Hectic Pace Hectic Pace A view on libraries, the library business, and the business of libraries My Pre-Covid Things Authors note: these parodies are always about libraries and always based on Christmas songs, stories, or poems. 2020 being what it is, this year is an exception to both…that’s right, I’m siding with my family and admitting that My Favorite Things is not a Christmas song. (sung to the tune of “My Favorite Things”) [Click the YouTube link to listen while you sing along.] Eating in restaurants and movies on big screensPeople who don’t doubt the virtue of vaccines.Inspiring leaders who don’t act like kings.These were a few of my pre-Covid things. Live music venues and in-person classes.No masks or ... Sitting in the Reading Room All Day (sung to the tune of “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”) [Click the YouTube link to listen while you sing along.] People shhhhhh, are you listening? In the stacks, laptops glistening The reading light’s bright The library’s right For sitting in the reading room all day. Gone away are the book stacks Here to stay, the only town’s fax. We share all our books Without judgy looks. Sitting in the reading room all day. In the lobby we could build a book tree. Readers Guide is green and they stack well. I’ll say ‘Do we have ’em?’ You’ll say, ‘Yeah man.’ ... It’s the Best Library Time of the Year (sung to the tune of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”)  Press play to sing along with the instrumental track! It’s the best library time of the year With no more children yelling And no one is telling you “get it in gear!” It’s the best library time of the year It’s the qui-quietest season at school Only smile-filled greetings and no more dull meetings Where bosses are cruel It’s the qui-quietest season at school There’ll be books for re-stocking Vendor end-of-year-hawking And overdue fine cash for beer Send the word out to pre-schools Drag queen visit ... Maybe It’s Books We Need [I figured this was a song in desperate need of some new lyrics. Sung to the tune of Baby It’s Cold Outside. You’re gonna want to grab a singing partner and use the instrumental track for this one!] (Listen to the track while you sing!) I really must binge (But maybe it’s books we need) You mustn’t infringe (It’s definitely books we need) This season has been (Reading will make you grin) So fun to watch (I’ll hold the remote, you hold my scotch) My Netflix queue scrolls forever (Mystery, poems, whichever) And Stranger Things won’t just watch itself (Grab ... Being a Better Ally: First, Believe Warning: I might make you uncomfortable. I’m uncomfortable. But it comes from an earnest place. I was recently lucky enough to participate with my OCLC Membership & Research Division colleagues in DeEtta Jones & Associates’ Cultural Competency Training. This day-long session has a firm spot in the top 5 of my professional development experiences. (Not coincidentally, one of the others in that top 5 was DeEtta’s management training I took part in when she was with the Association of Research Libraries). A week later, I’m still processing this incredible experience. And I’m very grateful to OCLC for sponsoring the workshop! ... Fake News Forever! Librarians were among the first to join the call to arms and combat the onslaught of fake news that has permeated our political discussions for the last several months. Frankly, it seems hard for anyone to be on the other side of this issue. But is it? Not long after the effort to stop fake news in its tracks, a group of librarians began to consider the long-term implications of eradicating an entire body of content from history. Thus began a concerted effort to preserve all the fake news that a vigilant group of librarians could gather up. Building on ... How will you be remembered? My grandfather had a sizable library when he passed away, and his son (my father) would wind up with roughly half of it. I remember shelves and shelves of books of quotations. He was a criminal lawyer with a love of quotes. I either inherited this love or caught it through the osmosis of being surrounded by these books throughout my childhood. Most of the books were ruined over the years by mold and silverfish and a dose of neglect. But I managed to save a few handfuls of eclectic titles. Their smell still transports me to the basement of ... Seeking Certainty “Uncertain times” is a phrase you hear a lot these days. It was actually in the title of the ALA Town Hall that took place in Atlanta last month (ALA Town Hall: Library Advocacy and Core Values in Uncertain Times). Political turmoil, uncertainty, divisiveness, and vitriol have so many of us feeling a bit unhinged. When I feel rudderless, adrift, even completely lost at sea, I tend to seek a safer port. I’ve exercised this method personally, geographically, and professionally and it has always served me well. For example, the stability and solid foundation provided by my family gives me solace ... No Not Google Search Box, Just You (to the tune of “All I want for Christmas is You”) (if you need a karaoke track, try this one) I don’t need a lot for freedom, Peace, or love, democracy, and I Don’t care about the Congress or their failed bureaucracy I just want a li-brar-y Filled with places just for me A librarian or two No not Google search box, just you I don’t want a lot of features Search results are too grotesque I don’t care about the systems Back behind your reference desk I don’t need to download e-books On the de-vice of my choice Noisy ... We are ALA I’ve been thinking a lot about governance lately. That said, I will avoid the topic of the recent U.S. election as much as possible, even though it is a factor in what makes me think about governance. Instead, I will focus on library governance and what makes it work and not work. Spoiler alert: active participation. I am an admitted governance junky, an unapologetic lover of Robert’s Rules of Order, and someone who tries to finds beauty in bureaucratic process. I blame my heritage. I come from a long line of federal government employees, all of us born in the ...