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For the Love, Just Ask: History of MN Politics in the 1980s Edition
One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to learn (and re-learn) as a librarian has been not to hesitate to ask someone who knows more than you do about a subject. Yes, Google exists. As do dozens of specific databases for whatever information you’re seeking; but honestly, you will save yourself time and heartache (and…
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Newspaper Research: Window into Public Memory
Most of my research days lately have been spent looking at historic newspapers. Piecing together the public story of The Berean League’s AIDS conference and also the larger picture of politics and public health that surrounds it. Once I established the founding facts of the Berean League itself as well as the basics of the…
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Questions and Discoveries: Background on the Berean League
This post is part of an on-going series documenting my research on politics and public health during the heart of the AIDS crisis in Minnesota history. For more background on this project please see original post: Once Upon a Reference Question. So, it’s been a few weeks of Saturday mornings at the library, establishing research…
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Once Upon a Reference Question: Researching AIDS, Politics, and Public Health in Minnesota History
I’ve been a public services variety librarian for over 10 years now and in that time I have encountered and answered hundreds of reference questions. There are always your run-of-the-mill questions for the context of a particular library: academic libraries teeming with students seeking peer-reviewed articles on whatever the topic du jour is for the…
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Passport Required: Lessons in Creative Problem Solving from the Republic of Kinney
The other day, my friend Aimee texted “would I be willing to talk about Kinney to someone from public radio?” As a general rule, I try to never say “no” to Aimee when she asks for something, because honestly she rarely asks for something and she’s one of the best humans I know. Also, the…
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Is a Librarian Without a Library Still a Librarian?
When talking to students who were interested in going to library school, I would usually share two pieces of advice: 1) Do everything you can to limit the costs of your education (scholarships, grants, assistantships, whatever) because people don’t go into this field for the money and the less debt you have the better. 2)…
Librarian Asks
Listening first, welcoming questions, engaging in conversation, and building knowledge
I’m not here to checkout books, but to invite you into a conversation and through that hope that we both learn a thing or two, because I believe in the mission of new librarianship that we librarians are here “to improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in their communities.” Topics will grow and change here, but commitment to listening and questioning will remain constant.