You know you are a librarian in 2005 when…

You’ve probably seen some version of this popular list…
You know you’re living in 2005 when…
1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven’t played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don’t have e-mail addresses…
(15 more…)

So how do you know you’re a librarian in 2005? When…
1. You have to remind kindergarteners to turn off their cell phones before the story starts.
2. You know what an IP number is but not an ISBN number.
3. You have a student who does a better job troubleshooting the circulation system than the district technician.
4. Your students think both The Little Mermaid and Hunchback of Notre Dame were written by Walt Disney.
5. You know more librarians in Texas than you do in your home state because of LM_Net.
6. The best way to remind a student about an overdue book is by e-mail.
7. You don’t talk in the teachers lounge about a project because it is not tied directly to a state test.
8. When answering a reference question, you start with Ask Jeeves.
9. You’ve used the last of your check-out cards for scratch paper.
10. Kids look at you funny when you call it the “the card catalog.”
11. You have 5th grade girls who show more skin at school than you would have ever dreamed of doing on the beach.
12. You have as more polo shirts with computer logos than you do book logos.
13. Your students show you how to get around the district Internet filter.
14. Your aid spends more time troubleshooting the network than reshelving books.
15. You never see anyone copy out of the print encyclopedia anymore.
16. Your index finger has a callous from tapping the SmartBoard.
17. You didn’t get your last grad class assignment turned in on time because the network was down.
18. You’ve Googled the new teachers in your building.
19. You don’t remember the last time you’ve had to alphabetize something.
20. You have all your passwords and PIN numbers on your PDA - and you can’t remember the password for your PDA!

Add your own!

Librarians and shoes - a male perspective

It is with no small degree of amusement that I’ve been following the “shoes” thread on LM_Net over the past couple days. I now know more about female librarians and their attitude toward footwear than I had ever expected or wanted to.

Like most guys I know, I devote about as much time to thinking about shoes as I do to thinking about circus elephants. Not very damn much. I do appreciate two things about women and their shoes
- I DO notice the lovely effect that a pair of high heels on the bearing of a woman, especially those “come hither” shoes (which also have a far ruder nickname).
- I have a special appreciation for tall women who wear heels. It just says something about their self-confidence that I admire.

Other than that, a woman can pretty much wear galoshes and I won’t notice. You want attention? Think low-cut blouses, tight skirts and a nice smile.

Now, how about guys’ shoes? There are three main qualifications a good guy shoe must have - comfort, comfort, and comfort. Slip-ons get bonus points for ease of use and convenience in airport security lines. (Although my rapid passage through security is too often delayed by the woman just ahead of me in the thigh-high lace-up moccasins who has obviously never flown before in her entire life.) As a guy you need two pairs of work shoes. One black. One brown. Any more than that you might be considered a metrosexual and teased by real guys unmercifully.

Here’s my advice to guys (and the women who dress them): Merrells right now are the best shoes going - bar none. They even come in a leather, polished finish that is a suitable compromise to dress shoes. They are pretty inexpensive, slip on, have lots of cushion, and last forever. I’ve got one style I like so much that I have two pairs in boxes in my closet identical to the pair I now wear just in case they stop making them.

As educators, I do think we show respect to our kids by dressing as professionally as possible. During the school year, I always wear a coat and tie and keep my Merrels polished. I always wear a coat and tie when presenting, hoping to fool people into thinking I am an authority since I look like one.

I am not sure the authority ruse works. A few years back, I found myself one morning in a hotel room in Massachusetts (pre-Merrell days) staring at the two black dress shoes I’d just pulled from my bag - both of them left footers. I had no choice but to wear the tennis shoes I’d worn on the plane with my suit and tie that day. I apologized for the shoes at the beginning of talk, but received several comments from librarians on how much they liked “the look.” Go figure.

Do women really look at guys’ shoes?
__________________________
4 Comments »
Doug–I hate to disillusion you but, for women, shoes are not worn for men 98% of the time. They are worn for oneself–and other women. Other women? Women are brutal about checking out other women much more throughly than we check out guys. Yes, we notice your shoes and polish does count. And “the look” matters.

But checking out other women–there are many more criteria! And “sensible” is an OK comment to get though those sensible shoes still have to be appropriate. But “stylish” and “NICE!” rate higher scores on the rubric. Style AND comfort are the challenge for women’s shoe shopping.

I understand that there are women who can travel with only two pairs of shoes but I am not one of them. Five day trip? Five to seven pairs, day and evening wear. Luckily my feet are small and I can tuck shoes in easily. Some women pack a smal suitcasse with nothing but shoes.

For ourselves? Well, the right shoe has the same effect on most women as the right underwear. Heel height does make us walk differently, but strappy shoes are bare for a reason. Think of them as visible lingerie… worn mostly for ourselves. Merrells would be OK for work with slacks but that’s about it. I prefer slides with no backs which be removed easily while sitting. Or while going through airport security. I wore boots and jeans to travel to AASL in Indy, my first airtrip after 9/11…they were packed on the way home!

Time to soak my feet for a pedicure…

Now you know MORE about shoes and women than you probably need to know.

Think of Daniel Pink and that toilet brush. Why not choose shoes with lovely design when there are two comfortable pairs to choose from?

Comment by SaraKellyJohns — August 27, 2005 @ 8:21 am

You mean it’s not always about us guys? I’m heartbroken. Thanks for the comments. I am SO glad I’m a guy.

Comment by Administrator — August 27, 2005 @ 11:17 am

Guys wear shoes? Guys look below the knee? I agree with Sara. Recently I took control of my shoe buying. No more trying on 50 pairs while my husband watched. He ALWAYS chose the heavy German shoes that make my legs tired lifting them and left blisters by the second day. This summer I chose a frivolous pair of white sandals with a huge plastic flower on top and glittery beads. One inch heel and no back. Definitely not practical. My children thought I’d lost my mind. When I brought them home I explained that I had bought these so when I went to a Weight Watchers meeting with women, they didn’t glance and dismiss me. I even painted those toes. The shoes have been a huge hit and, yes, I have worn them to school several times. Children clap when they see these shoes. My husband asks me daily, “Did anyone comment on your shoes?” He is amazed that every day I get a complement.
Why is this relevant? When I first began storytime in the library, I discovered the little ones were always trying to take my shoes off my feet while I was reading. Being a cute little 23 year old, I had ruby red slippers, many Chinese embroidered ballet like shoes, and my favorite Kangaroo leather boots with my J ‘heart’ D down the side (for the first husband’s declaration of love on my birthday). Children love shoes. I grew up in Iowa and was always told it was unseemly to show toes in a professional position. SAS shoes were the expected. Practicality ruled. Living in the south, I have discovered that toe rings are conversation pieces and if I put a sticker on the sole of my shoe, Warren may spend the entire lesson time trying to see which sticker it is instead of poking his neighbor.
Comment by Diane Chen — September 13, 2005 @ 10:58 pm

Picking Your Fights

A coach was the keynote speaker at a banquet I recently attended. Is it just me, or do coaches speak only in clichés? This guy had forty-five minutes worth.

He did tell one joke that I had not heard before. It’s on the slightly blue-side, so if you are easily offended, stop reading now. Here it goes:

On his way into the saloon, a runty little cowboy passes his horse and notices that somebody has painted its testicles bright pink. He storms into the bar and shouts, “Where’s the low down dirty varmint that painted my horse’s testicles bright pink? I’ve got something to say to him!”

From the back of the saloon comes a giant, mean-looking cowboy who stands right up to the little cowboy, towering over him. He looks down and says, “I painted your horse’s testicles bright pink. Now just what was it you wanted to say to me?”

The little cowboy gulps, then squeaks, “Just thought you might want to know the first coat is dry.”

The point of the story, said the coach, is that we should pick battles that are big enough to matter, but small enough to win.

Now that is not bad advice, but no one ever goes on to explain just how a person determines a battle’s size or importance. I know more than a few librarians who seem to fight very hard about some very trivial issues and others that feel pretty much responsible for and try to change everything that happens in the entire world.

While I am by no means perfect at picking my own fights, I’ve gotten better at it as I’ve gotten older. One concept that’s worth thinking about is the relationship between one’s “Circle of Influence” and “Circle of Concern” described by Stephen Covey in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Most people’s Circle of Concern is far larger than their Circle of Influence. (I am concerned about global warming, but my ability to stop it is relatively small.) Covey states, “Proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about. “

Now that seems pretty simple, doesn’t it? Spend your time on the things you can actually do something about. If I am worried about funding for my library program for example, I just might allocate the time I have available to work on this issue as follows:

• Building budget: 90% Working with my principal, site team, library advisory commitee, and PTA to create a building library budget and to prioritize the building’s budget. Serving on the interview team when selecting new administrators. Working with teachers to build units that require library resources.
• District budget: 5% Serving on a district library committee. Speaking at school board meetings. Working for the election of library friendly school board members.
• State budget: 3% Lobbying for state dollars for libraries and the general education formula with teacher and library organizations. Working to elect state political leaders friendly to education.
• National budget: 2% Working to elect national political leaders friendly to education.
• Global economic policies: 1%: Staying informed. Donating to “causes.”
  

How do you know if the battle is too small? That’s easy too. If the issue impacts only you as a librarian with no direct negative consequences your students or staff, it’s too small – period.

So how do you determine which battles to fight?