Arts students and professors have the benefit of their university libraries with their extensive inventory of books and other media, along with their special collections. When I was working on my MFA in creative writing, my thesis chair encouraged me and my classmates to take advantage of this great resource, to find things that would help our projects and even our work in the long term. His advice especially resonated when I watched this video. It’s something I should never forget, but to always apply in my own creative life.

For all other artists, whether they be without a formal arts education or they are working long after that degree, the public library part of what makes inspiration, ideas, and research possible. The books one reads or the movies or music one may listen to may have a great effect on what an artist creates. While it is possible to create anywhere, anytime, institutions such as libraries and enhance the quality of one’s intellectual and creative life. They make ideas accessible in a way that universities and bookstores do not. For those, one needs some amount of money. The library, on the other hand, is free to the public and even provides space to read, study, or contemplate while there. It has made the writing of Ray Bradbury possible. Given that, who knows what else is possible?

Don’t overlook the library. You might get an idea, and that is the wildest thing that can ever happen. You won’t be sorry.

While there are challenges to libraries and librarians, this is an opportunity for librarians to be more creative in their services. The challenge is for the library to make itself an essential part of the community. We bring to our community their concerts through www.houseconcerts.com. Many of the artists will play for a place to stay, a donation and chance to sell (CDs). We also try to keep up on government programs, because we help people sign up for unemployment, Social Security etc. We offer noncredit classes, work with the local community college to do provide ESL, GED and other classes. Make yourself essential as a librarian and make your library essential to the community, advocate for the library and you will have a job. Mainly I wanted to give encouragement. It is easy to read the literature and get discouraged, but librarianship is a great career.

Great advice, Dan. In fact, it goes very well with the NYPL’s campaign to support their public library, only the message can go further than the New York metropolitan area. Libraries all over the country need support and advocating for them is something to keep in mind. I’ll also keep the closing statement in mind – librarianship is a great career. Isn’t that what I signed up for? Isn’t this what I expect when done with the MLIS? Absolutely.

Here’s the NYPL video to get people to support their public library. Yes, I embedded it in a previous post, but the message is worth repeating and needs to adopted nation-wide.

* I have formatted Dan’s tweets into a paragraph. It naturally flows this way.

In this classic skit from Sesame Street, Cookie Monster asks a stuffy librarian some well-intentioned questions about if the library has cookies, only to be answered with abuse. Then again, when Cookie Monster persists in asking the questions, one can’t really blame the librarian. I wonder how many of us when we were children envisioned themselves being the exasperated librarian when watching sesame street. I did.

Sometimes I feel a little too spread thin with all my online “me’s,” especially with Twitter, Facebook, and this blog. Friendfeed seems to have taken on a life of its own mainly because my tweets go to it, but some profiles, such as Plurk and 12 Seconds languish. In starting this MLIS program at San Jose State University’s online program, I have a few more virtual selves to contend with. To add to that, I have also created the Shindobrarian blog back in March when I got news of my acceptance into the program. I haven’t updated much since then until recently, when I put some library oriented posts up. However, they mirror the ones I put up here.

I created the Shindobrarian as the blog with a specific audience: fellow MLIS students and librarians. The ShindoTV one — I’m still not clear about it except to post whatever comes to mind. I just want a blog I wouldn’t mind coming back to again and again. Of course, I post the library ones here because they may be the ones that I write when inspired, but I then cross-post them on the Shindobrarian. The general idea for the Shindobrarian is to post things I’m learning about the library profession, but also to post on thing relevant, whether it’s articles, news, humor, etc. I’ll see how it goes, especially as I get to know more and more of this students, whether in real life or the online realm. I’ll look around for sure, but if anyone knows about any good MLIS or librarian oriented blogs, send them my way.

What’s a man to do when he’s properly qualified for a job, yet seems to have a hard time finding one? Perhaps suing the alma mater university is one option, but when he really needs a job, some more immediate action is necessary. Dumb down one’s resume, play down job accomplishments, or just talk it up are some options. Here, a desperate man resorts to dressing up like a gorilla, which appeals to some warped affirmative action, British style. Gotta love Monty Python for that.

I came across this public service announcement for the New York Public Library, which is awesome. It’s wonderful to see the famous and fabulous shout out the library system of New York City. It’s great that the A-listers shout it out for the New York Public Library, but other library systems all over the country need support. In a cash-strapped California, where the State has no money and threatens to take funds from the counties and cities, making sure that the libraries keep going is even more of necessity.

Even with public schools, community colleges, and state universities, the public library is a place that teaches more people than all the mentioned educational institutions. Whether it is children’s books, novels, car repair books, world history, or DVD’s, the library is a place where one can learn about anything. Of course, Borders or Barnes & Noble provides the same materials, but those items have price tags and that can get expensive. Here, everything is free, provided it’s returned on time. School is not for everyone, but anyone can be an autodidact. That’s certainly the case with Ray Bradbury, who learned more from the libraries offerings than he ever did from any school. He’s also written many many fantastic novels, among them Fahrenheit 451. Quiet with lots of books – who knows what else could be produced. Even if one doesn’t write the Great American Novel, what one learns is priceless.

In this bad economy, the library has become an important resource for those seeking jobs. The reference section is stocked with career and testing books, along with ones to help anyone craft the killer résumé. More importantly, in our online world, the libraries also provide computers for those who don’t have them, enabling them to work on those résumés and upload them to the various company or job websites. Some branches even have career centers to help those job seekers negotiate through the various procedures of trying to get a gig. Before glibly telling someone to get a job, consider that they should have the tools to do that.

Some patrons are remarkably competent with using a catalog search and finding their way around the library, but the librarian and their support staff are there for those who aren’t. Even in this online age, many still need the help with the Internet or other applications, such as Microsoft Office for those résumés, and who else is there to help them? Unlike certain bureaucratic arms of local governments, those who work for the libraries definitely approach what they do with a great deal of care and compassion.

For those of us in San Diego, there is the wonderful San Diego Public Library and the San Diego County Library. As for any library, none should become a casualty of this economy. This institution should not be allowed to become extinct. Everything the library does for the public is not quantifiable and full benefits are yet to be seen. All that said, support your local public library.

Little over a month ago, I got accepted into the Master of Library and Information Science program for Fall 2009 at San Jose State University. I have contemplated applying ever since I was working after graduation from grad school, mainly because adjunct teaching is so unstable. Also, I like libraries a lot. I always have. I finally took action back in November and applied.

While I have a primary blog where I post about any subject that catches my fancy, the Shindobrarian is devoted to my journey through the MLIS degree program at SJSU and my career path to becoming a librarian. I’ll post about what I’m learning along the way.

I am really excited to see where the journey leads me. More to be posted soon.