Shout out to Rick Yancey

Okay, so I deleted my Facebook account years ago and I never Google my user name but I just purchased the latest Humble Bundle and I am planning on changing my Origin user name.  I wanted to see how many different sites I use 'Bibliotecher' on.  I like to keep my interwebz circles separated, so I have a handful of various user names for different kinds of sites along with a couple of emails addresses as well.

On the first page of search results my username was mentioned on Facebook... Facebook???  I consider Facebook the devil, so of course I checked it out and it was linked to author Rick Yancey's page.

Ironically my quote is from my Twitter account, which I RARELY use, just look at my Twitter feed.  That was my last Tweet and that was from nearly two months ago!

I still am amazed at how technology brings us closer to people we would never have been able to directly contact before.  Oh, and I still haven't figured out what I should change my Origin user name to...

Public Libraries and Facebook Don't Mix...

"You Can't Make Me Like You."

Okay, let me get this out of the way, I hate Facebook, I detest it.  People get too comfortable on it and they gain a false sense of entitlement from it.


Someone on my SLIS school's listserv blasted everyone with a request: "Check out my library's Facebook page and make sure to 'Like It.'"  Why?  Begging for FB-likes is an endless circle jerk in the hopes of feeding an asinine need for online "popularity."  Libraries love their stats: door counts, circ's, program attendance; it's their number one asset in the yearly battle of budgets.  Keeping track of FB-likes means NOTHING.  Budget Committee: "Ooooh, the library has 239 likes, well here's more money!"

I know libraries are trying to be "hip and cool" and "where the patrons are at."  But libraries being on FB just because is much worse than not having a presence at all.  Now libraries are adding their catalogs to their FB pages.  What the hell.  That's what the library webpage is for.  Every single library has their own webpage, USE IT.  When FB goes the way of Myspace/Friendster/Hi5, libraries that have neglected their own webpages will be scrambling to sign up for the next ALA session on "Revitalizing Your Library's Webpage."  If you rely more on FB for interacting with your patrons than the library's own webpage YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING WRONG.

My biggest problem with FB should seem like any public library's as well, but in their vain attempt to remain relevant, whatever the hell that means, they seem to throw caution to the wind when it comes to privacy.  Just 10 years ago the ALA and libraries were circle jerking about how they were the last bastions of user privacy in a post 9/11 world.  Do you know what FB completely sucks at?  Yeah, so I guess libraries are hardcore when it comes to sticking it "To The Man" (government), but sell out when it comes to "The Other Man" (corporations), even though it is harder to distinguish one between the others nowadays.

Numerous patrons have asked me if the library kept records of their checkouts, much to their relief I answered, "No."  Did I suspect these patrons of wrong-doing, no, they just respect their privacy.  The library can't have it both ways, you cannot claim to be on the patron's side in the fight for privacy when you are on a website that continues to violate user privacy (FB now scanning "private chats").

If you use a "free" service that doesn't charge you anything, than YOU are the one being sold.

Facebook is the Devil.

I would be the first to admit that I'm no marketing-guru, but when I saw that the library marketing department sent these out to all the branches I had a "WTH" look on my face.  I feel their efforts and resources would have been better spent on creating handouts for e-readers.  This happened after my supervisor tells me that my home-brewed, in-branch Kindle handouts are verboten because they did not go through the proper channels of upper management to get their golden seal of approval.  The library marketing department will FINALLY work on updating the e-book/e-reader handouts but only after the "handout committee" (yes, there's now a committee for that!) decides what they should say.

Thankfully, I've saved the handout on my computer and can print them whenever I feel like it.  Who knows how long it will take the committee to actually do something.  I'll just keep a couple under my sweater and whisper to patrons, "Pssst, hey, I heard you got a new Kindle.  I've got something for you."

Hate to sound like a hipster (which I am completely not), but I was the few who were on FB when they only allowed those with .EDU email addresses to sign up.  Remember those good old days??  Then they let the Myspace riff raff in and it all went to hell.  I deleted my real account awhile ago, I still have one because now it is the only way to get coupons for some deals. 

I have despised FB for quite some time now; I was always anti-social on it.  Now it's "Like Us" this and "Like Us" that.  I just do not trust them with any information.  Librarians get all up in arms about the OverDrive and Amazon connection, but who cares if Amazon knows what you're reading?  Undoubtedly, most Kindle readers already buy from Amazon so it isn't some big conspiracy about what they know about users.  What about all the information FB has on its users and sells on the regular?  But the library doesn't want to warn patrons about that because patrons wouldn't have any reason to come into the library and use the internet PC's, gotta keep those usage stats high!

I remember seeing a flow chart in regards to Web 2.0 commenting and library websites.  I wish I saved it because it was pretty amusing.  It seems that a lot of libraries jumped on the bandwagon just because it is the in thing.  Just having a Facebook account for the sake of having one is worse than not having one at all.  All I can say is, is that if you need an explanation of what a "troll" is then maybe you shouldn't be the one to run your library's blog or moderate the comment sections.  Personally, I think it is a waste of time and resources for the library to moderate it's own website, several blogs, Flickr account, YouTube account, Twitter account, and FB account.  Maybe I wouldn't have such a problem with the library's attempts at FB  if this was more of a secondary source of patron interaction.  The library has a website of it's own that most patrons visit regularly, what happened to using it fully?  The library needs to be more independent and not rely on a FOR-PROFIT(ahem, Evil OverDrive) for patron interactions.  If only the library would stop being such a needy stat-whore/online popularity contestant and stop worrying about the amount of "Likes" and "Followers" it has.

Nor Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Snow, Nor Plague...

Yesterday's door count was a spine-breaking 381. Get it!? Spine-breaking.... Oh nevermind.  That astounding figure is probably off by a lot too, because out of the few patrons we had, several have small bladders so every time they would walk past the counter to use the restroom the numbers went up.  I've seen the Branch Manager walk back and forth between the counter several times a day for no apparent reason. Cookin' the books the way I see it.

The weather wasn't all too bad yesterday, but it wasn't exactly sunny skies and clear roads.

I was manning the desk alone, fighting off the endless hordes who wanted to check out The Girl Who Boxed a Beehive or was it The Girl Who Attacked an Anthill.  I can never keep up with what those crazy patrons are into.

My coworker who was working later in the day, covering a different branch, IMed my phone asking why the library was still open in this kind of weather. Granted it wasn't blizzard-like conditions, but the schools were closing early, damn you school system! I replied, "Because people need to update their Facebook statuses."

Until people get Facebook chips implanted into their brains, the library will always be open.