Trudging along.

[silveradept]

Well, today was interesting. Went in for my second shift, only to realize that I wasn't supposed to be there at all. When someone pointed that out to me, anyway. Ah, well, got some work done anyway, basically getting me caught up to where I should be - good thing. And in an hour, I did everything I was supposed to, anyway, project wise.

I also knocked Sephiroth for a loop in Kingdom Hearts II, after losing badly to him many, many times. Cheap character, that one. I suppose, though, that since it only took me a couple hours to beat him, I'm doing okay. Next target is the Hades Paradox Cup. After that, we're flying straight for the end. The end boss will probably take one look at us and go "Eep."

Bush administration in CYA mode, trying to write in retroactive protections.

Hrm. Emergency preparedness exercise on 9 August, conveniently coupled with the announcement on 10 August. It's like they knew it was coming. Did they have their government coloring books/procedure manuals there, too?

You know, with the AOL database fragment leaked, some people are coming up with inventive things. Like searching the search fragment to see what was there. AOL stalker claims to remove personally identifying searches, but there's still a lot there that could be used against someone, intentionally or no. (So why link it? Because someone might wonder whether their data was compromised. If we entertain the grand delusion that there are other people beyond the friendsilst and LJ community that read this blog, then it might be useful. Either that, or the historians who are searching the Wayback of the future are going to be interested in this.)

Another example of a Big Lie in action? The idea that somehow there exists "the internet problem", which often flagrantly flies the bird and the Jolly Roger together in the face of the traditional media. Without a unified front, suddenly the news is not necessarily the news. Or the news has its flaws shown up. Thus, the problem of a divided viewpoint and a populace that has to think.

I was going to write something, I believe, about how I'm not as virtuous a person as I look, and that I'm probably starting to get meaner and more hardened just by dealing with the older end of my chosen department, but instead, I'm going to implant the idea of pink elephants and very fluffy bunnies in your head as I crawl into bed. G'night.

Comments

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

You're getting meaner from dealing with teenagers? What? Or am I reeading that wrong?

[sharpsight.livejournal.com]

N) Older end--as in staff members?

(If so, I suppose the usual path is to become like them and one of them as one grows older, until one gets to the point where one exerts the same influence on the new workers joining the department... make your decisions accordingly. Of course, it all depends on the interpretation of your post whether this even applies.)

[silveradept]

Not the staff members, really. Just the way that the older end of the clientele interacts - I can see the transition between eager library child, jaded library preteen, and internet-centric teenage much more clearly now.

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

I know you mentinoed before that the teenagers spend most of their time on MySpace at the library, but aren't there at least a few who are the quiet Hermione-like bookworms? The ones who actually go to the Library for the books?

But wait, with that new stupid library law, aren't pages like MySpace now banned from being viewed?

[silveradept]

Myspace will be banned, yes, and there are kids that do come in for books, but a lot of them are accompanied by their parents. The kids and teens tend to like the computers almost as much, if not more, than the books.

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

So what are they going to do on the computers once certain sites get banned? I would immagine they'll pout and go elsewhere and leave you in peace.

[silveradept]

Do you understand how much of the library-using population that is, though? Since we're actively trying to bridge the gap between the young and eager and those who occasionally come with their kids/for books, if we have to tell them that chat and MySpace and such are banned, it only makes it harder for us to keep them. A good garphic novel collection will probably do some of the lifting for us, but unsupervised, unfiltered Internet access is a big draw for people.

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

Ouch. honestly, no, I hadn't thought of that. I mean, i don't agree with the banning of those things at all, but I thought it would make dealing with that age group easier for you. It didn't occur to me that you would most likely lose a large percentage of that age group as patrons without that ability.

Can they still access e-mail and online games? What about things like Jabber (gTalk, LJChat, etc) is that stuff going to be blocked as well? Do you know yet what it will entail? (also will it block the stuff on the staff computer's as well?)

There's got to be something that can be done to keep the teenagers intersted in the library. I'm not so pleased that a graphic novel section will "keep them", but it's a start, right?

[silveradept]

E-mail, probably. Online games, maybe, maybe not, leaning into the likely not. Jabber is out (or should be), as it's a chat protocol. I don't know what it will entail, and it's not going to apply to staff computers, only to the ones the public can access.

Programming helps to keep teens interested, as do hip books and computer access. Graphic novels help because it makes the library lose some of its stuffy reputation. If you can get comics at the library, it's got to be a decently cool place.

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

Well, you might still get the kids checking/sending their emails and stuff, especially if they can't do it at home. I hope it doesn't also can their ability to play games, because well, that's definitly one way of having fun at the library!

The library also lets you borrow DVDs and video's without paying for them, ans well as CDs. That also could become a good draw for the kids. I don't know how much promotion the library does about that aspect, but it might also be something to look into.

I thought the video game tournaments they had this summer were interesting, and the graffiti contest. If they keep up the programing they might draw the students. I'm also in favor of crafting events like learning to scrapbook or knit, but that's really because it's more my cup of tea.

but back to the original statement - whydo you think it's making you meaner dealing with the kids?

[silveradept]

I dunno - I just feel like they're trying their hardest not to have to talk to me any more than is required. There's an aggressiveness in the way that some of the people talk to me. I'm an impediment to their freedoms, and so I'm not really worth their time or respect.

Or so it seems. Since they don't seem to want to accord me respect and civility, I feel like I'm starting to reflect that back at them.

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

Well, you know how teenagers are with authority. they have to keep pressing at it until they reach the limit, so perhaps if you are a bit tougher on them they will start to show you the respect they ought to? Is it just you that they don't show respect to, or is it all the librarians?

Just don't let it make you bitter, ok?

[sharpsight.livejournal.com]

N) Ah.

[greyweirdo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but now I'm thinking of mean little bunnies and unvirtuous pink elephants that beat up old women in the streets.

[silveradept]

Are there shrubbers and knights around as well?

[greyweirdo.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough there are. And some guy is trying to cut down the mightest tree in the forest with a herring.

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

Ni! Ni! Ni! Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh