Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group I Hate My Career

Not really AS related, other than I don't really know how I have managed not to be thrown into an terrible flare through all this. When I have more time I'll tell the whole story, but, suffice it to say that my summer has been a virtual nightmare. Oh, there have been some really fantastic times. I bought a Bayliner ski boat for the big lakes and kayaks for my family for the small streams, and we have used them every weekend. Unfortunately, the 5 days in between (work) has been as close to the 'twilight zone' as I have ever been.

I don't know what all us Librarians are going to do in a world without books which is quickly approaching, thanks to the Internet

John

'Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.' ~from my great fellow Alabamian Harper Lee'

I can only imagine what it is like working at a library right now, Johnny. About 6 months ago, a suburb near me (Troy, MI) actually decided to completely close down their library. This is not a small town we're talking about: Troy is one of the larger suburbs of Detroit, and one of the wealthier ones too. Well, it's no Grosse Pointe or anything like that, but Troy has a decent tax base thanks to a huge mall, plenty of offices, and even some industrial zones, but the economy is so bad here in Michigan that the town's leaders decided they could not even keep the library open on reduced hours anymore. This was not some old, decrepit library either. While it wasn't brand new, the library wasn't that old and certainly had all the modern attributes you'd expect at today's library. The closing only caused a mild ripple in the general community--mainly because everyone here is pretty much numb from the thousands of closings of every kind that have happened here in the past decade--but at my ex-employer, the closing sent shock waves through pretty much every department. To see a library of that size in a town that vibrant simply close down . . . well, it set off some real alarm bells (not that there weren't plenty going off already).

On the flip side of that closing, we had a primary election in Michigan on Tuesday in advance of the November governor's race, and I noticed that quite a few local millages were also on the ballot. I was pleasantly surprised to see that in every town where there was a millage request specifically for library funding, those requests were approved by the voters, some by a wide margin. I definitely did not expect to see that, as recent library funding votes have largely been voted down. Folks are at the breaking point, and unfortunately they often see libraries as a luxury that they think their towns just can't afford right now (and I don't blame anyone for thinking that, which shows how bad things are here).

I do believe that, despite the move away from paper books, periodicals, and newspapers, libraries will continue to survive and, honestly, I think they can even thrive in this increasingly tech-driven society. It won't be easy, but the folks who watch such things have seen many positive signs amidst all the chaos. Libraries that are being very pro-active and progressive and carving out a niche as a community gathering point and information repository (with no attention paid to whether the information is on paper or arrives in electronic form) are managing to really do well, or, at the very least, are keeping the wolves at bay and managing to hold their own. There's no doubt that today's library and the library of the future are going to be drastically different from the library we remember from our childhood, but that isn't automatically a bad thing.

I realize I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, and from the sound of things, whatever is happening at your library is not reflecting the sunshine and light future that I just talked about in that last paragraph. Unfortunately, it sounds like you're seeing the flip side of the coin and that your library is really struggling right now. Needless to say, given my background, it really, really saddens me to hear that, Johnny. If you feel like it, and have time, drop me a line here and let me know just what's going on, and what the future looks like for your library.

So sorry to hear that things aren't going well at work--I hope that things get turned around somehow, my friend.

Brad

Yea for fun on the weekends. Boo on the pain during the week.

I can commiserate on that...after a week of work, I have to take the weekend to recover from it. If I have fun on the weekend, then the recovery never happens and it creates a deficit in coping.

Maybe libraries are going to become museums for books. Reading a book without real pages to turn....it's not a book, imo.

Be well.

I can't imagine a life without book...

Sorry you have been having a tough time, hope things start to smooth out.

Miss you peak in more often, hope the family is well.

Hugs,

Lisa

Ouch! I ran screaming from the library biz 5 years ago and have never looked back! I smell what you're stepping in man - and it ain't the smell of roses. Glad you've got the water, toys for the water, and family to hang out with

peace

Hey John

Good to see you checking in, wish it was better news.

I have not been to library in 5 years as I know live in Argentina for nearly four years. Last time was is Phoenix Area.

In college I lived in the library to study in quiet area... I would imagine this setting is still popular to do so.

Brad had some interesting comments... change is inevitable, hopefully your library can adapt and thrive.

Tim

Not that easy to "run screaming" when I have a Masters in Library and Information Studies Degree (and all the money and time that required), 16 years of service in my State, and yet am at least 9 years away from retirement.

I wish I could be like my wife and just find another job tomorrow; she is a nurse, but for a Professional Librarian like myself, it just is not that easy.

Besides that, I love libraries, I just do not love the lack of value our educationally (and morally) bankrupted 21st century society places on them.

sorry for the work hell.....been there, done that, it was awful, but thankfully those situations never last forever, one way or the other......not a good sign when before opening the door to the building you say each day, "dear lord, please get me through this day" and repeat that phrase multiple times, but eventually things change, things get better, one way or the other, for me it was finding a new position and moving on to a much happier healthier environment, glad i had that option, maybe others don't so readily, i know it wouldn't be so simple at this point in my career.

librairies and books. must admit that while i still love my books, and when i say love, i mean love, combined with my love of antiques, finding a good old book is like finding a jewel in treasure chest. but, when it comes to journals, i'd rather read the articles on-line or print out anything really interesting that i want to mark up, vs photocopying from a bound paper journal. so though our university library may be becoming more electronic and less "paper", it still serves a vital role in helping us to find resource material, supply the books and journals, even if that means on-line, so not so much a downsizing as a step sideways from paper to electronic. if a library can manage that transition....

or like my husband, perhaps a complete change of careers, its always possible, though for me, i can not imagine such a change, we're all different.

good to see you again,

Sweetie, I'm so sorry to hear it. On every level. To have something you love doing threatened by pageless, spineless books. I often wonder what we are doing to ourselves with this dependence on the net for everything.

I recently bought a 1943 Book Club edition of Vera Caspary's novel, Laura. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was when it arrived. The oldtime dust jacket and really thick paper! You really know you're turning a page with this book. It smells like books should too, you know?

Surely the job of Professional Libarian could be adapted to the net? Somehow?

I dunno. I grasping at straws here.



Warm hugs,

One of my favouite things as a kid, something I always looked forward to, was going to the library every other week with my Mum. Mum used to let me sit in the kids corner for ages flicking through books and choosing some to take home.

My kids get to go to the library every other week at school and I am so pleased to see how much they love it too!