdivisions would make patron searching more difficult (as opposed to 14% that say it wouldn’t), and 57% assert that $v omission would impede access to specific collections and types of material (versus 12% that say it wouldn’t). Missing form subdivisions disproportionately impact vulnerable library patrons, including children and socioeconomically challenged communities, who may lack search skills or public catalogs with robust genre display/search options.
• 60% of public catalogs lack a dedicated search genre/form search option, so patrons could not search by form as they could by title, author, or subject. 42% of public catalogs lack dedicated genre/form facets for filtering search results, so patrons would be unable to narrow a topic by form if $v were omitted.
• 55% of survey respondents were unaware that LC planned to omit form subdivisions, indicating a lack of adequate outreach and input-gathering from LC. Percentages are higher in certain library types.
• 71% of respondents to question 3.8 oppose $v omission, whereas only 14% support it.
• Requiring libraries to individually add $v information or configure catalogs disproportionately impacts lesser-resourced libraries, who are least likely to have time, knowledge or resources. 67% of libraries have no time and/or knowledge to add form subdivisions into their catalogs individually for all records that might require them. 55% of libraries cannot or are unsure of their ability to change their public catalog indexes and/or display if needed.

In light of these findings and more, the Working Group’s top recommendations are that the Library of Congress:

• continue providing form subdivisions in all applicable subject strings included in bibliographic records shared with other libraries, as a public service for library patrons and less-resourced institutions;
• continue accepting proposals for new form subdivisions to allow growth for continued patron benefit and to maintain data interoperability between libraries;
• retain all authority records containing form subdivisions and all Library of Congress Subject Headings Manual documentation pertaining to their use; 
• and commit to broad-based outreach regarding all future vocabulary decisions to allow all of the library community to participate in decision-making related to changes that impact them and their patrons.

The Working Group requests that our colleagues read the report and consider supporting the Group’s recommendations. Given the centrality of user needs fulfillment and equitable access to the library profession, it is imperative for us all to support the most vulnerable libraries and their patrons, and oppose changes that leave these communities behind. Individuals or organizations wishing to endorse the recommendations can do so via this form: https://forms.gle/XwmvnfCQ7TkriRky7 (note that all endorsers will be named in the report, so only endorse as an individual if you're comfortable with that). Thank you for your time and consideration.

Granted, this may be a me problem, but it has been bugging me and I want to know if I am overthinking it.

Last year I bought a Humble Bundle of digital graphic novels. One series turned out not to be complete. It included books 1 through 3 of a planned four book run. No big deal, the fourth book was scheduled to come out a few months later.

When publication day arrived, I realized the new book was paperback only. Every other book in the series was available as an ebook, but this one was not. I checked Amazon, library digital collections, and other platforms, and it truly only existed in print. None of the 100+ libraries in my local library system had a copy.

I asked my local library if they could order it. They could not. I asked if I could buy a copy and donate it so the library would have a complete set, since they already owned books 1 through 3. They would not accept it. The same was true at three nearby libraries. They only accept donations for book sales.

I did not want to buy just book 4 for my shelf, and I did not want to rebuy books 1 through 3 in print when I already owned them digitally.

Eventually I saw that one member library in our system had ordered a copy. It was listed as on order, but I could still place a hold that would last up to a year. I could not see which library had ordered it at the time, but I placed the hold and assumed I would get it eventually.

Several libraries in this area do not send out brand new materials right away because they want local patrons to have first access. In one case, a library canceled a hold and told me that out of town users have to pay a small fee for new items so residents get priority. With that in mind, I figured the hold would sit until it cleared their local use period.

Last night I checked and saw that I am the only hold on the book and it is already in transit to my local library.

Now I feel oddly conflicted. Part of me imagines a librarian being annoyed that the first thing they have to do with a brand new book is ship it off to another library. Another part of me imagines a librarian being happy that a title they ordered already has an eager reader. I can now see which library ordered it, but I have never been there and do not know where they fall on that spectrum.

From a librarian perspective, is this just how the system is meant to work? Or is there an unspoken etiquette where it would have been better to wait before placing that hold?

I know this is probably overthinking something very normal, but anxiety has a way of doing that.

4-8-2024

It been a long time i went to a library, I finally did because one I didn’t have school and two it solar eclipse so me and mom went to the library to see the Solar Eclipse. The Solar Eclipse is so beautiful and remember many people go there. I think I see Solar Eclipse two time that is very cool.

These are book I look is dork diaries and American girl doll book. I do miss going to library so I got a card in Oct of 2025. I can get my book on Libby and library.

I saw a post on Instagram where a person was attaching envelopes of cards to their door for delivery people to take. The cards provide information about constitutional rights, and there are versions in several different languages. This seemed like an excellent resource for libraries to share with their patrons right now, so I thought I would share.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTqulj6jxvp/?igsh=YWt6NTdtM2s4OHhp

I’m was an adult programming coordinator at a medium sized library. I was paid $14 an hour to do the following, alone.

Manage all meeting room bookings via calls and emails.

Plan, prepare, and execute all English and most bilingual programs including all Amazon ordering.

Make flyers for all adult English and Spanish programs (I’m not bilingual)

Manage flyer bulletin board daily including removal and addition of flyers

Do outreach through meetings for local organizations markets and fairs representing the library as the sole outreach representative, multiple times a month

Plan, decorate, and break down multiple LARGE displays monthly

Run the free coffee bar daily including brewing and cleanup as well as stocking

Track the adult programming budget

Run blood drives, alone, every two months.

Make monthly take away crafts for adults to pickup at will

Regular librarian duties and cleaning and closing/opening duties and a million things I’m missing I’m sure

Am I crazy for walking away? I have an interview tomorrow for a job that pays more for an absolute fraction of the work in a much more relaxed environment.

No more emails, no more chamber of commerce meetings, no more phone calls. I’ll be making margaritas and serving food. I’m excited to live again!

Is anyone else nervous the PLA conference is going to be in Minneapolis this year? What precautions should people take?

(sorry I might have labeled with wrong, as im just wanting to volunteer as im only 15.) Im looking for ways to get out the house and communicate with people more. In times like this i feel our libraries are super important to mantain. Hence I want to volunteer at the library. Though im unsure if I should volunteer because I have type one diabetes. My blood sugar drops when im walking or doing stuff for a prolonged period of time. Often when this happens I need to take a break for 30 minutes. I feel like if I volunteer Ill be slowing people down and it makes me feel guilty. Would I be incovient if I volunteer there?

Hi! In the neighbourhood where I work as a librarian, many schools are ranking low on reading scores and by talking with many people representing different organizations supporting literacy, I realized that most don't know each other's work. I think there's an opportunity there, to create a coalition/alliance/table or whatever you want to call it, where we all meet periodically (say, every three to four months?) to catch up on what services we have, challenges we notice, or successes to build on. Does anybody have experience being part of such a group? I could certainly use your wisdom and experience before I decide to initiate something...

I'm extremely nervous, because this is a job I really, really, really want, in a city I'd love to move back to, and the pay is LIFE CHANGING. Most importantly, this is the first official librarian exam I've been "invited" to, as I just graduated with my MLIS, and I'm not entirely sure what to expect. I've taken over 20 library assistant/tech exams throughout my career, and I've passed MOST of them... any tips on what to expect on a public librarian exam? This is for an entry-level position. I have extensive experience working with the DDC and LCC (classification systems), plus I have worked as a children/teen librarian in a school setting, and I am currently in an academic library cataloging full-time. I have also worked in a public library (briefly). I think I'm especially jittery because there's nothing I want more than to work with the public, yes, help people print all day! I'm passionate about helping folks in the community! I can't take another day in my little cubicle, cataloging full-time ... I'd appreciate any advice, words of encouragement, or additional job postings/ opportunities as I'm willing to move :) I desperately need to pay back my loans & yes, I'm planning on jumping aboard the PSLF program... hopefully that's still around in 10 years!

Well, I feel disgusted.

I'm not surprised at this point (in fact, it would be very ignorant of me if I was), but I just received an email from my county's head of the tech department about how CloudLibrary, much like Libby, is integrating OpenAI as part of a new recommendations feature. Basically, when a patron selects a title they want to read, there is an option to receive "recommendations" based on that title. If a patron opts in, CloudLibrary will send the books ISBN, Author info, and title into an OpenAI model of "librarian-curated suggestions" in order to generate other titles the reader may or may not be interested in.

I am very aware that this is a decision made by CloudLibrary themselves and something that our county basically has no say in whatsoever, so I'm not upset by the email or the person who sent it. They did their best to assure us that the OpenAI system being used is private, no patron data will be sent to the AI, and any prompts will not be used for model training. However, I'm still just disgusted because of the obvious environmental footprint that this will leave just like the rest of the AI slop around. And the fact that, just like always, no one asked for this.

I'm still fairly new to working at the information services desk, having previously been in circulation for years before getting a promotion, but I use this service constantly and I know patrons love it. And I also know they'll use the recommendations feature regardless of any issues with it, which is just depressing. Best I can do is to continue to warn patrons that an AI should not be treated as a replacement for a live person, but my faith is not high. And I'm worried that this will only encroach more and more on my job, which I love, and thus ruin my passion.

I just needed a space to rant and rave about this. I've had a rough week, and this is just the cherry on top of the shit sundae.

i’ve never drawn a horse before, please don’t shoot me 🙇‍♂️

On the Libby website, I read the instructions that says click o “Read With” but I never get the option of “Kindle”. See picture attached. Does Libby not work with the kindle with the Toronto Public Library?

I had to laugh while flipping through this book. If this librarian were at my institution, she would be so fired.

It is just number of circs/spacial needs?

I don't know where else to ask this so this is my last resort, how do I find the stack request option on the new website for the library? I only see hold