Librarylife - Tumblr Posts
Our library hasn't had its own drag story hour, but we have had such a story event in our little garden area out front as part of the city's Pride Fest. We had a small group of protestors, thankfully on the other side of the building where no one had to put up with them.
I love this as a alternate. "Oh please, protestors, do go up to the people in black spiked leather and voice your objections. I'll bring popcorn."
I think this is a great idea.
I work in a moderate sized library in Northern Illinois (USA.) I'm not a librarian myself, being part of the IT department. (Essentially I'm support for the librarians themselves.) I'm enby/trans fem and pansexual, and I'm very much not alone here. I was over 50 when I started here and I've only ever felt supported, which is such an amazing feeling I can't adequately convey it without lots of verbal gushing and hand gestures -- difficult to reproduce in text!
We have some really amazing people and I'm proud to work with them. While I've make sure to speak up during staff meetings, I want to share this with everyone. This is the display we currently have out for Pride Month. I so much love the variety the reference department has put out here! This is not a static display and titles will rotate through the month, especially as people check out books.
The last two years, my library has had diversity training. I do appreciate the efforts, I really do, but the way it's packaged leaves a lot to be desired. (I should note that the training and videos are not produced in house, but are from an outside organization.)
This is one of the key points that has come up several times and it irks me. The training material doesn't present it in such a way as to say "If you want to be an ally," but rather as something people should self-identify as. Yeah, it's a fine point, but I think one that is very worth addressing.
I've given feedback on the material for both sessions. The videos are mostly good, but still have a strong feeling of cishet people earnestly trying to Do The Right Thing while talking over members of the queer community. I'm left feeling the effects of exactly what Sophie is describing here: they are self-identifying as allies and not helping us nearly as much as they think.
A coworker who has tried hard to understand aspects of my queerness was very excited to bring this sticker to me. I wasn't about to try to explain to her that this mostly doesn't apply to me. (I'm enby and pansexual, even if I'm feminine presenting!) I thanked her and took it in the spirit it was offered.
It sure beats people being hostile about my identity. 🙂
Although not the primary reason, this really is one of the reasons I could never go back in the closet. I want younger people to know they can have a good life as themselves no matter what they might hear otherwise.
When I was growing up in the '70s and '80s, there was no one in my sphere that was visibly queer. Even in the media, we were always the joke, the victim, or most often both. It sometimes feels like narcissism to think "I'm setting a good example for young queers," but really just going about daily life openly is a good example.
If I had such an example all those decades ago, I might not have so much experience with depression.
i met a queer high schooler today, at my job
throughout the interaction i had with them, i watched them become more relaxed and open, simply seeing me as a queer adult doing my job
i sort of feel like i served as an example for that student, of a queer person existing successfully in society.
i could pick up on their habits mannerisms and fashion, and related my own experiences to that. they were visibly disabled, so i wanted to ease their mind about accessibility concerns in the building, so i mentioned my heart condition and trouble with walking up stairs. they were immediately more comfortable. we used the elevator
i complimented their nonbinary pride flag bracelet, and pushed my hair aside so they could see my name badge with my pronouns, and they smiled.
it's so freeing to be seen without the expectation for any explanation, and i know that so i wanted to give them that peace of mind. i wanted to show them that the world outside of high school is survivable. hope is not crushed, i am here, i am visibly queer, and so it is possible for them too.
Bigots don't need help, I guess
Because I was able to keep calm and not yell at a patron, I will let it out here.
One of our custom service staff members offered to help you, but you rejected her curtly. She asked if I would try because one of our first missions here is to help those that come to us.
Yes, I caught that look when you glanced up at my beautiful trans self and said that you didn't think I'd be able to help you. Mother fucker, you're writing a MS Word document. I've been using MS Word since version 6.0 was released, so about 30 years now. I seriously doubt you're doing anything I don't know how to do.
And then you said that you wanted V to help you. Really? Yeah... can I watch while that happens? Guess who V goes to with all of his computer questions.
You rejected the first offer of help because she was a woman and mine because I'm trans? You want help from a staff member who is much less knowledgeable in this area because he's a man?
You know what, thank you. I am fucking proud to be in the set of people that you have determined "cannot help you."
Quote of the Day for 27 December 23
I was talking with one of our staff members at the service desk when a noticeably drunk patron approached. She wasn't asking for help so much as demanding someone solve her issue immediately and yelling threats like:
"Don't mess with me, I'm a former hacker."
Yeah, I can tell. That's why you can't connect to our public WiFi - the one without a password.
What cat?
In our library today someone had a ridiculously cute kitten tucked into their jacket. Maybe 2 months old, bright eyes, very fuzzy. 😍
Correction: Someone had an emotional support animal. Because otherwise the three of us staff members that were cooing about the kitten would've said something about it!
We've upgraded a lot of our computers here at the library, so we're now in the process of getting rid of our old systems. This mostly means recycling, but since we are a government entity, we do have to follow certain disposal requirements. I'm secure wiping a lot of old HDDs before we send them out, mostly via format with a 3x write pass. Unfortunately some of the drives are dead at the hardware level, and we can't just wipe them at the software level.
This I have had the opportunity to wipe a few SSDs with the "hammer and a pair of pliers" method. This has been oddly satisfying! (I'll be wiping a few HDDs with a drill in the next week or so.)
I'm down in the IT office here at my library, so I don't exactly have my finger on the pulse of library happenings across the nation. However I can say without a doubt that there were two library employees here that were very happy to see @tkingfisher 's What Feasts at Night on the NYT bestseller list for this week! 👏🥳👏🥳👏🥳
Yes, there is a place…where someone loves you both before…and after they learn what you are.
~ Neil Hilborn, "Lake", The Future
El Ateneo: The most beautiful book shop in the world.
cloudy and hazy like the mess of my mind, thanks for asking :)
People who introduce you to new ways of thinking and new ways of seeing life are so important
